Intelligent Electronic Footwear and Control Logic for Automated Pedestrian Collision Avoidance

Abstract

To provide intelligent electronic footwear with an automated structure, a method for making / using such footwear, and an automated control system for the same.SOLUTION: An intelligent electronic shoe includes an upper and a sole structure attached to the upper. A collision threat warning system, a detection tag, a wireless communications device, and a footwear controller are all mounted to the sole structure / upper. The detection tag receives a prompt signal from a transmitter-detector module and transmits a response signal to the transmitter-detector module. The footwear controller receives, through the wireless communications device, a pedestrian collision warning signal generated by a remote computing node responsive to the response signal. The footwear controller transmits a command signal to the collision threat warning system to generate visible alert, audible alert and / or tactile alert warning the user of an impending collision with a vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (Reference to Related Applications) This application is an international (PCT) application of U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 220,410, which is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 114,646, filed on December 14, 2018. U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 114,646 was filed on August 28, 2018, and is U.S. Patent No. 10,172,409B1, and claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 678,796, filed on May 31, 2018.

[0002] (Technical Field) The present disclosure generally relates to wearable electronic devices. More specifically, aspects of this disclosure relate to systems, methods, and devices for enabling automated configurations of intelligent electronic footwear and clothing.

Background Art

[0003] Footwear products, such as shoes, boots, slippers, sandals, and equivalents, generally consist of two main elements: an upper for securing the footwear to the user's foot and a sole structure for providing support to form a base for the foot. The upper may be made of various materials, including fabrics, foams, polymers, natural leathers, and synthetic leathers, which are sewn or adhesively bonded together to form a shell or harness to safely receive the foot. In the case of sandals and slippers, the upper may have an open toe or heel structure or may generally be limited to a series of straps that extend over the instep of the foot and, in some designs, around the ankle. Conversely, the designs of boots and shoes incorporate a full upper with a closed toe or heel structure and an ankle opening through a rear quarter portion that provides access to the interior of the footwear to facilitate entry of the foot into the upper and removal of the foot from the upper. Shoelaces or straps may be used to secure the foot within the upper.

[0004] The sole structure is generally attached to the lower portion of the upper and positioned between the user's foot and the ground. In many footwear products, including sports shoes, the sole structure is generally a layered structure that incorporates an insole for enhancing comfort, a midsole for shock absorption, and an outsole that contacts the surface. The insole, which may be partially or entirely disposed within the upper, is a thin and compressible member that provides a contact surface for the underside of the user's foot. In contrast, the midsole is attached under the insole to form the middle layer of the sole structure. In addition to attenuating the ground reaction force, the midsole may help control the movement of the foot and provide stability. Fixed to the lower surface of the midsole is the outsole, which forms the ground contact portion of the footwear and is typically made of a durable and wear-resistant material that includes a configuration for improving traction.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] Disclosed herein are intelligent electronic footwear with associated control logic to enable automated footwear capabilities, methods for manufacturing and using such footwear, and a control system for providing an automated configuration of intelligent electronic footwear. As an example, an IoAAF (Adaptive Apparel and Footwear) system is presented that wirelessly communicates with an IES to provide communication between an intelligent electronic shoe (IES) and a vehicle, i.e., footwear-vehicle (F2V) communication, or communication between an IES and an intelligent transportation system, i.e., footwear-infrastructure (F2I) communication. In a representative implementation, the IES includes a detection tag, such as a radio frequency (RF) transponder, that receives an incoming prompt signal. The prompt signal may be broadcast by a transmitter-detector module attached to a stationary structure such as a building, utility pole, traffic signal pole, or a moving structure such as an SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Level 3, 4, or 5 autonomous vehicle. The IES detection tag may respond to the incoming signal having RF power at a first frequency by retransmitting the incoming signal as a transparent output signal having, for example, RF power at a second frequency. The transponder may include a frequency filter that limits the incoming signal to one having a first frequency, a frequency converter that converts the incoming signal to a transparent output signal, and an amplifier that amplifies the output signal based on the incoming signal. Using an RF transmitter-detector module attached to a vehicle or a structure to sweep an opposing area or a surrounding area for a response signal output by the IES transponder facilitates pedestrian collision avoidance by providing a pre-warning prior to visual recognition.

[0006] By placing detection tags on IESs and automating the communication between the IES detection tags and complementary transmitter-detectors attached to vehicles, street poles, etc., the networked IoAAF system enables connected parties to "see ahead" impending collisions by eliminating the need for direct line-of-sight detection and provides "awareness" that will soon occur before the IES approaches a vehicle. In practice, the IoAAF system architecture helps to eliminate false negatives caused by standard sensor hardware that cannot effectively monitor pedestrians hidden behind blind spots or other visual obstructions. Collision avoidance can be further enhanced by automating audible, visual, and / or tactile warnings to pedestrians via the IES, or by changing the pedestrian flow through modulation of crosswalk signal timing. In addition to enabling pedestrian safety awareness, the disclosed IoAAF system can be utilized in manufacturing facilities, for example, to prevent robot-mediated injuries to assembly line workers, and can be utilized in storage facilities, for example, to prevent collisions between workers and forklifts or automated guided vehicles (AGVs), or can be utilized at road construction sites, for example, to protect construction workers from passing vehicles.

