Hinge knee joint tibia liner tool

Abstract

The utility model relates to a hinge knee joint tibia liner tool which comprises a tool body. The tool body is provided with a concave profiling containing groove. Liquid change clamping parts capable of achieving deformation clamping are symmetrically arranged at the two ends of the profiling containing groove. Negative pressure suction holes are symmetrically formed in the profiling placing groove; after the negative pressure suction hole applies negative pressure to adsorb the hinge knee joint tibia liner, an electric field is applied to the liquid change clamping part to enable the liquid change clamping part to be solidified and clamp the hinge knee joint tibia liner. The hinge knee joint tibia pad fixing device can stably fix and accurately position a hinge knee joint tibia pad, improves quality and efficiency of related processes, and provides powerful guarantee for production of high-quality hinge knee joint products.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of medical device manufacturing technology, and in particular to a hinged knee joint tibial liner tooling. Background Technology

[0002] In the manufacturing process of hinged knee joints, the tibial liner is a key component, and the precision and quality of its processing, inspection, and assembly directly affect the performance and lifespan of the entire hinged knee joint. Traditional tooling often has several shortcomings when fixing the tibial liner. Some tooling uses simple mechanical clamping methods, which can easily damage the surface of the tibial liner, affecting the product's appearance and quality. Moreover, traditional clamping methods are difficult to adapt to tibial liners of different sizes and shapes, resulting in poor versatility. In addition, the positioning accuracy of the tibial liner during fixing is limited, easily leading to deviations, which increase errors in subsequent processing, inspection, or assembly, and raise the scrap rate. Furthermore, traditional tooling is not convenient or efficient to operate, requiring significant manpower and time costs, and cannot meet the high-efficiency and high-precision requirements of modern medical device production. Therefore, developing a new type of tooling for the tibial liner of a hinged knee joint is of significant practical importance. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a hinged knee joint tibial pad tooling that can achieve stable fixation and precise positioning of the hinged knee joint tibial pad, improve the quality and efficiency of related processes, and provide strong support for the production of high-quality hinged knee joint products, so as to solve the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0004] To achieve the above technical solution, the technical solution of this utility model is as follows: A hinged knee joint tibial pad fixture mainly consists of a fixture body. The fixture body is provided with a concave contour placement groove, the shape of which matches the outline of the hinged knee joint tibial pad, providing a preliminary positioning basis for the tibial pad. Deformable hydraulic clamping parts are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the contour placement groove, achieving reliable clamping of the tibial pad through a special hydraulic principle. Simultaneously, negative pressure suction holes are symmetrically provided on the contour placement groove, further enhancing the stability of the tibial pad on the fixture using negative pressure suction force. In actual use, negative pressure is first applied through the negative pressure suction holes to adsorb the hinged knee joint tibial pad, and then an electric field is applied to the hydraulic clamping parts to solidify and clamp the hinged knee joint tibial pad. The two fixing methods work together to ensure that the tibial pad maintains a precise position and stable posture in the fixture.

[0005] Furthermore, the tooling body, as the basic structure of the entire tooling system, possesses sufficient strength and stability to withstand various forces exerted on other components and the tibial pad during processing and inspection. The contour placement groove is designed with precise measurement and modeling; its depth, width, and contour curve are highly adapted to the shape of the tibial pad, allowing it to be placed naturally and achieving initial positioning during placement, reducing subsequent adjustment work. To improve the wear resistance and service life of the contour placement groove, a wear-resistant coating is sprayed onto its surface. This coating is made of high-performance wear-resistant materials, such as ceramic coatings or special polymer coatings, effectively resisting friction and wear on the tibial pad during placement, removal, and within the tooling system, maintaining the shape accuracy and surface quality of the contour placement groove over the long term.

[0006] Furthermore, the electrorheological clamping part mainly consists of a deformable liquid cavity, an electrorheological fluid filling the liquid cavity, and electrodes disposed on the liquid cavity. The deformable liquid cavity is made of materials with good elasticity and deformation capacity, such as rubber bags. When no electric field is applied, the rubber bags can freely deform according to the shape of the tibial liner, tightly fitting the edge of the tibial liner without causing excessive compression or damage. The electrorheological fluid is a special intelligent fluid that exhibits liquid flow under normal conditions. When an electric field is applied, its internal particles rapidly polarize and form a chain-like structure, causing a sharp increase in the viscosity of the liquid, thereby rapidly hardening the liquid cavity and achieving strong clamping of the tibial liner. The electrodes are set to provide the electric field. They can be connected to an external power source, and the design takes into account the uniformity and intensity control of the electric field to ensure that the electrorheological fluid can quickly and stably achieve phase change under the action of a suitable electric field, achieving the clamping effect. In some implementations, the hinged knee joint tibial pad can serve as the negative electrode in the electrode, triggering a phase change in the electrorheological fluid by forming an electric field with the positive electrode on the tooling body. This design simplifies the electrode structure and improves the overall compactness of the tooling.

