JOINT FOR AN ORTHOPEDIC DEVICE

Abstract

A joint for an orthopedic device, wherein the joint comprises a first element, at least one elastic element on a support, which is assembled on the first element, and a second element, which is pivotally assembled on the first element and can be swivelled in a direction between the first element and the second element, starting from a first angle of engagement, against a force applied by the at least one elastic element wherein the support comprises a contact element which rests against the second element upon reaching the first angle of engagement, wherein the contact element can be adjusted when the joint is assembled such that the first angle of engagement and a preload of the elastic element can be adjusted independently of one another.

Claims

1. A joint for an orthopedic device, the joint comprising: a first element; at least one elastic element positioned on a support, which is the support mounted on the first element; and a second element which is pivotally arranged on the first element and can be swivelled in a direction, starting from a first angle of engagement between the first element and the second element, against a force applied by the at least one elastic element; wherein the support comprises a contact element which rests against the second element upon reaching the first angle of engagement, and the contact element can be adjusted when the joint is assembled such that the first angle of engagement and a preload of the elastic element can be adjusted independently of one another.

2. The joint according to claim 1, wherein the support includes an adjustment channel, by way of which an adjustment element of the support can be reached in order to adjust the contact element.

3. The joint according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment element is a positive-locking element.

4. The joint according to claim 1, wherein the support comprises a pre-loading element, by way of which a preload of the at least one elastic element can be adjusted, and the pre-loading element includes a positive-locking element.

5. The joint according to claim 4, wherein the support includes an adjustment channel, by way of which an adjustment element of the support can be reached in order to adjust the contact element, and the adjustment channel extends through the pre-loading element.

6. The joint according to claim 1, wherein the support can be screwed into or removed from a thread on the first element without having to alter at least one of a set preload and a set first angle of engagement.

7. The joint according to claim 6, wherein the support has a base body, which can be or is assembled on the first element, and a slide, which can be displaced relative to the base body and is arranged on the contact element.

8. The joint according to claim 7, wherein the slide comprises an end stop, which rests on an end stop surface on the base body upon reaching a maximum displacement relative to the base body.

9. The joint according to claim 8, wherein the maximum displacement can be adjusted, by displacing at least one of the slide relative to the base body and the end stop relative to the slide.

10. The joint according to claim 1, wherein the joint features two supports, each of which has at least one elastic element, by way of which the forces can be applied to the second element in different directions.

11. A support for a joint according to claim 1.

12. A joint for an orthopedic device, the joint comprising: a first element; a second element pivotally connected to the first element, the second element being rotatable in a first direction starting from a first angle of engagement between the first and second elements; a support mounted on the first element and having a contact element that rests against the second element upon reaching the first angle of engagement; at least one elastic element positioned on the support and configured to apply a force against the first element during rotation in the first direction starting from the first angle of engagement; wherein the contact element can be adjusted when the joint is assembled such that the first angle of engagement and a preload of the elastic element can be adjusted independently of one another.

13. The joint according to claim 12, wherein the support includes an adjustment channel and an adjustment element, the adjustment element being accessible through the adjustment channel to adjust the contact element.

14. The joint according to claim 12, wherein the adjustment element includes a positive-locking hexagon socket.

15. The joint according to claim 12, wherein the support includes a pre-loading element to adjust a preload of the at least one elastic element, the pre-loading element including a positive-locking element.

16. The joint according to claim 15, wherein the support includes an adjustment channel and an adjustment element, the adjustment element being accessible through the adjustment channel to adjust the contact element, the adjustment channel extending through the pre-loading element.

17. The joint, according to claim 12, wherein the support threadably connects to a thread on the first element without having to alter at least one of a set preload and a set first angle of engagement.

18. The joint according to claim 17, wherein the support has a base body and a slide, the base body being connected to the first element, and the slide being displaceable relative to the base body and being arranged on the contact element.

19. The joint according to claim 18, wherein the slide comprises an end stop that engages an end stop surface on the base body upon reaching a maximum displacement relative to the base body.

20. The joint according to claim 19, wherein the maximum displacement is adjustable by displacing at least one of the slide relative to the base body and the end stop relative to the slide.