[0007] For F2V and F2I applications, the IoAAF system can automate communication with smart footwear / clothing to perform pedestrian collision threat assessments based on a myriad of available data. For example, the F2I system can aggregate, fuse, and analyze IES-generated user dynamics data (e.g., location, speed, trajectory, acceleration / deceleration, etc.), user behavior data (e.g., historical behavior at specific corners of intersections, historical behavior at general intersections, historical behavior in current ambient conditions, etc.), environmental data (e.g., red-light intersections vs. green-light intersections, residential settings vs. urban design, inclement weather conditions vs. optimal driving conditions, etc.), and cloud-sourced data (the mechanics and behavior of other pedestrians near IES users wearing intelligent footwear / apparel) to perform a line-of-sight pedestrian collision threat assessment between moving objects and IES users. Interoperable component communication is typically wireless and two-way, and data is fed to and from infrastructure components through an ad hoc network, for example, using dedicated short-range communication (DSRC). The traffic management supervision system can use IES, infrastructure, and vehicle data to set variable speed limits and adjust traffic signal phases and timings.

[0008] To enable wireless communication between the IES and the remote computing node, the IES may piggyback on a communication session established by the user's smartphone, handheld computing device, or other portable electronic device having wireless communication capabilities. Alternatively, the IES may operate as a stand-alone device comprising a resident wireless communication device packaged within the shoe structure. Other peripheral hardware may include a resident controller, shortwave antenna, rechargeable battery, resident memory, SIM card, etc., all of which are housed inside the shoe structure. The IES may comprise a human-machine interface (HMI) that enables the user to interact with the footwear and / or the IoAAF system. For example, one or more electroactive polymer (EAP) sensors may be woven into a patch or formed as such a patch attached on the shoe structure and operable to receive user input that enables the user to control the mode of operation of the IES. Similarly, any of the attendant operations to execute the automated footwear configuration may be executed locally via the IES controller or off-boarded in a distributed computing fashion for execution by a smartphone, handheld computing device, IoAAF system, or any combination thereof.

[0009] As a further option, execution of any one or more desired footwear configurations may first require user security authentication via the IES controller and / or the IoAAF system server computer. For example, an array of sensors distributed within the shoe structure communicates with the IES controller to confirm the user's weight (e.g., via a pressure sensor), the shoe size (e.g., via Electronic Adaptive Response Linking (EARL)), the heel-toe fingerprint (e.g., via an optical fingerprint sensor), and the walking profile, or perform biometric verification such as other suitable methods. As an extension of this concept, any of the aforementioned sensing devices may be utilized as a binary (on / off) switch to confirm that the IES is actually on the user's foot when attempting to execute an automated configuration.

[0010] Providing wireless data exchange to facilitate the execution of an automated configuration may require that the IES be registered with the IoAAF system. For example, a user may record the IES serial number in the IoAAF system, which may then issue a verification key to a personal account, such as a “digital locker” operating on the user's smartphone, tablet, PC, or laptop, to provide additional authentication. Registration may be completed manually, e.g., via the user, or digitally, e.g., via a barcode or near-field communication tag on the shoe. A unique virtual shoe may be assigned to the IES and stored in the digital locker, and each virtual shoe may be supported by blockchain security technology designed to guarantee uniqueness and authenticity, such as a cryptographic hash function, a reliable timestamp, and correlated transaction data. Although described in relation to footwear products as a representative use for the novel concepts presented herein, many of the disclosed options and configurations are envisioned to apply to other wearable clothing, including clothing, headgear, eyewear, wristwear, neckwear, legwear, and the like. It is also envisioned that the disclosed configuration may be implemented as part of an augmented reality (AR) device or system that is operable to superimpose data, notifications, and other perspective displays to perform any of the techniques and options presented above and below.

[0011] Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a networked control system and associated logic for implementing an automated footwear configuration. For example, an intelligent electronic shoe system is provided that includes an upper configured to attach to a user's foot and a sole structure attached to the upper and supporting the user's foot thereon. The sole structure includes an outsole that defines the ground engagement surface of the bottommost portion of the footwear. The IES system also includes a collision threat warning system, a detection tag, and a wireless communication device, all of which are attached to the sole structure and / or the upper. The collision threat warning system generates a visual output, an audible output, and / or a tactile output in response to an electronic command signal. The detection tag receives one or more prompt signals from a transmitter-detector module and transmits one or more response signals to the transmitter-detector module in response to the received prompt signals. A footwear controller, which may be resident on the footwear or alternatively remote from the footwear, is programmed to receive, via the wireless communication device, a pedestrian collision warning signal generated in response to a response signal of the IES detection tag from a remote computing node. In response to the received pedestrian collision warning signal, the footwear controller automatically transmits one or more command signals to the collision threat warning system to generate a predetermined visual alarm, audible alarm, and / or tactile alarm designed to warn the user of an impending collision with a vehicle.

[0012] Additional aspects of the disclosure are directed to methods for manufacturing and using any of the disclosed systems and devices. In one example, a method of operating intelligent electronic shoes is presented. This exemplary method, in any order and in any combination with any of the configurations and options of the disclosure above or below, includes receiving a prompt signal from a transmitter-detector module via a detection tag attached to the sole structure and / or upper of the IES; transmitting a response signal to the transmitter-detector module via the detection tag in response to receiving the prompt signal; receiving, via a wireless communication device, both attached to the sole structure and / or upper, a pedestrian collision warning signal generated by a remote computing node in response to the response signal of the detection tag via a resident footwear controller; and transmitting a command signal to a collision threat warning system attached to the sole structure and / or upper via the resident footwear controller in response to the received pedestrian collision warning signal to generate a predetermined visual warning, audible warning, and / or tactile warning configured to warn the user of an impending collision with a vehicle.

