KR102611573B1 - Supplements to protect knee joints - Google Patents

Abstract

An assistive device for protecting the knee joint is disclosed. The disclosed auxiliary device includes a waist belt part to be worn around the waist of the human body, a pair of upper supports coupled to both sides of the waist belt part, and a pair of upper supports extending to the top of each of the upper supports and inserted into the armpits of the human body. An upper structure including an armpit support portion, a first fastening portion located at an intersection of the waist belt portion and the upper support portion, and a second fastening portion inserted into the first fastening portion to be rotatably fastened, When the first fastening part is fastened to the second fastening part, a first lower support part positioned to form a straight line or at a predetermined angle, a shoe fixing part for being fixed to both sides of the shoe, the shoe fixing part and the first It includes a second lower support part located between the lower supports, and a joint part that allows rotational movement between the first lower support part and the second lower support part at a connection portion of the first lower support part and the second lower support part, and a human body. It includes a lower structure for being worn on both sides of the lower body.

Description

Supplements to protect knee joints}

The present invention relates to an auxiliary device for protecting the knee joint, and specifically, to an auxiliary device for relieving the burden on the knee joint when the elderly or disabled people with uncomfortable or weak knee joints walk.

In general, various walking aids used or worn by people with knee or ankle joint discomfort are well known. Conventional walking aids have the disadvantage of not having a significant effect in relieving the burden on the knee or ankle joints because they are used locally only in weak or uncomfortable areas such as the knee joint or ankle joint.

An auxiliary device to solve these shortcomings has been disclosed in Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-1672860 (registered on October 31, 2016). The above document discloses an assistive device for orthopedics of the spine, knee, and ankle joints and for walking, which allows walking comfortably by distributing body weight when worn, and has a healing effect.

However, as shown in FIG. 1, the type of assistive device disclosed in the above document is very inconvenient to wear because the part (1) worn on the upper body and the part (2) worn on the lower body are integrated, Once worn, it has the disadvantage of being difficult to easily take off and take off outdoors when necessary.

Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-1672860 (registered on October 31, 2016) Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-2219503 (registered on February 18, 2021) Republic of Korea Registered Utility Model No. 20-0393967 (registered on August 19, 2005)

The present invention can relieve the burden on the knee joints of the elderly or disabled people with uncomfortable or weak knee joints when walking, and protects the knee joints with a morphological structure that can be worn or attached to clothing and a structure that is easy to attach and detach. To provide auxiliary equipment for

An auxiliary device for protecting the knee joint according to an aspect of the present invention for solving the above problem includes a waist belt part to be worn around the waist of the human body, and a pair of upper support parts coupled to both sides of the waist belt part. And, an upper structure including an armpit support part extending to the top of each of the upper supports and inserted into the armpit of the human body, and a first fastening part located at an intersection of the waist belt part and the upper support parts, and the first 1 A second fastening part to be inserted into the fastening part and rotatably fastened, a first lower support part positioned to form a straight line or at a predetermined angle when the first fastening part is fastened to the second fastening part, and the amount of the shoe. A shoe fixing part for being fixed to the side, a second lower support part positioned between the shoe fixing part and the first lower support part, and the first lower support part at a connection portion of the first lower support part and the second lower support part. and a joint portion that allows rotation between the second lower support portion and a lower structure for being worn on both sides of the lower body of the human body.

According to one embodiment, the first fastener includes a ball bearing to facilitate rotation of the second fastener while the second fastener is coupled to the first fastener.

According to one embodiment, the waist belt part, the upper supports, the first lower support part, and the second lower support part are formed of an elastic metal material, and each of the upper supports is made of two or more rows of metal material. is formed

According to one embodiment, the waist belt portion includes a length variable portion that is curved to allow adjustment of the circumferential length.

According to one embodiment, the joint portion includes a recovery elastic portion for providing elastic force when the first lower support portion and the second lower support portion are rotated to have a predetermined angle, and a knee hinge portion inserted into the recovery elastic portion. - A magnetic member is positioned between the upper and lower arms of the knee hinge.

According to one embodiment, the lower structure includes a height adjustment unit for adjusting the height of the second fastening unit to match the length of the lower body of the human body.

According to one embodiment, the joint part includes a ball bearing with a diameter of 15 mm, and an elastic rubber member located in front and below the knee when worn.

The present invention provides an auxiliary device for protecting the knee joint, which can relieve the burden on the knee joint when walking by the elderly or the disabled with uncomfortable or weak knee joints, and can be worn or detached by separating the upper and lower structures. It is designed so that it can be easily worn or removed even outdoors.

