Patent ID: 7087091
Filing Date: 2006-08-08
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
1. An artificial knee joint adapted to interconnect a residual thigh and a prosthetic lower leg and comprising: a knee seat adapted to be attached to the thigh and having a bottom end that is formed with a mounting recess, said mounting recess having a top end defined by an inner wall surface; a support frame adapted to be attached to the prosthetic lower leg; a stop member disposed fixedly in an upper end portion of said mounting recess in said knee seat; a driving member disposed pivotally in said mounting recess in said knee seat and having two mounting holes spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance; a cushion device disposed between said inner wall surface of said knee seat and said driving member so as to dampen downward movement of said knee seat relative to said support frame; two links each having opposite upper and lower ends, each of said lower ends of said links being connected pivotally to the support frame; two bearing members, at least one of which is configured as a unidirectional bearing; two pivot pins extending respectively through said upper ends of said links, each of said pivot pins being journalled within a respective one of said mounting holes in said driving member by a respective one of said bearing members; and a pin-locking member sleeved rotatably on one of said pivot pins and connected to said unidirectional bearing and said stop member, said pin-locking member being held in a pin-releasing position by said stop member so as to allow for rotation of said one of said pivot pins within said driving member and, thus, relative rotation between said knee seat and said support frame when a knee angle between said knee seat and said support frame is greater than a threshold angle, said pin-locking member being released from said stop member and being disposed in a pin-locking position so as to prevent rotation of said one of said pivot pins within said driving member and, thus, relative rotation between said knee seat and said support frame when the knee angle is equal to said threshold angle.