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US 6,547,824 B1Granted
Extended life prosthetic joints through thermal management
OwnerPeter E. Priceinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A prosthetic joint in an embodiment has two load-bearing surfaces that are slidingly disposed relative to each other and define a region of frictional contact. The joint is thermally managed as heat is removed from the region during joint use by thermal conduction so that the surfaces are maintained approximately at or below specified temperatures. In other embodiments, heat flows preferentially through one member which includes one of the surfaces. Use of high thermal conductivity materials in conjunction with various joint designs affording thermally managed devices are provided in numerous embodiments.
Claims11
A prosthetic joint comprising:
- a first member comprising ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, having a first load-bearing surface;
- and
- a second member comprising:
- a second body portion;
- and
- a second load-bearing portion, having a second load-bearing surface, the second load-bearing portion comprising a metallic material having a thermal conductivity greater than about seventy-five times the thermal conductivity of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, the thermal conductivity measured at about 310° K, the second load-bearing portion clad onto the second body portion;
- the surfaces slidingly disposed relative to each other;
- the surfaces, when loaded, defining a region of frictional contact where heat is generated;
- wherein the joint is configured to thermally manage the region of frictional contact by heat conduction through the second member.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.