[0013] For any of the disclosed systems, methods, and devices, the detection tag may include an RF transponder attached to the sole structure and / or upper. In this case, the prompt signal has a first RF power with a first frequency, while the response signal has a second RF power with a second frequency distinct from the first frequency. For RF transponder applications, the prompt signal may include an embedded data set, and the detection tag transmits the embedded data set back to the transmitter-detector module within the response signal. The RF transponder may include an RF antenna connected to a frequency filter. In this case, the frequency filter is configured to reject signals having an RF power with a first frequency distinct from the first frequency. In at least some alternative configurations, the detection tag includes an EAP sensor including a dielectric EAP element attached to the sole structure and / or upper. In this case, the prompt signal is an electric field that induces a physical state change in the dielectric EAP element, and the response signal is generated by the user reversing the physical state change of the dielectric EAP element.

[0014] For any of the disclosed systems, methods, and devices, the footwear controller may be further programmed to transmit user location data and user dynamics data to a remote computing node via a wireless communication device. Subsequently, the remote computing node transmits a pedestrian collision threat value based on the fusion of the user location data and the user dynamics data, and the footwear controller receives it. This pedestrian collision threat value predicts the user's intrusion into the vehicle location and the predicted route of the vehicle. The footwear controller may transmit behavior data of the remote computing node indicating the user's historical behavior. In this case, the pedestrian collision threat value is based on the fusion of the user location data, the user dynamics data, and the behavior data. The calculation of the pedestrian collision threat value may be further based on the fusion of the behavior data, the user location data, the user dynamics data, and cloud source data indicating the behavior of a plurality of individuals in proximity to the user. As a further option, the pedestrian collision threat value may be based on the fusion of the behavior data, the user location data, the user dynamics data, the cloud source data, and environmental data indicating the user's surrounding environment.

[0015] For any of the disclosed systems, methods, and devices, the user may carry a portable electronic device such as a smartphone or a tablet computer. In this case, the wireless communication device may be configured to wirelessly connect to the portable electronic device and thereby wirelessly communicate with the remote computing node. In some applications, the remote computing node is the resident vehicle controller of a vehicle. The footwear controller may be programmed to transmit user location data, user dynamics data, and / or user departure data to the resident vehicle controller via the wireless communication device. For other applications, the remote computing node may be the central control device of an intelligent traffic management system. In this case, the footwear controller may be programmed to transmit user location data, user dynamics data, and / or user behavior data to the central control device via the wireless communication device.

[0016] For any of the disclosed systems, methods, and devices, the collision threat warning system includes a haptic transducer attached to the sole structure and / or upper of the IES. In this example, the command signal causes the haptic transducer to generate a predetermined haptic alert designed to warn the user of an impending collision with a motor vehicle. The collision threat warning system may additionally or alternatively include an audio component attached to the sole structure and / or upper. In this case, the command signal causes the audio component to generate a predetermined audible alert configured to warn the user of the impending collision. Optionally, the collision threat warning system may include an illumination element attached to the sole structure and / or upper. The command signal causes the illumination element to generate a predetermined visual alert to warn the user of the impending collision with the motor vehicle.

[0017] For any of the disclosed systems, methods, and devices, the IES may include a pressure sensor attached to the sole structure and configured to detect the presence of a foot within the upper. In this example, the command signal may be transmitted to the collision threat warning system in further response to the detection of the presence of a foot within the upper. The IES may also include a shoelace attached to the upper and a lacing motor attached to the inside of the sole structure. The lacing motor is selectively operable by a footwear controller to transition the shoelace between a tensioned state and a non-tensioned state. The footwear controller may communicate with the lacing motor to determine whether the shoelace is in a tensioned state or a non-tensioned state. In this case, the command signal may be transmitted to the collision threat warning system in further response to the shoelace being in a tensioned state.

[0018] The above summary is not intended to represent every embodiment or aspect of the present disclosure. Rather, the foregoing summary merely provides an exemplification of some of the novel concepts and configurations described herein. The above configurations and advantages, as well as other configurations and attendant advantages of the present disclosure, will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrated examples and representative modes for carrying out the present disclosure when understood in connection with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. Moreover, this disclosure clearly encompasses any and all combinations and sub - combinations of the elements and configurations presented above and below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019]

Figure 1

[0020]

Figure 2

[0021]

Figure 3

[0022]

Figure 4

[0023]

Figure 5

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] This disclosure is subject to various modifications and alternative forms, and some representative embodiments are shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the novel aspects of this disclosure are not limited to the specific forms illustrated in the figures listed above. Rather, this disclosure covers all modifications, equivalents, combinations, sub-combinations, permutations, groupings, and alternatives that fall within the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[0025] This disclosure is susceptible to being affected by many different forms of embodiments. With the understanding that these representative examples are provided as illustrations of the principles of the disclosure rather than as limitations of the broad aspects of the disclosure, representative embodiments of this disclosure are shown in the drawings and described in detail herein. For that purpose, elements and limitations that are described in the summary, technical field, background, summary, and detailed description sections but not explicitly recited in the claims should not be incorporated into the claims, singly or collectively, by implication, inference, or otherwise.

[0026] For the purposes of this detailed description, unless specifically disclaimed, the singular forms include the plural forms and vice versa. The words "and" and "or" are both conjunctive and disjunctive, the words "any" and "all" both mean "any and all", and the words "including", "comprising", and "having" each mean "including without limitation". Moreover, approximating words such as "about", "almost", "substantially", "approximately", and equivalent expressions may be used herein, for example, in the sense of "at, near, or nearly at" or "within 0 - 5% of" or "within acceptable manufacturing tolerances or any logical combination thereof". Finally, directional adjectives and adverbs such as fore, aft, medial, lateral, proximal, distal, vertical, horizontal, front, back, left, right, etc. may be with respect to the footwear product when worn on the user's foot and may be operatively oriented, for example, with respect to the ground engaging portion of the sole structure located on a flat surface.

