Hydraulic damper for artificial limb and artificial limb

Abstract

The hydraulic damper comprises an oil storage container, a piston is arranged in the oil storage container, and the piston divides the oil storage container into a first oil cavity and a second oil cavity; a piston rod; one part of the first circulating oil way and one part of the second circulating oil way are shared with each other, and damping parts are arranged on the parts and used for applying damping force to the hydraulic oil flowing through the damping parts; at least one first valve is arranged on the first circulating oil way and used for limiting hydraulic oil in the first circulating oil way to only flow from the first oil cavity to the second oil cavity in a one-way mode; at least one second valve is arranged on the second circulation oil way and used for limiting the hydraulic oil in the second circulation oil way to only flow from the second oil cavity to the first oil cavity in a one-way mode. The two-way damping control device has the beneficial effects that under the condition that only one damping valve is used, two-way damping control can be achieved when the artificial limb moves, and the wearing comfort and attractiveness of the artificial limb are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a hydraulic damper for a prosthetic limb and a prosthetic limb, and belongs to the improvement of the hydraulic damper. Background Art

[0002] At present, the structures and functions of prosthetic limbs on the market are mainly reflected in the artificial knee joint and the function of the foot plate. Through the application of structural science and bionics, modern prosthetic limbs have been given new meanings and have been transformed from the early functional type to the comfortable type. On the premise of realizing the walking function, modern prosthetic limbs strive to improve the comfort and flexibility of the wearer.

[0003] For example, Chinese Patent with Publication No. CN208447863U discloses a hydraulic damper for a prosthetic knee joint, which includes a cylinder body for containing hydraulic oil with one end open and one end closed, a piston rod sealed in the cylinder body, and a hydraulic bypass communicated with the cylinder body. One end of the piston rod outside the cylinder body is provided with a first prosthetic limb connecting piece for connecting with the upper joint piece of the prosthetic knee joint, and the closed end of the cylinder body is provided with a second prosthetic limb connecting piece for connecting with the lower joint piece of the prosthetic knee joint; an additional cavity communicated with the hydraulic bypass is provided on the hydraulic bypass, and a sealed rubber airbag and hydraulic oil are provided in the additional cavity. The use of the hydraulic damper adds a relatively stable damping force to the swing of the prosthetic limb, making the reaction of the knee joint of the prosthetic limb more coordinated with the walking speed of the patient, and the movement reaction of the prosthetic limb more sensitive and rapid. However, the structure of the hydraulic bypass in the above damper is relatively complex and occupies a large space, and since the damper is directly installed on the joint of the prosthetic limb, it is easy to cause the prosthetic limb to be too large in size, affecting the comfort and aesthetics of the user's wearing. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic damper for a prosthetic limb and a prosthetic limb, which can realize the two-way damping control during the movement of the prosthetic limb when only using one damping component; when only using one damping component, the overall structure of the hydraulic damper is compact and occupies less space, improving the comfort and aesthetics of the prosthetic limb wearing.

[0005] The present invention is realized by the following technical solutions.

[0006] A hydraulic damper for a prosthetic limb, comprising: An oil storage container, internally provided with a piston, the piston is in sealed contact with the inner surface of the oil storage container and can move relatively, and the piston divides the oil storage container into a first oil chamber and a second oil chamber; A piston rod, one end of which is connected to the piston and the other end extends outside the oil storage container; A first circulation oil path and a second circulation oil path, the first circulation oil path connecting the first oil chamber and the second oil chamber, the second circulation oil path connecting the first oil chamber and the second oil chamber, a part of the two oil paths being shared with each other, and a damping component being provided in this part, the damping component being configured to apply a damping force to the hydraulic oil flowing through the damping component; At least one first valve is provided on the first circulation oil path for restricting the hydraulic oil in the first circulation oil path to flow only unidirectionally from the first oil chamber to the second oil chamber; at least one second valve is provided on the second circulation oil path for restricting the hydraulic oil in the second circulation oil path to flow only unidirectionally from the second oil chamber to the first oil chamber.

