KR102170364B1 - Finger prosthesis - Google Patents

Abstract

The finger prosthesis of the present invention is fitted to the residual finger, and a support holder extending to the first joint of the finger; A middle joint rotatably connected to the support holder at a second joint position of the finger, extending to a second joint of the finger, and allowing a length adjustment of the second joint portion of the finger; It is connected to the distal end of the middle node and includes a distal mimicking part that simulates the third node and the third joint of the finger, and at least one of the middle node and the distal mimic part is provided with an external force applying part capable of connecting to a neighboring natural finger. I can.
Here, the support holder has an arched cylindrical case to facilitate attachment and detachment of the remaining paper, and protruding from the upper portion of the arch circular shape to a point where the length of the first joint of the finger is, and having a shape serving as a rotation axis of the hinge. I can.

Description

Finger Prosthesis {FINGER PROSTHESIS}

The present invention relates to a finger prosthesis, and more particularly, to a finger prosthesis capable of performing a gripping operation on an object according to a motion of a neighboring natural finger without a separate driving means by a user whose finger is partially amputated.

In general, when referring to the finger joints, the first joint with the fingernail is divided into a third joint connected to the back of the hand. The finger prosthesis of the present invention is for a patient whose finger is amputated, and the third joint of the finger (Proximal Phalanx) remains operable.

That is, such a finger prosthesis is a device that enables a gripping operation and a bending or extending operation by attaching it to a finger prosthesis when the patient can operate the third joint of the cut finger by himself.

These conventional finger limbs can be roughly divided into four categories. The object shape adaptation of the Italian University of Cassino, which compensates for the shortcomings of the LARM robot finger and LARM robot finger of the University of Cassino, Italy that perform the same operation as the X-finger and X-finger of Didrick Medical Inc. Type robot finger and robot hand from Tsinghua University in China.

Specifically, Didrick Medical's X-finger has developed an artificial finger consisting of four-joint links that operate using the joints and joints of the stun bone remaining after cutting the finger rather than an external actuator. A similar finger mechanism was developed.

That is, an object adaptive finger mechanism based on the LARM finger mechanism previously developed by the University of Cassino in Italy was developed to compensate for the above problems of the X-finger and LARM finger mechanisms. This object-adaptive finger mechanism applies a spring and a crank slider to the LARM finger mechanism. The robot finger mechanism of Tsinghua University in China uses a new method of bending the finger joint when an object touches and applies an external force to the bottom of the finger by applying a spring and a slide link.

In addition, in order to solve the problems of the object adaptive finger mechanism and the LARM finger mechanism, at the University of Cassino, Italy, a link was added to the LARM finger mechanism based on the link in Section 4 and changed to a link in Section 5. By connecting a spring between the links, it operates in the form of a 4 link when bending and extending, and when an object is in contact, the actuator is continuously operated to increase the angle between the two links connected to the spring. A method of rotating the third node is also being developed.

All of the above-described prior art techniques use a rather complicated link structure or an electric drive structure in order to implement a natural object gripping operation of humans, and thus have a problem of increasing manufacturing cost for practical application. In addition, the above-described prior art focuses on how the appearance of the gripping motion mimics the motion of a natural finger, and thus the naturalness of the sense that the wearer feels when performing the gripping motion is not considered at all.

First of all, the prior art has devoted technical effort to simulating human natural finger movements as they are with very complex mechanical driving mechanisms. Although the accuracy of natural finger movement simulation is scientifically meaningful, it was unnecessarily high for real users. . That is, due to excessive quality improvement, which is neither required nor required by actual users, the price of the finger prosthesis product greatly increases, and the durability of the product decreases due to the complex mechanical structure.

US Registered Publication No. 6,908,489

It is an object of the present invention to perform a gripping operation according to the movement of a neighboring natural finger without a separate actuator, and to provide a finger prosthesis that is easily attached and detached by a user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a finger prosthesis, which is inexpensive to manufacture and has a natural finger grip from the perspective of an actual wearer.