[0007] Furthermore, the fixture body is equipped with airflow channels, and the negative pressure suction holes are interconnected with the airflow channels. The cross-sectional area of ​​the airflow channels is much larger than the sum of the cross-sectional areas of all the negative pressure suction holes. This design ensures that when negative pressure is applied, sufficient gas flow passes through the airflow channels, forming a stable and strong negative pressure suction at the negative pressure suction holes. When the negative pressure source is connected to and activated by the airflow channels, gas flows out rapidly from the airflow channels, causing the air pressure at the negative pressure suction holes to drop rapidly, thereby firmly adsorbing the tibial pad placed in the contour placement groove onto the fixture. By rationally designing parameters such as the shape, length, and inner wall roughness of the airflow channels, the distribution and magnitude of the negative pressure can be further optimized, improving the stability and uniformity of the adsorption.

[0008] Furthermore, the tooling body is inclined with strip-shaped micro-airflow holes on one side. The function of these micro-airflow holes is to introduce a small amount of airflow during processing or inspection to blow away dust, debris, and other impurities that may be present on its surface, ensuring the accuracy of processing or inspection. At the same time, the inclined arrangement of the micro-airflow holes allows the airflow to flow in a specific direction, avoiding interference with other components or operations, and guiding the blown-down impurities to a suitable collection area, maintaining a clean working environment.

[0009] Furthermore, when using this hinged knee joint tibial pad fixture, the tibial pad is first placed in the contour placement groove. Due to the matching shape of the groove, the tibial pad naturally sits in the correct position. Then, the negative pressure source is activated, allowing negative pressure to be transmitted to the negative pressure suction hole through the airflow channel. Suction is generated at the suction hole, adsorbing the tibial pad onto the bottom of the contour placement groove, initially fixing its position. Next, an electric field is applied to the electrodes of the hydrodynamic clamping part. The electrorheological fluid in the liquid chamber undergoes a rapid phase change, hardening the chamber and clamping the tibial pad from both sides, further enhancing the fixation effect. Throughout the process, the suction force of the negative pressure suction hole and the clamping force of the hydrodynamic clamping part work together to ensure that the tibial pad does not shift in either the horizontal or vertical direction, and to prevent loosening of the tibial pad due to the failure of a single fixation method. During processing or inspection, the strip-shaped micro-airflow holes continuously introduce a small amount of airflow to clean the surface of the tibial pad, preventing impurities from affecting the process quality.

[0010] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0011] 1) Synergistic Combination of Contouring Placement Groove and Multiple Fixing Methods: The precise design of the contouring placement groove provides a basic foundation for accurate initial positioning of the tibial pad. Its shape and height compatibility allow the tibial pad to be naturally placed in the correct position. The negative pressure suction force of the suction port and the clamping force of the hydraulic clamping part work together to form multiple fixing safeguards. The negative pressure suction port firmly adheres to the tibial pad in the vertical direction, preventing it from jumping or shifting, while the hydraulic clamping part clamps the tibial pad in the horizontal direction, restricting its lateral movement. This synergistic effect allows the tibial pad to maintain extremely high positional accuracy in the tooling. It is not prone to displacement or deflection under the cutting forces during machining, the measuring forces during inspection, or the assembly forces during assembly, effectively improving the accuracy and quality of related processes and reducing the scrap rate caused by inaccurate positioning.

[0012] 2) Intelligent clamping characteristics of the hydrorheological clamping unit: The hydrorheological clamping unit uses electrorheological fluid as the clamping medium. Its unique properties allow the fluid cavity to adapt to the shape of the tibial liner when no electric field is applied, avoiding excessive compression and surface damage that may be caused by traditional mechanical clamping methods. When an electric field is applied, the electrorheological fluid rapidly undergoes a phase change and hardens, generating a strong clamping force, the magnitude of which can be precisely controlled by the electric field strength. This intelligent clamping characteristic not only ensures reliable fixation of the tibial liner but also allows for flexible adjustment of the clamping force according to different process requirements, further improving the adaptability and precision control capabilities of the tooling.