[0007] As a further improvement of the present invention, the first circulation oil path includes a first oil path and a second oil path, two ends of the first oil path are respectively connected to the first oil chamber and the inlet of the damping component, and two ends of the second oil path are respectively connected to the second oil chamber and the outlet of the damping component; the second circulation oil path includes a third oil path and a fourth oil path, two ends of the third oil path are respectively connected to the second oil chamber and the inlet of the damping component, and two ends of the fourth oil path are respectively connected to the first oil chamber and the outlet of the damping component.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention, the first oil path and the third oil path converge at the inlet of the damping component; the first valve is provided on the first oil path, and the second valve is provided on the third oil path.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, the second oil path and the fourth oil path converge at the outlet of the damping component; the first valve is provided on the second oil path, and the second valve is provided on the third oil path.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention, an accumulator is further included, the accumulator is connected to the outlet of the damping valve through a fifth oil path, and the accumulator is configured to compensate for the change in the volume of the oil storage container caused by the movement of the piston rod.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, the fifth oil path intersects with the second oil path and the fourth oil path at the outlet of the damping valve.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, both the first valve and the second valve are one-way valves.

[0013] As a further improvement of the present invention, the damping valve is configured as an electronically controlled adjustable damping valve.

[0014] A prosthetic limb includes a hydraulic damper for a prosthetic limb in the above technical solution.

[0015] As a further improvement of the present invention, one end of the piston rod extending out of the oil storage container is installed at the ankle joint and / or the knee joint of the prosthetic limb.

[0016] Advantages of the present invention: 1. The first circulation oil circuit and the second circulation oil circuit share a damping component, and the first valve and the second valve are used to control the hydraulic oil to have different flow directions in the first circulation oil circuit and the second circulation oil circuit. Therefore, it is possible to achieve two-way damping control during the movement of the prosthetic limb by using only one damping component, meeting the dynamic requirements of different movement modes such as walking and running. At the same time, when using only one damping component, the overall structure of the hydraulic damper is compact, occupying less space, improving the comfort and aesthetics of wearing the prosthetic limb.

[0017] 2. Compared with using two regulating valves (equivalent to damping components) in the prior art to achieve the two-way damping function of the damper, the manufacturing cost is lower. Description of the drawings

[0018] The following will describe in detail the preferred embodiments of the present invention through the drawings to help understand the purpose and advantages of the present invention, where: Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the hydraulic damper of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the piston rod of the hydraulic damper of the present invention when it is stretched; Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the piston rod of the hydraulic damper of the present invention when it is compressed. Detailed implementation manners

[0019] The following further describes the present invention in detail according to the drawings and embodiments.

[0020] The orientation terms such as up, down, left, right, front, back, front side, back side, top, bottom, etc. mentioned or possibly mentioned in this specification are defined with respect to the structures shown in the respective drawings. The terms "inner" and "outer" respectively refer to the directions towards or away from the geometric center of a specific component. They are relative concepts and may therefore change accordingly depending on their different positions and different usage states. Therefore, these or other orientation terms should not be construed as restrictive terms.

[0021] Embodiment 1: A hydraulic damper for a prosthetic limb, which is applied to the knee joint and the ankle joint of the prosthetic limb. Refer to Figures 1 to 3, including an oil storage container 1, a piston rod 3, a first circulation oil path, and a second circulation oil path. Among them, the oil storage container 1 is cylindrical, and a piston 2 is arranged inside. The piston 2 is in sealed contact with the inner surface of the oil storage container 1 and can slide relatively. The piston 2 divides the oil storage container 1 into a first oil chamber 11 and a second oil chamber 12. One end of the piston rod 3 is connected to the piston, and the other end extends outside the oil storage container 1. In the prosthetic limb, the other end of the piston rod 3 is installed at the joint of the prosthetic limb.

