A damper for hydraulic / pneumatic piston cylinders

Abstract

The invention relates to a damping structure intended for use for hydraulic / pneumatic piston cylinders. The invention preferably relates to the damper used for damping the piston movement at the lower and / or upper limits of the flexion and / or extension movements.

Description

[0001] A DAMPER FOR HYDRAULIC / PNEUMATIC PISTON CYLINDERS

[0002] Technical Field

[0003] The invention relates to a damping structure intended for use for hydraulic / pneumatic piston cylinders . The invention preferably relates to the damper used for damping the piston movement at the lower and / or upper limits of the flexion and / or extension movements .

[0004] State of the Art

[0005] Walking consists of continuous movements and the whole of these movements is called the walking cycle . The walking cycle starts with the contact of the heel of one foot with the ground while taking a step and continues until the heel touches the ground in the next step .

[0006] These movements , which are necessary for activities such as walking, are provided by the knee j oint in the body . With the flexion and extension movements formed on the knee j oint , functions such as walking, running, etc . can be provided .

[0007] Flexion and extension can be defined as a decrease or increase in the j oint angle that connects two di f ferent limbs of the body .

[0008] More speci fically, flexion is the reduction of the angle between the two parts forming a j oint , that is , the bending of the j oint . As a result of the movement , the two parts of the body approach each other . For example , the forearm flexes to approach the arm, and the leg flexes to the thigh .

[0009] Extension is the increase of the angle between the two parts making a j oint , that is , stretching / flexing . As a result of the movement , the two parts of the body move away from the point of contact or directly from each other within the limits allowed by the j oint . For example , in the sitting position, the legs and thighs are in the f lexion position, that is , they are bent . While standing, both the thigh and leg extend to the position in the anatomical posture .

[0010] Naturally, these functions provided by the knee are expected to be provided by prostheses .

[0011] Prosthetic knee j oints are the most complex of all prosthetic components . Prosthetic knee j oints , which provide stabili zation in the standing position, should allow controlled knee flexion and extension movement during walking, and should be able to perform knee flexion while sitting . During walking expected from a functional prosthetic knee j oint , it provides stabili zation in the posture phase , shock absorption in the middle posture phase , and allows normal physiological knee flexion by making a controlled transition to the rocking phase .

[0012] In hydraulic and pneumatically controlled mechanical knee j oints , control is provided by di f ferent mechanisms ; resistance to extension and flexion movements in hydraulic systems can be provided independently by the movement of the piston in the hydraulic mechanism against fluid resistance . This control is necessary during the posture and swaying phases of the walk . It is important to control the function of the knee j oint during the activity in order to ensure the continuity of mobility for the individual in the use of prosthesis . In terms of function, knee flexion and extension movements need to be coordinated and controlled .

[0013] Existing hydraulic knee prostheses have piston-cylinder systems in their structures . The flexion and extension movements are provided by these piston-cylinder systems .

[0014] Piston-cylinder systems used within known hydraulic knee prostheses can create an impact ef fect due to lack of damping at the end of the flexion and extension phase .

[0015] Since this impact ef fect , which occurs at the end of the flexion and extension phases , disturbs the user during walking, it can reduce the rate of imitation of the natural knee j oint of the prosthesis .

[0016] A piston-cylinder system with adj ustable damping has the lowest damping ef fect for flexion and extension during the flexion and extension phase , which is necessary to achieve rapid movement . However, an extra damping ef fect is still needed to prevent the impact ef fect due to the lack of damping at the end of the flexion and extension phase o f the pistoncylinder system .

[0017] It is understood that a hydraulic damper and a smart prosthesis are described in the patent application numbered

[0018] US2023390083 .

[0019] It is understood from the description set that the hydraulic shock absorber comprises a housing, a piston, a piston rod, and a damping adj ustment component . It is also described that an energy storage chamber and a damping chamber loaded with hydraulic fluid are arranged in the housing .

