US 12,186,212 B2
Prosthetic foot/ankle system with automatic alignment
Andrew Howard Hansen, Apple Valley, MN (US); Edwin Kay Iversen, Salt Lake City, UT (US); Eric Alexander Nickel, Brooklyn Park, MN (US); Gregory O. Voss, Apple Valley, MN (US); Gregory James Jacobs, Salt Lake City, UT (US); Carter J. Greene, West Valley City, UT (US); and Jeffery David Christenson, West Valley City, UT (US)
Assigned to Motion Control, Salt Lake City, UT (US); and The United States Government As Represented by the Department Of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC (US)
Filed by U.S. Government as represented by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC (US)
Filed on Oct. 21, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/507,527.
Prior Publication US 2023/0126674 A1, Apr. 27, 2023
Int. Cl. A61F 2/66 (2006.01); A61F 2/74 (2006.01); A61F 2/76 (2006.01); A61F 2/50 (2006.01); A61F 2/68 (2006.01)
CPC A61F 2/76 (2013.01) [A61F 2/6607 (2013.01); A61F 2/744 (2021.08); A61F 2/748 (2021.08); A61F 2002/5006 (2013.01); A61F 2002/5072 (2013.01); A61F 2002/5079 (2013.01); A61F 2002/6642 (2013.01); A61F 2002/6854 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A device to control movement of a prosthetic foot and ankle, comprising:
a foot support to provide a portion of the prosthetic foot;
a revolute joint attached to the foot support;
a hydraulic damper attached to the foot support,
an energy storing spring attached to the revolute joint and the energy storing spring is attached to the hydraulic damper to provide resistive communication with the hydraulic damper; and
a hydraulic cylinder lock that is a weighted valve mechanism for the hydraulic damper to lock the revolute joint for dorsiflexion between heel strike and foot flat and to unlock the ankle for dorsiflexion upon unloading of a toe to allow automatic dorsiflexion by a toe-lift spring.