Abstract
The invention relates to an elastic sheet material having a front side, a rear side opposite the front side and at least one functional element, which is arranged on the front side and is connected to the sheet material. A limiting element for limiting the elasticity of the sheet material is arranged on the rear side of the sheet material opposite the functional element and/or on the front side underneath the functional element or within the sheet material underneath the functional element.
Claims
1. An elastic sheet material with a front side, a rear side situated opposite the front side, and at least one functional element arranged on the front side and connected to the sheet material, wherein a limiting element for limiting the elasticity of the sheet material is arranged on the rear side of the sheet material opposite the functional element and/or on the front side below the functional element or inside the sheet material below the functional element.
2. The sheet material according to claim 1, wherein the limiting element has an outer contour which corresponds to the outer contour of the functional element or encloses the outer contour of the functional element.
3. The sheet material according to claim 1, wherein the limiting element is materially bonded to the sheet material.
4. The sheet material according to claim 1, wherein it is in the form of a textile.
5. The sheet material according to claim 1, wherein the limiting element is in the form of a film, adhesive layer, inelastic textile, penetrating element with projection, conductive textile, band, cable or sensor.
6. The sheet material according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of limiting elements are arranged separate from one another on the sheet material.
7. The sheet material according to claim 1, wherein the limiting element has a flexible form.
8. The sheet material according to claim 1, wherein the functional element is applied, in particular in the form of an elastomer element, to the sheet material by an additive production process.
9. The sheet material according to claim 1, wherein the functional element is in the form of a spring, rail, stiffening element, component receptacle, duct, hook, sensor mount, cable guide, cable, conductor, clip element, clasp, zip fastener, protector, sensor, cushion and/or air cushion.
10. A bandage made of a sheet material of claim 1.
11. The bandage according to claim 10, wherein the bandage has a sheath-like form with a closed cross section or is formed from a sheet-like basic body with connecting devices arranged at opposite end regions.
12. A method for producing a sheet material according to claim 1, wherein the functional element is connected to the sheet material and at least one limiting element is introduced between the functional element and the sheet material and/or on that side of the sheet material which is situated opposite the functional element, and is connected to the sheet material, and in that the limiting element at least lessens the elasticity of the sheet material.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the functional element is applied to the sheet material or the limiting element in an additive production process.
14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the limiting element is connected to the sheet material over its entire surface area.
15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the functional element is arranged inside the outer contour of the limiting element.
16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the limiting element is materially bonded to the sheet material.
17. An elastic sheet material, the sheet material having: a front side; a rear side situated opposite the front side; and at least one functional element arranged on the front side and connected to the sheet material; wherein a limiting element for limiting the elasticity of the sheet material is materially bonded to the rear side of the sheet material opposite the functional element and/or on the front side below the functional element or inside the sheet material below the functional element, the limiting element having an outer contour which corresponds to an outer contour of the at least one functional element.
18. The sheet material according to claim 17, wherein the limiting element has a flexible form.
19. The sheet material according to claim 1, wherein the functional element is applied, in particular in the form of an elastomer element, to the sheet material by an additive production process.
20. An elastic sheet material in the form of a textile, the sheet material having: a front side; a rear side situated opposite the front side; and at least one functional element arranged on the front side and connected to the sheet material; wherein a plurality of limiting elements for limiting the elasticity of the sheet material are materially bonded to the rear side of the sheet material arranged separate from one another on the sheet material opposite the functional element and/or on the front side below the functional element or inside the sheet material below the functional element, the limiting element having an outer contour which corresponds to an outer contour of the at least one functional element.
Description
[0025] The invention will be explained in more detail below on the basis of the figures, in which:
[0026] FIG. 1 shows a sectional illustration of a bandage;
[0027] FIG. 2 shows a side view of a knee bandage;
[0028] FIG. 3 shows a sectional illustration and a plan view of a sheet material;
[0029] FIG. 4 shows a variant of FIG. 3;
[0030] FIG. 5 shows a variant of FIG. 3;
[0031] FIG. 6 shows a variant of FIG. 2;
[0032] FIG. 7 shows a variant of FIGS. 5; and
[0033] FIG. 8 shows a sectional illustration through a sheet material.
