Abstract
The invention relates to an orthopedic device with a joint with a first joint element with a first joint arm and a first positive-locking element, and a second joint element that can be swivelled relative to the first joint element, said second joint element comprising a second joint arm and a force application lever with a second positive-locking element, and a mechanical energy store, which is arranged between the force application lever and the second joint arm, wherein the mechanical energy store can be charged and discharged by swivelling the first joint arm relative to the second joint arm when the positive-locking element engages with the second positive-locking element, wherein the device has a safety device which ensures that, irrespective of the position of the first positive-locking element and the second positive-locking element relative to one another, the two positive-locking elements can be engaged with one another in such a way that a force exerted by the charged mechanical energy store is transmitted from the second positive-locking element to the first positive-locking element.
Claims
1. An orthopedic device which comprises a joint with a first joint element with a first joint arm and a first positive-locking element, and a second joint element that is swivellable relative to the first joint element, said second joint element comprising a second joint arm, and a force application lever with a second positive-locking element, and a mechanical energy store which is arranged between the force application lever and the second joint arm, wherein the mechanical energy store is chargeable and dischargeable by swivelling the first joint arm relative to the second joint arm when the positive-locking element engages with the second positive-locking element; and a safety device which ensures that, irrespective of the position of the first positive-locking element and the second positive-locking element relative to one another, the two positive-locking elements are engageable with one another in such a way that a force exerted by the charged mechanical energy store is transmitted from the second positive-locking element to the first positive-locking element.
2. The orthopedic device according to claim 1, wherein the safety device is configured to rotate the positive-locking elements relative to one another when or after the two positive-locking elements are engaged with one another.
3. The orthopedic device according to claim 2, wherein the first positive-locking element and second-positive locking element comprise frontal projections and/or recesses and the safety device features a guide spindle that protrudes axially from one of the positive-locking elements, said guide spindle comprising frontal recesses and/or projections and being configured to engage with the respective other positive-locking element.
4. The orthopedic device according to claim 3, wherein the guide spindle is displaceable in the axial direction relative to the positive-locking element from which it protrudes axially, the guide spindle being configured in such a way that, upon axial displacement, the guide spindle is rotated about its longitudinal axis such that a torque is applied to the positive-locking element that engages with the frontal projections and/or recesses of the guide spindle.
5. The orthopedic device according to claim 1, wherein the first positive-locking element and/or the second positive-locking element has at least two partial positive-locking elements which can be moved independently of each other in the axial direction.
6. The orthopedic device according to claim 5, wherein the at least two partial positive-locking elements have the same projections and/or recesses which are arranged at an offset from each other in the circumferential direction.
7. The orthopedic device according to claim 5, wherein the at least two partial positive-locking elements are spaced apart from one another in the axial direction when the first positive-locking element and the second positive-locking element are not engaged.
8. The orthopedic device according to claim 1, wherein the first joint element is an upper body element and the second joint element is an upper leg element, and the orthopedic device further comprises a pelvic element, wherein the two positive-locking elements are configured to be brought in and out of engagement with one another by moving the upper body element relative to the pelvic element.
9. The orthopedic device according to claim 2, wherein at least some projections of the two positive-locking elements comprises an undercut toothing.
10. The orthopedic device according to claim 1, wherein the positive-locking elements are configured to be brought into engagement with each other by moving one of the positive-locking elements towards the other positive-locking element, which is mounted relative to the component on which it is arranged such that it is rotatable in one direction.
11. The orthopedic device according to claim 9, wherein all of the projections of the two positive-locking elements comprise an undercut toothing.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0083] In the following, some examples of embodiments of the present invention will be explained in more detail by way of the attached figures: They show
[0084] FIGS. 1, 3 and 4—schematic representations of a part of a safety device according to a first example of an embodiment of the present invention,
[0085] FIGS. 2 and 5 to 8—various forms of teeth, and
[0086] FIGS. 9 to 11—further embodiments of safety devices.
[0087] FIG. 1 schematically depicts various elements of an orthopedic device according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention. It shows a first positive-locking element, which is designed as a first gearwheel 2, which can be displaced along guide rods 4 on the component on which it is arranged. It is displaced along these guide rods 4 when the first gearwheel 2 is to be engaged with the second positive-locking element, which is designed as a second gearwheel 6. The first gearwheel 2 and the second gearwheel 6 feature schematically indicated teeth 10 on their end faces 8, which are designed to correspond to each other. A guide spindle 12 protrudes from the end face 8 of the second gearwheel 6 in the axial direction, wherein teeth are also arranged on the end face 14 of said spindle. The toothing on the end face 14 of the guide spindle 12 corresponds to the toothing on the end face 8 of the second gearwheel 6. A toothing is also arranged on a lateral surface 16 of the guide spindle 12, which ensures that the guide spindle 12 is set in rotation when it is moved in the axial direction with respect to the second gearwheel 6 until it is received in the second gear wheel 6.
[0088] When the first gearwheel 2 is moved along the guide rods 4 towards the second gearwheel 6, the teeth of the end face 14 of the guide spindle 12 first engage with the teeth 10 of the end face 8 of the first gearwheel 2. The guide spindle 12 is then pushed into the second gearwheel 6 and set in rotation due to the teeth of the lateral surface 16. The first gearwheel 2 is mounted so that it can follow the only slight rotation of the guide spindle 12, so that it reaches the optimum position relative to the second gearwheel 6 as soon as the guide spindle 12 is received in the second gearwheel 6.
[0089] FIG. 2 schematically depicts an embodiment of the various teeth. It shows the end face 14 of the guide spindle 12 on the left and the end face 8 of the first gearwheel 2 on the right. The very differently shaped teeth ensure that, regardless of the position in which the first gearwheel 2 meets the guide spindle 12, the respective teeth always engage with each other.
