US 12,433,777 B2
Knee brace and leg brace
Eisuke Aoki, Toyota (JP); Tadashi Odashima, Toyota (JP); and Takahiro Takeda, Toyota (JP)
Assigned to TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed by TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed on Feb. 9, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/668,020.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-021467 (JP), filed on Feb. 15, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0257403 A1, Aug. 18, 2022
Int. Cl. A61F 5/01 (2006.01)
CPC A61F 5/0123 (2013.01) [A61F 2005/0155 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A knee brace comprising:
a thigh attachment part that is configured to be attached to a thigh of a user;
a shank attachment part that is configured to be attached to a shank of the user;
an outer unit that couples the thigh attachment part to the shank attachment part and is configured to be arranged on an outer side of a lower limb of the user;
an inner unit that couples the thigh attachment part to the shank attachment part and is configured to be arranged on an inner side of the lower limb of the user, wherein
the outer unit comprises:
a thigh outer link that is configured to extend along the thigh and is fixed to the thigh by the thigh attachment part; and
a shank outer link that is configured to extend along the shank and is fixed to the shank by the shank attachment part,
the thigh outer link and the shank outer link are rotatably coupled to each other configured on the outer side of a knee joint of the user,
the inner unit comprises:
a thigh inner link that is configured to extend along the thigh and is fixed to the thigh by the thigh attachment part; and
a shank inner link that is configured to extend along the shank and is fixed to the shank by the shank attachment part;
a thigh cam is formed in the thigh outer link,
a shank pin that is engaged with the thigh cam in such a way that the shank pin moves along the thigh cam is formed in the shank outer link,
a shank cam is formed in the shank outer link,
a thigh pin that is engaged with the shank cam in such a way that the thigh pin moves along the shank cam is formed in the thigh outer link,
the shank cam is extended rearward as it moves away from the shank attachment part, and
the thigh cam is formed in such a way that the shank attachment part moves away from the thigh pin as the knee joint is extended,
wherein the shank cam extends curved in a U-shape and includes a flexing cam part, a bending cam part, and an extending cam part, the flexing cam part is arranged in a rear of the shank pin and is linearly extended in a rearward direction as it extends in an upward direction, the bending cam part is arranged above and in the rear of the shank pin, and is extended in an arc shape around a center of curvature positioned above the shank pin, and the extending cam part is arranged above the shank pin and is linearly extended in a front-back direction, and
the thigh inner link and the shank inner link are rotatably coupled to each other configured on the inner side of the knee joint of the user, and the outer unit and the inner unit are configured in such a way that the shank outer link moves away from the thigh outer link in a longitudinal direction of the shank outer link and the shank outer link is drawn forward in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the shank outer link relative to the thigh outer link, and the shank inner link moves away from the thigh inner link in the longitudinal direction of the shank inner link and the shank inner link is drawn forward in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the shank inner link relative to the thigh inner link as the knee joint of the user is extended.