[0020] The piston is movably located in the damping chamber and separates the damping chamber into the first chamber and the second chamber . The piston rod is placed in the first chamber and one end of the piston rod is connected to the piston . The other end of the piston rod enters away from the energy storage chamber at one end of the housing and the damping adj ustment component is connected to the first chamber, the second chamber and the energy storage chamber, respectively, to adj ust the movement resistance of the piston . In this way, the sealing di f ficulty and weight of the hydraul ic damper are reduced .

[0021] It is thought that the patent application numbered US2023390083 describes a total damper but will be insuf ficient to prevent the impact ef fect due to the lack of damping at the end of the flexion and extension phase .

[0022] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0023] The obj ect of the invention is to form the flexion and / or extension dampers intended for use for hydraulic pneumatic piston cylinders .

[0024] In this way, the impact ef fect due to the lack of damping at the end of the flexion and / or extension phase can be prevented .

[0025] Thanks to the ability to prevent / reduce this impact ef fect , the ability of the prosthesis to imitate the natural j oint can be increased . For this purpose , the preferred embodiment of the invention can be used to form hydraulic arti ficial j oints . More specifically, the embodiment of the invention aims to create knee joints.

[0026] The embodiment of the invention also aims to create a suitable solution for the application of different artificial joint (e.g. pneumatic) systems containing fluid.

[0027] Again, the embodiment of the invention can be used to reduce the impact effect in hydraulic / pneumatic cylinders used for different purposes, which allows to make inward and / or outward bending (such as flexion and / or extension inward and outward bending movements) movements.

[0028] With the use of the hydraulic piston cylinder, which is the subject of the invention, the user will be able to perform the walking and / or running activities more easily and easily since they can perform the flexion and extension movements formed on the joint as a result of the walking and / or running activity more easily and accurately.

[0029] Since the hydraulic piston cylinder of the invention can provide this damping effect with a simple and easy additional embodiment, the production and maintenance costs of the new structure have been reduced.

[0030] Again, reducing the impact effect on the artificial joint may allow the service life of the product and the probability of failure to be reduced.

[0031] The preferred embodiment of the invention aims to form the damper used for damping the piston movement at the lower and / or upper limits of the flexion and / or extension movements. However, the structural elements revealed by the invention are suitable for use for all piston cylinders, allowing the damping of the piston movements at the lower and / or upper limits . In this direction, it is possible to use the solution of the invention for all systems containing hydraulic / pneumatic pistons .

[0032] Description of the Figures

[0033] Figure 1 . A perspective view of the piston rod

[0034] Figure 2 . A sectional view of the hydraulic cylinder with the piston rod up

[0035] Figure 3 . A sectional view of the hydraulic cylinder with the piston rod down

[0036] Figure 4 . An illustration of the inflow simulation Figure 5 . An illustration of the outflow simulation

[0037] Description of References in Figures

[0038] 1. Piston rod

[0039] 2. Flexible sealing element

[0040] 3. Wall

[0041] 3 . 1 . Window

[0042] 4. O-ring

[0043] 5. Plunger slide

[0044] 6. Lower shell

[0045] 7. Opening

[0046] 8. Channel

[0047] Description of the Invention

[0048] In its most basic form, the invention relates to the dampers intended for use for the piston cylinders , which enable the damping of the piston movements at the lower and / or upper limits . The lower shell (6) has at least one opening (7) in order to prevent or reduce the impact effect caused by the lack of damping at the lower and / or upper limits of the piston movements .

[0049] More specifically, the invention relates to the flexion and / or extension dampers intended for use for hydraulic / pneumatic piston cylinders.

[0050] The hydraulic / pneumatic piston cylinder comprises a variety of channels (8) that allow the entry and exit of the fluid into the system. The flexion and extension movement can be achieved by the lower shell (6) associated with the piston rod (1) working in the system.

[0051] The lower shell (6) has at least one opening (7) in order to prevent or reduce the impact effect caused by the lack of damping at the end of the flexion and / or extension phase.

[0052] Within the different embodiments of the invention, the lower shell (6) may have more than one opening (7) formed on it.

[0053] According to Figure 1, the lower shell (6) has a single opening (7) on one side of the channels (8) . This opening (7) is formed in the form of a spring. More specifically, this structure is formed in the form of a semicircle.

