TILTABLE ARTICULATED JOINT BRACE

Abstract

The invention relates to a tiltable joint brace for a joint orthesis, comprising: two articulated limbs pivotably mounted on each other in a bearing arrangement, wherein the head of the first articulated limb supports a bearing arrangement which can be connected to the head of the second articulated limb by non-positive and positive fit in order to form the pivot joint. A curved sliding surface is formed on the bearing arrangement, and the head rests on the curved sliding surface with positive fit. There, the second articulated limb can tilt freely toward the pivot axis of the joint brace against the first articulated limb.

Claims

1.-11. (canceled)

12. A joint brace for a joint orthesis, the joint brace comprising: two articulated limbs pivotably mounted on each other in a central bearing arrangement, wherein a head of a first articulated limb of the two articulated limbs supports the bearing arrangement and the bearing arrangement can be connected by non-positive fit to a head of a second articulated limb of the two articulated limbs to form a pivot joint of the two articulated limbs, wherein, on the bearing arrangement, a sliding surface curved toward the head of the second articulated limb is formed, and the head of the second articulated limb has a curvature of matching shape, such that the head of the second articulated limb lies and is guided with positive fit in the curved sliding surface, and forms a tilting joint, wherein the second articulated limb can be tilted toward the pivot axis against the first articulated limb, wherein the head of the second articulated limb has a window for guiding a clamping block, which can be clamped on the bearing arrangement of the first articulated limb to fix the head of the second articulated limb by non-positive fit in the curved sliding surface, and the clamping block has clamping shoulder which engage behind the backside of the head of the second articulated limb to clamp the head of the second articulated limb on the bearing arrangement of the first articulated limb.

13. The joint brace according to claim 12, wherein the bearing arrangement on the base contains a profile disk, on which the curved sliding surface is formed.

14. The joint brace according to claim 12, wherein the clamping shoulders have sections with a rough or toothed surface which engage with a corresponding catch surface on the lower side of the head.

15. The joint brace according to claim 12, wherein the clamping block has a neck which engages in the bearing arrangement and is guided there.

16. The joint brace according to claim 13, wherein the profile disk has a recess, wherein the clamping block can engage with positive fit, in order to prevent the clamping block from being twisted against the sliding surface.

17. The joint brace according to claim 16, wherein the window of the arched head is dimensioned so the clamping block can engage with positive fit there, in order to prevent the clamping block from being twisted against the head.

18. The joint brace according to claim 12, wherein the sliding surface and the curvature of the head in each case are designed in the shape of a cylinder jacket and together form an axial bearing section.

19. The joint brace according to claim 12, wherein the sliding surface and the curvature of the head in each case have a dome-shaped design and together form a ball joint section.

20. The joint brace according to claim 13, wherein the profile disk has a slotted limb, wherein at least one limiting pin guided in recesses in the head can engage, in order to form a pivot limitation.

21. A joint orthesis for the support or correction of a body joint, containing at least one joint brace, wherein the orthesis joint brace comprises: two articulated limbs pivotably mounted on each other in a central bearing arrangement, wherein a head of a first articulated limb of the two articulated limbs supports the bearing arrangement and the bearing arrangement can be connected by non-positive fit to a head of a second articulated limb of the two articulated limbs to form a pivot joint of the two articulated limbs, wherein, on the bearing arrangement, a sliding surface curved toward the head of the second articulated limb is formed, and the head of the second articulated limb has a curvature of matching shape, such that the head of the second articulated limb lies and is guided with positive fit in the curved sliding surface, and forms a tilting joint, wherein the second articulated limb can be tilted toward the pivot axis against the first articulated limb, wherein the head of the second articulated limb has a window for guiding a clamping block, which can be clamped on the bearing arrangement of the first articulated limb to fix the head of the second articulated limb by non-positive fit in the curved sliding surface, and the clamping block has clamping shoulder which engage behind the backside of the head of the second articulated limb to clamp the head of the second articulated limb on the bearing arrangement of the first articulated limb.

22. The joint orthesis according to claim 21, wherein the bearing arrangement on the base contains a profile disk, on which the curved sliding surface is formed.

23. The joint orthesis according to claim 21, wherein the clamping shoulders have sections with a rough or toothed surface which engage with a corresponding catch surface on the lower side of the head.

24. The joint orthesis according to claim 21, wherein the clamping block has a neck which engages in the bearing arrangement and is guided there.

25. The joint orthesis according to claim 24, wherein the profile disk has a recess, wherein the clamping block can engage with positive fit, in order to prevent the clamping block from being twisted against the sliding surface.

26. The joint orthesis according to claim 25, wherein the window of the arched head is dimensioned so the clamping block can engage with positive fit there, in order to prevent the clamping block from being twisted against the head.

27. The joint orthesis according to claim 21, wherein the sliding surface and the curvature of the head in each case are designed in the shape of a cylinder jacket and together form an axial bearing section.

28. The joint orthesis according to any one of claim 21, wherein the sliding surface and the curvature of the head in each case have a dome-shaped design and together form a ball joint section.

29. The joint orthesis according to claim 24, wherein the profile disk has a slotted limb, wherein at least one limiting pin guided in recesses in the head can engage, in order to form a pivot limitation.

