KR20220039342A - Patella protection apparatus for animal - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for protecting the patella of an animal is disclosed. The apparatus for protecting the patella of an animal according to an embodiment of the present invention, as an apparatus to be worn on a dog to protect the patella thereof, comprises: a harness assembly which is to be worn on the front legs, back and hind legs of the dog; a compression protector which is coupled to the harness assembly, is fastened to surround a patella region of the hind leg, and is expanded according as air is supplied thereto, to press the patella region; and a control device which is attached to the harness assembly, and supplies the air to an air hose connected to the compression protector.

Description

Patella protection apparatus for animal

The present invention relates to a protective device for animals, and more particularly, to a device for protecting a patella for animals that can prevent dislocation of the patella or assist in animal movement after patella surgery.

Dogs are animals belonging to the Carnivora Canis, a subspecies of the gray wolf, and are the most widely distributed and largest terrestrial carnivores in modern times. Dogs are known as the first domesticated animals by mankind, and have been bred historically as pets and hunting dogs, and are also called man's best friends.

Because dogs were useful in many ways, most of all primitive human societies kept them. It is used for various tasks such as hunting, herding, transportation, and security, and has recently been spotlighted as a popular companion animal as the era of nuclear and single-person families is reflected.

Musculoskeletal disorders in dogs is a degenerative genetic disease that causes fatal gait disturbances and significantly lowers the quality of life of dogs. Patellar luxation, which is common in aged dogs, is also one of these degenerative genetic diseases.

Patellar dislocation is a disease in which the patella above the knee joint is displaced. It occurs due to trauma or congenital poor joint shape, or when an abnormality appears in the previously healthy knee joint with age.

In a reality in which the importance of companion animals is increasing, the need to prevent patellar dislocation in dogs or to enable normal gait through post-surgery follow-up care is increasing.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Patent No. 10-2020-0086588 (published on July 17, 2020) - Dog clothing with hip joint and knee patella protection

The present invention relates to a patellar protection device for animals that can be easily attached and detached to a dog by easy injection and discharge of air.

The present invention relates to a device for protecting the patella for animals that, in a worn state, the patella is firmly held by an inflated airbag to prevent patellar dislocation or to enable normal gait through post-surgery post-surgery management.

Objects other than the present invention will be easily understood through the following description.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for protecting the patella by wearing it on a dog, comprising: a harness assembly for wearing on the front legs, back and hind legs of the dog; a compression protector coupled to the harness assembly, fastened to surround the patella region of the hind leg, and expanded according to air supply to compress the patella region; and a control device attached to the harness assembly and supplying the air to the air hose connected to the compression guard.

The compression protector, the patellar protrusion hole is formed through the middle, and the compression body surrounding the patellar region; a fixing belt provided on one side of the compression body and fixed in such a way as to surround the circumference of the compression body in a worn state; It may include an airbag inserted into the compression body and connected to the air hose.

The airbag is sealed along an outline and includes two surfaces having a space therebetween, and at least one seam line is formed so that the two surfaces are attached to each other, and the airbag is divided into a plurality of zones by the seam line. can

The plurality of zones can prevent the compression body from being distorted in the worn state by causing a difference between the expansion timing of the zone adjacent to the point connected to the air hose and the zone spaced apart.

An end of the air hose is branched into a plurality of sub-hose lines, and each of the plurality of sub-hose lines is arranged to be matched for each of the plurality of areas, so that air may be simultaneously injected into the plurality of areas.

The control device includes: an air pump connected to the airbag through the air hose and supplying air to the airbag or withdrawing air from the airbag according to a control signal; a user input module for receiving a command related to the operation of the air pump from a user; a control module for generating the control signal according to an input through the user input module or a preset algorithm and outputting it to the air pump to control the operation of the air pump; It may include a battery for supplying power to the air pump, the user input module, and the control module.

The control device further includes a sensor module for sensing left and right deviations according to the walking of the dog in the wearing state, and the control module predicts the patella region suspected of abnormal occurrence when the left and right balance is analyzed to be out of balance, and abnormal It is possible to automatically control the air pump so that air is additionally supplied to the compression guard fastened to the patella region suspected of occurrence.

Other aspects, features and advantages other than those described above will become apparent from the following drawings, claims, and detailed description of the invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is an effect that can be easily attached to and detached from the dog because the injection and discharge of air is easy.

In addition, in the worn state, the patella is firmly held by the inflated airbag, thereby preventing patellar dislocation or assisting in normal gait through post-surgery follow-up management.