[0034] FIG. 1 shows a cross section through a sheath-like bandage 40, which has a basic body made of a sheet material 10. The sheet material 10 is produced from an elastic material, in particular an elastic textile or a foam, and in the exemplary embodiment illustrated has a closed cross section, with the result that the bandage 40 overall has a sheath-like form. The cross section and the form of the basic body may vary in the course of the longitudinal extent of the bandage 40. The elastic sheet material 10 has an inner side which faces toward the user or patient and is referred to as the rear side 11, and an outer side or front side 12 which faces away from the patient in the applied state of the bandage 40 and is situated opposite the rear side 11. Arranged on the front side 12 of the basic body is a functional element 20, which is connected to the sheet material 10 of the basic body. Arranged on the rear side 11 opposite the functional element 20 is a limiting element 30, which serves to limit the elasticity of the sheet material 10. The limiting element 30 locally reduces, if appropriate reduces to zero, the stretchability of the sheet material 10 in the region of the functional element 20, with the result that, when the elastic sheet material 10 is being loaded owing to a movement or owing to the placement of the bandage 40 onto the patient, no or virtually no stretching occurs in the region of the functional element 20; however, the stretchability in the rest of the regions of the bandage 40 is not impaired. As a result, the application of shear stresses in the region of the connection between the functional element 20 and the sheet material 10 is prevented or at least significantly lessened, and therefore the functional element 20 can be fastened securely and permanently to the outer side or front side 12 of the sheet material 10.
[0035] FIG. 2 shows one embodiment and use of the elastic sheet material 10 as a bandage 40, which is intended to span a knee joint. The bandage 40 is configured in the form of a sheath and has a preflexed portion in order to prevent excessive stretching in the kneecap area, that is to say on the front side of the knee, and excessive compression in the area of the hollow of the knee, that is to say on the rear side of the knee. The lower-leg area, shown on the left in FIG. 2, has a cross section which narrows toward the distal end; the upper-leg area widens toward the proximal end. A functional element 20 configured as a spring, rail or a stiffening element is applied, in particular welded or adhesively bonded, to the outer side so as to span the knee joint. The functional element 20 may also be in the form of a duct or component receptacle for receiving a rail, a spring or an articulated rail; it may likewise be in the form of a hook, mount for sensors, cable, of a cable itself, of a conductor, of a clip element, clasp, zip fastener, protector or of a sensor. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated with the functional element 20 in the form of a rail or stiffening element, improved guidance of the joint in the applied state is achieved. Arranged on the inner side or rear side 11 of the sheet material is the limiting element 30, which is illustrated by a dashed line. The limiting element 30 is preferably flexible, but not elastic and may be in the form of a film, adhesive layer and elastic textile or the like. There is also the possibility of arranging a plurality of limiting elements 30 one on top of another in order to enhance the limiting action. The limiting element 30 may be materially bonded, for example adhesively bonded or welded, to the sheet material or else integrated inside the sheet material 10, for example encapsulated by casting, encapsulated by foaming or laminated in. The functional element 20 has an outer contour 21 which is inside an outer contour 31 of the limiting element 30, with the result that no elastic sheet material 10 exerts an elastic or an enhanced elastic stretching effect in the region in which the functional element 20 is attached on the outer side or front side 12 of the sheet material 10. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the outer contour 31 of the limiting element 30 protrudes beyond the outer contour 21 of the functional element 20 on all sides, in order to ensure that unwanted shear stress does not occur at any point.
[0036] FIG. 3 shows an elastic sheet material 10 in the form of a basic material. Connecting devices 50 configured as hook and loop fastener regions, snap fasteners, clasps, loops or the like are arranged or formed on two opposite side edges of the sheet material 10, in order to connect the end regions to one another and to form a closed cross section to, for example, configure the sheet material 10 to afford a bandage 40 with a closed cross section, which bandage can be placed on and taken off again easily and can be adapted in terms of its diameter or circumference. In the sectional illustration on the left, it can be seen that the functional element 20 is applied, for example adhesively bonded, printed or welded, directly to the limiting element 30, wherein the limiting element 30 is fastened on the front side 12 of the sheet material 10. The limiting element 30 is embedded partially in the material of the sheet material 10 and protrudes slightly beyond the front side 12. As an alternative, the limiting element 30 may be integrated completely in the sheet material 10 and finish flush with the front side 12, with the result that a common plane is formed between the front side 12 and the outer side of the limiting element 30, in which plane the functional element 20 is then applied, in particular adhesively bonded or welded. In the illustration on the right in FIG. 3, it can be seen that the outer circumference of the limiting element 30 is larger than that of the functional element 20 and the projection of the functional element 20 is located within the projection of the limiting element 30.