In addition, the present invention provides an auxiliary device for protecting the knee joint, which has the effect of providing functionality to the general public as an auxiliary device during squat exercise and as a device to relieve muscle fatigue during long distance walking.

1 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional walking assistance device,
Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the characteristics of an auxiliary device 100 for protecting the knee joint according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining the characteristics of the upper structure 110 in the auxiliary device 100 for protecting the knee joint of Figure 2,
Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining another example of the upper structure 110,
Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining the characteristics of the lower structures 120 and 130 in the auxiliary device 100 for protecting the knee joint of Figure 2,
Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining the height adjustment unit 1213 in the lower structures 120 and 130,
Figure 7 is a sample photograph of the upper structure in the auxiliary device 100 for protecting the knee joint according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a sample photo of the lower structure in the auxiliary device 100 for protecting the knee joint according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 and 10 are diagrams showing the upper and lower structures of FIGS. 7 and 8 worn on the human body.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. It should be noted that the attached drawings and the embodiments described with reference thereto are simplified and illustrated with the intention of helping those skilled in the art understand the present invention.

Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the characteristics of an auxiliary device 100 for protecting the knee joint according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figures 3 and 5 show the upper structure 110 and the lower structure 120 and 130, respectively. These are drawings to explain the characteristics of ).

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 5 together, the auxiliary device 100 for protecting the knee joint of the present invention includes an upper structure 110 and a lower structure 120 and 130.

The upper structure 110 includes a waist belt portion 112, a pair of upper supports 111, armpit supports 114, and first fastening portions 113.

The waist belt portion 112 is a part to be worn around the waist of the human body. The waist belt portion 112 is made of an elastic metal material. Some sections of the waist belt portion 112 may be open and provided with a filling portion 116 so that the waist belt can be filled after being worn. As shown, the filling portion 116 may be formed using other filling means. Since the waist circumference of the human body is different for each person, the length can be appropriately adjusted using the filling part 116. Additionally, basically, in order to have elasticity so that the length of the waist belt portion 112 can be appropriately increased, a curved length variable portion 115 may be provided in a certain section of the waist belt portion 112. The length variable portion 115 is formed to be curved up and down and serves to increase the outer diameter of the waist belt portion 112 when worn by a person with a long waist circumference.

A pair of upper support parts 111 are coupled to both sides of the waist belt part 112. That is, the upper support parts 111 are coupled to a position corresponding to the lower part of the armpit in the waist belt part 112, and are positioned to extend from the waist belt part 112 to the upper armpit part. . A pair of upper supports 111 are provided on the left and right sides, respectively.

The armpit supports 114 are formed to extend further from the ends of each of the upper supports 111. The shape of each of the armpit supports 114 is U-shaped in the drawing, but it is not limited to this shape and may be formed in various shapes such as V-shape or W-shape. Each of the armpit supports 114 is inserted into the left and right armpits and serves to support the lower part of the armpit. In oriental medicine, the armpits are said to be extremely important points, and are known for massage and acupressure treatments that are effective in improving metabolism for people of all ages and genders, and are an area that is difficult to stimulate on a daily basis. Accordingly, the armpit supports 114 also serve to stimulate the armpits.

The first fastening portion 113 is located at the intersection of the waist belt portion 112 and the upper supports 111 and is a component connected to the lower structures 120 and 130. The first fastening part 113 may be coupled to the second fastening part 123 (FIG. 6) of the lower structures 120 and 130 and may be implemented as a ball bearing (for example, a diameter of 17 mm) to facilitate rotation. The center of the ball bearing of the first fastening part 113 may be configured to be located approximately 80 mm below the waist belt part 112. The first fasteners 113, which serve as a connecting link between the upper structure 110 and the lower structures 120 and 130, are located below the waist belt line, thereby eliminating the need for a separate retaining device in the thigh area above the knee. .

The lower structures 120 and 130 include a second fastening part 123, a first lower support part 121, a second lower support part 122 and 125, a shoe fixing part 130 and joint parts 1221, 1222, 1251, 124, M1, M2).

The second fastening part 123 is a component that is inserted into the first fastening part 113 and is rotatably fastened. That is, the second fastening part 123 is a part that connects the upper structure 110 and the lower structures 120 and 130.

