Prosthetic ankle joint

Abstract

An articulated prosthetic ankle joint is adapted for connection between a pylon and a prosthetic foot for moving the foot between dorsiflexed and plantarflexed positions during human locomotion. The prosthetic ankle joint includes a base member adapted for connection to the prosthetic foot, a bracket member adapted for connection to the pylon and pivotally connected to the base member, a recumbent bar pivotally connected to the bracket member, and an upright bar having a lower end pivotally connected to the base and an upper end pivotally connected to the recumbent bar. The bracket member together with the base member, the recumbent bar and the upright bar form a four-bar linkage assembly with a deformable interior space. An elastomeric block is captured within the interior space. Pivotal movement of the base member with respect to the bracket member between dorsiflexed and plantarflexed positions causes deformation of the interior space, and thus deformation of the resilient block. The resilient block normally biases the base member to the dorsiflexed position and resists rotational movement of the base member from the dorsiflexed position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.