3D-Printed Prosthetic Socket With Rigid-Elastic Comfort Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 3D printed prosthetic sockets face challenges in balancing strength and comfort due to lack of adaptation to individual residual limb changes, with current solutions either being too rigid or lacking flexibility, and there is a need for a design that addresses specific regions of contact with the residual limb for improved comfort and load-bearing capacity.
Innovation Solution
A 3D printed prosthetic socket with a design comprising an outer and inner wall, featuring rigid and elastic regions with shaped openings, allowing for adjustable rigidity and comfort through elastic elements with negative Poisson's ratio, and a lightened structure optimized for weight reduction and comfort, connected by ribs for additional strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the socket is made strong enough to meet strength standards, then load-bearing capacity is improved, but comfort is worsened due to inability to adapt to volume changes of the limb
Solution Approach 1:
The socket incorporates rigid regions and elastic regions with different rigidity values in specific locations. The rigid regions provide structural strength and load-bearing capacity, while the elastic regions adapt to volume changes of the residual limb, thereby resolving the contradiction between strength and comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The socket is divided into multiple regions with different mechanical properties (rigid and elastic regions). This segmentation allows different parts of the socket to perform different functions - some parts provide strength while others provide adaptability, thus solving the contradiction between load-bearing capacity and comfort.
2Ease of manufacture
If uniform rigidity is used throughout the socket, then manufacturing is simplified, but comfort is worsened because different regions of the residual limb deform differently
Solution Approach 1:
The socket features rigid regions and elastic regions with different rigidity values positioned at specific locations corresponding to different anatomical regions of the residual limb. This local differentiation in material properties allows the socket to adapt to the varying deformation characteristics of different limb regions while maintaining manufacturability through additive manufacturing.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional lamination or thermoplastic shaping is used, then manufacturing process is established, but design flexibility is limited and time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical manufacturing methods (lamination, thermoplastic shaping) with additive manufacturing (3D printing). This substitution enables the creation of complex geometries including rigid and elastic regions with varying rigidity, providing superior design flexibility and customization capability while reducing manufacturing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The socket utilizes composite structures with rigid and elastic regions having different material properties. The additive manufacturing process enables the integration of these different material regions in a single customized component, achieving both design flexibility and functional performance that traditional methods cannot provide.
4Ease of operation
If elastic elements are added to reduce pressure, then comfort is improved, but the socket loses adaptability to specific residual limb regions
Solution Approach 1:
The socket incorporates elastic regions with specific rigidity values positioned at predetermined locations corresponding to different anatomical regions of the residual limb. This local differentiation ensures that each region of the socket is optimized for the specific deformation characteristics of the corresponding limb region, providing both comfort and region-specific adaptability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The socket provides enhanced comfort and reduced weight by adapting to residual limb changes, ensuring sufficient strength and flexibility, while optimizing material usage and maintaining load-bearing capacity.
Implementation Method 1
the value of the Poisson's number of the elastic region is less than zero. This allows the elastic region to expand in all directions simultaneously and provides the residual limb with sufficient comfort.
Implementation Method 2
the elastic region is made as a set of at least three elastic elements deformable in the direction away from the contact surface with the residual limb to the inner wall of the first housing.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is a 3D printed prosthetic socket for a residual limb consisting of a 3D printed shell. The 3D printed prosthetic socket comprises a distal end adapted for linking the interconnecting adapter of the socket and a proximal end with an opening adapted for inserting the limb. The 3D printed shell comprises a first housing of the socket comprising an inner wall and an outer wall, wherein the first housing of the socket comprises a rigid region having, in the direction perpendicular to the inner wall, the rigidity of the rigid region and an elastic region having, in the direction perpendicular to the inner wall the rigidity of the elastic region. The rigidity of the elastic region is smaller than the rigidity of the rigid region, wherein the elastic region comprises a set of shaped openings and is adapted for softening the contact of the residual lower limb with the prosthetic socket, wherein the 3D printed shell is made of a single 3D printed part.