L-Brace Membrane Pump for Prosthetic Socket Vacuum Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing prosthetic devices face challenges in achieving a secure attachment to the residual limb without applying excessive or uneven pressure, leading to discomfort, swelling, and pain, and conventional pump mechanisms are often positioned in a way that compromises the height and durability of the prosthetic device.
Innovation Solution
A prosthetic system with a pump mechanism positioned at the proximal end of the prosthetic foot, utilizing an L-brace or C-blade to actuate a membrane or bladder-type pump, creating a hypobaric pressure chamber between the socket and residual limb, which maintains vacuum without requiring full compression and minimizes pressure fluctuations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pump mechanism is positioned in-line between the socket and prosthetic limb, then the vacuum can be generated, but the height of the prosthesis is reduced and user comfort is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The pump mechanism is extracted from the in-line position between the socket and prosthetic limb and relocated to the prosthetic foot. This extraction allows the pump to generate vacuum without compromising the height of the prosthesis, as it is now positioned at the foot level rather than in the intermediate space that would reduce overall height.
2Ease of operation
If the pump mechanism is placed on the prosthetic foot at exposed locations, then it is accessible, but the likelihood of damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump mechanism is positioned at a specific location on the prosthetic foot that balances accessibility with protection. The housing provides local protection while maintaining access to the vacuum port, creating a differentiated structure where the pump is both accessible and protected from damage.
3Reliability
If conventional mechanical pumps require complete compression to expel air, then the pump can generate vacuum, but the vacuum consistency varies among users
Solution Approach 1:
The pump mechanism utilizes the dynamic forces generated during normal walking movements to actuate the pump. The pump is designed to respond to the natural compression and decompression forces applied during gait, eliminating the need for complete compression and ensuring consistent vacuum generation across different users.
4Reliability
If the pump mechanism housing is positioned at the proximal end of the prosthetic foot, then the pump is protected, but the interior cavity must be positioned at the distal end
Solution Approach 1:
The interior cavity is positioned at the distal end of the housing, utilizing the longitudinal dimension of the housing structure. This spatial arrangement allows the pump mechanism to be protected at the proximal end while the cavity functions effectively at the distal end, resolving the positioning conflict through three-dimensional design.
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 system provides a secure vacuum attachment, enhances user comfort by maintaining consistent vacuum levels, reduces pistoning, and protects the pump mechanism from damage while allowing for lightweight and versatile design.
Implementation Method 1
a one-way valve assembly connected to the housing and in fluid communication with the interior cavity
Implementation Method 2
a membrane at least partially located within the interior cavity... The membrane may be movable between a contracted configuration, in which the volume of a fluid chamber defined between the membrane and the top of the interior cavity is zero or nearly zero, and an expanded configuration, wherein the fluid chamber volume increases
Implementation Method 3
The L-brace may be designed to cooperate with the prosthetic foot to actuate the membrane. Specifically, relative movement of the L-brace against the prosthetic foot may exert a pulling force via the connector on the membrane to draw fluid from a cavity of a prosthetic socket
Implementation Method 4
The interior cavity may feature an undercut circumferential groove positioned between an open end and a top of the interior cavity, enabling an outer radial edge of the membrane to reside within the undercut circumferential groove, thus forming a seal between the membrane and the housing
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure pertains to prosthetic systems that encompass a prosthetic foot and a pump mechanism devised to eliminate fluid between a prosthetic socket and a residual limb or liner, thereby sustaining a hypobaric pressure chamber within a cavity of the prosthetic socket. The pump mechanism may incorporate a fluid chamber established between a membrane and the housing of the pump mechanism. Forces resulting from the user's gait during the compression and expansion of the prosthetic foot can be transmitted to an L-brace, which is configured to actuate the membrane of the pump mechanism, facilitating the influx and efflux of fluid into and from the fluid chamber.