Lightweight shock-absorbing popcorn sole and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lightweight shock-absorbing popcorn sole, comprising a sole body formed by combining expanded thermoplastic particles, and also comprising a tubular support embedded in the sole body, wherein the outer wall of the tubular support is fixed in the sole body, and the inner cavity of the tubular support runs through from the inner side of the sole body to the outer side. After adopting the technical solution of the present invention, by arranging the tubular support in the popcorn sole, the supporting performance of the sole body can be improved while retaining the performance of the traditional popcorn sole. The inner cavity of the tubular support runs through from the inner side of the sole body to the outer side, and a shock-absorbing hole structure is formed in the sole body, which can reduce the weight of the sole body on the one hand, and can also provide a certain shock-absorbing space on the other hand, thereby improving the shock-absorbing performance of the sole body. The present invention also proposes a method for making the sole, which has the advantages of simple processing technology and convenient processing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a lightweight shock-absorbing popcorn sole and a manufacturing method thereof, belonging to the technical field of shoe materials. Background Art

[0002] In the field of shoe materials, popcorn soles refer to soles processed with expanded thermoplastic particles (mostly expanded thermoplastic polyurethane, ETPU, also called expanded TPU in the industry). Popcorn soles have many advantages such as soft texture, good elasticity, good cushioning performance, low energy loss under pressure, good durability, and good thermal insulation performance. Its surface presents a granular appearance texture, which is favored by many consumers. Although popcorn soles have the advantages of softness and good elasticity, their support performance is insufficient. In order to improve its support performance, the practice of the prior art is generally to set a reinforcement component on the side of the popcorn sole. For example, the applicant disclosed in the Chinese patent with authorization announcement number CN 210054768 U and the name "A shoe that can improve the wrapping degree" that a reinforcement strip is set on the popcorn midsole to improve the support performance of the popcorn midsole. However, the repeated deformation and bending of the midsole easily cause the reinforcement strip to fall off, affecting the support performance. In addition, the shock absorption performance of this sole needs to be further improved, and the weight needs to be further reduced.

[0003] In view of this, the inventor of this case conducted in-depth research on the above-mentioned issues, which led to the emergence of this case. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a popcorn sole which is light, has better support and good shock-absorbing effect, and has the advantages of simple process and convenient processing.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts such technical solution:

[0006] A lightweight shock-absorbing popcorn sole comprises a sole body formed by combining expanded thermoplastic particles, wherein the position of the sole body corresponding to the heel of a human body is set as the heel portion, the position of the sole body corresponding to the front of the sole of a human body is set as the forefoot portion, the position of the sole body corresponding to the arch of a human body is set as the arch portion, the position of the sole body corresponding to the inner side of the instep is the inner side, and the position of the sole body corresponding to the outer side of the instep is the outer side, and also comprises a tubular support member embedded in the sole body, the outer wall of the tubular support member is fixed in the sole body, and the inner cavity of the tubular support member passes through from the inner side of the sole body to the outer side.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there are multiple cylindrical support members, and the multiple cylindrical support members are arranged along the front-rear direction of the sole body.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, adjacent tubular support members are connected together by connecting strips, and a plurality of tubular support members and the connecting strips form a support area corresponding to the contour of the sole body.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support area forms an upwardly arched support portion corresponding to the arch portion.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, adjacent cylindrical support members are connected by a plurality of connecting strips, and the plurality of connecting strips are arranged from the inner side to the outer side of the sole body.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cylindrical support member includes an upper support plate portion, a lower support plate portion, and a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion connecting the upper support plate portion and the lower support plate portion.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the upper support plate and the lower support plate are both provided with through holes, which are connected with the inner cavity of the cylindrical support member.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the two ends of the cylindrical support member in the axial direction are provided with a first limiting portion and a second limiting portion for limiting the axial movement of the cylindrical support member.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hardness of the cylindrical support member is greater than the hardness of the sole body.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lower surface of the sole body is further compounded with a rubber outsole.

