Artificial limb structure having magnetic lock device
10405995 ยท 2019-09-10
Assignee
Inventors
- Jeom Sik Song (Incheon, KR)
- Suk Min Lee (Incheon, KR)
- Sin Gi Kim (Seoul, KR)
- Do Wan Kim (Uijeongbu-si, KR)
- Jei Cheong Ryu (Seoul, KR)
Cpc classification
A61F2/78
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A61F2/7812
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A61F2002/7868
HUMAN NECESSITIES
International classification
A61F2/78
HUMAN NECESSITIES
Abstract
Provided is an artificial limb structure having a magnetic lock device. The artificial limb structure includes: an artificial limb coupled to a magnetic lock device; and a socket liner unit detachably coupled to the magnetic lock device, wherein the socket liner unit includes an attachment and detachment member attachable and detachable to/from the magnetic lock device by a magnetic force, and the magnetic lock device includes: permanent magnets; a magnetic flux control unit provided on the permanent magnets and transmitting the magnetic force generated by the permanent magnets to the attachment and detachment member or interrupting a transmission of the magnetic force; a magnetic force interrupting unit provided at the magnetic flux control unit and interrupting magnetic forces between permanent magnets arranged at opposite sides of the magnetic force interrupting unit; and a switch unit adjusting an arrangement of the permanent magnets with respect to the magnetic force interrupting unit.
Claims
1. An artificial limb structure having a magnetic lock, the artificial limb structure comprising: an artificial limb coupled at an upper end thereof to the magnetic lock; and a socket liner detachably coupled to the magnetic lock coupled to the artificial limb, wherein the socket liner includes an attachment and detachment member attachable and detachable to or from the magnetic lock by a magnetic force, and the magnetic lock includes: permanent magnets; a magnetic flux controller provided on the permanent magnets and transmitting the magnetic force generated by the permanent magnets to the attachment and detachment member or interrupting a transmission of the magnetic force; a magnetic force interrupter provided at the magnetic flux controller and interrupting magnetic forces between permanent magnets arranged at opposite sides of the magnetic force interrupter; and a switch adjusting an arrangement of the permanent magnets with respect to the magnetic force interrupter; (1) when the permanent magnets of the same polarity are placed at the same side and the permanent magnets are placed at the different sides with respect to the magnetic force interrupter, respectively, the magnetic lock and the attachment and detachment member are attached to each other, or (2) when the permanent magnets of opposite polarities are placed together at the first side and/or the second side with respect the magnetic force interrupter the magnetic lock and the attachment and detachment member are detached from each other.
2. The artificial limb structure of claim 1, wherein the switch allows the permanent magnets to be moved linearly and horizontally so that a relative arrangement of polarities of the permanent magnets to the magnetic force interrupter is changed.
3. The artificial limb structure of claim 1, wherein the switch allows the permanent magnets to be rotated and moved horizontally so that a relative arrangement of polarities of the permanent magnets to the magnetic force interrupter is changed.
4. The artificial limb structure of claim 1, wherein the magnetic lock further includes: a magnet mount in which the permanent magnets are installed; and a magnetic casing provided with a magnet receiving hole receiving therein the magnet mount, wherein the magnetic flux controller is provided on the magnetic casing and transmits the magnetic force generated by the permanent magnets to the attachment and detachment member or interrupts the transmission of the magnetic force, the magnetic force interrupter is linearly provided at a center of the magnetic flux controller and interrupts the magnetic forces between the permanent magnets arranged at the opposite sides of the magnetic force interrupter, and the switch is connected to the magnet mount and adjusts the arrangement of the permanent magnets with respect to the magnetic force interrupter.
5. The artificial limb structure of claim 4, wherein the switch is connected to the magnet mount, and is installed to pass through a side surface of the magnetic casing, the switch allowing the permanent magnets to be moved linearly in a direction perpendicular to the linear magnetic force interrupter so that a relative arrangement of polarities of the permanent magnets to the magnetic force interrupter is changed.
6. The artificial limb structure of claim 4, wherein the magnetic casing is provided with an opening partially formed at a side surface of the magnetic casing, and the switch is connected to the magnet mount and is installed to pass through the opening of the magnetic casing, the switch allowing the permanent magnets to be rotated and moved linearly with respect to the linear magnetic force interrupter so that a relative arrangement of polarities of the permanent magnets to the linear magnetic force interrupter is changed.
