Abstract
The present invention relates to a medical aid or sports aid (100), comprising a Bowden cable (10, 40), wherein the Bowden cable (10, 40) comprises a core (11, 41), wherein the core (11, 41) runs at least in a partial region in a casing (12, 42), wherein the casing (12, 42) is stretchable at least in a partial region, and the use of a Bowden cable (10, 40), having a core (11, 41) for tensioning a medical aid or a sports aid (100), wherein the core (11, 41) runs at least partially displaceably in a casing (12, 42) and the casing (12, 42) is stretchable.
Claims
1. A medical aid or sports aid comprising a Bowden cable, wherein the Bowden cable comprises a core, wherein the core runs at least in a partial region in a casing, wherein the casing is stretchable at least in a partial region, wherein the Bowden cable is designed as a tensioning element, and the Bowden cable is guided through at least one guide-through element, wherein the casing is displaceably mounted in the guide-through element.
2. The medical aid or sports aid according to claim 1, wherein the casing has at least one slit.
3. The medical aid or sports aid according to claim 1, wherein the casing is spiral-shaped at least in a partial region.
4. The medical aid or sports aid according to claim 1, wherein the casing is elastic at least in a partial region.
5. The medical aid or sports aid according to claim 1, wherein the casing has at least in sections a round cross-section, an angular cross-section, an oval cross-section or a stadium-shaped cross-section.
6. The medical aid or sports aid according to claim 1, wherein the core is designed as a wire, a rope or a flat band.
7. The medical aid or sports aid according to claim 1, wherein the Bowden cable is associated with a tensioning system.
8. The medical aid or sports aid according to claim 1, wherein the core of the Bowden cable can be tensioned via a tension regulating element, such that the core of the Bowden cable can be rolled up onto the tension regulating element.
9. The medical aid or sports aid according to claim 1, wherein the casing is connected to the medical aid or sports aid at its end regions or in one or more sections.
10. The medical aid or sports aid according to claim 1, wherein the Bowden cable is guided through a deflecting guide, and wherein the casing is displaceably mounted in the at least one deflecting guide.
11. The medical aid or sports aid according to claim 1, wherein the medical aid or sports aid has a base body.
12. The medical aid or sports aid according to claim 1, wherein the medical aid or sports aid is worn on a user's body.
13. The medical aid or sports aid according to claim 1, wherein the medical aid or sports aid is a bandage or an orthosis.
14. A method of tensioning a medical aid or a sports aid using a Bowden cable, the method comprising: selecting a Bowden cable having a core for tensioning a medical aid or a sports aid, wherein the core runs at least partially displaceably in a casing and the casing is stretchable, wherein the Bowden cable is guided through a guide-through element, and wherein the casing is displaceably mounted in the guide-through element.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises selecting the medical aid or the sports aid, and wherein the medical aid or the sports aid is an orthopaedic aid.
16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of tensioning the Bowden cable, and wherein the step of tensioning the Bowden cable causes the core to slides in the casing; and wherein the casing is coupled to the medical or sports aid via a tension regulating element, and wherein the casing is connected to the tension regulating element only at an end region of the casing, and therefore the casing is connected to the medical aid or sports aid only at the end region of the casing.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of relaxing the Bowden cable, and wherein during relaxing, the core is unrolled from the tension regulating element and the casing completely encases the unrolled core.
18. A medical or sports aid comprising: a Bowden cable for tensioning a medical and/or sports aid, the Bowden cable comprising a core for tensioning the medical and/or sports aid, the core running at least partially displaceably in a stretchable casing having a slit; and a guide-through element to position the Bowden cable on the medical or sports aid, but not fix the Bowden cable to the medical or sports aid, allowing the stretchable casing to remain displaceable and stretchable in a longitudinal direction.
19. The Bowden cable of claim 18, wherein the casing comprises a stretchable region, and wherein the stretchable region comprises at least one slit.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0044] The present invention is explained in more detail with reference to the following figures and examples, without these being to be understood as limiting. It shows:
[0045] FIGS. 1a and 1b A Bowden cable of a medical aid or sports aid according to the invention in an unstretched (la) and stretched or tensioned (1b) state;
[0046] FIGS. 2a and 2b an alternative embodiment of the Bowden cable in an unstretched (2a) and stretched or tensioned (2b) state;
[0047] FIG. 3 the Bowden cable as a tensioning system with a tension regulating element;
[0048] FIG. 4 a Bowden cable with a guide-through element on a medical aid or sports aid;
[0049] FIG. 5 sectional view of the Bowden cable of FIG. 4;
[0050] FIG. 6 a Bowden cable in a deflecting guide;
[0051] FIG. 7 a medical aid or sports aid according to the invention with a Bowden cable as a tensioning system; and
[0052] FIGS. 8a-8c further alternative embodiments of the Bowden cable.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0053] FIG. 1 shows a Bowden cable (10) of a medical aid or sports aid according to the invention. The Bowden cable (10) comprises a core (11), for example made of plastic or metal, and a casing (12). The casing (12) has a throughout slit (13) whereby it is stretchable. FIG. 1a shows the casing (12) in an unstretched state, FIG. 1b shows the casing (12) in a stretched or tensioned state. The slit (13) is correspondingly wider.
[0054] FIG. 2 shows two alternative embodiments of such a Bowden cable (10). The core (11) of the Bowden cable (10) is the same in FIGS. 2a and 2b. In FIG. 2a, the casing (12) has a stretchable region in which a slit (13) runs in an annular or spiral shape. In FIG. 2b, a plurality of slits (13) arranged in a meander-shaped pattern are present in the stretchable region of the casing (12). Both embodiments of the slits (13) allow the casing (12) to be stretchable or tensionable in the region of the slits (13).