[0016] The present invention also proposes a method for making a lightweight, shock-absorbing popcorn sole. The method for making the lightweight, shock-absorbing popcorn sole is to use a new type of sole molding mold for processing. The sole molding mold includes a mold body, and the mold body includes a first template and a second template that cooperate with each other. A molding chamber is formed between the first template and the second template. The mold also includes a hanger for hanging a cylindrical support member. The hanger includes a base plate and a hanging rod arranged on the base plate. A guide hole is provided on the mold body. The guide hole passes through the outer wall of the mold body to the molding chamber. The hanging rod is arranged corresponding to the guide hole in a manner that it can be extended into or out of the molding chamber. Before molding, the cylindrical support member is placed in the molding chamber and is sleeved on the hanging rod. Expanded thermoplastic particles are fed into the molding chamber. The temperature and pressure of the mold are controlled so that the expanded thermoplastic particles are bonded together and the cylindrical support member is embedded.

[0017] After adopting the technical solution of the present invention, by arranging a cylindrical support piece in the popcorn sole, the support performance of the sole body can be improved while retaining the performance of the traditional popcorn sole. The inner cavity of the cylindrical support piece runs through from the inner side to the outer side of the sole body, and a shock absorbing hole structure is formed in the sole body. On the one hand, the weight of the sole body can be reduced, and on the other hand, a certain shock absorbing space can be provided to improve the shock absorbing performance of the sole body. The manufacturing method of the present invention is adopted, and the cylindrical support piece is positioned by arranging a movable hanger in the mold. After the sole is formed, the hanger is pulled out of the cylindrical support piece, which has the advantages of simple processing technology and convenient processing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a top view of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the coordination structure of multiple cylindrical support members in the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the forming mold in the present invention.

[0022] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the forming mold in the present invention.

[0023] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the first mold core, the first mold frame, the second mold core, the second mold frame, the first hanger and the second hanger in the present invention.

[0024] In the figure:

[0025] Sole body 10 Forefoot portion 101

[0026] Arch 102 Heel 103

[0027] Inside 104 Outside 105

[0028] Outsole 20 Tubular support 30

[0029] Upper support plate portion 31 Lower support plate portion 32

[0030] First connection portion 33 Second connection portion 34

[0031] The first limiting portion 36 and the second limiting portion 37

[0032] Arched support portion 38 Through hole 39

[0033] Connecting strip 40

[0034] First mounting plate 51 First mold frame 52

[0035] First guide hole 521 Second guide hole 522

[0036] First mold core 53 Second mounting plate 61

[0037] Second mold frame 62 Second mold core 63

[0038] The first limiting plate 64 The first limiting groove seat 621

[0039] The second limiting groove seat 622

[0040] First hanger 70 First substrate 71

[0041] First hanging rod 72 Second hanging tool 80

[0042] Second base plate 81 Second hanging rod 82

[0043] Molding chamber 90 Material opening 91 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] In order to further explain the technical solution of the present invention, it is described in detail below in conjunction with embodiments.

[0045] Reference Figures 1 to 6 A light and shock-absorbing popcorn sole comprises a sole body 10 formed by combining expanded thermoplastic particles, the expanded thermoplastic particles are a well-known sole material, for example, ETPU material can be used, the position of the sole body 10 corresponding to the heel of the human body is set as the heel part 103, the position of the sole body 10 corresponding to the front part of the sole of the human body is set as the forefoot part 101, the position of the sole body 10 corresponding to the arch of the human body is set as the arch part 102, the position of the sole body 10 corresponding to the inner side of the instep is the inner side 104, and the position of the sole body 10 corresponding to the outer side of the instep is the outer side 105. The present invention also includes a cylindrical support member 30 embedded in the sole body 10, in an embodiment, the cylindrical support member 30 is flat, the outer wall of the cylindrical support member 30 is fixed in the sole body 10, the inner cavity of the cylindrical support member 30 runs through from the inner side 104 of the sole body 10 to the outer side 105, and the inner cavity of the cylindrical support member 30 forms a shock-absorbing space.

[0046] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there are multiple cylindrical support members 30, and the multiple cylindrical support members 30 are arranged along the front and rear directions of the sole body 10. In the embodiment, there are a total of 6 cylindrical support members 30, 2 of which are arranged at positions corresponding to the forefoot portion 101, 3 are arranged at positions corresponding to the arch portion 102, and 1 is arranged at a position corresponding to the heel portion 103.

