Cooling system and method for a prosthetic socket
AssigneesVivonics, Inc., Liberating Technologies, Inc.
InventorsRyan Myers, Kristen LeRoy, Ian Cohen, Gordon B. Hirschman, Thane R. Hunt, Kevin E. Keough, Carlos Martinez Luna, Todd R. Farrell, Jennifer L. Johansson, Brendan LaBrecque
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Abstract
A prosthetic socket cooling system and method includes a thermally conductive heat spreader including a curved shaped portion configured to maximize contact with a residual limb of a user. A heat extraction subsystem is coupled through a wall of the prosthetic socket and to the thermally conductive heat spreader and is configured to maintain a desired temperature inside the prosthetic socket.
Claims50
A prosthetic socket cooling system comprising:
- a thermally conductive heat spreader, the entire thermally conductive heat spreader adapted to be placed away from a distal end of a residual limb of a human subject and made of a single layer solid sheet of a thermally conductive material including a curved shaped portion configured to maximize contact with the outer circumference of the residual limb of a user;
- and
- a heat extraction subsystem coupled through a wall of the prosthetic socket and to the thermally conductive heat spreader configured to maintain a desired temperature inside the prosthetic socket.
A prosthetic socket cooling system comprising:
- a thermally conductive heat spreader, the entire thermally conductive heat spreader adapted to be placed away from a distal end of a residual limb of a human subject and made of a single layer solid sheet of a thermally conductive material including a curved shaped portion configured to maximize contact a residual limb of a user;
- and
- a plurality of heat extraction subsystems coupled through a wall of the prosthetic socket and to the thermally conductive heat spreader, the plurality of heat extraction subsystems are sized to maximize contact with thermally conductive heat spreader.
A method of cooling a prosthetic socket, the method comprising:
- placing a thermally conductive heat spreader including a curved shape portion in contact with a residual limb of a user, away from a distal end of the residual limb;
- the thermally conductive heat spreader made of a single layer of solid sheet of a thermally conductive material;
- placing a heat extraction subsystem through a wall of the prosthetic socket and coupling the heat extraction subsystem to the thermally conductive heat spreader;
- and operating the heat extraction subsystem to drive heat from inside the prosthetic socket to an external environment using the thermally conductive heat spreader and the heat extraction subsystem such that a desired temperature is maintained in the prosthetic socket.
A method of cooling a prosthetic socket, the method comprising:
- providing a thermally conductive heat spreader including a curved shape portion in contact with a residual limb of a user,
- the entire thermally conductive heat spreader placed away from a distal end of the residual limb of a human subject;
- providing a plurality of heat extraction subsystems through a wall of the prosthetic socket and coupling the plurality of heat extraction subsystems to the thermally conductive heat spreader;
- wherein the plurality of heat extraction subsystems comprises a thermoelectric cooler (TEC);
- and operating the plurality of heat extraction subsystems to drive heat from the prosthetic socket to an external environment via the thermally conductive heat spreader and the heat extraction subsystem to maintain a desired temperature inside the TEC.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.