Adjustable Prosthetic Seal Liner for Residual Limb Volume Changes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing prosthetic suspension liners often fail to adequately accommodate volume fluctuations and anatomical irregularities of residual limbs, leading to discomfort and inadequate sealing, particularly in trans-tibial applications where bony protuberances complicate sealing.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable seal system featuring a suspension liner with removable and repositionable seal components, including a distal capture system that assists in proper placement and accommodates volume changes, allowing for optimal seal placement and reduced effort during donning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed seal placement is used in traditional liners, then the sealing structure is simple, but it fails to accommodate volume fluctuations and anatomical irregularities of residual limbs
Solution Approach 1:
The seal component is made movable and adjustable along the liner body, allowing it to be repositioned to different locations. This dynamic positioning capability enables the seal to adapt to volume fluctuations and anatomical irregularities of the residual limb, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal system is divided into separate components: a liner body with multiple seal bands and a removable seal component. This segmentation allows the seal to be independently positioned and adjusted, providing adaptability to anatomical variations while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a removable seal component is added to allow adjustable placement, then adaptability to anatomical variations improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Seal bands are introduced as intermediary elements that connect the removable seal component to the liner body. These seal bands provide a simple attachment mechanism that enables adjustable placement while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal function is extracted from the liner body as a separate, removable component. This allows the seal to be independently positioned and adjusted without modifying the basic liner structure, achieving adaptability with minimal added complexity.
3Reliability
If traditional sealing methods are used, then the liner structure remains simple, but rotational control and suspension effectiveness are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The movable seal component can be positioned at different locations along the liner body to optimize suspension and rotational control for specific anatomical conditions. This dynamic adjustment capability improves reliability by allowing customization of seal placement, while the simple mechanism of moving a single component minimizes added complexity.
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 adjustable seal system provides improved comfort and secure sealing by allowing for customizable seal placement, accommodating anatomical variations, and reducing the effort required for donning and doffing, while maintaining effective suspension and rotational control.
Implementation Method 1
The seal component has an upper portion arranged for being flush against a liner body and a lower portion defining a seal. The seal protrudes radially beyond a periphery of the upper portion.
Implementation Method 2
The hypobaric pressure may be maintained at the distal end of the hard socket and the interior of the socket at its distal end will be isolated from atmosphere during normal retention of the liner within the hard socket.
Implementation Method 3
The internal surface arranged to frictionally engage at least one of the seal bands and secure to an outer surface of the liner.
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable seal system includes a suspension liner having a liner body and an outer surface. A plurality of seal bands are located along a height of the liner body. A seal component is arranged for removably securing to the liner body. The seal component includes open upper and lower ends defining an opening therethrough and an internal surface arranged to frictionally engage at least one of the seal bands and secure on the outer surface of the liner. The seal component also includes an upper portion descending to at least one seal, and a lower portion.