Description

[0026] In the following, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be explained in more detail by way of the attached figures: They show

[0027] FIGS. 1a and 1btwo sectional views through a support according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention in two different sectional planes,

[0028] FIG. 2a schematic side view and a sectional view through a joint according to a first example of an embodiment of the present invention,

[0029] FIG. 3the images from FIG. 2 when the joint is in a different position,

[0030] FIG. 4the images from FIG. 2 for a joint according to a further example of an embodiment,

[0031] FIG. 5the schematic sectional views through a joint according to a further example of an embodiment of the present invention,

[0032] FIGS. 6 and 7schematic sectional views through the joint from FIG. 5 and

[0033] FIG. 8schematic sectional views through a support in different positions.

[0034] FIGS. 1a and 1b depict a support 2 in two sectional views, wherein the support 2 in FIGS. 1a and 1b is rotated, relative to the respective other figure, 90 about its longitudinal axis, which extends from top to bottom in FIGS. 1a and 1b. An elastic element 4 is arranged on each support 2, wherein said element is designed here as a helical spring. The elastic element rests on upper spring contact surfaces 6 and lower spring contact surfaces 8, wherein the lower spring contact surfaces 8 are arranged on a slide 10. This slide 10 is cut in its lower section and above this shown with a side view in FIG. 1a and it is shown in FIG. 1b. In the example of an embodiment shown, it has two limbs 12, which are arranged at a 180 offset to one another.

[0035] The slide 10 is connected to a plunger 14, on which a contact element 16 is situated. If an upward pressure is applied to the contact element 16 in FIGS. 1a and 1b, this pressure is transferred via the slide 10 and its limb 12 to the lower spring contact surface 8, which causes the elastic element 4 to compress.

[0036] Here, the slide 10 has an end stop 18 that rests on an end stop surface 20 of a base body 22 upon reaching a maximum displacement, thereby defining the maximum swivelling. The base body 22 is also known as the spring dome.

[0037] The support 2 features an opening 24 to an adjustment channel 26, which is used for various functions. In FIG. 1a, the cross-section of the adjustment channel 26 tapers from top to bottom. An adjustment element 28 is situated in the lower region, said adjustment element being designed to be a positive-locking fit in the example of an embodiment shown. A tool, which is inserted through the opening 24 into the adjustment channel 26 and features a suitable positive-locking counterpart, can interact with the adjustment element 28. If this tool is rotated, the contact element 16, which is mounted on the slide 10 via a thread 30, can be unscrewed from or screwed into the slide 10. The first angle of engagement is thus adjusted.

[0038] The support 2 can be screwed into a component, not depicted, of a joint via a fixing element 32.

[0039] A tool, which features another positive-locking counterpart at its end, can interact with a positive-locking element 34 that is connected with the base body 22 of the support 2. A tool with the right positive-locking counterpart, which engages with the positive-locking element 34, can be used to displace the base body 22 relative to the fixing element 32. This renders it possible to adjust the distance between the end stop surface 20 and the end stop 18 and thereby define the maximum displacement path.

[0040] In the area surrounding the opening 24, the support 2 features a pre-loading element 36, which is also designed as a positive-locking element. A tool with a correspondingly designed positive-locking counterpart can engage with the pre-loading element 36 and thus move the component with the upper spring contact surfaces 6 into or out of the base body 22. This enables the preload of the elastic element 4 to be changed.

[0041] If the support is now taken out of a joint, for instance, and inserted into another joint, it is only necessary to unscrew the fixing element 32 from the specially provided thread opening of the element of the joint. This allows the entire support to be removed from the joint without having to change a setting of the preload via the pre-loading element 36, a setting of the maximum displacement path via the positive-locking element 34 or a setting of the first angle of engagement via the contact element 16. Nevertheless, it is still possible to adjust all of these variables in the assembled state, without having to disassemble the support 2.

[0042] The left-hand part of FIG. 2 contains a schematic 3D view of a joint 38 according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention. The right-hand part of FIG. 2 depicts the same representation as a sectional view. The joint 38 has a first element 40 and a second element 44 arranged within said first element about a swivel axis 42. In the right-hand part of FIG. 2, it is clear to see that the contact element 16 rests on the plunger 14 on a shoulder 46 of the second element 44. The elastic element 4 is not fully tensioned, so that a movement of the second element 44 about the swivel axis 42 is possible in both directions. The first element 30 comprises a further thread insert 48, into which a further support 2 can be inserted.