[0027] Next, referring to the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like components throughout the several views, and in FIG. 1, there is shown a representative article of footwear generally designated by reference numeral 10 and shown herein for purposes of illustration as a sports shoe or “sneaker”. The illustrated footwear 10, which is also referred to herein as an “intelligent electronic shoe” or simply “IES”, is merely an exemplary application in which the novel aspects and configurations of this disclosure may be implemented. In a similar vein, the implementation of this concept for wearable electronic devices worn on a human foot should also be understood as a representative application of the concepts disclosed herein. Accordingly, it will be understood that aspects and configurations of this disclosure may be incorporated into other footwear designs and into any logically related type of wearable electronic device worn on any part of the body. As used herein, the terms “shoe” and “footwear”, including their permutations, may be used interchangeably and synonymously to refer to any related type of covering worn on the foot. Finally, the configurations shown in the drawings are not necessarily to scale and are provided for purely educational purposes. Thus, the specific dimensions and relative dimensions shown in the drawings should not be construed as limiting.

[0028] A representative article of footwear 10 is generally depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 as a two-part structure primarily composed of an upper 12 that receives the foot and is attached over a sole structure 14 that forms a base. For ease of reference, the footwear 10 may be divided, as shown in FIG. 2, into three anatomical regions, namely, a forefoot region R FF , a midfoot region R MF , and a hindfoot (heel) region R HF . The footwear 10 has an outer segment S that is the distal half of the shoe 10 that is farthest from the sagittal plane of the human body along a vertical plane LA(lateral segment) and the medial segment S which is the proximal half of the shoe 10 closest to the sagittal plane of the human body ME may be divided into (medial segment). According to the recognized anatomical classification, the forefoot region R FF is located at the front part of the footwear 10 and generally corresponds to the phalanges (toe tips), the midfoot bones, and their interconnecting joints. There is a midfoot region RMF between the forefoot region R FF and the hindfoot region RHF, and the midfoot region RMF generally corresponds to the cuneiform bones, the navicular bone, and the cuboid bone (i.e., the arch region of the foot). In contrast, the heel region R HF is located at the rear part of the footwear 10 and generally corresponds to the talus and the calcaneus. The lateral segment S LA and the medial segment S ME of the footwear 10 both extend through all three anatomical regions R FF 、R MF 、R HF and each corresponds to the respective transverse side of the footwear 10. Figures 1 and 2 show only a single shoe 10 for the user's left foot, but as shown in Figure 3, a substantially identical mirror image counterpart for the user's right foot may be provided. As can be recognized, the shape, size (dimensions), material composition, and manufacturing method of the shoe 10 may be changed, either individually or collectively, to be practically adapted for any normal or non - normal use.

[0029] Referring again to FIG. 1, the upper 12 is generally defined by three adjacent compartments, namely, a toe box 12A (toe box) that covers and protects the toe (toe), a vamp 12B (vamp) that is located behind the toe box 12A and extends around the lace eyelet 16 and the tongue 18, and a quarter 12C (quarter) that is located behind the vamp 12B and includes the rear and side portions of the rear upper 12 that cover the heel, and is depicted as having a closed toe and heel configuration. The upper 12 portion of the footwear 10 may be manufactured from any one or combination of various materials such as fabric, foam, polymer, natural leather, and synthetic leather that are stitched, adhesively bonded, or welded together to form an internal void for comfortably receiving the foot. The individual material elements of the upper 12 may be selected and arranged with respect to the footwear 10 to impart desired properties such as, for example, durability, air permeability, abrasion resistance, flexibility, and comfort. The ankle opening 15 (ankle opening) in the rear quarter 12C of the upper 12 provides access to the interior of the shoe 10. A shoelace 20, strap, buckle, or other conventional mechanism may be utilized to modify the girth of the upper 12 to more stably hold the foot within the shoe 10 and facilitate entry of the foot into and removal of the foot from the upper 12. The shoelace 20 may be passed through a series of eyelets in the upper 12, and the tongue 18 may extend between the lace 20 and the internal void of the upper 12.

[0030] The sole structure 14 is such that the sole structure 14 and the upper 12 and the support surface on which the user stands (e.g., the sidewalk G shown in FIG. 3) S1) so as to extend therebetween and is rigidly fixed to the upper 12. In practice, the sole structure 14 functions as an intermediate support platform that separates the user's foot from the ground. In addition to attenuating ground reaction forces and cushioning the foot, the sole structures 14 of FIGS. 1 and 2 may provide traction, may provide stability, and may help limit various foot movements such as inadvertent foot inversion or eversion. According to the illustrated example, the sole structure 14 is manufactured as a sandwich structure comprising a topmost insole 22, an intermediate midsole 24, and a bottommost outsole 26. The insole 22 is shown partially disposed within the internal void of the footwear 10 and is firmly fixed to the lower portion of the upper 12 such that the insole 22 is disposed adjacent to the plantar surface of the foot. Below the insole 22 is a midsole 24 that incorporates one or more materials or embedded elements that enhance the comfort, performance, and / or ground reaction force attenuation characteristics of the footwear 10. These elements and materials may include, individually or in any combination, polymeric foam materials such as polyurethane or ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), filler materials, retarders, air-filled bladders, plates, durability elements, or motion control members. The outsole 26, which may not be present in some configurations of the footwear 10, is fixed to the lower surface of the midsole 24. The outsole 26 may be formed from a rubber material that provides a durable and wear-resistant surface for engaging the ground. Additionally, the outsole 26 may be textured to enhance the traction (i.e., friction) between the footwear 10 and the support surface located thereunder.

