Knee Brace Limiting Connector with Segmented Gear Lock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional limiting connectors for knee braces often disengage unintentionally due to shock, allowing free movement of the arms and potentially causing injury, as the resilient stops easily lose engagement with the index slots.
Innovation Solution
A limiting connector with a first arm, a second arm, and an angle adjusting assembly featuring a positioning gear, gear cap, buttons, and a rotating cap, which allows for both fixed and adjustable angle settings by engaging and disengaging the positioning gear with the buttons and rotating cap to define a range of rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If resilient stops are used to engage index slots for angle adjustment, then the connector can define movement angles between arms, but the resilient stops easily disengage from index slots due to unintentional shock allowing free movement of arms
Solution Approach 1:
The angle adjustment mechanism is divided into discrete segments: index slots are segmented along the arc, resilient stops are segmented individually, and button heads are segmented with multiple positioning holes. This segmentation allows for precise angular positioning while maintaining stability through multiple discrete engagement points rather than continuous adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient stops are nested within the limiting dial, which is mounted on the pivot point between the arms. The button heads are nested within the limiting dial as well, with the resilient stops positioned to engage the index slots when the limiting dial is in specific angular positions. This nested arrangement allows the components to work together in a compact configuration while maintaining reliable engagement.
2Reliability
If a lock is used to control arms to fixed or pivoting condition, then fixed angle stability is achieved, but the structure becomes more complex with multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The lock functionality is merged with the angle adjustment mechanism. The button heads serve dual purposes: they allow manual rotation of the limiting dial for angle adjustment and simultaneously engage with the resilient stops to lock the arms in fixed angular positions. The limiting dial itself serves both as the adjustment interface and as the locking mechanism when positioned at index slot alignments. This merging eliminates the need for separate locking components.
Solution Approach 2:
The limiting dial serves multiple functions: it provides the rotational interface for angle adjustment, it positions the resilient stops to engage index slots for locking, and it indicates the current angular position. The button heads serve dual functions as both adjustment controls and locking mechanisms. This multi-functionality reduces the overall number of components while maintaining both adjustability and stability.
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 connector effectively maintains a fixed angle or allows adjustable rotation, providing stable support during rehabilitation by securely locking the second arm relative to the first arm, preventing unintended movement and enhancing user safety.
Implementation Method 1
two resilient stops, which are connected pivotally to the first arm, extend out the adjusting plate and engage the index slots in the adjusting plate
Implementation Method 2
a positioning gear, a gear cap, two buttons and a rotating cap. The gear cap is mounted through the positioning gear and the second arm
Implementation Method 3
The rotating cap is rotatably mounted through the gear cap, and pushes the positioning gear toward the first arm to disengage the positioning gear from the buttons for adjusting the range of rotation
Data Source
AI summary
A limiting connector for a knee brace has a first arm, a second arm and an angle adjusting assembly. The second arm is connected pivotally to the first arm. The angle adjusting assembly is mounted between the first arm and the second arm, and has a positioning gear, a gear cap, two buttons and a rotating cap. The gear cap is mounted through the positioning gear and the second arm, and is mounted on the first arm to hold the positioning gear between the second arm and the gear cap. The buttons are selectively slid to engage the positioning gear and define a range of rotation between the first and second arms. The rotating cap is rotatably mounted through the gear cap, and pushes the positioning gear toward the first arm to disengage the positioning gear from the buttons for adjusting the range of rotation.