A finger prosthesis according to an aspect of the present invention includes a support holder that is inserted into the remaining paper and extends to a first joint of the finger; A middle joint that is rotatably connected to the support holder at a second joint position of the finger and extends to a second joint of the finger; It is connected to the distal end of the middle node and includes a distal mimicking part that simulates the third node and the third joint of the finger,

At least one of the intermediate node and the distal mimic portion may be provided with an external force applying unit capable of connecting to a neighboring natural finger, and at least one of the support holder and the intermediate node may have a structure capable of adjusting length.

Here, the second joint of the prosthesis is folded by the gripping motion of the neighboring natural finger applied through the external force applying unit provided on the intermediate node, and the third joint of the prosthesis may also be folded according to the four-section link structure. have.

Here, the four-section link structure may have a structure in which diagonal link points are intersected and connected to each other in an 8-shape shape, and link points forming short sides are connected to each other.

Here, the support holder has an arched cylindrical case to facilitate attachment and detachment of the remaining paper, and protruding from the upper portion of the arch circular shape to a point where the length of the first joint of the finger is, and having a shape serving as a rotation axis of the hinge. I can.

Here, the middle node has a shape at which one end serves as a ring of a hinge connected at the second joint position of the support holder and the finger, and the other end is slid into the inner space of the distal replica You can form a length adjustment structure for 2 nodes.

Here, the other end of the adjustment joint may be slidably moved by a screw thread rotating on an axis in the direction of the second finger joint.

Here, the external force applying unit may be formed in a form in which a ring that can be fitted to a neighboring natural finger like a ring is connected to at least one side surface of the middle node and the distal mimic portion.

Here, it may be manufactured so that the ring can rotate at a connection point between the ring, the intermediate node, and at least one side surface of the terminal mimic part.

If the finger prosthesis according to the present invention of the above-described configuration is implemented, there is an advantage that it is easy to carry and detach.

The finger prosthesis according to the present invention can provide a finger prosthesis that is easy to use and detach from the user while the manufacturing cost is low.

1 is a view showing the structure of a finger prosthesis according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram showing a link structure of the finger prosthesis of FIG. 1;
3A and 3B are perspective views showing the length and size adjustment structure of the finger prosthesis of FIG. 1.
4 is a perspective view showing a state in which two finger prostheses of FIG. 1 are used in parallel.
5 is a view showing the structure of a finger prosthesis according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a view showing a structure for adjusting the length of a finger prosthesis according to the embodiment of FIG. 5.
7 is a view showing a state in which a finger prosthesis according to the embodiment of FIG. 5 is worn.
8 is a view showing the structure of a finger prosthesis according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a specific embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In describing the present invention, terms such as first and second may be used to describe various elements, but the elements may not be limited by terms. The terms are only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from other components. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element.

When a component is connected to or is referred to as being connected to another component, it can be understood that it may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but other components may exist in the middle. .

The terms used in the present specification are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

In the present specification, terms such as include or include are intended to designate the existence of features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and one or more other features or numbers, It may be understood that the presence or addition of steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, does not preclude the possibility of preliminary exclusion.

In the description of the present invention, the first, second, and third nodes are referred to as the first, second, and third nodes from the side close to the palm of each finger in a manner used in orthopedics, etc., and the joints between the first and second nodes are the second and second joints. The joint between the 2nd and 3rd nodes will be referred to as the 3rd joint (the 1st joint is the knuckle).

In addition, shapes and sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clearer explanation.

[Example 1]

1 shows a structure of a finger prosthesis according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows a link structure of a finger prosthesis of FIG. 1.

3A and 3B illustrate a structure for adjusting the length and size of the finger prosthesis of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 shows a state in which two finger prosthesis of FIG. 1 are used in parallel.

In the case of the illustrated finger prosthesis, a ring-shaped external force applying unit 180, which can be fitted like a ring to a neighboring natural finger, has a shape connected to the side of the second node (the middle node of the will), and the external force applying unit ( The second joint of the prosthesis is folded by the gripping motion of the neighboring natural finger applied through 180), and the second joint of the prosthesis is folded. Let it fold.

In other words, the support holder 120 and the external force applying unit 180 are provided with a support structure for the folding operation of the second joint of the finger prosthesis, and more specifically, the neighboring natural finger is the external force applying unit The second joint of the prosthesis rotates by the external force applied to (180), and the third joint of the prosthesis is also rotated according to the rotational motion of the second joint by the illustrated 4-section link structure.