The first lower support part 121 is a part positioned so as to form a straight line or a predetermined angle when the first fastening part 113 and the second fastening part 123 are fastened. That is, when the first lower support part 121 is worn on the human body with the second fastening part 123 fastened to the first fastening part 113 (see FIG. 10), when walking, the first lower support part 121 ) The upper support portion 111 of the upper structure supports and distributes the load of the upper body that is about to be transferred to the side. The first lower support portion 121 is provided one by one to correspond to each of the upper supports 111, so that when walking, the left lower body serves as the axis, or when the lower lower body serves as the axis, the load of the upper body is transferred to the upper support ( 111) supports it and plays a dispersing role. As a result, the burden on the knees is reduced when walking. Reference numeral 1211 denotes a part for fixing the second fastening part 123 to the first lower support part 121.

The shoe fixing unit 130 is a component for stably fixing the assistive device of the present invention to the shoe when worn. As shown, the shoe fixing part 130 is divided into an inner fixing part 131 and an outer fixing part 132. The inner fixing part 131 is fixed to the inner side of the shoe, and the outer fixing part 132 is a component fixed to the outer side of the shoe (see Figure 10). Reference numerals J1 and J2 are parts for connecting the shoe fixing part 130 to the second lower support part 122 and 125. J1 and J2 may be connected, for example, by welding, but other connection methods are also possible.

The second lower supports 122 and 125 are located between the shoe fixing portion 130 and the first lower support portion 121, and are located on the side of the lower knee when worn on the human body.

The joint portions 1221, 1222, 1251, 124, M1, and M2 include recovery elastic portions 1221, 1222, and 1251 and magnetic members M1 and M2.

The recovery elastic parts 1221, 1222, and 1251 are connected to the first lower support part 121 and the second lower support part 122, 125 at the connection portion of the first lower support part 121 and the second lower support part 122, 125. It is a component that enables rotational movement of the liver. That is, the recovery elastic parts 1221, 1222, and 1251 are parts for providing elastic force when the first lower support part 121 and the second lower support part 122, 125 are rotated to have a predetermined angle. In the recovery elastic parts 1221, 1222, and 1251, reference numerals 1221 and 1222 are formed to extend from a portion 122 of the second lower support part, and in particular, the rotation guide part 1222 is connected to the knee hinge part 124. It is inserted into the upper arm 124U and the lower arm 124D and serves to guide the rotational movement of the knee hinge portion 124. That is, as the knee bends during walking (see (b) in FIG. 5), the first lower support part 121 rotates in the direction of arrow A1, and the second lower support parts 122 and 125 rotate in the direction of arrow A2. , At this time, in the joints 1221, 1222, 1251, 124, M1, and M2, the upper arm 124U moves upward along the rotation guide 1222, and the lower arm 124D moves downward or stops. (see (b) in Figure 5). When the knee is extended while walking, the upper arm 124U returns to the state shown in (a) of FIG. 5 due to the restoring force. To protect the knee when the recovery elastic units 1221, 1222, and 1251 are operated, the knee hinge unit 124 may be further provided with magnetic elements M1 and M2. That is, when the knee is bent, an attractive force acts between the magnetic members M1 and M2, thereby reducing the burden when the knee subsequently straightens. The operation method illustrated in Figures 5 (a) and (b) may be an assistive device applied to a person with a relatively light body weight, and on the other hand, if it is to be applied to a person with a relatively heavy body weight, the knee hinge portion ( 124) Instead, ball bearings (not shown) may be implemented in an overlapping form so that a rubber elastic member (not shown) is maintained in front of the lower knee (in front of the knee). In other words, when the condition is severe or there is a need to withstand a certain amount of weight, the joint has a ball bearing with a diameter of 15 mm instead of the knee hinge (124), and is elastic so that it is located in front of the lower knee (in front of the knee) when worn. It can be configured to include high-ranking officials.

Alternatively, when switching from an extended state to a bent state, a repulsive force may be applied between the magnetic members M1 and M2 to reduce the burden on the knee.

The upper supports 111, the first lower supports 121, and the second lower supports 122 and 125 may be formed of an elastic metal material. In particular, each of the upper supports 111 is formed of two or more rows of metal material, so that it can be bent by applying an appropriate force when detached and has a supporting force to reduce the load on the upper body when worn.

Meanwhile, unlike those shown in FIG. 3, the upper supports 111' as shown in FIG. 4 may be formed of a single metal material having a supporting force.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, in the lower structures 120 and 130, at the top of the first lower support part 121, the height of the second fastening part 123 can be adjusted to suit the length of the lower body of the human body. Height adjustment units 1212 and 1213 may be further provided. As shown by reference numerals 1212 and 1213, in FIG. 6, the second fastening part 123 may be coupled by inserting it into the reference numeral 1212 or 1213. As such, Figure 6 shows an example in which the height can be adjusted in two stages, but it can also be formed to have more stages than this. Reference numerals J4 and J5 indicate connection parts of the height adjustment unit.