1 is a view showing a dog wearing a patellar protection device for animals according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a view showing an unfolded state of the patellar protection device for animals according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a view showing one side (a) of the pressure protector, the other surface (b) and a state (c) fastened by a fixing belt;
4 is a view showing an airbag in the compression guard;
5 is a block diagram of a control device.

Since the present invention can have various changes and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

When an element is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another element, it is understood that it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, but other elements may exist in between. it should be On the other hand, when it is said that a certain element is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that the other element does not exist in the middle.

Terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

The terminology used herein is used only to describe specific embodiments, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present specification, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

In addition, the components of the embodiment described with reference to each drawing are not limitedly applied only to the embodiment, and may be implemented to be included in other embodiments within the scope of maintaining the technical spirit of the present invention, and also Even if the description is omitted, it is natural that a plurality of embodiments may be re-implemented as one integrated embodiment.

In addition, in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components regardless of the reference numerals are given the same or related reference numerals, and the overlapping description thereof will be omitted. In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, terms such as “…unit”, “…unit”, “…module”, “…group”, etc. described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which is hardware or software or hardware and software It can be implemented as a combination of

1 is a view showing a dog wearing a patellar protection device for animals according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a view showing a state in which the patellar protection device for animals according to an embodiment of the present invention is unfolded. , Figure 3 is a view showing one side (a), the other surface (b) and the state (c) fastened by the fixing belt of the compression protector, Figure 4 is a view showing the airbag in the pressure protector, Figure 5 is the control device It is a building block diagram.

The patella protection device 1 for animals according to an embodiment of the present invention can prevent patellar dislocation by firmly holding the patella of an animal, particularly a dog. If your dog has had knee surgery, it can help him walk with the right posture by inducing normal knee movement by firmly holding the patella area through an inflated airbag.

The patellar protection device 1 for animals according to the present embodiment includes a control device 10 , a harness assembly 20 , and a pair of compression guards 30 .

The control device 10 and the pair of compression guards 30 may have a structure coupled to the harness assembly 20 so that the dog can wear them.

The harness assembly 20 includes a front harness 21 worn on the dog's front legs, a rear harness 23 worn on the dog's hind legs, and a connection part 22 connecting the front harness 21 and the rear harness 23 includes

The front harness 21 includes a first fastening part 211 and a second fastening part 212 formed in a ring shape so as to be fitted to the left and right forelimbs, respectively. The first coupling part 211 and the second coupling part 212 are coupled at a point where they meet the connection part 22 .

The connection part 22 may be a strap that extends along the dog's back. The control device 10 may be attached to a front point of the connection part 22 connected to the front harness 21 . This part is between the shoulders of the dog, and when the dog wears the harness assembly 20, the control device 10 corresponds to a position where the dog's walking can be minimally affected.

A rear harness 23 is coupled to the rear point of the connection part 22 . The rear harness 23 may be a strap of a predetermined length extending downward along the left and right hind legs of the dog. The connection part 22 and the rear harness 23 may be integrally formed.

A protector connector 231 is provided at the end of the rear harness 23 , so that the compression protector 30 having the harness connector 330 can be fastened thereto. The guard connector 231 and the harness connector 330 have a structure that can be coupled to each other, and one of them may be a female connector and the other may be a male connector.

Compression protector 30 may be provided with a pair of left and right so as to be respectively fastened to the left patella region and the right patella region of the dog for balance. The pair of compression guards 30 may have a symmetrical structure.

The compression protector 30 includes a compression body 310 configured to wrap the patella region, and fixing belts 320 and 325 for fixing the compression body 310 to the patella region.

The pressing body 310 includes a pair of outer surfaces and an airbag 350 disposed in the space between the pair of outer surfaces. Since the airbag 350 is inflated by the air supplied to the airbag 350 , it is possible to apply a stronger pressure to the patellar region surrounded by the compression body 310 through air compression.

In the non-wearing state, air is not supplied to the airbag 350 so that the compression body 310 has a minimum thickness, thereby facilitating wearing due to the thin body when the compression protector 30 is worn on a dog, thereby reducing the user's effort. can alleviate In addition, by supplying air to the airbag 350 in a worn state, a desired level of air pressure may be applied to the patella.

In the case of the fixed splint structure, there is a problem that it is not easy to wear it due to its rigidity when it is intended to be worn on a dog, but in this embodiment, air can be freely supplied or withdrawn through the air pump 130 to be described later. It is possible to improve the convenience of wearing the dog by using the airbag 350 with.

A patellar protrusion hole 315 may be formed through the compression body 310 so as to be in close contact with the patella when worn. A through hole 355 corresponding to the patellar protrusion hole 315 may also be formed in the airbag 350 . The through hole 355 has a larger size than the patellar protrusion 315 , and the patellar protrusion 315 may be completely included in the through hole 355 in a state where the airbag 350 is inserted and installed. Therefore, it can be fastened in such a way that the compression body 310 wraps the left and right sides of the dog's patella toward the front.

