DE29512728U1 - Adapters for prostheses - Google Patents

Description

Weihermüller & Voigtmann Nuremberg, July 24, 1995 95448 Bayreuth Reg.No. 30225

Adapter for prostheses

The innovation relates to an adapter for prostheses according to the preamble of claim 1.

Prostheses are used in many areas of medicine. The adaptation and precise adjustment of prostheses that replace lost limbs is not without problems. This is particularly true for thigh and lower leg prostheses. Even minor deviations from the usual position and direction of the force application are perceived by the prosthesis wearer as extremely unpleasant. However, such deviations often only become apparent after the prosthesis has been put on. The resulting rework is on the one hand extremely costly and on the other hand ultimately unsatisfactory due to the given environmental conditions.

The innovation is therefore based on the task of creating a continuously adjustable adapter with the help of which the positioning and fine adjustment of the existing prosthesis is possible both when it is put on for the first time and when changes are desired during use.

The solution is provided by claim 1.

Advantageous further developments arise from the subclaims.

The innovation is explained below with reference to the drawings, for example. They show:

Fig. 1 a top view of a prosthesis adapter,

Fig. 2a a detailed view of the lower and

upper dovetail guide of the adapter in top view,

Fig. 2b a corresponding side view of the dovetail guide,

Fig. 2c another side view of the dovetail guide with scale on the flattened part,

Fig. 3a a top view of the intermediate piece between the two dovetail guides ,

Fig. 3b and 3c corresponding side views of the intermediate piece ,

Fig. 3d a side view of the circular cylindrical coupling piece and

Fig. 4 shows the basic structure of an element for changing the direction in addition to changing the support point according to Fig. 1 to 3.

Figure 1 shows a prosthesis adapter that consists of two intersecting adjustment planes 10 and 11.

Each individual adjustment level 10, 11 consists of a preferably circular plate with a dovetail guide 13. The two adjustment levels 10, 11 engage with their dovetail guides 13 in a corresponding counter profile of a common intermediate piece 20.

The two adjustment levels 10, 11 are basically constructed in the same way.

In the dovetail guides 13, elongated holes 14 are provided, which serve on the one hand to guide and on the other hand to limit the movement of a coupling piece 15. In the intermediate piece 20, a bore 19 is provided for receiving the coupling piece 15 in such a way that a relative movement of the same in the plane of the intermediate piece 20 is excluded.

The coupling piece simultaneously passes through the overlapping long holes of the adjustment planes 10 and 11. In the middle of the respective long holes 14 of the dovetail guides 13, there are adjusting screws 16 with threads in the longitudinal direction, which work together with a corresponding thread in the coupling piece 15. When the adjusting screws 16 are actuated, the coupling piece 15 is adjusted relative to the respective adjustment plane 10 or 11, and the crossing adjustment plane 11 or 10 is then also moved in one direction or the other via this coupling piece 15.

Since the coupling piece 15 is provided with corresponding threaded holes in both the first adjustment level 10 and the second adjustment level 11, it is penetrated by both adjusting screws 16 at different heights and can therefore also be used in the direction

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the first adjusting screw 16 and in the direction of the second adjusting screw 16, respectively, forwards or backwards. This means that the positions of the adjustment plane 10 and 11 can be positioned and adjusted in both directions with the coupling piece 15 in between. If the two adjustment directions are perpendicular to each other, the coupling piece can be moved practically as desired within a given area within a coordinate system and every position within the area can be precisely specified by coordinates. If one part of the prosthesis is now firmly connected to one adjustment plane 10 and the other part of the prosthesis to the other adjustment plane 11, the two parts of the prosthesis can be adjusted relative to each other within the given area of the coordinate system.

If such an adapter is used, for example, in a thigh prosthesis, the arrangement of the thigh shaft in relation to the lower part of the prosthesis can be adjusted forwards or backwards or left and right until the prosthesis wearer has the feeling of an optimal arrangement.

The parts of an adjustment plane 10 or 11, which are preferably round in plan view and can be moved relative to one another, have flattened areas 17 running laterally parallel to the adjustment direction in such a way that the flattened areas 17 of both parts of an adjustment plane 10 or 11 represent a continuous surface in this area.

It is advantageous to provide the flattened sections or flats 17 with a scaled division (Fig. 2c) and thus enable the user or the adjuster to make objective and documentable settings. For fine adjustment, a vernier, such as

it is known from sliding gauges.

The scale can also be used for the adjustable and documentable shifting of the knee pivot point in relation to the load line. Since the safety factor for knee joints can be varied by a shifting range of approx. 10 to 15 mm, this system gives the technician the opportunity to adjust the knee safety and, if necessary, also to document it. This is particularly important with regard to possible claims for damages.

If, after using the prosthesis for a certain period of time, the wearer of the prosthesis has the feeling that the support point should be moved a little further forward, the setting can be changed by one, two or more divisions on the scale and the effect of this change in daily use can be assessed. If necessary, the adjustment could then possibly be adjusted by one or more additional units or even reversed.