[0013] 3) Adjustable hydraulic clamping section: The hydraulic chamber of the hydraulic clamping section uses elastic materials such as rubber bags, which can adapt to tibial pads of different sizes and shapes within a certain range. When the size of the tibial pads varies slightly, the rubber bags can deform freely according to their shape, and still achieve effective clamping after an electric field is applied. At the same time, by adjusting the electric field strength, tibial pads of different hardness and materials can also be clamped appropriately. This makes this fixture widely applicable to the processing, inspection, and assembly processes of various models and specifications of hinged knee joint tibial pads, improving the versatility of the fixture, reducing production costs, and reducing the need for frequent tooling changes due to product model variations.

[0014] 4) Modular Design Concept: The entire tooling adopts a modular design concept. Components such as the tooling body, the electrorheological clamping section, the negative pressure suction port, and the strip-shaped micro-airflow holes each perform independent functions, and their connections and collaborative working methods are clearly defined. This modular design facilitates maintenance, upgrades, and modifications. For example, if it is necessary to improve the negative pressure adsorption force, the structure of the airflow channel and the negative pressure suction port can be optimized separately; if it is necessary to enhance the clamping performance of the electrorheological clamping section, the liquid cavity material or the electrorheological fluid formulation can be specifically improved without requiring a large-scale redesign of the entire tooling, thus improving the tooling's adaptability and scalability.

[0015] 5) Robust Fixture Body Structure: The fixture body, serving as the supporting structure for the entire fixture system, is manufactured using high-strength metal materials and precision machining processes, possessing sufficient strength and stability. It can withstand various external forces generated during processing and testing, such as cutting forces and impact forces, ensuring that the fixture will not deform or be damaged during use, providing a stable fixing platform for the tibial pad. Simultaneously, the internal airflow channels and negative pressure suction holes of the fixture body are optimized in design, possessing excellent sealing and airflow characteristics, ensuring the stable and reliable negative pressure adsorption function, reducing process failures caused by fixture structural problems, and improving production efficiency and product quality stability.

[0016] 6) Enhanced Auxiliary Functions: The strip-shaped micro-airflow holes add an auxiliary cleaning function to the tooling. During processing or inspection, they continuously blow away impurities from the tibial pad surface, ensuring a clean process environment. This not only helps improve processing accuracy (preventing impurities from scratching the tibial pad surface or affecting tool life during cutting, and avoiding impurities interfering with measurement results during inspection), but also improves the surface quality and overall performance of the product. The application of a wear-resistant coating effectively extends the service life of the contour placement groove, reduces the decrease in tooling accuracy and the increase in maintenance costs caused by wear, further ensures the stable and reliable operation of the tooling, and improves the cost-effectiveness and service life of the tooling. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To further illustrate the various embodiments, the present invention provides accompanying drawings. These drawings are part of the disclosure of the present invention and are mainly used to illustrate the embodiments, and can be used in conjunction with the relevant descriptions in the specification to explain the operating principles of the embodiments. With reference to these drawings, those skilled in the art should be able to understand other possible implementations and the advantages of the present invention. Components in the drawings are not drawn to scale, and similar component symbols are generally used to represent similar components.

[0018] Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of a hinged knee joint tibial liner tooling. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0020] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0021] Please see the appendix Figure 1As shown: A hinged knee joint tibial pad fixture includes a fixture body 1; the fixture body 1 has a concave contoured placement groove 2; the contoured placement groove 2 has symmetrically arranged deformable clamping hydraulic clamping parts 3 at both ends; the contoured placement groove 2 has symmetrically arranged negative pressure suction holes 4; wherein: after the negative pressure suction holes 4 apply negative pressure to attract the hinged knee joint tibial pad, an electric field is applied to the hydraulic clamping parts 3 to solidify and clamp the hinged knee joint tibial pad. The concave contoured placement groove on the fixture body is carefully designed according to the outer contour of the hinged knee joint tibial pad. This highly matched shape design allows the tibial pad to be naturally and accurately embedded during placement, providing an accurate initial position for subsequent fixation operations, greatly reducing positioning errors caused by placement deviations, thereby effectively ensuring the consistency and accuracy of the tibial pad position during processing, inspection, or assembly, laying a solid foundation for obtaining high-quality products. The electrorheological clamping section is located at both ends of the contour placement groove. Its deformable liquid cavity can adaptively conform to the edge shape of the tibial liner when no electric field is applied. When an electric field is applied, the electrorheological fluid in the liquid cavity rapidly solidifies, and the liquid cavity hardens, applying a stable clamping force to the tibial liner from both sides, firmly fixing the tibial liner in the horizontal direction. At the same time, since the degree of solidification of the electrorheological fluid can be precisely controlled by the electric field strength, the clamping force can be flexibly adjusted according to the specific material, size, and processing or testing requirements of the tibial liner. This ensures sufficient clamping force to prevent the tibial liner from sliding in the horizontal direction, while avoiding damage to the tibial liner due to excessive clamping force, achieving precise and reliable horizontal fixation.

