Knee brace

Abstract

The invention relates to a knee support (2) with fastening means (10) for attachment to a knee joint (K) of a wearer (T), and with lighting means held on the fastening means (10). It is provided that the lighting means have at least one spotlight device (20; 28) directed away from an outer side (22) for generating a focused light beam.

Description

The invention relates to a knee holder according to the preamble of claim 1, which comprises fastening means suitable for attaching the knee holder to a knee joint of a wearer. In addition, the knee holder has lighting means which are held directly or indirectly on the fastening means.DE 20 2018 102 751 U1 discloses a knee holder in the form of a knee protector which, in addition to its protective function against external stresses on the relevant knee, additionally has a luminous element. The luminous element can be formed by a fluorescent and / or phosphorescent material or by a luminous element which is activated by a switch or via a photosensor. In any case, the luminous element is intended to ensure better visibility of the carrier in the case of poor lighting conditions.A disadvantage of the known knee protector is that only diffuse light can be generated by the provided lighting means. As a result, its use is only expedient in very specific application cases, namely when, on the one hand, the relevant knee is to be protected and, at the same time, the perceptibility of the wearer is to be increased, such as in particular in poor visibility conditions.The object of the invention is to avoid the above-mentioned disadvantages in a generic knee holder and to make a more versatile use possible.This object is achieved by a knee holder having the features of claim 1. The lighting means have at least one headlight device for generating a bundled light beam, which is directed away from an outer side of the knee holder. By using at least one headlight device directed away from the knee holder, the lighting means can serve to illuminate a path or a working area of the wearer in darkness or other poor visibility conditions. While the illumination is effected by means of the knee holder, the wearer thus has both hands free in order to align other activities or to be able to walk or walk undisturbed. In this way, the knee holder can be used, for example, in the operation of open-air sports, such as walking or running, in dog-paging, in work activities, in exposures, in the use of rescue workers or in the military sector under temporarily or permanently poor lighting conditions, such as, in particular, in unknown or ambiguous terrain. For example, the knee holder can be worn when working on construction sites, in the agriculture or forest business or in the field of service and transportation or the like. In addition to work in the exterior area, the knee holder can also be used in particular in poorly or alternately illuminated rooms, such as, for example, by hand workers or home workers on any construction site, such as, in particular, in old construction, or by industrial workers, warehouse workers, delivery workers and so forth. When used in the exterior, the knee holder has the particular advantage, in particular compared with head lamps, that in the case of precipitations, such as rain or snow, the wearer is not blinded by droplets or flakes which are illuminated by the lighting means in the vicinity of the eye. The fastening means of the knee holder can be selected such that they allow their own attachment to the knee joint or can be attached in the region of the knee joint via a leg apparel worn by the wearer.In a particularly preferred embodiment, the fastening means form a circumferential receiving region for receiving the knee joint of the wearer. For this purpose, the fastening means can be connected to one another in a loop-like manner or can be embodied in a permanently loop-like manner. In this case, the preferably elastic sling forms, in this permanent or producible closed circumferential position, a receiving region in which a knee joint of a wearer of the knee holder can be received in order to fasten the knee holder stably to the leg of the wearer at the knee height.Advantageously, the bundled light beam can be oriented away from the outside of the knee holder in a front direction defined by the fastening means, which corresponds to a front direction of the wearer of the knee holder. As a result, the light beam can be directed forwards from the wearer of the knee holder, that is to say in particular in the viewing and / or movement direction thereof. In this way, for example, a travel path or a working region of the carrier can be illuminated particularly well.It is advantageous if the at least one headlight device has at least two or more active light bodies in order to be able to illuminate a relatively large region in the viewing and / or movement direction of the carrier. The term active light fixture refers here to light fixtures that convert electric current into light and thus actively light up.In addition, it is favorable if the at least two active light bodies are oriented in different lighting directions in order to be able to illuminate different regions. The different regions can be formed, for example, by a path lying in front of the carrier, such as in particular in the region close to the floor, and by a working region which extends at arm height of the carrier. Alternatively or additionally, the different lighting directions can also serve to be able to illuminate a specific area in different postures, such as a working area at arm height of the wearer in a standing posture and in a sitting or kneeling posture.In a preferred embodiment, two of the active light bodies with different lighting directions can also have different colors. For example, at