Hydraulic system for a knee-ankle assembly controlled by a microprocessor

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a femoral knee-ankle prosthesis intended for persons who are lower-limb amputees but still have a segment suitable for a femoral connection and a tibial connection connected to the femoral segment based on an articulation which reproduces the movements of the knee, the said tibial segment being articulated on one foot based on an articulation reproducing the movements of the ankle, an initial damper the ends of which are joined respectively with the femoral and tibial segments, and another hydraulic damper of which the ends are joined respectively with the tibial and foot segment; the said prosthesis is remarkable in that the chamber of the first hydraulic damper is connected to the chamber of the second hydraulic damper and in that it consists of the means of controlling the first and/or second hydraulic damper depending on the phase of the walking cycle such as the stance phase or the swing phase and/or real-life situations such as stairs, slopes or standing, etc., in such a manner that the flexion of the knee allows the dorsiflexion of the ankle in proportion to the movement of the knee during the stance phase and such that the flexion of the knee results in the dorsiflexion of the ankle during the swing phase.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.