The four-section link structure shown is a structure in which diagonal link points (P1 and P3) (P2 and P4) are intersected and connected to each other, and link points (P1 and P2) (P3 and P4) forming short sides are connected to each other. Have.

That is, the support holder 120 and the intermediate node 140 are connected by the link points P1 and P2 constituting the short side of the link, and the middle node 140 is connected by the link points P3 and P4 constituting the short side of the link. 140) and the terminal simulation unit 160 are connected.

When the wearer applies the gripping force with the natural finger connected to the external force applying unit 180, the second joint of the finger prosthesis of the present embodiment is bent toward the palm (inner), at this time, the two link points at the second joint position The link connected to the link point (P1) located on the palm (inner) side exerts a force in the direction of pushing the third joint, while the link connected to the link point (P2) located on the back (outer) side of the hand is the third joint. The force in the direction of pulling is applied. By the force exerted by the two links described above, the link point P4 located on the palm (inner) side of the two link points at the third joint position is pulled, and the link point P3 located on the back (outer) side of the hand is It is pushed, and as a result, it bends in the direction the third joint grips.

In FIG. 3, a connection socket 186 into which an external force application unit 180 can be inserted is formed on the side of the middle node 140, and a screw hole through which a connection screw 188 can be inserted into the connection socket 186 (189) is formed. The user selects an external force applying unit 180 suitable for the thickness of his or her neighbor's finger, inserts it into the connection socket 186, and then adjusts the size of the external force applying unit 180 by binding the connection screw 188. I can.

In FIG. 3B, it can be seen that the support holder 120 is divided into a frame in the direction of a node and a residual paper holder 122 connected thereto. A sliding groove 129 is formed in the frame of the support holder 120 in the direction of the node so that the residual paper holder 122 can adjust its longitudinal position. The user arranges the residual paper holder 122 at one of the sliding grooves 129 and makes the node direction frame and the residual paper holder 122 in close contact or screw-through connection. It is possible to adjust the length of the first joint portion of the finger prosthesis by rotating a fixing screw (not shown) for fixing 122. In addition, the user may select a residual sheet holder 122 suitable for the thickness of the residual sheet and connect it to the frame in the direction of the node.

Depending on the implementation, when the residual paper holder 122 moves in position within the sliding groove 129 (that is, when adjusting the length by sliding, a friction means is provided on the inner contact surface to have a certain friction force for sliding, or Elastic force can be given at intervals.

In the former case, as the friction means, for example, a carbon material formed on the inner surface of the sliding groove 129 overlapped with each other during the sliding operation and/or the outer surface of the sliding groove 129 of the residual paper holder 122 It can be implemented as a wear-resistant friction material formed of a plastic material for mechanical structure.

In the latter case, for example, similar to a stationery cutter that adjusts the length of the blade by a sliding method, a wavy spring is provided inside the sliding groove 129, and the residual paper holder 122 contains the wavy spring. It can be implemented in a way that includes a point and an elastic protrusion that elastically supports it.

In FIG. 4, two finger prostheses corresponding to the index and middle fingers are connected in parallel, and an external force applying unit 180 that is embodied in the wearer's ring finger is at one side of the middle joint 140-1 of the finger prosthesis corresponding to the middle finger. -1) is formed, and a connecting protrusion that can be connected to the will of the finger corresponding to the index finger is formed on the other side. The connection protrusion may be inserted into the connection socket 186-2 formed on the side of the middle joint 140-2 of the finger prosthesis corresponding to the index finger, and then fixed with a screw or the like.

[Example 2]

5 shows a structure of a finger prosthesis according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 shows a structure for adjusting the length of a finger prosthesis according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 shows a state of wearing a finger prosthesis according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown, the finger prosthesis according to the idea of the present invention is fitted to the residual finger 10, and the support holder 20 extending to the first node of the finger; A middle joint 40 that is rotatably connected to the support holder 20 at the second joint position of the finger, extends to the second joint of the finger, and allows the length of the second joint portion of the finger to be adjusted; It is connected to the distal end of the middle node 40, and includes a distal mimicking part 60 that simulates the third node and the third joint of the finger,

At least one of the intermediate node 40 and the distal copying portion 60 is provided with an external force applying unit 80 capable of connecting to a neighboring natural finger.