[0031] Figure 3 is a partially schematic illustration of an exemplary IES data network and communication system, generally designated by reference numeral 30, for providing wireless data exchange to execute one or more automated footwear configurations for a pair of intelligent electronic shoes 10 worn by a user or client 13. Although a single user 13 communicating with a single vehicle 32 through the IES system 30 is illustrated, it is contemplated that any number of users may communicate with any number of vehicles or other remote computing nodes suitably equipped to wirelessly exchange information and data. One or both of the IESs 10 in FIG. 3 are communicatively coupled to a remote host system 34 or a cloud computing system 36 via a wireless communication network 38. Wireless data exchange between the IES 10 and the IES system 30 may be performed directly, in a configuration where the IES 10 is equipped as a stand-alone device, or indirectly, by pairing and piggybacking the IES 10 to a smartphone 40, a smartwatch 42, a wireless fidelity (WiFi) node, or other suitable device. In this regard, the IES 10 may communicate directly with the vehicle 32, for example, via a short-range wireless communication device (e.g., a BLUETOOTH® unit or a near field communication (NFC) transceiver), a dedicated short range communication (DSRC) component, a wireless antenna, etc. Only selected components of the IES 10 and the IES system 30 are shown and are described in detail herein. Nevertheless, the systems and devices discussed herein may include, for example, a number of additional and alternative configurations, as well as other available hardware and well-known peripheral components, for performing the various methods and functions disclosed herein.

[0032] Continuing to refer to FIG. 3, host system 34 may be implemented as a high-speed server computing device or mainframe computer that can handle bulk data processing, resource planning, and transaction processing. For example, host system 34 may operate as a host within a client-server interface to perform any necessary data exchange and communication with one or more "third party" servers to complete a particular transaction. On the other hand, cloud computing system 36 may operate as middleware for IoT (Internet of Things), WoT (Web of Things), IoAAF (Internet of Adaptive Apparel and Footwear), and / or M2M (machine-to-machine) services that connect various heterogeneous electronic devices to a service-oriented architecture (SOA) via a data network. As an example, cloud computing system 36 may be implemented as a middleware node that dynamically mounts heterogeneous devices, multiplexes data from each of these devices, and provides different functions for routing data through reconfigurable processing logic for processing and transfer to one or more destination applications. Network 38 may be any available type of network, including a combination of a public distributed computing network (e.g., the Internet) and a secure private network (e.g., local area network, wide area network, virtual private network). It may include wireless and wired transmission systems (e.g., satellite, cellular network, terrestrial network, etc.). In at least some aspects, most if not all data transaction functions performed by IES10 may be performed through a wireless network, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) or cellular data network, to ensure the freedom of movement of user 11 and IES10.

[0033] The footwear 10 is equipped with various embedded electronic hardware to operate as a hands-free, rechargeable, and intelligent wearable electronic device. The various electronic components of the IES 10 are governed by one or more electronic controller devices, such as a resident footwear controller 44 (FIG. 2) packaged inside the sole structure 14 of the footwear 10. The footwear controller 44 may include any one or various combinations of one or more of a logic circuit, a dedicated control module, an electronic control unit, a processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, or any suitable integrated circuit device of either resident, remote, or a combination of both. As an example, the footwear controller 44 may include multiple microprocessors, including a master processor, a slave processor, and a secondary or parallel processor. The footwear controller 44, as used herein, may include any combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware disposed inside and / or outside the shoe structure of the IES 10 configured to communicate and / or control the transfer of data between the IES 10 and a bus, computer, processor, device, service, and / or network. The footwear controller 44 is generally operable to execute any or all of the various computer program products, software, applications, algorithms, methods, and / or other processes disclosed herein. The routines may be executed in real-time, continuously, systematically, sporadically, and / or at regular intervals, for example, every 100 microseconds, 3.125, 6.25, 12.5, 25, and 100 milliseconds during continuous use or operation of the footwear controller 44.

[0034] The footwear controller 44 may include, or communicate with, a resident or remote memory device, such as a resident footwear memory 46 packaged inside the sole structure 14 of the footwear 10. The resident footwear memory 46 may include semiconductor memory, including volatile memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) or multiple RAMs) and non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM) or EEPROM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory, etc. The long-distance communication capability with a remote network device may be provided via one or more or all of a cellular network chipset / component, satellite service chipset / component, or wireless modem or chipset / component, all of which are collectively represented by reference numeral 48 in FIG. 2. The short-distance wireless connectivity may be provided via a BLUETOOTH (R) transceiver, radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, NFC device, DSRC component, or wireless antenna, all of which are collectively represented by reference numeral 50. A resident power source, such as a lithium-ion battery 52 with plug-in or cable-free (inductive or resonant) rechargeable capabilities, may be embedded within the upper 12 or sole structure 14 of the footwear 10. The wireless communication may be further facilitated through the implementation of a BLUETOOTH (R) Low Energy (BLE), Category (CAT) M1 or CAT-NB1 wireless interface. The various communication devices described above may be configured to exchange data between devices as part of systematic or periodic beacon messages broadcast in footwear-to-vehicle (F2V) information exchange, footwear-to-everything (F2X) information exchange, e.g., between footwear and infrastructure (F2I), between footwear and pedestrian (F2P), or between footwear (F2F).