While the two adjustment levels of the adapter can be used to change the relative support point of the two prosthesis parts to each other, an additional adapter arranged on the upper and/or lower level enables the direction of the prosthesis part connected to it to be changed. This can be done, for example, using a ball joint of a known design that can be locked in any position. However, a truncated cone or truncated pyramid-like part can also engage in a corresponding assigned receiving opening, with a corresponding counterpart ensuring that such an element cannot come loose from the receiving opening.

For this purpose, a box-shaped structure 25 that is open at the bottom conveniently covers an upside-down truncated cone or pyramid 26 (Fig. 4). The outer walls of this box-shaped structure 25 are penetrated by holding or fixing screws 27 that run at such an angle that these screws hit the outer surfaces of the truncated cone or pyramid 26 essentially perpendicularly. The box-shaped structure 25 is supported on a part of a spherical surface 28, so that it can be easily brought into any position when the holding or fixing screws 27 are loosened. It is then held in this position by the fixing screws 27. The positioning planes essentially consist of circular plates which have a sufficient number of countersunk holes 18 or threaded holes 21 and serve to accommodate screw heads or holding screws with the aid of which the corresponding parts of the adapter are connected to the associated prosthesis parts.

The movement functions for adjustment levels 13 and 11 are explained in detail below.

By operating the adjusting screw 16 shown in Figure 1 in the adjustment plane 11, a relative displacement between this coupling piece 15 and the adjustment plane 11 is achieved via the threaded connection with the coupling piece 15. Since the coupling piece 15 simultaneously passes through the slot 14 of the adjustment plane 10, the adjustment plane 10 is also inevitably moved relative to the adjustment plane 11.

The same applies, of course, in the opposite case when operating the adjusting screw 16 of the adjustment level 10.

The extent of the adjustment can be read off from the scale divisions of the flats 17. In Figure 2a, the adjustment plane 11 is shown in detail. The essentially circular adjustment plane 11 has a dovetail guide 13 and an elongated hole 14. The dovetail holes 18 serve to accommodate the heads of the fastening screws, which serve to connect the adjustment plane 11 to the respective part of the prosthesis. In Figure 2b, the adjustment plane 11 with dovetail guide 13 is shown in a side view.

Figure 2c shows a side view of the flattened part or the flattening 17 of the adjustment plane 11 with scale division. The counterpart on the intermediate piece 20 has a corresponding reference line or a vernier, the position of which can be read and documented for the scale division on the other part (on the flattenings of the adjustment planes 10 or 11).

Of course, the reference line or vernier on the one hand and the scale division on the other hand can also be arranged on the other part.

The connection between the two adjusting planes is made by an intermediate piece 20 as shown in Figure 3a. This intermediate piece 20 has on its top and bottom sides receptacles for the dovetail guides (corresponding counter profiles), as shown in principle in Figures 3b and 3c.

At the intersection point of the two tail-shaft guides, the intermediate piece 20 has a circular bore 19 within which the circular-cylindrical coupling piece 15 is accommodated with a corresponding fit.

Claims (5)

Weihermüller & Voigtmann Nuremberg, July 24, 1995 95448 Bayreuth Reg.No. 30225 Protection claims: 1. Adapter for prostheses, characterized in that there are two adjustment planes (10, 11) with intersecting adjustment directions, each adjustment plane (10, 11) having a dovetail guide (13) and an elongated hole (14) located within the dovetail guide and extending in the main direction of the elongated hole. (14) of the dovetail guide (13) each have an adjusting screw (16) extending in the longitudinal direction, which in turn is screwed to a common coupling piece (15) that extends over both adjustment planes (10, 11), wherein the coupling piece (15) is relatively movable by rotation of the adjusting screw (16) and wherein between the two adjustment planes (10, 11) there is an intermediate piece (20) with counter-guides to the dovetail guides (13) and a circular bore (19) in the intersection area of the elongated holes (14) of the adjustment planes (10 or 11) for the snug fit reception of the coupling piece (15) with the function of a fixed point and wherein finally with the help of the coupling piece (15) during the relative adjustment of the coupling piece (15) within one adjustment plane (10 or 11), the further adjustment plane (11 or 10) also penetrated by the coupling piece (15) is movable relative to the other adjustment plane. 2. Adapter according to claim 1, characterized in that adjustment directions intersect at a right angle. 3. Adapter according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the individual adjustment planes (10, 11) have a basically circular outline. 4. Adapter according to claim 3, characterized in that the circular peripheral surfaces of the two parts of a production plane (10 or 11) have flats (17) such that they form a continuous plane with the associated flats (17) of the intermediate piece (20) at the corresponding points of the peripheral surfaces. 5. Adapter according to one of claims 1, 2 or 4, characterized in that the surfaces or flats (17) of an adjustment plane (10, 11) which are movable relative to one another have a scale division. Vt/pl-Hi-24