Fixed belts 320 and 325 are provided on one side of the compression body 310, and the compression body 310 is fixed by the fixing belts 320 and 325 in a state that wraps the patella, so that the wrapped shape can be maintained. there is.

The fixing belts 320 and 325 have a length sufficient to wrap the dog's hind legs, and may be a belt with Velcro attached to all or part of one surface (eg, the end). Velcro attachment parts 340 corresponding to the fixing belts 320 and 325 are also formed on the outer surface of the pressing body 310, so that the ends of the fixing belts 320 and 325 surrounding the pressing body 310 are attached to the Velcro ( 340) may be fastened. Here, one of the Velcro of the fixing belts 320 and 325 and the Velcro attachment 340 of the pressing body 310 may be a male Velcro, and the other may be a female Velcro.

In this embodiment, the fixing belt may include a first fixing belt 320 for fixing the upper part with respect to the patella, and a second fixing belt 325 for wrapping and fixing the lower part based on the patella. By using the first fixing belt 320 and the second fixing belt 325 to wrap and fix both the upper and lower portions of the patella, the compression body 310 can be in close contact with the patella.

The airbag 350 has two surfaces that are sealed along the outline and have a space therebetween. Since the air hose 40 is connected at one point among the outlines, it is possible to supply air to the inner interspace or to discharge the air in the interspace to the outside.

One or more sewing lines 351 are formed in the airbag 350 , so that both sides thereof may be attached along the sewing lines 351 . This prevents the airbag 350 from being biased toward either one of the surfaces and inflating when air is supplied, and can be inflated in a balanced way on both surfaces.

The airbag 350 may be divided into a plurality of zones by a sewing line 351 . The area adjacent to the point connected to the air hose 40 expands in the priority order, and the spaced area expands in the latter order. By taking advantage of this difference in expansion time, it is possible to prevent the compression body 310 from being distorted while being worn on the patella region, and to increase only the pressure applied to the patella region through expansion in place.

Alternatively, the end of the air hose 40 connected to the airbag 350 may be branched into a plurality of sub-hose lines 45 inside the airbag 350 . In this case, each sub-hose line 45 may be arranged to match each area partitioned by the sewing line 351 . When air is injected through the air hose 40, air is simultaneously injected into a plurality of zones through each sub-hose line 45, so that a plurality of zones are simultaneously expanded without a time difference, and the compression body 310 due to the expansion of either side. It can also prevent the wearing state of the clothes from being distorted.

The control device 10 may include a control module 110 , a user input module 120 , a battery 140 , and an air pump 130 .

The air pump 130 is connected to the airbag 350 of the compression body 310 through the air hose 40, and can supply air to the airbag 350 or withdraw air from the airbag 350 by a control signal. there is.

The air hose 40 starting from the air pump 130 may branch and be connected to the airbag 350 installed in the pair of compression guards 30 , respectively. In this case, air supply/withdrawal may be performed individually for the airbags 350 respectively installed in the pair of compression guards 30 . That is, air may be selectively supplied or withdrawn to only one of the left or right airbags 350 . This makes it possible to minimize the discomfort felt by air compression by ensuring that air compression is applied only to the problematic part of the patella (abnormal part) of the dog's hind legs and not to the normal part.

The user input module 120 may receive various commands (eg, commands related to the operation of the air pump 130 for compression) from a user such as a dog owner.

The user input module 120 is composed of one or more buttons or switches corresponding to commands related to power on/off, air supply and interruption, air withdrawal and interruption, mode conversion, air supply/withdrawal target selection, etc., or implemented with a touch screen, etc. can be

For example, when the power button is pressed for a specified period of time (eg, 3 seconds) or longer, the power may be turned on in the off state and the power may be turned off in the on state.

When the power button is pressed once, the air pump 130 can be operated to start air compression. Pressing the power button once again stops the air pump 130 to end the air compression.

In the case of mode change, when the mode change button is pressed, an indicator (one of the output modules 150 ) informing of mode change may be turned on. In this case, pressing the power button can start the massage mode. If you press the power button again in the massage mode, the massage can be ended. Here, the massage mode refers to the effect of repeatedly kneading the patella of the dog in the pressure protector 30 by repeating the supply and withdrawal of air.

In addition, the user input module 120 may be a separate remote controller (not shown) or a smart phone possessed by the user, and the control device 10 includes a communication module for receiving a command input by the user from the remote controller or smart phone. (not shown) may be included.