7. The artificial limb structure of claim 4, further comprising: a magnetic force amplifier provided at a lower portion of the magnetic casing and amplifying the magnetic force generated by the permanent magnets.
8. The artificial limb structure of claim 4, wherein the artificial limb structure having the magnetic lock further includes: a socket receiving therein the socket liner and connected to an outer circumferential surface of the magnetic lock.
9. The artificial limb structure of claim 4, further comprising: an elastic member connecting the magnet mount and the magnetic casing to each other, and restoring the magnet mount to its original position when an external force to move the magnet mount is removed.
10. The artificial limb structure of claim 4, wherein the socket liner includes: a socket liner umbrella; a socket liner part provided at an upper end of the socket liner umbrella and applied to a stump of a wearer; and the attachment and detachment member attached to a lower portion of the socket liner umbrella, and attachable and detachable to or from the magnetic lock by the magnetic force, the attachment and detachment member being made of a metal material.
11. The artificial limb structure of claim 10, wherein the socket liner part includes a silicone material.
12. The artificial limb structure of claim 11, wherein an inner surface of the socket liner part that is in contact with the stump of the wearer is made of a silicone material having a Shore A hardness ranging from 3 to 20.
13. The artificial limb structure of claim 11, wherein an outer surface of the socket liner part that is in contact with the socket liner umbrella is attached with a SPANDEX fabric, or the outer surface of the socket liner is covered with a chemical vapor deposited poly(p- xylylene) coating.
Description
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
BEST MODE
(12) Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention, specific examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below, since the embodiments of the present invention can be variously modified in many different forms. While the present invention will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the present invention to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the present invention is intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments that may be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. In the following description of the present invention, detailed descriptions of known functions and components incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention unclear.
(13) It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, from another element.
(14) The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms a, an, and the are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms comprise, include, have, etc. when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations of them but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof.
(15) Hereinbelow, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like elements or parts, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted
(16)
(17) Hereinafter, the structure of the artificial limb structure having the magnetic lock device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
(18) The artificial limb structure having the magnetic lock device of the present invention includes the artificial limb 200 coupled at an upper end thereof to a magnetic lock device 100, and the socket liner unit 300 detachably coupled to the magnetic lock device 100 coupled to the artificial limb 200.
(19) The socket liner unit 300 includes an attachment and detachment member 320 attachable and detachable to/from the magnetic lock device 100 by a magnetic force.
(20) The magnetic lock device 100 includes permanent magnets, a magnet casing 130, a magnetic flux control unit 150, a magnetic force interrupting unit, and a switch unit 140, and may be attached or detached to/from the attachment and detachment member 320 by controlling the flow of magnetic flux. The structure and operation principle of the magnetic lock device 100 will be described in detail below with reference to two examples of a first magnetic lock device 100a and a second magnetic lock device 100b.
(21) The artificial limb 200 includes an artificial limb body 210, an artificial limb connecting pyramid 220, and an artificial limb connecting adaptor 230.
(22) The artificial limb connecting pyramid 220 is installed at an upper portion of the artificial limb body 210, and is coupled to the magnetic lock device 100 to connect the artificial limb body 210 and the magnetic lock device 100 to each other. The artificial limb connecting pyramid 220 may be made of aluminum, titanium, stainless steel or the like, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.
(23) The artificial limb connecting adaptor 230 surrounds the artificial limb body 210, and is installed at a lower portion of the artificial limb connecting pyramid 220, the artificial limb connecting adaptor being installed to surround an outer periphery of the artificial limb body 210 such that the artificial limb connecting pyramid 220 is coupled to the artificial limb body.
(24) The socket liner unit 300 includes a socket liner umbrella 310, the attachment and detachment member 320, and a socket liner 330.
(25) The socket liner umbrella 310 is provided at a lower portion of the socket liner 330, and receives therein the socket liner 330, the socket liner umbrella being coupled at a lower end thereof to the attachment and detachment member 320 connected to the socket liner 330.
(26) The socket liner 330 is a cushioning material installed at an upper end of the socket liner umbrella 310, and may be directly applied to the stump of a wearer. The socket liner 330 may be made of a silicone material that is comfortable to the human body, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.