The division of the support holder 20, the middle node 40, and the distal mimicking part () is not divided into units corresponding to each node of the artificial finger, but may be viewed as a unit assembled during manufacture. The support holder 20 corresponds to the first node of the finger together with the remaining finger 10 of the finger, and the middle node 40 corresponds to the second node of the finger together with a part of the distal replica part 60 , The remaining part of the distal copying part 60 corresponds to the third node of the finger.

The finger prosthesis product according to the idea of the present invention aims to increase the convenience in use that the user can easily wear/drop off at a reasonable price that is not excessive, rather than a detailed simulation of a natural finger motion or imparting a strong gripping force. From this point of view, the support holder 20 may be provided with a case 22 in the shape of an arched cylinder to facilitate attachment and detachment of the remaining paper. In addition, the apex portion 24 protruding to the upper portion of the arcuate circular shape is formed, and is formed in a protruding/extended form to a point that becomes the length of the first joint of the finger.

Depending on the implementation, a buffer pad (not shown) may be attached to the inner surface of the case 22 with an elastic material such as silicone to increase the fit.

It is preferable in terms of manufacturing cost that the intermediate node 40 is integrally implemented with one material. One end of the integral middle node 40 is connected to the support holder 20 at the second joint position of the finger, and the other end forms a length adjustment structure for the second node of the finger together with the distal mimicking part 60 do. In the case of the illustrated intermediate node 40, the one end 46 serves as a ring of the hinge (in contrast, the tip end 26 formed on the support holder is a shape that serves as a rotation axis of the hinge. ), the other end 44 has a shape that slides into the inner space of the distal mimic part 60 and serves as a locking jaw so as not to be separated from the distal mimic part 60.

The distal copying part 60 corresponds to a part of the third and second nodes of the finger. In other words, the finger has a full length of the third segment and a partial length of the second segment, and includes a third joint between the second segment and the third segment.

In the case of the illustrated distal copying portion 60, the third joint portion of the finger is not rotated and a fixed form is adopted, but in other implementations, a pivotable hinge form may be adopted.

The illustrated rim copying part 60 has an external shape of a part of the third and second nodes of the natural finger, and the other end of the intermediate node is slidable into its internal space in a region corresponding to a part of the second node. Structure can be formed.

In other words, the intermediate node 40 and the extremity simulation unit 60 are provided with a length adjusting means capable of adjusting the length of the artificial finger according to the actual finger length of various users.

Here, the length adjusting means means a length adjusting means for the second joint portion of the finger by the interaction between the intermediate joint 40 and the distal replica portion 60.

For example, as the length adjustment means, a means for adjusting the length by rotating it by having a male threaded female thread structure (first means), a means for adjusting the length by simply sliding, but having a friction means on the inner contact surface so as to have a certain friction force for sliding A method of a method (second means), a means of a method of resisting shortening or lengthening by an elastic force at an intermediate length (third means), etc. can be adopted.

The first means will be described later with reference to other drawings.

In the case of the second and third means, the middle node 40 has one end connected to the support holder 20 so as to be rotatable at the position of the second joint of the finger, and the other end sliding with the distal mimicking part 60 It has a structure that is connected as possible.

In the case of the second means, as the friction means, for example, implemented as a magnet positioned on the inner locking jaw at the end of the intermediate node 40 and/or the external locking jaw of the distal replica portion 60, or overlapped with each other during a sliding operation. The paper may be implemented with a wear-resistant friction material formed of a carbon material or a plastic material for mechanical structure formed on the outer surface of the intermediate node 40 and/or the inner surface of the distal mimicking part 60 (specifically, a partial area of the second node of the finger). I can.

In the case of the third means, the sliding structure of the intermediate node 40 and the distal copying part 60 is implemented almost the same as in the second case, but a spring, etc. in the slidable inner space of the distal copying part 60 It can be implemented by placing the At this time, when the spring is neutral, the artificial finger has a length near the middle rather than the longest/shortest of the adjustable length, so that the length of the artificial finger is shortened as the spring is compressed, and the spring is increased, It can be implemented to increase the length.