In the case of the second fastening part 123, a cylindrical magnet with a diameter of approximately 15 mm may be provided to induce linear rotational movement of the lower extremities of the human body and have a separation prevention effect when fastening.

Figure 7 is a sample photograph of the upper structure 110 in the auxiliary device 100 for protecting the knee joint according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 8 is a sample photograph for protecting the knee joint according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a sample photo of the lower structures 120 and 130 in the auxiliary device 100. The upper structure 110 and lower structures 120 and 130 provided in the sample photos are manufactured by bending an elastic metal material, but differently, they can also be manufactured appropriately through welding or screwing at the connecting portion. there is.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are diagrams showing the upper structure 110 and lower structures 120 and 130 of FIGS. 7 and 8 worn on the human body. The drawings show it being worn outside of clothing, but it can also be worn inside of clothing. Additionally, the auxiliary device 100 of the present invention may be configured to be fixed to the inside of clothing through Velcro tape or sewing.

In addition, as in the examples above, the lower structures 120 and 130 may be formed separately into a first lower support 121 and a second lower support portion 122 and 125, but the lower structures 120 and 130, like a hiking stick, 130) may be formed as a single straight structure. In this case, the upper structure 110 can have two modes: it can be used with the lower structure coupled to the upper structure while remaining mounted on the human body, or it can be separated and used like a hiking stick.

In addition, a holder may be further provided at a position corresponding to the shoe fixing part 130 on the shoe side so that the shoe fixing part 130 can be stably fixed.

The auxiliary device for protecting the knee joint of the present invention described above allows the elderly or disabled people with uncomfortable or weak knee joints to relieve the burden received entirely from the knee joint when walking by directing it to the waist, and if necessary, an upper structure. It has the advantage that the upper and lower structures can be easily separated and worn or detached.

100: Auxiliary device of the present invention
110: superstructure
120, 130: lower structure

Claims (7)

As an auxiliary device for protecting the knee joint,
A waist belt part to be worn around the waist of the human body, a pair of upper supports coupled to both sides of the waist belt part, an armpit support part extending to the top of each of the upper supports and inserted into the armpit of the human body, and An upper structure including a first fastening portion located at a portion where the waist belt portion and the upper support portion intersect; and
A second fastening part that is inserted into the first fastening part and rotatably fastened, a first lower support part positioned to form a straight line or a predetermined angle when the first fastening part is fastened to the second fastening part, and a shoe. a shoe fixing part to be fixed to both sides of the shoe fixing part, a second lower support part positioned between the shoe fixing part and the first lower support part, and the first lower support part at a connection portion of the first lower support part and the second lower support part. It includes a joint part that allows rotation between the lower support part and the second lower support part, and a lower structure for being worn on both sides of the lower body of the human body,
The joint part is,
a recovery elastic part for providing elastic force when the first lower support part and the second lower support part are rotated to have a predetermined angle, and when the first lower support part and the second lower support part are located on a straight line, the first lower support part A knee hinge inserted into the recovery elastic unit so that an attractive force acts between the lower support part and the second lower support part - a magnetic member for providing attractive force is positioned between the upper and lower arms of the knee hinge, and the magnetic member includes a first magnetic member located on the upper arm side and a second magnetic member located on the lower arm side and having a polarity opposite to that of the first magnetic member, the first lower support portion and the second lower support portion. An auxiliary device for protecting the knee joint, characterized in that it provides an attractive force between the upper arm and the lower arm by magnetic force when the arm is changed from being rotated at a predetermined angle to being positioned on a straight line. machine.
In claim 1,
An auxiliary device for protecting the knee joint, wherein the first fastener includes a ball bearing to facilitate rotation of the second fastener while the second fastener is coupled to the first fastener.
In claim 1,
The waist belt part, the upper supports, the first lower support part, and the second lower support part are formed of an elastic metal material, and each of the upper supports is formed of two or more rows of metal material. , an assistive device for protecting the knee joint.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the waist belt portion,
An auxiliary device for protecting the knee joint, characterized in that it includes a length variable portion curved to allow adjustment of the circumferential length.
delete The method of claim 1, wherein the lower structure:
An auxiliary device for protecting the knee joint, characterized in that it includes a height adjuster for adjusting the height of the second fastener to match the length of the lower body of the human body.
The method of claim 1, wherein the joint portion,
An auxiliary device for protecting the knee joint, comprising a ball bearing with a diameter of 15 mm and an elastic rubber member positioned in front and below the knee when worn.