[0022] The Chinese patent with the publication number CN208447863U recorded in the background art discloses a hydraulic damper for a prosthetic knee joint. Essentially, it uses the cooperation of a first speed control valve, a second speed control valve, and related oil paths to provide a stable bidirectional damping force for the prosthetic knee joint, simulating the movement of a normal human joint, so that the patient has good comfort and stability during gait. However, the structure of the hydraulic bypass in the damper is relatively complex, occupies a large space, affects the aesthetic degree after being installed on the joint of the prosthetic limb, and the large volume of the prosthetic joint is also not conducive to the user hiding the prosthetic limb. Therefore, when designing, it is crucial to simplify the structure of the damper and reduce the occupied space of the damper without affecting the performance of the damper.

[0023] To solve the above technical problems, the first circulation oil connects the first oil chamber 11 and the second oil chamber 12, the second circulation oil path connects the first oil chamber 11 and the second oil chamber 12, a part of the two oil paths is shared, and a damping component 4 is provided in this part. The damping component 4 is used to apply a damping force to the hydraulic oil flowing through the damping component 4. And, at least one first valve 53 is provided on the first circulation oil path to limit the hydraulic oil in the first circulation oil path to flow only unidirectionally from the first oil chamber 11 to the second oil chamber 12; at least one second valve 63 is provided on the second circulation oil path to limit the hydraulic oil in the second circulation oil path to flow only unidirectionally from the second oil chamber 12 to the first oil chamber 11, that is, the first valve 53 and the second valve 63 are set so that the hydraulic oil has different flow directions in the first circulation oil path and the second circulation oil path, realizing bidirectional damping when the hydraulic oil flows.

[0024] In this embodiment, the first circulation oil path and the second circulation oil path share a damping component 4, and the first valve 53 and the second valve 63 are used to control the hydraulic oil to have different flow directions in the first circulation oil path and the second circulation oil path. Therefore, in the case of only using one damping component 4, bidirectional damping control during the movement of the prosthetic limb can be achieved, adapting to the dynamic requirements of different movement modes such as walking and running. At the same time, in the case of only using one damping component 4, the overall structure of the hydraulic damper is compact, occupies less space, and improves the comfort and aesthetic degree of wearing the prosthetic limb.

[0025] At the same time, compared with using two regulating valves (equivalent to the damping component 4) in the prior art to achieve the bidirectional damping function of the damper, the manufacturing cost is lower.

[0026] Specifically, the first circulation oil circuit includes a first oil circuit 51 and a second oil circuit 52. The two ends of the first oil circuit 51 are respectively connected to the first oil chamber 11 and the inlet of the damping component 4, and the two ends of the second oil circuit 52 are respectively connected to the second oil chamber 12 and the outlet of the damping component 4. The second circulation oil circuit includes a third oil circuit 61 and a fourth oil circuit 62. The two ends of the third oil circuit 61 are respectively connected to the second oil chamber 12 and the inlet of the damping component 4, and the two ends of the fourth oil circuit 62 are respectively connected to the first oil chamber 11 and the outlet of the damping component 4.

[0027] It should be noted that the above damping component 4 can be set as a one-way damping valve or a one-way regulating valve. Refer to Figure 1 , the right end of the damping component 4 is the inlet, and the left end is the outlet.

[0028] When the extension movement of the prosthetic joint causes the piston rod 3 of the damper to be stretched, refer to Figure 2 , that is, when the piston 2 is pulled by the piston rod 3 and moves towards the first oil chamber 11, the hydraulic oil in the first oil chamber 11 is compressed and extruded. At this time, the hydraulic oil flows through the first oil circuit 51 to the damping component 4, and then through the damping component 4 to the second oil chamber 12. Under the action of pressure, the hydraulic oil in the second oil circuit 52 flows into the second oil chamber 12, and the damping component 4 provides a damping force for the flowing hydraulic oil. In this way, a damping force can be provided for the prosthetic joint during extension.