The external force applying unit 80 may be manufactured in a form in which a ring that can be fitted to a neighboring natural finger like a ring is connected to the side surface of the intermediate node 40 and/or the distal mimic part 60 as shown. .(In the drawing, it was formed on the side of the distal replica part 60.)

Depending on the implementation, the link 80 and the connection point 80 on the side of the intermediate node 40 and/or the terminal mimic part 60 may be manufactured so that the ring can rotate. This is to relieve the feeling of restraint applied to the neighboring natural fingers.

In the drawing, the support holder 20 is also provided with a ring 90 that can be fitted like a ring to an adjacent natural finger. The ring 90 may serve as a kind of wearing device for binding the will of the finger and the hand.

[Example 3]

8 shows a structure of a finger prosthesis according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the case of the illustrated finger prosthesis, as another implementation of the above-described first means, an embodiment in which the length of the second joint of the finger prosthesis can be adjusted through a separate operation dial is disclosed.

That is, in the case of one implementation of the first means, a structure in which a male screw is formed on the outer surface of the intermediate node 440 and a female screw is formed on the inner surface of the distal mimicking part 460 is adopted.

One end 446 of the middle node has a shape that serves as a ring of a hinge connected at the second joint position of the support holder 420 and the finger shown, and the other end 445 is the distal replica part 460 ) Is slid into the inner space of the finger to form a length adjustment structure for the second node of the finger, and the other end 445 of the middle node has a structure that is slid and moved by a screw thread rotating along the axis in the direction of the second finger.

The screw thread is connected to a screw shaft 442 located inside a thin cylindrical structure extending in the direction of the second finger joint of the middle joint, and rotates along the screw shaft 442, and the screw shaft 442 is the It is rotated by the rotation of the rotation operation dial 446, which is partially exposed by the cutout 448 of the middle node 440.

It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are for the purpose of explanation and not limitation. In addition, those of ordinary skill in the technical field of the present invention will understand that various embodiments are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

20, 120, 420: support holder
40, 140, 440: middle joint
60, 160, 460: terminal simulation part
446: rotary control dial

Claims (8)

A support holder fitted to the remaining paper and extending to the first joint of the finger;
A middle joint that is rotatably connected to the support holder at a second joint position of the finger and extends to a second joint of the finger; And
Includes; a distal mimicking part connected to the distal end of the middle node and simulating the third node and the third joint of the finger,
At least one of the intermediate node and the distal mimicking part is provided with an external force applying part capable of connecting to a neighboring natural finger,
At least one of the support holder and the intermediate node is provided with a structure capable of adjusting the length,
The support holder includes a node direction frame and a residual paper holder connected to the node direction frame,
Sliding grooves are formed in the longitudinal direction on one side and the other side in the width direction of the frame in the node direction,
A sliding protrusion inserted into the sliding groove is provided on each of the upper end of the residual paper holder coupled to the node direction frame in the width direction and is in close contact with one side and the other side in the width direction of the node direction frame. Formed,
A finger prosthesis, characterized in that a spring elastically supported at the tip of the sliding protrusion is disposed in the sliding groove.
The method of claim 1,
The second joint of the prosthesis is folded by the gripping motion of the neighboring natural finger applied through the external force applying unit provided on the intermediate node, and the third joint of the prosthesis is also folded according to the four-section link structure. Finger will.
The method of claim 2,
The four-section link structure has a structure in which the diagonal link points are intersected and connected to each other in an 8-shape, and the link points forming short sides are connected to each other.
delete The method of claim 1,
The middle node has a shape that one end serves as a ring of a hinge that is connected at the second joint position of the support holder and the finger, and the other end is slid into the inner space of the distal mimicking part and the second node of the finger Finger prosthesis, characterized in that to form a length adjustment structure for.
The method of claim 1,
A finger prosthesis, characterized in that the other end of the intermediate node capable of adjusting the length of the second node portion of the finger is slidably moved by a screw thread rotating on an axis in the direction of the second finger node.
The method of claim 1,
The external force applying unit, finger prosthesis, characterized in that a ring that can be fitted to a neighboring natural finger like a ring is formed in a form connected to at least one side surface of the intermediate node and the distal mimic portion.
The method of claim 7,
Finger prosthesis, characterized in that the ring is made to rotate at a connection point between the ring, the intermediate node, and at least one side surface of the distal replica portion.

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