Brace Joint Mechanism with Replaceable Insertion-Fitting Member
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Solution Overview
Problem
Power-driven assistance braces tend to be large and cumbersome, and passive braces often require narrowing the joint movement range, leading to excessive stress on regulation members and potential damage, which can interfere with rehabilitation plans.
Innovation Solution
A brace with a joint mechanism that includes an insertion-fitting member that can be easily replaced, allowing for precise regulation of joint movement range, using different insertion-fitting members with varying projecting lengths to adjust the range according to the user's needs, and incorporating a locking mechanism to disperse impact forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a power-driven assistance brace is used to assist joint motions, then the plantar-flexion/dorsiflexion motion of the ankle joint can be assisted and controlled, but the brace tends to have a large size and its usability is not satisfactory
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the power-driven assistance function from the brace structure, separating it into a standalone motor-driven mechanism that can be selectively engaged. This allows the brace to maintain a compact form while offering automated assistance when needed, resolving the contradiction between automation extent and brace size.
Solution Approach 2:
The brace employs a dynamic regulation mechanism where the movable range regulation can be adjusted in real-time based on user needs. The motor-driven system dynamically modifies the joint movement constraints, allowing the brace to transition between assisted and passive modes, thereby maintaining compact size while providing automated assistance when required.
2Manufacturing precision
If the regulation range within which a user is allowed to bend his/her joint is made narrower than a range within which the user can physically and naturally bend the joint, then the movable range can be regulated, but a large impact is given to a regulation member at both ends of the regulated range by a bending force of the joint
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates cushioning elements at the regulation members that come into contact during joint movement. These cushioning components absorb and distribute the impact forces that occur at the ends of the regulated range, preventing concentrated loads that would otherwise damage the regulation members while maintaining precise movable range control.
Solution Approach 2:
The regulation mechanism uses adjustable parameters to modify the regulation range according to different rehabilitation stages. By changing the regulation parameters rather than using fixed hard stops, the system maintains accurate control of joint movement while reducing impact forces through controlled, progressive regulation.
3Manufacturing precision
If the regulation range is made narrower to prevent excessive joint bending, then the joint movement can be controlled, but it becomes impossible to appropriately manage the allowable motion range when the regulation member is damaged or worn out
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the regulation members as replaceable components that can be easily discarded when worn or damaged and replaced with new ones. This modular approach ensures that the precise movable range regulation capability can be quickly restored without compromising the overall brace system, maintaining reliability and continuity of the rehabilitation plan.
Solution Approach 2:
The brace system includes preliminary provisions for regulation member replacement, such as pre-configured adjustment mechanisms and easy-access design. This allows users to quickly replace worn components without complex disassembly, ensuring that the allowable motion range management can be promptly restored and the rehabilitation plan continues without interruption.
4Manufacturing precision
If an insertion-fitting member with a fixed projecting length is used to regulate joint rotation, then the regulation range can be set, but it cannot be easily adjusted according to different rehabilitation stages or user needs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the insertion-fitting member into multiple versions with different projecting lengths, allowing users to select the appropriate member for different rehabilitation stages. This segmentation provides both precise regulation (each segment has a specific length) and adaptability (multiple segments with varying lengths accommodate different needs), resolving the contradiction between precision and versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The insertion-fitting member design incorporates universal features that allow different projecting length variants to be used in the same brace structure. Each variant serves a specific rehabilitation stage, but all variants share the same interface and installation mechanism, providing both precise regulation for each stage and adaptability across different rehabilitation phases.
Data Source
AI summary
A brace includes a first member, a second member, a joint mechanism, and an insertion-fitting member configured to be insertion-fitted into the joint mechanism in such a manner that the insertion-fitting member can be fixed to and removed from the joint mechanism; the joint mechanism includes an insertion-fitting receiving part, the insertion-fitting receiving part being configured to enable the insertion-fitting member to be insertion-fitted into the joint mechanism, and a regulation part being disposed around the rotation axis in the second member; and the regulation part, which rotates around the rotation axis in an integrated manner with a rotation of the second member, comes into contact with the insertion-fitting member fixed to the insertion-fitting receiving part on a trajectory of the rotation of the regulation part, so that a range of the rotation of the second member is regulated.