Hand prosthesis with fingers that can be aligned in an articulated manner

• US 7,867,287 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2006
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA
• Original Assignee: Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH (OTTO BOCK Holding GmbH & Company KG)
• Inventors: Puchhammer, Gregor
• Primary Examiner(s): Matthews; William H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoffman; Marcia
• Application Number:
  US12/097,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20080262636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 623/57, 623 63- 65, 623/24, 901/30, 901/32, 901/36, 901/38
• US Class Current: 623/64
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/583 Hands; Wrist joints
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/586 Fingers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30523 by means of meshing gear teeth
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30525 Worm gears
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/5018 for adjusting angular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/5055 Reinforcing prostheses by embedding particles or fibres during moulding or dipping, e.g. carbon fibre composites
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/5093 Tendon- or ligament-replacing cables implantable A61F2/08
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/587 Thumbs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/701 operated by electrically controlled means, e.g. solenoids or torque motors
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0025 Connections or couplings between prosthetic parts, e.g. between modular parts; Connecting elements

Abstract

A hand prosthesis includes a chassis to which a number of finger prostheses are articulated. Each of the finger prostheses are movable relative to the chassis and toward one another about at least one swiveling axis via a drive that is connected to the finger prostheses by a force transmission unit.

Claims

1. A hand prosthesis comprising:

a chassis including an inner palmar surface;

a plurality of finger prostheses articulated or elastically coupled to the chassis;

a single motorized drive coupled to the plurality of finger prostheses, the drive configured to rotate in a first direction and a second direction to articulate each of the plurality of finger prostheses about a swiveling axis relative to the chassis from a rest position toward the inner palmar surface; and

a plurality of force transmission units, each unit coupling one of the plurality of finger prostheses to the motorized drive,

wherein upon rotation of the motorized drive in the first direction at least two of the plurality of finger prostheses articulate about the swiveling axis to a first gripping position defined by a first adjustment angle of each articulated finger; and

wherein upon rotation of the motorized drive in a second direction the at least two finger prostheses articulate about the swiveling axis to a second gripping position defined by a second and different adjustment angle of each articulated finger.

2. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a coupling element having an axis of rotation about which the coupling element swivels, and wherein the plurality of force transmission units are rotatably mounted on the coupling element.

3. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 2, wherein the coupling element is a rotary disk.

4. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 2 wherein the axis of rotation of the coupling element is aligned substantially orthogonal to the inner palmar surface of the chassis.

5. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plurality of force transmission units are each coupled to the coupling element such that each force transmission unit'"'"'s drive side mounting has a different dead center position.

6. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a cycloidal gear mechanism or a harmonic-drive gear mechanism on which the coupling element is located.

7. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 1, wherein an output axis of the drive is aligned substantially orthogonal to the inner palmar surface of the chassis.

8. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive comprises a pancake motor.

9. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 1, wherein each force transmission unit is rigid under tension and yielding under pressure or elastic under bending.

10. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 1, wherein each force transmission unit comprises a cable, stranded-wire or fiber component.

11. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 10, wherein the cable, stranded-wire or fiber component is a closed loop.

12. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 10, wherein each force transmission unit comprises an elastomer component.

13. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 12, wherein the elastomer component at least partially encloses the cable, stranded-wire or fiber component.

14. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 1, wherein each force transmission unit comprises an elastomer component.

15. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 1, wherein the force transmission units comprise bearing bushings for receiving axial spindles that are provided by the chassis and the finger prostheses, with the chassis spindles directly or indirectly mounted to the drive and the finger prostheses spindles mounted within the finger prostheses.

16. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 1, wherein each force transmission unit is formed in a resiliently elastic manner.

17. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 16, wherein a spring rate of each force transmission unit is set to return a finger prosthesis into a starting position when each force transmission unit is subjected to a force due to pressure applied to the finger prosthesis.