[0022] Based on the above embodiment, the tooling body 1 is provided with an airflow channel; the negative pressure suction hole 4 is connected to the airflow channel; the cross-sectional area of ​​the airflow channel is much larger than the sum of the cross-sectional areas of all the negative pressure suction holes 4. The negative pressure suction holes are symmetrically distributed on the contour placement groove. When negative pressure is applied, a strong and uniform suction force can be generated in the vertical direction, tightly adhering the tibial pad to the bottom of the contour placement groove. This suction force can effectively resist external force interference in the vertical direction that may occur during operation, such as slight vibration, bumps during transportation, etc., ensuring that the tibial pad will not shift or jump in the vertical direction, maintaining the stability of its height position.

[0023] Based on the above embodiments, the fluidic clamping part 3 includes a deformable liquid cavity 31; the deformable liquid cavity 31 is filled with electrorheological fluid 32; and an electrode 33 is provided on the deformable liquid cavity 31.

[0024] Based on the above embodiments, the tibial liner of the hinged knee joint can be the negative electrode in electrode 33.

[0025] Based on the above embodiments, the deformable liquid cavity 31 is a rubber bag. The deformable liquid cavity of the fluidic clamping part is made of rubber bag material, which has excellent flexibility and elastic deformation capability. It can adapt to tibial pads of different sizes and shapes of hinged knee joints. Whether the tibial pad is slightly larger or smaller, the rubber bag can closely fit its edge contour and achieve effective clamping after applying an electric field. This characteristic allows the tooling to be widely used in the processing of various models and specifications of tibial pads without the need for custom-made tooling for products of different sizes, significantly improving the versatility of the tooling and reducing production costs and production preparation time.

[0026] Based on the above embodiments, a wear-resistant coating is sprayed onto the contour placement groove 2. This wear-resistant coating effectively improves the surface hardness and wear resistance of the contour placement groove. During long-term use, frequent placement and removal of the tibial pad will cause wear on the surface of the contour placement groove. The wear-resistant coating can significantly reduce this wear, maintaining the shape accuracy and surface quality of the contour placement groove. This ensures that the positioning accuracy and fixing stability of the tibial pad are not reduced due to tooling wear, extending the tooling's service life, reducing the frequency of tooling maintenance and replacement, and lowering production costs.

[0027] Based on the above embodiments, the tooling body 1 is provided with a strip-shaped micro-airflow hole 5 inclined near one side. This strip-shaped micro-airflow hole, inclined near one side of the tooling body, can introduce a small amount of airflow to sweep the surface of the tibial liner during processing or testing. This function can promptly remove dust, debris, and other impurities that may adhere to the surface of the tibial liner, preventing these impurities from scratching the surface of the tibial liner or affecting processing accuracy during processing, and from interfering with test results during testing. Simultaneously, the inclined arrangement of the micro-airflow hole allows the airflow to flow in a specific direction, guiding impurities to a suitable collection area, maintaining a clean working environment, further improving product processing quality and testing accuracy, and ensuring the efficient operation of the entire production or testing process.

