Verfahren zur Steuerung der Kniebremse eines Prothesen-Kniegelenkes sowie Oberschenkelprothese

A process is disclosed for controlling the knee brake (11) of a knee joint (4) that joins a stump bed (1) to a prosthesis lower part (2) provided with a foot prosthesis (3). The computer-controlled braking moment is continuously variable between "free" and "blocked" depending on the walking movements of the prosthesis user. The walking movements are characterised by EMG values measured in the stump bed (1), by pressure values measured in the foot area, by the momentary knee angle and by the momentary angular speed between thigh prosthesis and lower leg prosthesis in the form of electric signals (hereafter "measurement data "). Also disclosed is a thigh prosthesis. In order to better adapt the knee brake control to various natural walking types, the following steps are disclosed: (a) the momentary walking type among a plurality of predetermined walking types for each prosthesis user is determined by evaluating at least some of the measurement data; (b) the control programme associated with the detected walking type is selected; (c) for each control program, the period of a step defined as a time span between two successive contacts between heel and ground is subdivided into several phases whose respective end is determined by means of predetermined measurement data for each phase; (d) defined, possibly variable braking values for the knee brake are determined for each phase.