Knee joint simulator for assessing prostheses - has motor-driven system of links and cranks with load monitoring

摘要

The joint simulator contains a holder for the femur and another for the tibia section of the prosthetic knee joint and a motorised drive to generate bending movement between the parts. Load cells measure the loading under movement. A linkage has two cranks driven in the ratio 1:2. These are coupled to connecting rods to an intermediate link. One end of this link is connected to a sliding block mechanism and the other end is connected to the first linkage. The centre of the intermediate link is coupled via a connecting rod to . This transmits the flexing movement to the prosthesis holder containing the femur section.