[0028] In practical application, this invention works as follows: 1) Placing the tibial pad: Carefully place the hinged knee joint tibial pad to be processed or inspected into the contour placement groove of the tooling body, so that the edge of the tibial pad initially fits the contour of the contour placement groove. At this time, due to the guiding effect of the shape of the contour placement groove, the tibial pad is basically in the correct position, but not yet completely fixed. 2) Activating negative pressure adsorption: Connect the negative pressure source to the airflow channel of the tooling body, activate the negative pressure source, and let the gas flow out quickly from the airflow channel to form a negative pressure at the negative pressure suction hole. Observe that the tibial pad is adsorbed to the bottom of the contour placement groove under the action of negative pressure. At this time, the tibial pad is initially fixed in the vertical direction, and its positional stability is enhanced, but there may still be a certain degree of freedom in the horizontal direction. 3) Activating the electrorheological clamping part: Connect the electrodes of the electrorheological clamping part to an external power source and apply a suitable electric field. Under the action of the electric field, the electrorheological fluid undergoes a rapid phase change, the liquid cavity hardens, and clamping force is applied to the tibial pad from both sides. Adjust the electric field strength to achieve a moderate clamping force that securely fixes the tibial pad without causing excessive compression or damage. At this point, the tibial pad is reliably fixed in both the horizontal and vertical directions, allowing for subsequent processing, inspection, or assembly operations. 4) Micro-airflow hole purging: During processing or inspection, maintain the airflow supply through the strip-shaped micro-airflow holes, allowing a continuous flow of micro-airflow to purge the surface of the tibial pad, removing any dust, debris, or other impurities. Observe the purging effect and adjust the airflow rate and direction of the micro-airflow holes as needed to ensure effective removal of impurities without affecting processing or inspection accuracy. 5) Release fixation and remove the tibial pad: After processing, inspection, or assembly, first disconnect the electric field of the hydrorheological clamping part, allowing the electrorheological fluid to return to a liquid state, releasing the clamping force on the tibial pad. Then, turn off the negative pressure source, eliminating the suction force of the negative pressure suction holes. Carefully remove the tibial pad from the contour placement slot, check the surface quality and processing accuracy of the tibial pad, and prepare for the next cycle. The entire tooling adopts a modular design concept, with each component—including the tooling body, contour placement groove, electrorheological clamping section, negative pressure suction port, and strip-shaped micro-airflow holes—having a clearly defined and relatively independent function. This structural design allows for convenient local optimization or upgrades to meet different production needs or process improvements. For example, if it is necessary to increase the negative pressure suction force to accommodate heavier or smoother tibial pads, the structure of the airflow channel and negative pressure suction port can be modified individually, such as increasing the diameter of the airflow channel or optimizing the shape of the negative pressure suction port, without affecting the normal operation of other components. Similarly, to enhance the clamping performance of the electrorheological clamping section, only the liquid cavity material, electrorheological fluid formulation, or electrode design needs to be adjusted, without the need for a large-scale redesign and manufacturing of the entire tooling. This greatly improves the tooling's scalability and flexibility, extends its service life, and enables it to better adapt to ever-evolving production process requirements.

[0029] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art should be able to make equivalent embodiments by making some changes or modifications to the above-disclosed technical content without departing from the scope of the present invention. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A hinged knee joint tibial liner tooling, characterized in that, The tooling body (1) is provided with a concave contour placement groove (2); the contour placement groove (2) is provided with deformable and clampable hydraulic clamping parts (3) at both ends; the contour placement groove (2) is provided with negative pressure suction holes (4) symmetrically. Wherein: after the negative pressure suction hole (4) applies negative pressure to adsorb the hinge knee joint tibial pad, an electric field is applied to the liquid clamping part (3) to solidify and clamp the hinge knee joint tibial pad.

2. The hinged knee joint tibial pad fixture as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The tool body (1) is provided with an airflow channel; the negative pressure suction hole (4) is connected to the airflow channel; the cross-sectional area of ​​the airflow channel is much larger than the sum of the cross-sectional areas of all the negative pressure suction holes (4).

3. The hinged knee joint tibial pad fixture as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The fluidic clamping part (3) includes a deformable liquid cavity (31); the deformable liquid cavity (31) is filled with electrorheological fluid (32); and an electrode (33) is provided on the deformable liquid cavity (31).

4. The hinged knee joint tibial pad fixture as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The tibial pad of the hinged knee joint can be the negative electrode in the electrode (33).

5. The hinged knee joint tibial pad fixture as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The deformable liquid cavity (31) is a rubber bag.

6. The hinged knee joint tibial pad fixture as described in claim 1, characterized in that: A wear-resistant coating is sprayed onto the contour placement groove (2).

7. The hinged knee joint tibial pad fixture as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The tooling body (1) is provided with strip-shaped micro airflow holes (5) at an angle near one side.

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