Method for controlling a damping modification

A method for controlling a damping variation in an artificial knee joint of an orthosis, an exoskeleton or prosthesis, the method comprising:

• providing the artificial knee joint with an upper part and a lower part which are fastened to one another in a manner pivotable about a pivot axis, a resistance unit fastened between the upper part and the lower part to provide a flexion resistance or an extension resistance of the artificial knee joint, and an adjustment device assigned to the resistance unit to vary the flexion resistance or the extension resistance when a sensor signal of a control unit assigned to the adjustment device activates the adjustment device;
• reducing the flexion resistance for a swing phase;
• capturing a profile of at least one load characteristic when walking or standing, the at least one load characteristic acting on the orthosis, exoskeleton or prosthesis;
• ascertaining a maximum of the profile of the at least one load characteristic during a stance phase or when standing;
• setting a threshold of the at least one load characteristic for triggering a swing phase damping depending on at least one of a walking speed, a roll-over speed, and a walking situation, wherein the threshold of the at least one load characteristic for triggering the swing phase damping is set later when the at least one load characteristic reduces slowly relative to the threshold of the at least one load characteristic for triggering the swing phase damping that is set earlier when the at least one load characteristic reduces quickly, wherein the threshold of the at least one load characteristic for triggering the swing phase damping is set at 90% of the maximum of the profile of the at least one load characteristic when walking on a level surface, wherein the threshold of the at least one load characteristic for triggering the swing phase damping is set at 70% of the maximum of the profile of the at least one load characteristic when walking on an inclined surface, and wherein the threshold of the at least one load characteristic for triggering the swing phase damping is set at 50% of the maximum of the profile of the at least one load characteristic when walking slowly;
• after reaching the maximum, continuously reducing a flexion damping during the stance phase to a swing phase damping level if the threshold of the at least one load characteristic for triggering the swing phase damping below the maximum is reached;
• and
• increasing the flexion damping again if the at least one load characteristic increases again after reducing the flexion damping following both reaching the maximum and subsequently reaching the threshold of the at least one load characteristic for triggering the swing phase damping below the maximum.