[0035] The location and movement of the IES10, and thus the user 11, may be tracked via a location tracking device 54 that may be located inside the sole structure 14 or the upper 12. The location can be determined through a satellite-based global positioning system (GPS), WiFi, or other suitable navigation system. In one example, the GPS system uses a constellation of GPS satellites in orbit that cooperate to communicate with a suitable GPS transceiver, thereby generating a series of data points that are time-stamped in real time, to monitor the location of a person, vehicle, or other target object on Earth. In addition to providing data regarding the absolute latitude position coordinates and absolute longitudinal position coordinates of a GPS receiver supported by the target object, the data provided via the GPS system may be adapted and used to provide information regarding the elapsed time during the execution of a specified operation, the total distance traveled, the height or altitude at a particular location, the change in altitude within a specified time window, the direction of movement, the speed of movement, and the like. The aforementioned set of GPS data may be used by the resident footwear controller 44 to estimate the predicted route of the user 11. The GPS system data may be used, alone or in combination, to supplement and optionally calibrate accelerometer-based or other pedometer-based speed and distance data. To achieve this purpose, the information collected by the GPS satellite system may be used to generate correction factors and / or calibration parameters for use by the IES10 to assist in ensuring accurate sensor data and thus optimal system operation.

[0036] Even without a GPS receiver, the IES10 can determine location and movement information through cooperation with a cellular system through a process known as "trilateration". Cellular system towers and base stations communicate wireless signals and are placed within the network of cells. A cellular device such as the IES10 may be equipped with a low-power transmitter for communicating with the nearest tower, base station, router, or access point. As the user moves with the IES10, for example, from one cell to another, the base station monitors the strength of the transmitter's signal. As the IES10 moves towards the edge of one cell, the signal strength of the transmitter decreases for the current tower. At the same time, the base station within the approaching cell detects an increase in signal strength. When the user moves into a new cell, the tower transfers the signal from one cell to the next. The resident footprint controller 44 can determine the location of the IES10 based on measurements of the transmitter signal, such as the angle of approach to the (multiple) cell towers, the respective times it takes for individual signals to travel to multiple towers, and the respective strengths of the missing signals when each signal reaches the corresponding tower. According to other aspects of this concept, one or more motion sensing devices may be incorporated into the shoe structure to determine the dynamic movement (e.g., translation, rotation, speed, acceleration, etc.) of the IES10 relative to established data or references (e.g., position, spatial orientation, reaction, force, speed, acceleration, electrical contact, etc.) around or along one or more axes.

[0037] Referring collectively to FIGS. 1 and 2, the footwear product 10 may comprise a resident lighting system 56 controlled by a footwear controller 44 for selectively illuminating the shoe structure and the surrounding area thereof. Different types of lighting devices, including light emitting diodes (LEDs), electroluminescent panels (ELPs), compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), high intensity discharge lamps, flexible or non-flexible organic LED displays, flat panel liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and other available types of lighting elements, may be utilized by the lighting system 56. Any number of lighting devices may be disposed at any part of the shoe 10. As shown, a first lighting device 58 is packaged inside the sole structure 14 and disposed within the midfoot region RMF of the footwear 10. The first lighting device 58 is positioned immediately adjacent to a window 60 (FIG. 1) that seals a frame aperture extending through the surrounding wall of the sole structure 14 on the lateral side of the shoe 10. This lighting device 58 may be operated in an illuminated or “on” state, a non-illuminated or “off” state, a series of lighting intensities (e.g., low, medium, and high light outputs), various colors, and / or various lighting patterns. Using this configuration, the first lighting device 58 selectively illuminates a part of the upper 12, a part of the sole 14, and a part of the ground GS1 adjacent to the IES10.

[0038] Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG. 4, an improved method or control strategy for executing an automated configuration, such as the footwear configuration shown in FIG. 3, for a wearable electronic device such as the IES10 of FIGS. 1 and 2, is generally described at reference numeral 100 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Some or all of the operations illustrated in FIG. 5 and described in further detail below may be stored, for example, in main memory or auxiliary memory or remote memory and may be executed by, for example, a resident or remote controller, a central processing unit (CPU), control logic circuitry, or other module or device to perform any or all of the above or above-described or below-described functions related to the disclosed concepts, and may represent an algorithm corresponding to processor-executable instructions. It should be recognized that the order of execution of the illustrated operation blocks may be changed, additional blocks may be added, and some of the blocks described may be changed, combined, or deleted.

[0039] Method 100 begins at end block 101 with processor-executable instructions for a programmable controller or control module or similar suitable processor such as the resident footwear controller 44 of FIG. 2, to invoke an initialization procedure for a protocol governing the operation of a wearable electronic device such as the IES 10 of FIG. 1. This routine may be invoked and executed in real-time, continuously, systematically, sporadically, and / or at regular intervals, for example, during use of the intelligent electronic shoe 10. Referring to the IES data network and communication system 30 architecture of FIG. 3 as a representative implementation of the methodology shown in FIG. 5, the initialization procedure at block 101 may be automatically initiated each time user 11 approaches a road or road intersection 13, each time user 11 approaches or is approached by a vehicle 32, or each time user 11 is in a detectable proximity to a mobile transmitter-detector module 70 (e.g., attached to vehicle 32) or a stationary transmitter-detector module 72 (e.g., attached to crosswalk signal post 74). Utilizing a portable electronic device such as smartphone 40 or smartwatch 42, user 11 may launch a dedicated mobile application or web-based applet that collaborates with a traffic system controller (represented, e.g., by remote host system 34) through an IoAAF middleware node (represented, e.g., by cloud computing system 36) to monitor user 11, for example, as part of a pedestrian collision avoidance procedure. The example illustrated in FIG. 3 depicts a single pedestrian - female runner avoiding injury resulting from an accident with a single autonomous vehicle - an SAE level 3, 4, or 5 autonomous vehicle at an intersection of an urban road. However, the IES system 30 is envisioned to monitor and protect any number and type of users, any number and type of vehicles or objects operating in any logically related environment.

