Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho

Hyogo-ken Shakaifukushijigyodan

Hyogo Prefectual Social Welfare Corporation

Shigeru Yuki

Shiro Horiguchi

Seishi Sawamura

Kunio Amemori

Hidehisa Oku

Akio Nakagawa

Ichiro Kitayama

Sakuya Nakajima

Katsuhiko Yoshida

Masaru Takeda

Toshio Nakane

Hiromu Matsuda

Shigeto Adachi

Kashiro Ureshino

Yoichi Inoue

Yoshinori Kurokawa

Hirohiko Fukumoto

Kazuhiko Sakiyama

Takayuki Sato

Mikio Yuki

Yoshihisa Araki

Toshihiro Hamada

An apparatus for heating a rubber-metal plate composite formed of a plurality of unvulcanized rubber layers and metal plates, each being overlaid alternately, by induction heating, includes an induction coil for applying a magnetic field to the composite and heating the metal plates due to eddy currents generated by the magnetic field, a power unit for applying an alternating current to the induction coil to generate the magnetic field, and a mold to confine the periphery of the composite. The mold is made of a nonmagnetic or weakly magnetic material with electrical conductivity, such as austenitic stainless steel. The mold generates enough heat to function as the heating unit by generating eddy currents in the conductive mold while magnetic flux permeates the mold substantially without loss and reaches the composite therein.

Apparatus for manufacturing a rubber-metal plate composite

A vulcanized rubber-metal plate composite is obtained by overlaying a plurality of unvulcanized rubber layers and metal plates alternately and heating thereof by magnetic induction heating. The vulcanized rubber-metal plate composite is obtained by placing a composite of a plurality of unvulcanized rubber layers and metal plates, each being overlaid alternately, into a place affected by an induction coil; heating the metal plates due to eddy currents formed in the metal plates by applying an alternating current to the induction coil; and vulcanizing the unvulcanized rubber layers due to heat conduction from the heated metal plates.

The present invention is intended to provide a teaching playback swing-phase-controlled above knee prosthesis which enables an external data setting to set the mechanism of the teaching playback swing-phase-controlled above knee prosthesis for conditions that enable the mechanism to operate for motions according to a walking speed. The teaching playback swing-phase-controlled above knee prosthesis includes a structural body having a thigh frame and a leg frame pivotally joined to the thigh frame for swing motion relative to the thigh frame, an air cylinder having a cylinder body, a piston axially slidably fitted in the cylinder body and provided with a valve, and a piston rod having one end fixed to the piston and the other end pivotally joined to the thigh frame, and a stepping motor for adjusting the opening of the valve of the cylinder. The opening of the valve of the cylinder is adjusted by the stepping motor to regulate sliding speed of the piston by adjusting the resistance against the flow of air through the valve so that the leg frame is able to swing relative to the thigh frame properly according to a predetermined walking speed. Data concerning the opening of the valve is taught to the teaching playback swing-phase-controlled above knee prosthesis by signals sent out by an external data setting device.

Teaching playback swing-phase-controlled above knee prosthesis

A teaching playback swing-phase-controlled above-knee prosthesis comprises a thigh frame, a leg frame, an air cylinder interconnecting the thigh and leg frames and provided with adjusting means for adjusting the degree of opening the valve of the air cylinder to a plurality of degrees respectively for a plurality of walking speeds selected during trial walking, a mode selecting switch having positions respectively for setting degrees of opening of the valve of the air cylinder in a teaching mode and for a playback mode in which one of the degrees of opening is selected according to an actual walking speed, an opening detector for detecting the degree of opening of the valve of the air cylinder, an opening storage device for storing a plurality of set degrees of opening of the valve of the air cylinder, a phase detector for detecting swing phases and stance phases, walking speed detector for detecting an actual walking speed, and control unit for adjusting the degree of opening of the valve of the air cylinder to one of the set degrees of opening corresponding to the actual walking speed. The teaching playback swing-phase-controlled above-knee prosthesis is capable of automatically controlling the speed of swing motion of the leg frame according to the actual walking speed of the prosthesis wearer.

Teaching playback swing-phase controlled above-knee prosthesis

A teaching playback swing-phase-controlled above-knee prosthesis comprises a thigh frame, a leg frame, an air cylinder interconnecting the thigh and leg frames and provided with adjusting means for adjusting the degree of opening the valve of the air cylinder to a plurality of degrees respectively for a plurality of walking speeds selected during trial walking, a mode selecting switch having positions respectively for setting degrees of opening of the valve of the air cylinder in a teaching mode and for a playback mode in which one of the degrees of opening is selected according to an actual walking speed, an opening detector for detecting the degree of opening of the valve of the air cylinder, an opening storage device for storing a plurality of set degreess of opening of the valve of the air cylinder, a phase detector for detecing swing phases and stance phases, walking speed detector for detecting an actual walking speed, and control unit for adjusting the degree of opening of the valve of the air cylinder to one of the set degrees of opening corresponding to the actual walking speed. The teaching playback swing-phase-controlled-above-knee prothesis is capable of automatically controlling the speed of swing motion of the leg frame according to the actual walking speed of the prosthesis wearer.

Teaching playback swing-phase-controlled above-knee prosthesis

A teaching playback swing-phase-controlled above-knee prosthesis comprises a thigh frame, a leg frame an air cylinder interconnecting the thigh and leg frames and provided with adjusting means for adjusting the degree of opening the valve of the air cylinder to a plurality of degrees respectively for a plurality of walking speeds selected during trial walking, a gait selecting switch having positions respectively for setting degrees of opening of the valve of the air cylinder in a teaching mode and for playback mode in which one of the degrees of opening is selected according to an actual walking speed, an opening detector for detecting the degree of opening of the valve of the air cylinder, an opening storage device for storing a plurality of set degrees of opening of the valve of the air cylinder, a phase detector for detecting swing phases and stance phases, walking speed detector for detecting an acutal walking speed, and control unit for adjusting the degree of opening of the valve of the air cylinder in one of the set degrees of opening corresponding to the actual walking speed. The teaching playback swing-phase-controlled above-knee prosthesis is capable of automatically controlling the speed of swing motion of the leg frame according to the actual walking speed of the prosthesis wearer.

A teaching playback swing-phase-controlled above-knee prosthesis has a thigh frame, a leg frame, an air cylinder interconnecting the thigh and leg frames and provided with adjusting means for adjusting the degree of opening the valve of the air cylinder to a plurality of degrees respectively for a plurality of walking speeds selected during trial walking. A mode selecting switch has positions respectively for setting degrees of opening of the valve of the air cylinder in a teaching mode and for a playback mode in which one of the degrees of opening is selected according to an actual walking speed. An opening detector detects the degree of opening of the valve of the air cylinder. An opening storage device for stores a plurality of set degrees of opening of the valve of the air cylinder. A phase detector detects swing phases and stance phases, walking speed detector determines an actual walking speed, and control unit adjusts the degree of opening of the valve of the air cylinder to one of the set degrees of opening corresponding to the actual walking speed. The teaching playback swing-phase-controlled above-knee prosthesis is capable of automatically controlling the speed of swing motion of the leg frame according to the actual walking speed of the prosthesis wearer.

Growing community of inventors

Nishinomiya, Japan

Shigeru Yuki