least one active light fixture directed toward a front side may have a white or yellowish color or may illuminate white or yellowish, while an active light fixture having a rearward lighting direction has a red color and illuminates red accordingly. As a result, it is also possible, for example, for third parties at night to see in which direction the wearer of the knee holder is directed or in which direction it moves.The at least one active light fixture is advantageously formed by a light-emitting diode (LED). As a result, a low energy consumption of the headlight device can be achieved. In this way, the means required for supplying energy to the headlight device can be limited to a low weight and / or small dimensions. The energy supply means can be formed, for example, by storage means, such as batteries or rechargeable batteries. As an alternative to the storage means, the energy supply means can also be formed by current generating means which, for example, use the kinetic energy in the relevant knee joint to generate electrical energy.It is furthermore favorable if the headlight device is held on a first holding region of the outer side of the knee holder and a second headlight device is fastened on a second holding region of the outer side facing away from the first holding region. In this way, on the one hand, a central region of the knee holder can be kept free, in order to be able to provide here, for example, protective means or cushioning means adjacent to the receiving region of a patella of the wearer. At the same time, this can ensure complete illumination in front of the central region by generating a light beam in the desired direction at two sides of the central region. Overall, this allows a greater viewing angle of the carrier to be illuminated.Advantageously, the fastening means in this case have a protective device arranged on the front side and extending in the form of a shell for partially receiving a knee joint of the wearer, wherein the at least one headlight device is held detachably on the protective device. The knee holder can hereby be used in any case as a knee protector and / or puncture protection, which protects the respective knee from external impacts, such as in particular against compressive loads as a result of a kneeling posture. In addition, such a knee holder or knee protector reduces the risk of injury to the wearer, such as in particular in the case of falls, as a result of which, in turn, work losses can be avoided. In this case, the knee protector can, if required, additionally be equipped with the at least one headlight device in order to additionally illuminate an area in front of the protective device. In addition, the knee can also be protected by the protective device against cold and moisture. The knee holder is thus also suitable in particular for older or hand-held persons.It is advantageous if, in the attached state of the knee holder on the knee joint of the wearer, a light beam directed in a first lighting direction can be generated by means of the at least one headlight device, which light beam is substantially parallel to a central normal that can be generated on the protective device. In this way, when the wearer is held upright, the light beam is directed forward in the viewing and / or movement direction thereof in order in particular to illuminate a path lying in front of him, in particular close to the ground.Alternatively or additionally thereto, in the attached state of the knee holder, at least one light beam directed in a further lighting direction can be generated by means of the headlight device, which light beam is directed obliquely or at right angles upward with respect to the central normal that can be generated on the protection device. In this way, when the wearer is held upright, the light beam is directed, for example, onto a working region of the wearer in which said wearer carries out work with his hands.The at least one headlight device can preferably be activated and deactivated, for example by means of a manually actuated on / off switch, by means of a remote control or automatically as a function of a sensor signal. A corresponding sensor can serve in particular to determine the light intensity present at a location of use and / or an alignment of the headlight device, wherein a control electronics activates or deactivates a predetermined number and arrangement of the active light bodies of the headlight device as a function of the determined values. In this way, the use of the individual active light bodies can be limited to the application cases in which these are required due to the light conditions present or for illuminating a specific area.It is advantageous if the at least one headlight device has an adjustable light intensity. In this way, the intensity or brightness of the at least one headlight device, or the light generated by it, can be adjusted as required. The required light intensity can be adjusted either by means of a dimmer or by activation of a desired number of active light bodies.Advantageously, the at least two active light bodies having different lighting directions can be activated / deactivated and / or adjustable independently of one another in order to be able to illuminate only one selected region. The activation and deactivation can be effected by selection by the wearer of the knee holder or by an automatic control as a function of a position sensor system which, for example, activates the relevant active light bodies which, in the case of a kneeling posture, are directed forwards or upwards, while at the same time the active light bodies which are directed downwards onto the ground are deactivated.Furthermore, the aforementioned object is achieved by a headlight device which is used with a knee holder in one of the aforementioned