[0047] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, adjacent tubular support members 30 are connected together by connecting strips 40, and multiple tubular support members 30 and connecting strips 40 form a support area corresponding to the contour of the sole body 10, and the support area forms a whole, extending from the heel portion 103 to the forefoot portion 101.

[0048] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support area forms an arched support portion 38 that arches upwards corresponding to the arch portion 102, thereby providing effective support and protection for the arch.

[0049] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, adjacent cylindrical support members 30 are connected by a plurality of connecting strips 40, and hollow spaces are formed between adjacent connecting strips 40. The plurality of connecting strips 40 are arranged from the inner side 104 to the outer side 105 of the sole body 10. In the embodiment, three connecting strips 40 are shown. When the sole body 10 is bent, since the material at the connecting strips 40 is relatively small, the connecting strips 40 can bend with the sole body 10, thereby improving the flexibility of the sole.

[0050] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cylindrical support member 30 includes an upper support plate portion 31, a lower support plate portion 32, and a first connecting portion 33 and a second connecting portion 34 connecting the upper support plate portion 31 and the lower support plate portion 32. The upper support plate portion 31 and the lower support plate portion 32 can adopt arc panels.

[0051] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, through holes 39 are evenly distributed on the upper support plate portion 31 and the lower support plate, and the through holes 39 are connected to the inner cavity of the cylindrical support member 30. The provision of the through holes 39 can make the cylindrical support member 30 easier to deform.

[0052] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cylindrical support member 30 is provided with a first limit portion 36 and a second limit portion 37 at both ends along the axial direction for limiting the axial movement of the cylindrical support member 30. The first limit portion 36 and the second limit portion 37 can further limit the axial movement of the cylindrical support member 30, so that the installation of the cylindrical support member 30 is more stable.

[0053] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hardness of the cylindrical support member 30 is greater than the hardness of the sole body 10 , and the hardness of the cylindrical support member 30 may be, for example, Shore hardness 75A to 95A, and the material may be, for example, TPU.

[0054] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lower surface of the sole body 10 is further compounded with a rubber outsole 20 to improve the wear resistance of the sole.

[0055] The present invention also proposes a new type of sole molding mold, which can mold the above-mentioned sole, the sole molding mold includes a mold body, the mold body includes a first template and a second template that cooperate with each other, a molding cavity 90 is formed between the first template and the second template, and also includes a hanger for hanging the cylindrical support member 30, the hanger includes a base plate and a hanging rod arranged on the base plate, a guide hole is provided on the mold body, the guide hole passes through the outer wall of the mold body to the molding cavity 90, and the hanging rod corresponds to the guide hole in a manner that it can be extended into or extended out of the molding cavity 90 It is arranged that before molding, the cylindrical support member 30 is located in the molding chamber 90 and is mounted on the hanging rod, and the cylindrical support member 30 is positioned by the hanging rod. During molding, the expanded thermoplastic particles are placed in the molding chamber 90, and the processing temperature and pressure of the traditional popcorn sole are adopted to make the expanded thermoplastic particles bond together. The expanded thermoplastic particles bury the outer wall of the cylindrical support member 30 to form the sole. In an embodiment of the present invention, the shape of the hanging rod corresponds to the shape of the cylindrical support member 30. During molding, the expanded thermoplastic particles will not enter the inner wall of the cylindrical support member 30.

[0056] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the direction from the forefoot to the heel of the sole formed by the mold body is the length direction of the mold body, the guide hole extends along the width direction of the mold body (i.e., the inner and outer sides of the sole body), and there are multiple hanging rods, which are arranged along the length direction of the substrate.

[0057] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of the hanging rods are arranged in a wave shape.

[0058] The present invention can use one hanger. As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hanger uses two hangers, the hanger includes a first hanger 70 and a second hanger 80, the guide hole includes a first guide hole 521 and a second guide hole 522, the first guide hole 521 and the second guide hole 522 are respectively arranged on both sides of the molding chamber 90, the first hanger 70 includes a first base plate 71 and a first hanging rod 72, the first hanging rod 72 is arranged corresponding to the first guide hole 521, and the second hanger 80 includes a second base plate 81 and a second hanging rod 82, the second hanging rod 82 is arranged corresponding to the second guide hole 522. In the present invention, a cylindrical support member 30 is supported by the first hanging rod 72 and the second hanging rod 82 to achieve the positioning of the two ends of the cylindrical support member.