(27) The socket liner 330 may have a dual structure. Specifically, an inner surface of the socket liner that is in contact with the stump of the wearer may be made by shaping a low-hardness silicone material (Shore [0029] A hardness ranging from 3 to 20) in order to afford a smooth and comfortable sensation when worn. In addition, an outer surface of the socket liner that is in contact with the socket liner umbrella 310 of the socket liner 330 may be attached with a span fabric (not shown), or may be covered with a parylene coating, the socket liner umbrella of the socket liner being not in direct contact with the stump of the wearer.
(28) Parylene coating is a coating method in which a dimer in powder form is deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to form a polymer film. Specifically, the dimer in powder form is converted into a gaseous dimer by pyrolysis, and gas particles are polymerized under a vacuum state and coated in film form on the surface of the object to be treated. Due to such characteristics, a uniform coating film can be formed regardless of the surface shape of the object, and thus it can serve as an excellent protective film.
(29) Specifically, the span fabric may be a unidirectional span fabric in the case of a socket liner for the lower leg, and may be a bidirectional span fabric in the case of a socket liner for the thigh. When the wearer walks for a long time wearing the artificial limb, the socket liner 330 repeatedly expands and contracts due to the weight of the artificial limb. As a result, the surface of the socket liner 330 and the wearer's skin continuously rub against each other, which may cause abrasion on the skin. Such a problem can be solved by using the span fabric.
(30) The socket 400 is installed to surround an outer circumferential surface of the magnetic lock device 100, and serves to receive therein and stably support the socket liner unit 300 coupled to the magnetic lock device 100.
(31)
(32) Hereinafter, the first magnetic lock device 100a included in the artificial limb structure having the magnetic lock device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
(33) Referring to
(34) As shown in the drawings, the permanent magnets 110 may be composed of two pairs of permanent magnets having opposite polarities to each other.
(35) The magnet mounting unit 120a is a structure in which the permanent magnets are installed in a predetermined arrangement.
(36) The magnetic casing 130a is provided at a center thereof with a magnet receiving hole 132, and the magnet mounting unit 120a is received in the magnet receiving hole 132.
(37) The magnetic flux control unit 150 is provided on the magnetic casing 130a, and controls the flow of magnetic flux such that the magnetic force generated by the permanent magnets 110 is transmitted or interrupted to/from the attachment and detachment member 320.
(38) The magnetic force interrupting unit 152 is linearly formed at a center of the magnetic flux control unit 150, and magnetic forces between the permanent magnets 110 may be interrupted with respect to the linear magnetic force interrupting unit 152.
(39) The switch unit 140a is connected to a side surface of the magnet mounting unit 120a, and is installed to pass through a side surface of the magnetic casing, such that a position of the magnet mounting unit 120a is horizontally moved.
(40) The switch unit 140a is installed to pass through the side surface of the magnetic casing 130a, and is operated to move the permanent magnets 100 in a direction perpendicular to the linear magnetic force interrupting unit 152.
(41) Specifically, the switch unit 140a is connected to the magnet mounting unit 120a through a switch unit coupling hole b 142b, and is installed to pass through the side surface of the magnetic casing 130a through a switch unit coupling hole a 142a, whereby the permanent magnets 110 can be horizontally moved in the direction perpendicular to the linear magnetic force interrupting unit 152. Thus, the arrangement of polarities of the permanent magnets 110 can be determined relative to the magnetic force interrupting unit 152.
(42) For example, the permanent magnets may be arranged such that opposite polarities, that is, N poles and S poles, are arranged at opposite sides of the magnetic force interrupting unit 152, respectively, so that polarities of the permanent magnets may be separated. Alternatively, the permanent magnets may be arranged such that N poles and S poles coexist at least at one of the opposite sides of the magnetic force interrupting unit 152.
(43) The elastic member 134 connects the magnet mounting unit 120a and the magnetic casing 130a to each other, and serves to restore the magnet mounting unit 120a to its original position when the magnet mounting unit 120a is moved horizontally by an external force applied through the switch unit 140a and then the external force is removed.
(44) The magnetic force amplifying unit 160 is installed at a lower portion of the magnetic casing 130a, and serves to amplify the magnetic force generated by the permanent magnets 110.