[0040] To enhance security, the interaction between the IES10 and the IES system 30 can be enabled by an authentication process in a predetermined process block 103. The authentication may be performed by a primary or secondary source that verifies the proper startup of the wearable electronic device and / or the valid identity of the device's user. After manual entry of user identification information such as a password, PIN number, credit card number, personal information, biometric data, a predetermined key sequence, etc., the user may be enabled to access a "digital locker" that operates on the user's smartphone 40 using a personal account, e.g., the NIKE+(registered trademark) Connect software application and is registered with the IoAAF middleware node. Thus, data exchange can be enabled, for example, by a combination of a secret PIN number (e.g., a 6- or 8-digit code) and a personal identification input (e.g., mother's maiden name, social security number, etc.), or a combination of a password (e.g., created by user 11) and a corresponding PIN number (e.g., issued by the host system 34), or a combination of a secret PIN number and a credit card input. Additionally or alternatively, a barcode, RFID tag, or NFC tag may be imprinted or attached to the IES10 shoe structure and configured to communicate a security authentication code to the IES system 30. Other established authentication and security technologies, including blockchain encryption technology, can be utilized to prevent unauthorized access to the user's account, e.g., minimize the impact of unauthorized access to the user's account, or prevent unauthorized access to personal information or funds accessible through the user's account.

[0041] As an alternative or supplementary option to manually enter identification information in a given process block 103, the security authentication of user 11 may be automated by the resident footwear controller 44. As a non-limiting example, a pressure sensor 62 having the nature of a binary contact type sensor switch may be attached to the footwear 10 (e.g., may be embedded within the midsole 24 of the sole structure 14). This pressure sensor 62 detects a calibrated minimum load on the insole 22, thereby establishing the presence of a foot in the upper 12. Any future automated configuration of the IES 10 may first require the controller 44 to confirm that the footwear 10 is in use via a command prompt to the binary pressure sensor 62 before sending a command signal to start an automated operation when a foot is present within the upper 12. Although only a single sensor is illustrated in FIG. 2, it is envisioned that the IES 10 may comprise a distributed array of sensors, including pressure sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, and / or shoe dynamics sensors, packaged at discrete locations throughout the shoe structure. In the same vein, foot presence sensing (FPS) may be determined via various available sensing techniques, including capacitance, magnetism, etc. Additional information regarding foot presence sensing can be found, for example, in Patent Documents 1 and 2 to Steven H. Walker, et al., the entire texts of both of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

[0042] In addition to functioning as a binary (on / off) switch, the pressure sensor 62 may take the form of a multimodal sensor configuration (e.g., a polyurethane capacitive biofeedback sensor) that detects any of a variety of biometric parameters, such as the magnitude of the applied pressure generated by the feet within the upper 12, and outputs one or more signals indicative thereof. These sensor signals are sent from the pressure sensor 62 to the resident footwear controller 44, where they aggregate, filter, and process the data received by the resident footwear controller 44 to calculate the current user's weight. The current user's weight calculated for an individual currently using the IES 10 is compared to the user weight previously verified and stored in memory (e.g., authenticated for a registered user of an existing personal account). In so doing, the footwear controller 44 can determine whether the current user's weight is equal to or within a predetermined threshold range of the verified user's weight. When the current user is authenticated as the verified user, the resident footwear controller 44 is enabled to send command signals to one or more subsystems within the footwear 10 to automate their configuration.

[0043] Automated security authentication of a user may be achieved through other available technologies as part of a predefined process block 103 that includes cross-referencing characteristics of the current user's foot with previously verified characteristics of the authenticated user's foot. For example, a representative IES10 of FIG. 2 is shown assembled with an electric lacing system that utilizes a lacing motor (M) 64 that is attached to the footwear 10 and is selectively operable to shift back and forth between an untensioned (loose) state and one or more tensioned (tightened) states of the shoe lace 20. The lacing motor 64 may be housed within the sole structure 14 and have the nature of a bidirectional DC electric worm gear motor that is controlled by a resident footwear controller 44. Activation of the lacing motor 64 may be initiated via a manually activated switch built into the shoe structure or soft key activation through an app on the user's smartphone 40 or smartwatch 42. Control commands may include, but are not limited to, incremental tightening, incremental loosening, open / fully loose, memory of a "preferred" tension, and recall / restore of tension. Additional information regarding electric shoe lace tensioning systems can be found, for example, in Patent Document 3, the full text of which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

[0044] The motor control of the lace motor 64 may be automated via the resident footwear controller 44 in response to, for example, a sensor signal from a pressure sensor 62 indicating that the foot is disposed inside the upper 12. For example, to better hold the foot in response to dynamic user movement, the shoe lace tension may be actively modulated through a controlled operation of the lace motor 64 by the controller 44 during use of the IES 10. In at least some embodiments, an H-bridge mechanism is utilized to measure the motor current, and the measured current is provided as an input to the footwear controller 44. The resident footwear memory 46 stores a look-up table having a list of calibrated currents, each known to correspond to a particular lace tension position. By checking the measured motor current against the calibrated currents recorded in the look-up table, the footwear controller 44 may check the current tension position of the shoe lace 20. The foregoing functions, as well as any other logically related options or configurations disclosed herein, may apply to alternative types of wearable clothing, including clothing, headgear, eyewear, wristwear, neckwear, legwear, undergarments, and the like. Moreover, the lace motor 64 may be configured to automate the tensioning and loosening of straps, latches, cables, and other commercially available mechanisms for securing shoes.