[0029] When the flexion movement of the prosthetic joint causes the piston rod 3 of the damper to be compressed, refer to Figure 3 , that is, when the piston 2 is pushed by the piston rod 3 and moves towards the second oil chamber 12, the pressure in the second oil chamber 12 increases, causing the hydraulic oil to be extruded. The extruded hydraulic oil flows through the third oil circuit 61 to the damping component 4, and then through the damping component 4 to the fourth oil circuit 62. Under the action of pressure, the hydraulic oil in the fourth oil circuit 62 enters the first oil chamber 11, and the damping component 4 provides a damping force for the flowing hydraulic oil. In this way, a damping force can be provided for the prosthetic joint during flexion.

[0030] In this embodiment, refer to Figure 1, the first oil circuit 51 and the third oil circuit 61 meet at the inlet of the damping component 4, and a first valve 53 is provided on the first oil circuit 51, and a second valve 63 is provided on the third oil circuit 61. Specifically, one end of the first oil circuit 51 and one end of the third oil circuit 61 meet at the inlet of the damping component 4. Due to the functions of the first valve 53 and the second valve 63, the hydraulic oil in the first oil chamber 11 will not flow into the second oil chamber 12 through the third oil circuit 61, and the hydraulic oil in the second oil chamber 12 will not flow into the first oil chamber 11 through the first oil circuit 51, ensuring the stable flow of the hydraulic oil in the first circulation oil circuit and the second circulation oil circuit. This structure enables the hydraulic oil in both the first oil chamber 11 and the second oil chamber 12 to flow through the damping component 4, that is, the first oil circuit 51 and the third oil circuit 61 share a damping component 4. On the other hand, it can simplify the oil circuit layout, reduce space occupation, and improve the compactness and flexibility of the prosthetic joint.

[0031] In addition, the second oil circuit 52 and the fourth oil circuit 62 are set to meet at the outlet of the damping component 4, that is, the second oil circuit 52 and the fourth oil circuit 62 can share a damping component 4, and a first valve 53 is provided on the second oil circuit 52, and a second valve 63 is provided on the third oil circuit 61. Due to the functions of the first valve 53 and the second valve 63, the hydraulic oil in the first oil chamber 11 cannot flow out through the second oil circuit 52 and the hydraulic oil in the second oil chamber 12 cannot flow out through the fourth oil circuit 62. Moreover, this structure also achieves the effects of simplifying the oil circuit layout and reducing space occupation. Also, the intersection design of the first oil circuit 51 and the third oil circuit 61 and the intersection design of the second oil circuit 52 and the fourth oil circuit 62 can also reduce the leakage risk of the oil circuit and improve the stability of the damper during long-term use.

[0032] In this embodiment, when the piston rod 3 pushes the piston 2 to move into the second oil chamber 12, the piston rod 3 will enter the interior of the oil storage container 1, making the volume of the interior of the oil storage container 1 for accommodating hydraulic oil smaller, resulting in part of the oil discharged from the second oil chamber 12 being unable to enter the first oil chamber 11, affecting pressure stability; when the piston rod 3 pushes the piston to move into the first oil chamber 11, due to the piston rod being withdrawn, the volume of the interior of the oil storage container 1 for accommodating hydraulic oil becomes larger, and it is impossible to ensure the pressure stability inside the oil storage container 1. To solve the above problems, the damper in this embodiment further includes an accumulator 7. The accumulator 7 is connected to the outlet of the damping component 4 through a fifth oil circuit 8. The accumulator 7 can store the excess hydraulic oil during the hydraulic oil circulation process and can supply the hydraulic oil to the circulation process when needed, playing a role in compensating for the volume change of the oil storage container 1 caused by the movement of the piston rod 3, thereby maintaining the system pressure stability. In addition, the fifth oil circuit 8 intersects with the second oil circuit 52 and the fourth oil circuit 62 at the outlet of the damping component 4, further optimizing the spatial layout of the damper.