embodiments and which for this purpose has a headlight housing on which the at least two active light bodies are held, wherein at least one of the active light bodies forms a headlight which is held on a first outer side of the headlight housing. At the same time, a rear light is provided on a second outer side of the headlight housing facing away from the first outer side, said rear light being formed by at least one of the active light bodies. As a result, a rear light can also be simultaneously made available for illuminating the front angular range. In this way, the carrier is also easily recognizable from behind, for example during a movement on a path or a road in darkness, such as by other road users.Preferably, a plurality of active light bodies are arranged along a curved region on an upper side of the headlight housing. By means of such an arrangement, the relevant active light bodies can be aligned with one another in a simple manner with an increasing or decreasing oblique position, as a result of which a larger angular range can in turn also be illuminated with a plurality of bundled light beams.In this case, the at least one active luminous element of the rear light preferably illuminates red, so that third parties can also distinguish the viewing direction or the direction of movement of the carrier from their rear side, in particular in the case of darkness.It is pointed out that all the features described above of the subject matter according to the invention can be interchanged or combined with one another, provided that an exchange or a combination thereof is not excluded for technical reasons.An exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in the figures. The following are shown: FIG. 1 shows a side view of a knee holder according to the invention with a headlight device, FIG. 2 is a front view of the knee holder according to FIG. 2 with two headlight devices, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the knee holder according to FIG. 1 in a kneeling posture of the wearer.FIG. 1 shows a knee holder 2 in the form of a working knee guard which, by way of example, has a shell-shaped protective device 4. The protective device 4 serves here for partially receiving a knee joint K of a wearer T in order to protect this knee joint K against external impacts, such as in particular against pressure impacts in a kneeling posture. For this purpose, the protective device 4 can have, for example, a padding 6 and / or a protective outer shell 8, which partially cover the knee joint K in the fitted state of the knee holder 2. As a result, the knee K that is picked up can additionally also be protected against cold and moisture. In addition, the protective device 4 can also have active heating means on the outer shell 8 (not shown), which are supplied, for example, with a battery or have a self-heating substance, in order to protect the relevant knee joint K from cooling or actively heat it when the external environment is prolonged and / or when the ambient temperatures are low.The carrier T of the knee holder 2 can be, for example, any worker, such as, in particular, a hand-held worker, a forest or agricultural worker, an industrial worker, a warehouse worker, a speed-change worker, a transportation service provider, a delivery agent or the like, which works in the event of darkness in the exterior region or in poorly or alternately illuminated regions or spaces, such as, for example, in any construction site. Alternatively, the wearer T may also use the knee holder 2 privately, such as, for example, as an open air sport, home shop, dog-making walker, or the like. Furthermore, the knee holder 2 can also be used in exposures or in the use of rescue workers or in the military sector.For securing the knee holder 2 to the relevant knee joint K, this comprises fastening means 10. The fastening means 10 comprise, for example, two loop-shaped sections 12 made of an elastic material and fixing tapes 14 which can be moved via a hook and loop / loop fastener 16 into a position which likewise extends around in a closed manner. In any case, the fastening means 10 here form, alone or together with the protective device 4, a receiving region 18 for the knee joint K permanently and / or in a closed encircling position. the optional fixing straps 14 serve in this case for additionally securing the knee holder 2 in position on the knee joint K by tightening and fixing by means of the hook and loop / loop fasteners 16. Alternatively or additionally for forming an encircling receiving region 18, the fastening means 10 can also have known and suitable means in order to be able to fix the knee holder in position on a pants at knee height, such as a clamping device (not illustrated).As can also be seen from FIG. 1, lighting means are additionally arranged on an outer side 22 of the knee holder 2 or of the fastening means 10. The lighting means have a headlight device 20 which comprises an arrangement of a plurality of active light bodies 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D in the form of LEDs and / or incandescent lamps, by means of which a bundled light beam can be emitted in each case.At least two of the active light bodies 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D are held on a headlight housing G of the headlight device 20 in such a way that their light beams are generated in different lighting directions RL 1, RL 2, RL 3, RL 4. As illustrated, a plurality of the active light bodies 24A can be aligned on a first outer side S 1 of the headlight housing G substantially parallel to a central normal N, which is defined, for example, by a center point M of the protection device 4. By means of these active light bodies 24A, a bundled first light beam can thereby be generated in a first lighting direction RL 