[0090] FIG. 3 shows another configuration. The first gearwheel 2 has a central bore 18, the inner wall 20 of which features grooves or a toothing, which can also be designed as internal thread. The toothing on the lateral surface 16 shown in FIG. 1 can also be designed in the form of an outer thread. In the example of an embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the second gearwheel 6 features a guide spindle 12; however, it is not arranged such that it can be displaced relative to the second gearwheel 6. Instead, the lateral surface 16 of the guide spindle 12 is designed with an outer thread which is designed to correspond to the inner thread of the internal wall 20 of the central bore 18. If, in this configuration, the first gearwheel 2 is moved along the guide rods 4 towards the second gearwheel, the outer thread of the lateral surface 16 engages in the inner thread of the inner wall 20 of the central bore 18 of the first gearwheel 2.
[0091] Further displacement of the first gearwheel 2 towards the second gearwheel 6 causes a rotation of the first gearwheel 2 relative to the second gearwheel 6, which again ensures that the teeth 10 of the first gearwheel 2 engage as optimally as possible in the teeth 10 of the second gearwheel 6.
[0092] FIGS. 4 and 5 depict a schematic representation of parts of a safety device, one of the gearwheels of which comprises partial gearwheels. In the left-hand area of FIG. 5, one of the gearwheels features two partial gearwheels 22, which are arranged coaxially. The partial gearwheels 22 are arranged via schematically depicted elastic elements 24 in the axial direction, i.e. perpendicular to the drawing plane, such that they can be displaced. The teeth of the partial gearwheels 22 are arranged at a slight offset to each other. In particular, the offset is preferably half a tooth length. If a gear wheel now engages in the teeth of these partial gearwheels 22, which preferably protrude to different degrees in the axial direction, the situation shown in FIG. 4 occurs. The partial gearwheels 22 each have teeth which are separated from each other by the offset 26 and therefore engage to different extents with the teeth 10 of the respective other gearwheel. In the area 28 there is only very little contact between the teeth of the partial gearwheel 22 and the teeth 10 of the respective gearwheel. If the force to be applied is too great, the teeth slip off each other at this point. However, the two components can only be moved against each other until, in the area 30, the teeth of the other partial gearwheel 22 are engaged with the teeth 10 of the gearwheel. Since the partial gearwheels 22 are displaced against each other in the axial direction, the teeth of the different partial gearwheels engage with the teeth of the gearwheel to different extents.
[0093] In the right-hand section of FIG. 4, the gearwheel features four partial gearwheels 22, each of which is elastically mounted in the axial direction via an elastic element 24. FIG. 6 schematically depicts a combination of a first gearwheel 2 comprising four partial gearwheels 22 and a second gearwheel 6, which is a simple spur gearwheel. The four partial gearwheels 22 correspond to the arrangement shown in FIG. 5 and are arranged in the axial direction at a stark offset and not true to scale.
[0094] FIG. 7 shows another configuration. The second gearwheel 6 has two partial gearwheels 22, which are arranged axially at a slight offset to each other, but are fixed to each other. The first gearwheel 2 also features two partial gearwheels 22 which, like the partial gearwheels 22 of the second gearwheel 6, are arranged coaxially to each other and can be axially displaced via indicated spring elements 32. In the embodiment shown, if the gearwheels 2, 6 depicted are moved towards each other, the inner partial gearwheel 22 initially engages in the teeth of the inner partial gearwheel 22. Only when the first gearwheel 2 is displaced further in the direction of the second gearwheel 6 do the outer partial gearwheels 22 engage with each other. Due to the offset toothing, the schematically depicted situation in FIG. 4 occurs. If the engagement of the inner partial gearwheels 22 with each other corresponds to the situation shown in area 28, it is ensured that the outer partial gearwheels 22 engage with each other according to the situation shown in area 30 of FIG. 4.
[0095] FIG. 8 depicts various forms of tooth that can be used.
[0096] FIG. 9 shows the first gearwheel 2 and the second gearwheel 6 as shown in FIG. 1. Again, the first gearwheel 2 is arranged such that it can be displaced along the guide rods 4. In the example of an embodiment shown, the teeth 10 are designed as an undercut toothing.
[0097] In FIG. 10, both the first gearwheel 2 and the second gearwheel 6 each have a guide spindle 12 which protrudes from the respective gearwheel 2, 6 at the front. The two guide spindles 12 have frontal projections and/or recesses which can be brought into engagement with one another. Instead of the toothing shown in the other figures, there are elongated holes 34 in the end face 8 of the second gearwheel 6, which are designed in such a way that pins 36, which protrude from the end face of the first gearwheel 2, can engage in them.
[0098] FIG. 11 shows the end faces of the first gearwheel 2 and the second gearwheel 4, which each feature projections 38 between which recesses are arranged, so that the projections 38 of the two gearwheels can engage with each other. Magnets 40 are shown schematically in the central area of the end faces, wherein said magnets are arranged in such a way that poles of the same name are directed towards each other. This produces a repellent effect, which is minimal if the magnets 40 of one gearwheel, preferably arranged equidistantly, are placed exactly between the magnets of the other gearwheel. The two gearwheels 2, 6 can also be aligned in relation to one other in this way.
REFERENCE LIST
[0099] 2 first gearwheel [0100] 4 guide rod [0101] 6 second gearwheel [0102] 8 end face [0103] 10 tooth [0104] 12 guide spindle [0105] 14 end face [0106] 16 lateral surface [0107] 18 central bore [0108] 20 inner wall [0109] 22 partial gearwheel [0110] 24 elastic element [0111] 26 offset [0112] 28 area [0113] 30 area [0114] 32 spring element [0115] 34 elongated hole [0116] 36 pin [0117] 38 projection [0118] 40 magnet