[0059] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first template includes a first mounting plate 51, a first mold frame 52 arranged on the first mounting plate 51, and a first mold core 53 arranged in the first mold frame 52, and the second template includes a second mounting plate 61, a second mold frame 62 arranged on the second mounting plate 61, and a second mold core 63 arranged in the second mold frame 62. The first mold frame 52, the first mold core 53, the second mold frame 62, and the second mold core 63 surround the molding chamber 90, and the molding chamber 90 corresponds to the shape of the sole. In the present invention, the material port 91 is arranged on the second mold core 63 and passes through the molding chamber 90, and the molding chamber 90 is adapted to the shape of the sole body. The first template and the second template can be connected to a corresponding driving mechanism (for example, a cylinder) to achieve mold opening and mold closing.

[0060] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first guide hole 521 and the second guide hole 522 are arranged on the first mold frame 52 .

[0061] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first mold frame 52 is provided with a first limiting groove seat 621 for limiting the movement of the first substrate 71 along the length direction of the mold body, and the second mold frame 62 is provided with a second limiting groove seat 622 for limiting the movement of the second substrate 81 along the length direction of the mold body.

[0062] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second mounting plate 61 is provided with a first limiting plate 64 for limiting the movement of the first substrate 71 in the width direction of the mold body and a second limiting plate (blocked in the figure, not shown) for limiting the movement of the second substrate 81 in the width direction of the mold body. The first limiting plate 64 and the second limiting plate both move toward the direction of the first substrate 71. After the mold is closed, the first limiting groove seat 621 and the first limiting plate 64 limit the movement of the first substrate 71 in the width direction of the mold body, and the second limiting groove seat 622 limits the movement of the second substrate 81 in the width direction of the mold body, thereby ensuring that the cylindrical support member 30 will not be displaced during the molding process.

[0063] The product form of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments of this case. Any appropriate changes or modifications made by anyone with similar ideas should be deemed to be within the patent scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A light-weight shock-absorbing popcorn sole, comprising a sole body formed by combining expanded thermoplastic particles, wherein the position of the sole body corresponding to the heel of a human body is set as the heel part, the position of the sole body corresponding to the front part of the sole of a human body is set as the forefoot part, the position of the sole body corresponding to the arch of a human body is set as the arch part, the position of the sole body corresponding to the inner side of the instep is the inner side, and the position of the sole body corresponding to the outer side of the instep is the outer side, characterized in that: It also includes a tubular support embedded in the sole body, the outer wall of the tubular support is fixed in the sole body, the inner cavity of the tubular support runs from the inner side to the outer side of the sole body, and the hardness of the tubular support is greater than the hardness of the sole body.

2. The lightweight shock-absorbing popcorn sole according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple cylindrical support members, and the multiple cylindrical support members are arranged along the front-back direction of the sole body.

3. A lightweight shock-absorbing popcorn sole as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: Adjacent tubular support members are connected together by connecting strips, and a plurality of tubular support members and the connecting strips form a supporting area corresponding to the contour of the sole body.

4. The lightweight shock-absorbing popcorn sole according to claim 3, characterized in that: The support area forms an arched support portion that arches upward corresponding to the arch portion.

5. The lightweight shock-absorbing popcorn sole according to claim 4, characterized in that: Adjacent cylindrical support members are connected by a plurality of connecting strips, and the plurality of connecting strips are arranged along the inner side to the outer side of the sole body.

6. A light-weight shock-absorbing popcorn sole as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: The cylindrical support member includes an upper support plate portion, a lower support plate portion, and a first connection portion and a second connection portion connecting the upper support plate portion and the lower support plate portion.

7. A light weight shock absorbing popcorn sole as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: The upper support plate portion and the lower support plate portion are both provided with through holes, which are communicated with the inner cavity of the cylindrical support member.

8. The lightweight shock-absorbing popcorn sole according to claim 7, characterized in that: The two ends of the cylindrical support member in the axial direction are provided with a first limiting portion and a second limiting portion for limiting the axial movement of the cylindrical support member.

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