Description

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic cross section through the joint area of a first design of the joint brace according to the invention. The head 12 of the first articulated limb 10 is designed to be cropped and annular. It supports the elements of the bearing arrangement 30 and, in particular, in detail, a central axis bolt 32 which via its head 33 holds the upper bearing closure disk 38 which closes off the bearing towards the joint outer side. Toward the joint inner side, the bearing is closed off here by the profile disk 40 which is arranged spaced from the upper closure disk 38 by the spacer ring 34. The outer shoulder 14 of the ring bearing is formed in the head 12 of the first articulated limb. Between the rotating inner part of the bearing arrangement 30 with the components 32, 38, 34 and 40, a sliding ring 36 is arranged, which has a shoulder which lies on the shoulder 14, in order to secure the bearing in axial and radial direction. According to the invention, the bearing arrangement 30 is held together in that the axis bolt 32 engages in the clamping block 60 and, in particular, can be screwed in there, clamping it against the profile disk 40. In the design represented, the clamping block is secured downward by a clamping ring 31 on the axis bolt 32, so that the arrangement does not fall apart, after the loosening of the axis bolt 32 on the clamp block 60. The cylindrical neck 66 of the clamp block dips into the bearing arrangement 30 and is guided without play there on the spacer ring 38. The clamping block extends under the bearing arrangement 30 in the window 26 which is formed in the head 22 of the lower articulated limb 20. The clamping block 60 sits with its angular body 64 at the same time in a recess 46 of the profile disk 40 and thereby ensures that the head 22 of the lower articulated limb 20 is prevented from being twisted against the profile disk 40. In order to fix the head 22 on the concave sliding surface 44 of the profile disk 40, the clamping block 60 with lower clamping section 62 engages under the head 22 with its under side. If the clamping stone 60 is clamped by means of the axis bolt 32, the arched head 22 of the lower articulated limb 20 is pressed against the profile disk 40, which at the same time holds the bearing arrangement 30 together and at the same time fixes the tilt angle of the lower articulated limb 20 with respect to the upper articulated limb 10 on the convex sliding surface 44 by friction and positive fit.

[0023] An arc-shaped slotted link 48 in the profile disk 40 is optionally provided. Limiting pins 70 (not shown) which are guided or fixed in one or more boreholes 18 in the head 12 of the upper limb 10 protrude into the slotted link 48 of the profile disk 40 and, when the two articulated limbs 10, 20 are pivoted, abut against the wall of the slotted link 48, in order to optionally limit the pivot angle. The limiting pins can be removed in order to eliminate the limitation. A bearing cover 17 which is placed onto the head 12 prevents in particular the limitation pin 70 from sliding out of the bores 18.

[0024] FIGS. 2a and 2b each show in diagrammatic cross section the components of the joint brace according to FIG. 1 with different tiltings of the articulated limbs 10, 20 with respect to one another. FIG. 2a shows a stretched, non-tilted orientation, wherein the two articulated limbs 10, 20 pivot within the primary pivoting plane; FIG. 2b shows an orientation in which the lower articulated limb is tilted with respect to the upper articulated limb. For this purpose, the lower articulated limb slides on its head 22 in the concave sliding surface of the profile disk 40 and is held by the clamping block 60 on the upper articulated limb 10.

[0025] FIG. 3 shows a top view and an oblique view of a preferred design of the clamping block 60 with an upper cylindrical neck 66 which can engage in the bearing arrangement 30, an angular body 64 which extends in the window 26 of the head 22 of the lower articulated limb 20 and can preferably be guided therein and which can preferably at the same time can rest in a corresponding recess 46 of the profile disk 40. The lower clamping sections 62 extending on both sides preferably have a rough or toothed surface on their side facing the head 22, in order to improve the friction and positive fit connection there.

[0026] FIG. 4 shows diagrammatic views of the profile disk 40 with a lower cylindrically concave recess 44, on which a cylindrically arched head 22 of the lower joint brace 20 can slide. The profile disk 40 here comprises, in addition to the central bore, a recess 46, wherein an angular clamping block 60 can engage with positive fit and prevent a twisting of the components with respect to one another. Preferably, in addition, a slotted link 48 is provided, wherein one or more limitation pins 70 which are fixed in the head 12 of the upper articulated limb 10 can protrude, in order to form a pivot limitation.

[0027] FIG. 5 shows a top view of a typical ready-to-use design of the joint brace according to the invention with lower articulated limb 20 which is connected by articulation to the upper articulated limb 10 via the bearing arrangement 30 which is covered with the cover 17.

[0028] FIG. 6 shows an exploded representation of the specific design according to FIGS. 1 to 5.

[0029] FIGS. 7a, b, c each show different alternative designs of a clamping block 80, in each case in a top view and an oblique view. The clamping block 80 is designed specifically for use on a dome-shaped surface according to FIGS. 8 and 9 and it is subdivided into an upper cylindrical neck 86 which can engage preferably without play in the bearing arrangement 30, into a body 84 which can be guided within the window 26 of the head 22, and into clamping sections 82 curved in the shape of circular arcs. The clamping block 80 has a central borehole 88, wherein the axis bolts 32 of the bearing arrangement 30 of the arrangement according to the invention can be accommodated. The borehole 88 is preferably designed as a screw threading, into which the axis bolt 32 designed as cylindrical screw can be screwed, in particular in order to achieve the clamping of the entire arrangement.

[0030] FIG. 8 shows diagrammatic views of the profile disk 50 with a lower dome-shaped concave recess 54, wherein a dome-shaped arched head 22 can slide.

[0031] FIG. 9 shows an exploded representation of another specific design according to FIGS. 1, 2a, 2b and 5, which alternatively to the design represented in FIG. 6 has a bearing arrangement with the profile disk 50 with concave dome-shaped sliding surface 54, wherein the head 22 of the second joint brace 20 with a dome-shaped sliding surface 24 can be guided and fixedly clamped there via the clamping block 80. In addition to the purely tilting (uniaxial) movement of the two articulated limbs 10, 20 with respect to one another, as enabled by the design according to FIG. 6, the represented alternative design allows torsion of the articulated limbs 10, 20 with respect to one another, additionally or alternatively to the tilting against the primary pivoting plane of the joint brace.