1, which illuminates a region or path extending in front of it when the wearer T is standing upright or when the wearer T is walking upright in the manner of a headlight.In addition, a plurality of the active light bodies 24B are arranged in a curved region 25 of the headlight housing G, as a result of which the active light bodies 24B each have a certain angle of attack with respect to one another. As a result, a common light beam is generated over a larger angle range again in a second lighting direction RL 2. In this lighting direction RL 2, for example, a working area A in front of the upper body of the carrier T or in the arm range thereof can be completely illuminated by means of the active lighting bodies 24B in this way. As a result, the carrier T is also capable of performing activities within this working range A in the case of darkness or in the case of poor lighting conditions.Opposite the active light bodies 24A and 24B, at least one further active light body 24C can additionally be provided, which is directed in a third light direction RL 3 directed steeply upward with respect to the central normal N. The further active light body 24C can thus serve, for example, to illuminate the working area A also in a knee position according to FIG. 3.In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 1, at least one active light fixture 24D may be arranged on a second outer side S 2 facing away from the first outer side S 1 and directed in a fourth lighting direction RL 4. In contrast to the active light bodies 24A functioning as headlights, which are directed in the first lighting direction RL 1, the at least one active light body 24D thereby functions as rear light. In order to make the viewing or movement direction of the carrier T visible to third parties as well, the active light bodies 24A and 24D can have different colors in this case. In particular, the active light bodies 24A functioning as headlights can illuminate white or yellowish and the at least one active light body 24D functioning as rear light can illuminate red.As can be seen from FIG. 2, in addition to the headlight device 20, which is held on a first holding region 26, a second headlight device 28 can be provided, which is fastened to a second holding region 30 of the knee holder 2 facing away from the first holding region 26. In addition, the at least one headlight device 20; 28 can be held here in a removable manner on the outer side 22, in order to be able to remove them when not in use and thus to be able to use the knee holder 2 alone as a knee protector. For this purpose, releasable connecting means 32 are provided between the at least one headlight device 20; 28 and the outer side 22 of the knee holder 2, which connecting means can be formed by all known and suitable connecting means, such as by hook-and-loop / listen means, a snap-in or plug-in connection, a button connection or the like.As an alternative to the headlight housing G curved in regions, as illustrated in FIG. 2 with reference to the right headlight device 28, a cuboid headlight housing G can also be used, on which the active light bodies 24A, 24C, 24D are held on different outer sides.Furthermore, the knee holder 2 can alternatively also be provided without a protective device 4 and in this case have at least one headlight device 20; 28, which can be connected to the outer side 22 of the fastening means 10, for example directly or via separable connecting means 32. As a result, the knee holder 2 can function as a pure illumination aid.Independently of the use of the protective device 4, the at least one headlight device 20 can also be activated or deactivated as required in the attached state of the knee holder. For this purpose, an on / off switch 34 of the headlight device 20 is provided, for example, as can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2. By means of this on / off switch 34, the respective headlight device 20 as a whole or its active light bodies 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D can be individually activated or deactivated. By activating a specific number of the active light bodies 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D, a desired light intensity of the headlight device 20 can be set. Alternatively or additionally, a dimmer may also be provided (not shown) in order to be able to continuously set the desired light intensity.Alternatively or additionally to the on / off switch 34, which is to be actuated by the carrier T of the knee holder, a sensor 36 can also be arranged on the headlight device 20. This can determine, for example, a light intensity present at the location of use, so that the active light bodies 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D can be automatically activated or deactivated depending on the light present in each case and can be adjusted appropriately in terms of their light intensity.Alternatively or additionally, the sensor 36 can also serve as a position sensor in order to be able to automatically activate the active light bodies 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D respectively required or to automatically deactivate the active light bodies 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D respectively not required depending on a posture of the wearer T. Furthermore, alternatively or additionally thereto, a remote control of the headlight device 20 by app can be provided, which for example is stored and executable on a mobile telephone of the carrier T (not shown) and by means of which the active light bodies 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D can be controlled individually or jointly.As can be seen from FIG. 3, the active luminous body 24D, which is directed obliquely upward in the second luminous direction RL 2, allows the light beam thereof to be