JPS6314831Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] This invention relates to a knee joint structure or an ankle joint structure of a lower leg orthosis to be worn, for example, on a person with muscular dystrophy (muscular atrophy).

[Conventional technology and its problems]

The knee joint structure of this type of conventional lower limb orthosis is
As shown in the figure, sockets 1 and 2 are attached to the thigh and lower leg, respectively, and the sockets 1 and 2 are used as support parts, and the pillars 1 are attached to both the left and right sides of the leg.
0, the joints are connected by a joint 11 shown in FIG. 5, and a coil spring 12 is stretched between the upper and lower supports 10 with the joint 11 as a boundary.

This device is always biased forward by the coil spring 12, and the joint 11
When the front ends p of the upper and lower supports 10 come into contact with each other, each support 10 maintains a substantially straight state, and when the support 10 is bent as shown by the chain line in the figure, the joint 1
1 prevents further bending by contacting the rear end q, and returns to its original position by the coil spring 12.

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, the restoring force is performed by the coil spring 12, and this coil spring 12 is very heavy, which poses a problem when walking. The noise it makes is annoying.

[Purpose of invention]

This invention aims to provide a joint structure for a lower limb orthosis that is lightweight and silent, with the above points in mind.

[Means to achieve the purpose]

In order to achieve the above object, in this invention, in a knee joint structure that connects the thigh and the lower leg in a lower leg brace or an ankle joint structure that connects the lower leg and the foot, the thigh Support members are fixed to the left and right sides of the opposing part of the lower leg and the right and left sides of the opposing part of the lower leg and the foot, respectively, and a required gap is formed between the upper and lower opposing support members. A rod-shaped joint member made of an elastic material made of synthetic resin having an elastic repulsion force against the force in the longitudinal direction of the joint is provided between the support members, and the upper and lower ends of the joint member are supported by the support member, and the upper and lower ends are opposed to each other. The support member is provided with abutment pieces on the front and rear sides of the joint member that contact the opposing support member, and the joint member is configured to bias the joint forward (in the direction of extension) when the joint is at its maximum extension. The front abutment piece is set to abut against the opposing support member, and the rear abutment piece has a required gap from the opposing support member.

The above-mentioned required gap is appropriately set depending on the degree of bending restriction of the wearer's legs. Further, the maximum extension of the joint is appropriately set depending on the muscle strength of the person wearing the lower leg brace and the degree of leg contracture.

[Effect]

The joint structure of the lower limb orthosis constructed in this way is
Normally, due to the elastic force of the joint members, the front abutment piece contacts the support member and maintains the maximum extension state, and when the leg bends backward during walking, the rear abutment piece abuts the support member and maintains the maximum extension state. The above bending is prevented, and the joint member returns to its original position due to its elastic force.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of this invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

This embodiment relates to the knee joint structure, and in FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a thigh socket fixed to the thigh, 2 is a lower leg socket fixed to the lower leg, and 3 is both sockets. This is a joint member that connects 1 and 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the joint member 3 is made of a flat bar-shaped elastic body such as polyethylene, and both end edges a and b are circularly swollen in the thickness direction. , the lower end of the thigh socket 1 is supported by support members 4a fixed on both left and right sides, and support members 4b fixed on both left and right sides of the upper end of the lower leg socket 2. Reference numerals 5a and 5b are holes formed in both support members to hold both ends of the joint member 3.

Both support members 4a and 4b are made of a soft or semi-hard material, and a contact piece 6a located on the front side of the joint member 3,
6b are connected, and when the joint member 3 is extended, the tips of both pieces meet, and both support members 4
Contact pieces 7a and 7b located on the rear side of the joint member 3 are connected to a and 4b. Reference numerals 8a and 8b indicate tightening strings for the thigh socket 1 and the lower leg socket 2.

Note that the joint member 3 normally has a slightly curved shape as shown in FIG. 3, and is held in a straight state between the supporting members 4a and 4b as shown in FIG. This applies a biasing force (elasticity) to the front side, and the front abutment pieces 6a, 6b abut against each other to maintain the maximum extension state of the joint, while the rear abutment pieces 7a, 7b maintain the required spacing. have This interval is appropriately set depending on the degree of leg flexion restriction of the wearer. Further, the elastic force of the joint member 3 and the maximum extension state of the joint are appropriately set depending on the muscle strength of the user and the degree of contracture of the legs.

In this embodiment, the front contact pieces 6a and 6b are always in contact with each other due to the elastic force of the joint member 3 to maintain the maximum extension state. The abutment pieces 7a and 7b abut against each other to prevent excessive bending, and are restored by the elastic force of the joint member 3.

The above embodiment was a knee joint structure, but in the ankle joint structure, the thigh socket 1 is a socket fixed to the lower leg side ankle, the lower leg socket 2 is a member fixed to the foot, and the above-mentioned structure is used between them. By configuring the joint member 3 and the like, the functions and effects of this invention can be obtained.

[Effect of idea]

This invention is configured as described above, and the restoring force is applied by the synthetic resin joint member, so that it is possible to reduce the weight and make no noise during operation.

Therefore, according to this invention, it is possible to obtain a joint structure for a lower limb orthosis that is lightweight and has quiet operation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the joint structure of the lower limb orthosis according to the present invention in a state of use, FIG. 2 is a front view of the same, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of only the main joint members of the same, and FIG. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the conventional example, and Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the conventional example.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the joint shown in the figure. 1...Thigh socket, 2...Lower leg socket, 3
...Joint member, 4a, 4b...Support member, 6a,
6b, 7a, 7b... hit piece.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a knee joint structure that connects the thigh and the lower leg in a lower leg orthosis or an ankle joint structure that connects the lower leg and the foot, the thigh and the lower leg are connected to each other on both left and right sides of the opposing part or to the lower leg. Supporting members are fixed to the left and right sides of the opposing parts of the foot, and a required gap is formed between the upper and lower opposing supporting members, and there is elasticity between the upper and lower supporting members against the force in the front-rear direction of the joint. A rod-shaped joint member made of an elastic material made of synthetic resin having a repulsive force is provided, the upper and lower ends of the joint member are supported by a support member, and the upper and lower ends of the support member facing each other are located at the front and rear of the joint member. A contact piece is provided for the support member, and the joint member is set to bias the joint forward when the joint is fully extended, and the front contact piece is in contact with the opposing support member. A joint structure for a lower limb orthosis, characterized in that the rear abutment piece has a required gap with the opposing support member.