Prosthesis device with a rotary damper

A prosthesis device with a rotary damper comprising:

• a housing, a damper shaft rotatably mounted to the said housing, a displacing device in said housing, and at least one magnetic field source;
• said displacing device including a damper volume with magnetorheological fluid as a working fluid and configured to influence by way of the magnetorheological fluid a damping of a rotary motion of said damper shaft relative to said housing;
• said displacing device including at least two partition units disposed to divide the damper volume into at least two variable chambers, said at least two partition units including a first partition wall connected to said housing and a second partition wall connected to said damper shaft;
• wherein a gap section is formed in a radial direction between said first partition wall and said damper shaft;
• wherein a gap section is formed in the radial direction between said second partition wall and said housing;
• and
• wherein at least one gap section is formed in the axial direction between said second partition wall and said housing;
• wherein said magnetic field source includes two electric coils configured to generate a magnetic field for setting a strength of a damping of said damper shaft, said electric coils being disposed to cause the magnetic field to traverse at least two of said gap sections;
• said housing having a first end part accommodating one of said electric coils, a second end part accommodating another of said electric coils, and a center part therebetween, and wherein said electric coils have axes extending substantially parallel to said damper shaft;
• and
• wherein at least a substantial portion of the magnetic field generated by said magnetic field source passes through at least two of said gap sections;
• and
• a ring disposed axially adjacent one of said electric coils in said housing, said ring, in a radially outward region, having a thinner wall thickness than in a radially inward region and/or wherein said ring consists essentially of a material having a relative permeability of above 50.

A prosthesis device with a rotary damper comprising:

• a housing, a damper shaft rotatably mounted to the said housing, a displacing device in said housing, and at least one magnetic field source;
• said displacing device including a damper volume with magnetorheological fluid as a working fluid and configured to influence by way of the magnetorheological fluid a damping of a rotary motion of said damper shaft relative to said housing;
• said displacing device including at least two partition units disposed to divide the damper volume into at least two variable chambers, said at least two partition units including a first partition wall connected to said housing and a second partition wall connected to said damper shaft;
• wherein a gap section is formed in a radial direction between said first partition wall and said damper shaft;
• wherein a gap section is formed in the radial direction between said second partition wall and said housing;
• and
• wherein at least one gap section is formed in the axial direction between said second partition wall and said housing;
• wherein said magnetic field source includes two electric coils configured to generate a magnetic field for setting a strength of a damping of said damper shaft, said electric coils being disposed to cause the magnetic field to traverse at least two of said gap sections;
• said housing having a first end part accommodating one of said electric coils, a second end part accommodating another of said electric coils, and a center part therebetween, and wherein said electric coils have axes extending substantially parallel to said damper shaft;
• and
• wherein at least a substantial portion of the magnetic field generated by said magnetic field source passes through at least two of said gap sections;
• and
• an equalizing device with an equalizing volume connected with a low pressure chamber and a high pressure chamber through a valve unit, wherein said valve unit is configured to establish a connection between said equalizing volume and said low pressure chamber and to block a connection between said equalizing volume and said high pressure chamber.