[0055] FIG. 3 shows the Bowden cable (10) with a core (11) and a casing (12) that is stretchable through a spiral-shaped slit (13) and is used as a tensioning element (21). This is achieved by the fact that the core (11) can be rolled onto a tension regulating element (22). During tensioning, the core (11) slides in the casing (12), wherein the casing (12) is connected to the tension regulating element (22) only at its end region (14) and is thus connected to the medical aid or sports aid located on the tension regulating element (22) only at this end region (14). During relaxation, the core (11) is unrolled from the tension regulating element (22) so that it becomes longer. Due to the stretchability of the casing (12), i.e. its spiral-shaped slit (13), the casing can stretch and thus also completely encase the extended core (11), so that the core (11) is not exposed but continues to be completely shielded by the casing (12).
[0056] FIG. 4 shows a section of a medical aid or sports aid (100) according to the invention, to which a Bowden cable (10) with a core (11) and a casing (12) stretchable due to a spiral-shaped slit (13) is assigned. In the area shown, the Bowden cable (10) is not fixedly connected to the carrier material of the medical aid or sports aid (100), but can slide on it. The Bowden cable (10) is guided in a slidable manner through a tubular guide-through in the form of a guide-through element (31). Not only the core (11) of the Bowden cable (10) can slide through the guide-through element (31), but also its casing (12). Thus, the guide-through element (31) does not serve to fix the Bowden cable (10) of the medical aid or sports aid (100), but only to position it, wherein the Bowden cable including the casing remains displaceable and stretchable in the longitudinal direction.
[0057] FIG. 5 shows a side view of the cross-section of the structure shown in FIG. 4. The Bowden cable (10) with core (11) and stretchable casing (12) can be seen, wherein the Bowden cable (10) is mounted displaceably in the guide-through element (31) so that it is positioned on the carrier material of the medical aid or sports aid (100), without the Bowden cable (10) being fixedly connected there to the carrier material (100), since the entire Bowden cable (10) including the casing (12) is displaceably mounted in the guide-through element (31).
[0058] FIG. 6 shows a Bowden cable (10) in a guide-through, which is designed as a deflecting element or deflecting guide (30). Here too, the casing (12) of the Bowden cable (10) is displaceably mounted in the channel-shaped deflecting guide (30) so that, on the one hand, the entire Bowden cable (10) with core (11) and casing (12) is displaceably mounted in the deflecting guide (30) and, on the other hand, the casing (12) also remains stretchable in the deflecting guide (30). The deflecting guide (30) can be fastened in a simple manner to a carrier material of a medical aid or sports aid, for example by gluing, sewing or welding.
[0059] FIG. 7 shows an exemplary embodiment of a medical aid or sports aid (100) that is worn on a body, in this case a leg (200). The medical aid or sports aid (100) has a tensioning system (20) comprising a Bowden cable (10) with a casing (12) that is stretchable by slitting and a core that runs in the casing and is therefore not visible as a tensioning element (21) and a tension regulating element (22). The tension regulating element (22) can be used to roll up the core of the Bowden cable (10) and thus generate tension in the tensioning element (21). The stretchable casing (12) is only fixedly connected at its ends (14, 15) to the tension regulating element (22) and thus to the medical aid or sports aid (100) as a whole. As a result, the casing (12) can stretch when the core of the tensioning element (21) is tensioned or relaxed and thereby slide on the carrier material of the medical aid or sports aid (100). On the one hand, this makes it possible for the casing (12) to cover the core completely even when it is stretched and tensioned, so that the core does not rub on the carrier material of the medical aid or sports aid (100) and cannot damage it, and on the other hand, it is made possible for the casing (12) of the Bowden cable (10) to move freely on the carrier material (100), thus enabling suitable positioning and a suitable course of the tensioning element (21). If necessary, it is possible to influence this positioning by means of guide-through elements or deflection elements in which the entire Bowden cable (10) with casing (12) is displaceably mounted.
[0060] FIG. 8 shows a further embodiment of a Bowden cable (40) according to the invention with a core (41) and a casing (42). In this embodiment, the casing (42) has a stadium-shaped cross-section, i.e. has two parallel straight sections that are connected to each other by two arched sections. This cross-section of the casing (42) allows the core (41) to be mounted in the casing so that it is displaceably not only in the longitudinal direction, but also in the transverse direction. In addition, this design of the casing (42) as a flat band-like element allows the casing to rest with one of the flat sides on the medical aid or sports aid. As a result, the Bowden cable (40) does not cut so much into the user's skin lying under the Bowden cable (40) during tensioning, regardless of whether or not the base body of the medical aid or sports aid is still located between the Bowden cable (40) and the user's skin.
[0061] FIG. 8a shows the cross-section of the Bowden cable (40) with the stadium-shaped or flat band-like casing (42) and the core (41) located therein.
[0062] FIGS. 8b and 8c show a top view of such a Bowden cable (40) with core (41) and casing (42), wherein the casing (42) has different types of slits to produce stretchability. In FIG. 8b, the slits (43a) are meander-shaped. In FIG. 8c, one slit (43b) is annular, i.e. spiral-shaped. In both FIG. 8b and FIG. 8c, only a partial region of the casing (42) is provided with the slits (43a, 43b).