[0033] In this embodiment, the first valve 53 and the second valve 63 are both one-way valves. The one-way valve not only has a simple structure, fast response speed, but also low cost, which is beneficial to the large-scale industrial manufacturing of the damper in this embodiment and improves the commercial competitiveness. It should be noted that the installation directions of the first valve 53 and the second valve 63 here are opposite.

[0034] In this embodiment, the damping component 4 is set as an electronically controllable damping valve, which can adjust the damping force generated by the damping valve according to the user's motion state (such as walking speed) and external environment (such as road surface conditions) to improve the user's comfort.

[0035] Embodiment 2: A prosthetic limb includes a hydraulic damper for a prosthetic limb in Embodiment 1, and one end of the piston rod 3 extending out of the oil storage container 1 is installed at the ankle joint and / or knee joint of the prosthetic limb.

[0036] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A hydraulic damper for a prosthetic limb, characterized in that, Comprising: An oil storage container (1) with a piston (2) disposed inside. The piston (2) is in sealing contact with the inner surface of the oil storage container (1) and can slide relative thereto. The piston (2) divides the oil storage container (1) into a first oil chamber (11) and a second oil chamber (12); A piston rod (3) having one end connected to the piston (2) and the other end extending outside the oil storage container (1); A first circulation oil path and a second circulation oil path. The first circulation oil path connects the first oil chamber (11) and the second oil chamber (12), and the second circulation oil path connects the first oil chamber (11) and the second oil chamber (12). A part of the two oil paths is shared, and a damping member (4) is provided in this part. The damping member (4) is used to apply a damping force to the hydraulic oil flowing through the damping member (4); At least one first valve (53) is provided on the first circulation oil path for restricting the hydraulic oil in the first circulation oil path to flow only unidirectionally from the first oil chamber (11) to the second oil chamber (12); at least one second valve (63) is provided on the second circulation oil path for restricting the hydraulic oil in the second circulation oil path to flow only unidirectionally from the second oil chamber (12) to the first oil chamber (11).

2. The hydraulic damper for a prosthetic limb according to claim 1, wherein The first circulation oil path includes a first oil path (51) and a second oil path (52). The two ends of the first oil path (51) are respectively connected to the first oil chamber (11) and the inlet of the damping member (4), and the two ends of the second oil path (52) are respectively connected to the second oil chamber (12) and the outlet of the damping member (4); the second circulation oil path includes a third oil path (61) and a fourth oil path (62). The two ends of the third oil path (61) are respectively connected to the second oil chamber (12) and the inlet of the damping member (4), and the two ends of the fourth oil path (62) are respectively connected to the first oil chamber (11) and the outlet of the damping member (4).

3. A hydraulic damper for a prosthetic limb according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first oil path (51) and the third oil path (61) converge at the inlet of the damping member (4); the first valve (53) is provided on the first oil path, and the second valve (63) is provided on the third oil path.

4. A hydraulic damper for a prosthetic limb according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second oil path (52) and the fourth oil path (62) converge at the outlet of the damping member (4); the first valve (53) is provided on the second oil path, and the second valve (63) is provided on the third oil path.

5. A hydraulic damper for a prosthetic limb according to claim 2, wherein, Further comprising an accumulator (7). The accumulator (7) is connected to the outlet of the damping member (4) through a fifth oil path (8), and the accumulator (7) is used to compensate for the volume change of the oil storage container (1) caused by the movement of the piston rod (3).

6. The hydraulic damper for a prosthetic limb according to claim 5, wherein, The fifth oil path (8) converges with the second oil path (52) and the fourth oil path (62) at the outlet of the damping member (4).

7. A hydraulic damper for a prosthetic limb according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Both the first valve (53) and the second valve (63) are one-way valves.

8. A hydraulic damper for a prosthetic limb according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The damping member (4) is configured as an electronically controllable damping valve.

9. A prosthetic limb, characterized in that, Comprising a hydraulic damper for a prosthetic limb according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A prosthetic limb according to claim 9, characterized in that, One end of the piston rod (3) extending out of the oil storage container (1) is installed at the ankle joint and / or knee joint of the prosthetic limb.

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