directed onto the working region A even in a kneeling body position. In this way, the working region A can be illuminated without any problems in the arm range of the wearer T even in a kneeling posture by means of the at least one headlight device 20; 28. At the same time, the downwardly directed active light bodies 24A which are not required in this case can be deactivated.The selection of the activated and deactivated active light bodies 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D can be effected either by themselves from the carrier T via the on / off switch 34, by means of a remote control, such as for example by app, or automatically as a function of a position or orientation of the headlight device 20; 28 determined by the sensor 36.For supplying energy to the active light bodies 24, the headlight device 20 can have batteries or rechargeable batteries (not shown). Alternatively or additionally, a generator can also be provided on the knee holder 2, by means of which generator a movement of the carrier T is converted into electrical energy and used or stored for supplying the active light bodies 24 (not shown).It is pointed out that all the above-described elements and features of the various embodiments of the subject matter according to the invention can be interchanged or combined with one another, provided that an exchange or a combination thereof is not excluded for technical reasons.References included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedDE 20 2018 102 751 U1

[0002]

Claims

Knee holder (2) with fastening means (10), for attachment to a knee joint (K) of a wearer (T), and with lighting means held on the fastening means (10), characterized in that the lighting means have at least one headlight device (20; 28), directed away from an outer side (22), for generating a bundled light beam.Knee holder according to claim 1, characterised in that the fastening means (10) form a circumferential receiving region (18) for receiving the knee joint (K).Knee holder according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the bundled light beam can be oriented away from the outer side (22) in a front direction (RV).Knee holder according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the at least one headlight device (20; 28) has at least two active light bodies (24A, 24B, 24C, 24D).Knee holder according to Claim 4, characterized in that the at least two active light bodies (24A, 24B, 24C, 24D) have at least two different lighting directions (RL1, RL2, RL3, RL4) with respect to one another.Knee holder according to Claim 5, characterized in that at least two of the active light bodies (24A, 24B) having different lighting directions (RL1, RL2, RL3, RL4) additionally have different colors.Knee holder according to one of Claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the at least one active luminous element (24A, 24B, 24C, 24D) is formed by an LED.Knee holder according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the headlight device (20) is held on a first holding region (26) of the outer side (22), and a second headlight device (28) is fastened on a second holding region (30) of the outer side (22) facing away from the first holding region (26).Knee holder according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the fastening means (10) have a protective device (4) which is arranged on the front side and extends in the form of a shell for partially receiving the knee joint (K), the at least one headlight device (20; 28) being held in a removable manner.Knee holder according to claim 9, characterised in that, in the fitted state of the knee holder (2), a light beam directed in a first lighting direction (RL1) can be generated by means of the at least one headlight device (20; 28), which light beam is substantially parallel to a central normal (N) which can be generated on the protection device (4).Knee holder according to one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, in the fitted state of the knee holder (2), at least one light beam which is directed in a further luminous direction (RL3) can be generated by means of the headlight device (20; 28) and is directed upwards with respect to the central normal (N) which can be generated on the protective device (4).Knee holder according to one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the at least one headlight device (20; 28) can be activated and deactivated.Knee holder according to one of Claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the at least one headlight device (20; 28) has an adjustable light intensity.Knee holder according to one of Claims 3 to 13, characterized in that the at least two active light bodies (24A, 24B, 24C, 24D) which have different lighting directions (RL1, RL2, RL3, RL4) can be activated / deactivated and / or adjusted independently of one another [automatically; position-sensor-controlled].Headlight device for use with a knee holder according to one of Claims 1 to 14, which has a headlight housing (G) on which the at least two active light bodies (24A, 24B, 24C, 24D) are held, characterized in that at least one of the active light bodies (24A) forms a headlight which is held on a first outer side (S1) of the headlight housing (G) and a rear light which is formed by at least one of the active light bodies (24D) is provided on a second outer side (S2) of the headlight housing (G) which is remote from the first outer side (S1).Headlight device according to Claim 15, characterized in that the at least one active luminous element (24D) of the rear light illuminates in red.Headlight device according to Claim 16, characterized in that a plurality of active light bodies (24B) are arranged along a curved region (25) of the headlight housing (G).

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