[0037] FIG. 4 shows a variant of the sheet material 10. In the sectional illustration, it can be seen that the limiting element 30 is embedded inside the sheet material and the functional element 20 is arranged and fastened on the sheet material 10 on the front side 12. The arrangement of the limiting element 30 inside the sheet material 10 behind the functional element 20 prevents shear forces on the outer side or front side 12 from being transferred when a tensile force is applied over the sheet material 10 and prevents or at least lessens a shear stress in the region of the fastening of the functional element 20. Here, the limiting element 30 likewise has a larger surface area than the functional element 20; the outer contour 21 of the functional element 20 is located inside the outer contour 31 of the limiting element 30.
[0038] FIG. 5 shows a further variant, in which, instead of a single limiting element 30, a multiplicity of limiting elements 30, five here, are arranged on the rear side 11, positioned in a strip-shaped manner and connected to the sheet material 10. Such an arrangement is expedient in particular when tensile forces are to be expected only in the longitudinal extent of the limiting elements 30 and of the functional element 20 and/or the limiting element 30 extends predominantly in the longitudinal direction. A grid-like arrangement of strip-shaped limiting elements 30 is likewise possible. Limiting elements 30 are fastened on the rear side 11 of the sheet material 10 in the manner in which they were described in connection with the limiting element 30 from FIG. 3. In the arrangement of the limiting elements 30 that, as illustrated, protrudes slightly inward, said limiting elements may also be formed so as to finish flush with the rear side.
[0039] FIG. 6 shows a variant of FIG. 2 with two limiting elements 30, which are arranged at the distal and proximal end regions of the functional element 20 on the rear side 11 or inside the sheet material 10, as indicated by the broken lines. No limiting elements 30 are arranged in the region of the natural axis of the joint, here the axis of the knee joint, in order to permit freedom of movement in this region. There is the possibility that the functional element 30, for example a spring or a rail which is elastic in this region or else an articulated rail, is not connected to the front side 12 or outer side of the sheet material 10 in the region which is not covered by the limiting elements 30, in order thus to allow a relative movement between the functional element 20 and the basic body 10 of the bandage 40 in this region. In this exemplary embodiment, the functional element 20 protrudes in certain regions beyond the outer contour 31 of the limiting element, for example.
[0040] A further variant of the invention is shown in FIG. 7, in which the limiting element 30 is arranged on the rear side 11 of the sheet material 10. The limiting element 30 has penetrating elements 32 configured as pins, which penetrate the sheet material 10 and protrude beyond the front side 12. In the region of the penetration, the penetrating elements 32 may have projections, fastening elements, receptacles for clips or similar form-fitting elements, or simply only plate-like or mushroom-like widened portions, in order to achieve a form-fitting fastening by way of the penetrating elements 32 in addition to a materially bonded fastening of the limiting element 30 on the rear side 11. In principle, it is also possible to dispense with a material bond between the limiting element 30 and the sheet material 10. The penetrating elements 32 serve to fasten the functional element 20 or to support the fastening to the sheet material 10. The fastening may be performed in a materially bonded manner on the front side 12 of the sheet material 10 alone or in combination with a form-fitting connection or else material bond with the penetrating elements 32.
[0041] FIG. 8 shows a further variant of the invention, in which the limiting element 30 is integrated inside the sheet material 10 and penetrates it completely in the region of the functional element 20. The limiting element 30 may be applied in the form of initially liquid adhesive to a textile basic body in a defined region and penetrate the textile. The functional element 20, e.g. a stiffening element, may be secured to the sheet material 10 by way of the adhesive of the limiting element 30. The adhesive stiffens the textile and prevents movement in the region in which the adhesive hardens. Instead of securing the functional element 20 by way of the adhesive, it is also possible to print said functional element on the limiting element or to apply it by means of an additive production process. The limiting element 30 may finish flush with the sheet material 10 on the front side 12 or project beyond said sheet material, as is shown in FIG. 8. The limiting element 30 preferably finishes flush with the sheet material 10 on the inner side 11.
[0042] The limiting element 30 is preferably similarly flexible as the sheet material 10, but has a considerably reduced stretchability.