[0054] Different embodiments of the invention can be operated with openings (7) formed in the form of channels and different geometric structures.

[0055] According to Figure 1, the opening is formed on the side of the lower shell (6) , which is only on the side of one of the channels (8) located on the piston floor. Within this embodiment, it aims to provide damping when the piston stroke reaches the end.

[0056] According to Figure 1, the piston rod (1) is equipped with at least one wall (3) in the upward direction of the lower shell (6) .

[0057] According to Figure 1, the wall (3) is formed in a peripheral and cylindrical structure.

[0058] The wall (3) aims to reduce the volumetric flow rate in the extension section. This wall (3) is intended to reduce the impact effect at the end of the elongation by reducing the outflow volumetric flow rate in the upward movement of the piston .

[0059] Since there is no open channel (8) through which the oil can pass after the wall (3) closes the oil flow channel (8) , it cannot move downwards due to the vacuum effect.

[0060] According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one window (3.1) is formed on the cylindrical wall (3) to eliminate the vacuum effect that prevents downward movement .

[0061] The window (3.1) described above defines the space / spaces formed on the wall (3) in different structures. Different embodiments of the invention can be operated with different form windows (3.1) formed in different geometric structures.

[0062] According to Figure 1, there are various rectangular windows (3.1) on the wall (3) .

[0063] Thanks to these windows (3.1) , the oil will fill the upper chamber of the piston through the window (3.1) and the flexible sealing element (2) as the piston moves downwards. Thanks to these improvements, the vacuum effect could be eliminated .

[0064] The flexible sealing element (2) is associated with the inner surface of the wall (3) facing the piston rod (1) .

[0065] The flexible sealing element (2) is formed in the form of a gasket made of a polymer according to Figure 1 showing the preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0066] Spring structures that will provide the necessary compression and release effect can be used within the scope of the invention .

[0067] According to Figure 1, a piston slide (5) and at least one 0- ring (4) are formed in the section between the wall (3) and the lower shell (6) .

[0068] Figure 4 shows the inflow simulation. Within this representation, it is observed that the entrance is not affected by the semi-circular opening (7) formed on the lower shell (6) at the end of the flexion phase.

[0069] Again, Figure 5 shows the outflow simulation. Within this representation, it is observed how the outflow is affected by the shape of the semi-circular opening (7) of the lower shell (6) at the end of the flexion phase.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A damper intended to be used for piston cylinders, in which the movement can be achieved by the operation of the lower shell (6) associated with the piston rod (1) within the system, containing a variety of channels (8) that allow the entry and exit of fluid into the system, enabling the damping of piston movements at the lower and / or upper limits, characterized in that the lower shell (6) is equipped with at least one opening (7) in order to prevent or reduce the impact effect caused by the lack of damping of the piston movements at the lower and / or upper limits.

2. The damper intended to be used for the piston cylinders according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower shell (6) is provided with more than one opening (7) formed thereon .

3. The damper intended to be used for the piston cylinders according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a single opening (7) formed in the form of a spring on one side of the channels (8) .

4. The damper intended to be used for the piston cylinders according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises an opening (7) formed in the form of a semicircle.

5. The damper intended to be used for the piston cylinders according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a piston rod (1) having at least one wall (3) formed upstream of the lower shell (6) .

6. The damper intended to be used for the piston cylinders according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises awall (3) formed in a peripheral and cylindrical structure.

7. The damper intended to be used for the piston cylinders according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises a wall (3) on which at least one window (3.1) is formed.

8. The damper intended to be used for the piston cylinders according to claim 5 or 7, characterized in that it comprises a wall (3) on which various rectangular windows (3.1) are formed .

9. The damper intended to be used for the piston cylinders according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises a flexible sealing element (2) associated with the inner surface of the wall (3) facing the piston rod (1) .

10. The damper intended to be used for the piston cylinders according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises a flexible sealing element (2) in the form of a gasket made of polymer .

11. The damper intended to be used for the piston cylinders according to claim 9, characterized in that the lower shell (6) is equipped with at least one opening (7) in order to prevent or reduce the impact effect caused by the lack of damping at the end of the flexion and / or extension phase.

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