(45) The pyramid fixing unit 170 is coupled to the artificial limb connecting pyramid of the artificial limb (200 in
(46)
(47) Hereinafter, the second magnetic lock device 100b included in the artificial limb structure having the magnetic lock device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
(48) Referring to
(49) However, the structure and operation of a magnet mounting unit 120b, a magnetic casing 130b, and a switch unit 140b of the second magnetic lock device 100b are different from the magnet mounting unit 120a, the magnetic casing 130a, and the switch unit 140a of the first magnetic lock device 100a. Accordingly, the horizontal movement of the permanent magnets may be implemented in a rotary motion rather than a linear motion.
(50) Specifically, the magnet mounting unit 120b is a structure in which the permanent magnets 110 are installed, and may be formed in a cylinder shape.
(51) The magnetic casing 130b is provided at a center thereof with a magnet receiving hole 132b receiving therein the magnet mounting unit 120b, and may have a ring shape having an opening 136 partially formed at a side surface of the magnetic casing.
(52) The switch unit 140b is connected to the magnet mounting unit 120b through a switch unit coupling hole 144, and is installed to pass through the opening 136 of the magnetic casing 130b. Accordingly, the switch unit 140b can be operated in the horizontal direction along the opening 136, and the magnet mounting unit 120b can be rotated and moved horizontally with respect to the magnetic force interrupting unit 152 in accordance with the operation of the switch unit 140b.
(53) Specifically, by the operation of the switch unit 140b, the permanent magnets of the same polarity may be placed at the opposite sides of the magnetic force interrupting unit 152, respectively. Alternatively, the permanent magnets 110 of opposite polarities may be placed at the opposite sides of the magnetic force interrupting unit 152, respectively.
(54) Although an elastic member of the second magnetic lock device 100b is not shown, the elastic member may be provided to restore the magnet mounting unit 120b to its original position when the magnet mounting unit is rotated by an external force applied through the switch unit 140b, and then the external force is removed.
(55) Also, although a pyramid fixing unit of the second magnetic lock device is not shown, it may be provided as occasion demands, and the magnetic force amplifying unit 160 may be designed to simultaneously perform the role of the pyramid fixing unit.
(56) Further, the opening 136 of the magnetic casing 130b is formed by partially removing the side surface of the magnetic casing, and may be formed in an elongated hole extending along the side surface of the magnetic casing as occasion demands.
(57)
(58) Referring to
(59) Referring to
(60) Hereinafter, the principle of attachment and detachment of the artificial limb structure having the first magnetic lock device 100a and the artificial limb structure having the second magnetic lock device 100b will be described in detail with reference to the basic principle of the present invention described above.
(61)
(62) Referring to
(63) Referring to
(64)
(65) Referring to
(66) Referring to
(67) A rotation angle of the switch unit 140b in the detached state of
(68) Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described hereinabove, those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field of the present invention will appreciate that various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein by the addition, modification, removal and the like of elements without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. However, the various changes and modifications are to be construed as being included within the right scope of the present invention. For example, one element presented in the description may be implemented by plural divided elements. Likewise, plural elements presented in the description may be implemented by a unified single element. The scope of the present invention is defined by the accompanying claims rather than the description which is presented above. Moreover, the present invention is intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments that may be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS IN THE DRAWINGS
(69) 100: magnetic lock device
(70) 100a: first magnetic lock device
(71) 100b: second magnetic lock device
(72) 110: permanent magnets
(73) 120a, 120b: magnet mounting unit
(74) 130a, 130b: magnetic casing
(75) 132: magnet receiving hole
(76) 134: elastic member
(77) 136: opening
(78) 140a, 140b: switch unit
(79) 142a: switch unit coupling hole a
(80) 142b: switch unit coupling hole b
(81) 144: switch unit coupling hole
(82) 150: magnetic flux control unit
(83) 152: magnetic force interrupting unit
(84) 160: magnetic force amplifying unit
(85) 170: pyramid fixing unit
(86) 200: artificial limb
(87) 210: artificial limb body
(88) 220: artificial limb connecting pyramid
(89) 230: artificial limb connecting adaptor
(90) 300: socket liner unit
(91) 310: socket liner umbrella
(92) 320: attachment and detachment member
(93) 330: socket liner