The control module 110 may control the operation of the air pump 130 by generating a control signal according to an input through the user input module 120 or according to a preset algorithm and outputting it to the air pump 130 . The control signal may be a signal related to an operation command of the air pump 130 for supplying air through the air pump 130, stopping the supply of air, withdrawing air, stopping the withdrawal of air, and the like.

The battery 140 supplies power for each component of the control device 10 to operate. The battery 140 is configured to be portable, and may enable free movement while the dog is wearing it. The battery 140 may be implemented as a replaceable or rechargeable type.

In addition, the control device 10 may additionally include a sensor module 160 .

The sensor module 160 may sense a left and right deviation according to the walking of the dog wearing the patellar protection device 1 for animals. The sensor module 160 may be a three-axis acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor for measuring posture.

For example, if the dog's left hind leg patella is uncomfortable, gait inclined to the left is made. In this case, if sufficient air pressure is applied to the left side through biased air compression, the dog will be able to walk normally with left and right balance through the assistance of the compression protector 30 for the left hind leg.

If a normal gait with left-right balance is not achieved, the sensor module 160 senses which side the dog is in a more inclined state and analyzes it in the control module 110, so that the abnormality of the left and right patella of the dog It is possible to predict the part where the occurrence is suspected. And with respect to the predicted portion, the control module 110 automatically controls the pressure protector 30 in the portion suspected of having an abnormality by additionally supplying air to apply air pressure, thereby preventing patellar dislocation and normal gait. can help you do it

In addition, in the sensor module 160, when a dislocation of one or more of the left and right patella of the dog is suspected according to the analysis of the sensing data, the output module 150 (eg, indicator light, speaker, etc.) provided in the control device 10 It is possible to output a notification signal (eg, blinking an indicator light, output a warning sound, etc.) that enables the user to check through the , or transmit a notification signal to a terminal possessed by the user through the communication unit so that the user can confirm.

Although the above has been described with reference to the embodiments of the present invention, those of ordinary skill in the art can variously modify the present invention within the scope without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention described in the claims below. and may be changed.

1: Patellar protection device for animals 10: Control device
20: harness assembly 30: compression guard
40: air hose 21: front harness
22: connection 23: rear harness
231: protector connector 310: pressure body
315: patella protrusion 320: first fixing belt
325: second fixing belt 330: harness connector
340: Velcro attachment 350: air bag
351: sewing line 355: through hole
110: control module 120: user input module
130: air pump 140: battery
150: output module 160: sensor module

Claims (7)

As a device to protect the patella by wearing it on a dog,
a harness assembly to be worn on the front legs, back and hind legs of the dog;
a compression protector coupled to the harness assembly, fastened to surround the patella region of the hind leg, and expanded according to air supply to compress the patella region; and
and a control device attached to the harness assembly and supplying the air through an air hose connected to the compression guard. According to claim 1,
The compression guard,
a pressure body having a patella protrusion hole formed in the middle, and enclosing the patella region;
a fixing belt provided on one side of the compression body and fixed in such a way as to surround the circumference of the compression body in a worn state;
The patella protection device for animals, characterized in that it is inserted into the compression body, comprising an air bag connected to the air hose. 3. The method of claim 2,
The airbag includes two surfaces sealed along an outline and having a space therebetween;
One or more sewing lines are formed so that the two surfaces are attached to each other,
Patella protection device for animals, characterized in that divided into a plurality of zones by the sewing line. 4. The method of claim 3,
The plurality of zones causes a difference in the expansion timing of the zone adjacent to the point connected to the air hose and the spaced zone, so as to prevent distortion of the compression body in the worn state. 4. The method of claim 3,
The end of the air hose is branched into a plurality of sub-hose lines, and each of the plurality of sub-hose lines is arranged to be matched for each of the plurality of areas, and air is simultaneously injected into the plurality of areas. Device. 3. The method of claim 2,
The control device,
an air pump connected to the airbag through the air hose and supplying air to the airbag or withdrawing air from the airbag according to a control signal;
a user input module for receiving a command related to the operation of the air pump from a user;
a control module for generating the control signal according to an input through the user input module or a preset algorithm and outputting it to the air pump to control the operation of the air pump;
The air pump, the user input module, and an animal patellar protection device comprising a battery for supplying power to the control module. 7. The method of claim 6,
The control device further comprises a sensor module for sensing a left and right deviation according to the walking of the dog in the wearing state,
The control module predicts the patella region suspected of abnormal occurrence when the left and right balance is analyzed to be out of balance, and automatically controls the air pump so that air is additionally supplied to the compression guard fastened to the patella region suspected of abnormal occurrence. Patellar protection device for animals, characterized in that.

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