[0043] FIG. 3 shows both representations from FIG. 2, wherein the second element 44 is now swivelled about the swivel axis 42 against the first element 40. Here, the elastic element 4 is highly compressed, so that it exerts a force on the slide 10 via the lower spring contact surfaces 8 shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b and therefore on the plunger 14 and the contact element 16. In the right-hand part of FIG. 3, it is clear to see that the end stop 18 rests on the end stop surface 20. The maximum displacement path is thus reached. It can also be recognized that the contact element 16, which is arranged on the plunger 14, has been displaced upwards in comparison to the depiction in FIG. 3.

[0044] FIG. 4 shows the image from FIG. 2 for a joint 38 according to a further example of an embodiment of the present invention. The main difference is that a sleeve 50 is placed over the support 2 so that the elastic element 4 is no longer visible from the outside. This reduces the risk of contamination of the elastic element 4, while at the same time reducing the risk of injury for, for example, the wearer of an orthosis which is equipped with the joint.

[0045] FIG. 5 shows further sectional views through a joint 38, which now has two supports 2. Their structure is identical and they correspond in general to the embodiments depicted in FIGS. 1a and 1b, wherein a sleeve 50 has again been pulled over the respective support 2. In both representations, the joint 38 is in the neutral position or the rest position, such that the first angle of engagement on each side is depicted. These are selected so that the joint in the position shown in each case assumes these angles for both sides simultaneously. If one compares both representations from FIG. 5, it is clear that the end stop and the first angle of engagement of each had to be changed without having to change the preload of any of the elastic elements in order to do so.

[0046] FIG. 6 shows two representations of the joint 38, each of which has two supports 2, wherein a contact element 16 rests on the each of two shoulders 46 of the second element 44. The position in which the first angle of engagement is assumed at the same time on both sides is also depicted here. However, the comparison of the two representations in FIG. 6 makes it clear that one of the two structural elements with the upper spring contact surfaces 6 in the right-hand representation in FIG. 6 has been screwed in considerably further on both supports 2 than in the left-hand representation. This increases the preload of the elastic element 4 without changing the first angle of engagement.

[0047] The same applies for FIG. 7. However, it depicts the two representations from FIG. 6 in a different equilibrium position. Here, in each case the element with the upper spring contact surfaces 6 has been screwed in considerably further in the right-hand representation than in the left-hand one, which causes a considerable increase in the preload of the respective elastic elements 4 in the right-hand representation in comparison to the left-hand one.

[0048] FIG. 8 depicts the support 2 in four different positions. A starting position is depicted on the far left-hand side in which the plunger 14 with the contact element 16, the upper spring contact surface 6, the lower spring contact surface 8 and the elastic element 4 is shown. In comparison to the representation on the far left, the second representation from the left has been changed in that the plunger 14 and the contact element 16 arranged on it have been displaced relative to the slide 10 by engaging a corresponding tool with the adjustment element 28 and activating it. Neither the maximum displacement path nor the preload of the elastic element 4 have been changed.

[0049] In comparison to the second representation from the left, in the second representation from the right the preload of the elastic element 4 has been changed in that the component with the upper spring contact surfaces 6 has been displaced relative to the base body 22 by engaging a corresponding tool with the pre-loading element 36. This did not result in a change in the maximum displacement path, which is determined by the distance between end stop surface 20 and end stop 18, or the position of the first angle of engagement, which is determined by the position of the contact element 16.

[0050] In comparison to the second representation from the right, in the representation on the far right-hand side the plunger 14 and therefore the contact element 16 have been displaced upwards again by once again engaging a tool with the adjustment element 28.

REFERENCE LIST

[0051] 2 support

[0052] 4 elastic element

[0053] 6 upper spring contact surface

[0054] 8 lower spring contact surface

[0055] 10 slide

[0056] 12 limb

[0057] 14 plunger

[0058] 16 contact element

[0059] 18 end stop

[0060] 20 end stop surface

[0061] 22 base body

[0062] 24 opening

[0063] 26 adjustment channel

[0064] 28 adjustment element

[0065] 30 thread

[0066] 32 fixing element

[0067] 34 positive-locking element

[0068] 38 pre-loading element

[0069] 38 joint

[0070] 40 first element

[0071] 42 swivel axis

[0072] 44 second element

[0073] 46 shoulder

[0074] 48 thread insert

[0075] 50 sleeve

[0076] 52 dashed line