[0045] Similar to the pressure sensor 62 described above, the lace motor 64 may be doubled as a binary (on / off) switch that effectively enables and disables the automated configuration of the IES 10. That is, the resident footwear controller 44 may communicate with the lace motor 64 to determine whether the shoe lace 20 is in a tensioned state or an untensioned state before executing the automated configuration. If the latter, all automated configurations may be disabled by the resident footwear controller 44 to prevent, for example, an accidental activation of the automated configuration while the IES 10 is not in use. Conversely, after determining that the lace 20 is in a tensioned state, the footwear controller 44 is enabled to transmit an automated command signal.

[0046] During operation of the lacing motor 64, the shoe lacing 20 may be positioned at any one of a plurality of discrete tensioning positions to accommodate users with different foot circumferences or different tension preferences. A lacing sensor, which may be built into the lacing motor 64 or packaged within the sole structure 14 or upper 12, may be utilized to detect the current tensioning position of the lacing 20 for a given user. Alternatively, real-time tracking of the position of the output shaft (e.g., worm gear) of the bi-directional electric lacing motor 64 or the position of a designated section of the lacing 20 (e.g., the lacing spool engaged with the motor's worm gear) may be used to determine the lacing position. After tensioning the lacing 20, the resident footwear controller 44 communicates with the lacing motor 64 and / or the lacing sensor to identify the current tensioning position of the lacing 20 for the current user. This current tensioning position is compared to a previously verified and stored-in-memory lacing tensioning position (e.g., for a registered user of an existing personal account). Through this comparison, the footwear controller 44 can determine whether the current tensioning position is equal to or within a predetermined threshold range of the verified tensioning position. After authenticating the current user to the verified user, command signals may be sent via the resident footwear controller 44 to one or more subsystems within the footwear 10 to automate their configuration.

[0047] After completion of the authentication procedure described in the specified process block 103, the method 100 of FIG. 5 proceeds to an input / output block 105 comprising processor-executable instructions to retrieve data sufficient to track the movement of the wearable electronic device and the remote computing node moving relative to each other. According to the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the IES 10 may receive location data from a remote host system 34 and / or a cloud computing system 36 indicating the current location and speed of the user 11 and the current location and speed of the automobile 32, either directly or through cooperative operation with the smartphone 40 or the smartwatch 42. Additionally or alternatively, the movement of the user may also be tracked through a dedicated mobile app or a route planning app operating on the user's smartphone 40. The location and movement of the IES 10, and thus of the user 11, may also be determined, for example, through a satellite-based GPS navigation system transceiver incorporated within the upper 12 or the sole structure 14. An off-office intermediate server, such as the cloud computing system 36 operating as a middleware node, tracks the location and movement of the vehicle 32 in real time, for example, through an on-board transmission device or through an app on the driver's personal computing device.

[0048] Another technique for ascertaining the user's location and attendant dynamics utilizes a detection tag 78 that communicates with transmitter-detector modules 70, 72 supported by the user 11 and attached to nearby structures or nearby moving objects. According to a representative application presented in FIGS. 1 and 3, the detection tag 78 is embodied as a passive or active radio frequency (RF) transponder attached to the outer surface of the sole structure 14. The RF transponder 78 of FIG. 1 includes an omnidirectional (Type I) RF antenna coil 80 fabricated from a conductive material and shaped to transmit and receive signals in the form of electromagnetic radiation waves. An RF frequency filter 82, which may be in the nature of a lumped element Butterworth filter, is electrically connected to the RF antenna 80 and is designed for bandpass operability to have RF power having a calibrated (first) frequency or to pass only signals within a calibrated (first) frequency range. As another option, the frequency filter 82 may provide bandstop functionality to attenuate and reject the passage of all signals having RF power with unwanted frequencies, or within any one or more unwanted frequency bands, i.e., frequencies outside the calibrated (first) frequency range. An optional dielectric cover 84 is disposed over the RF antenna 80, the frequency filter 82, and the attendant detection tag electronics to protect the components and improve the performance as an RF transponder. Signal exchange may be routed through a system packet interface (SPI) interface and a general purpose input / output (GPIO). A frequency and phase tunable signal output may be provided through a phase-locked loop (PLL) or direct digital synthesis (DDS) synthesizer, a harmonic mixer, and a PLL or DDS synthesizer-based local oscillator.

[0049] As the user 11 approaches the road intersection 13 of FIG. 3, the detection tag 78 (FIG. 1) is periodically emitted with a frequency-swept prompt signal S by a moving transmitter-detector module 70 that may be packaged in proximity to the front end of the vehicle 32 or by a stationary transmitter-detector module 72 that may be suspended from a crosswalk signal post 74, a building wall, or other suitable stationary structure.P or receives a "ping". For applications where the detection tag 78 is composed of a passive RF transponder, the transmitter-detector modules 70, 72 broadcast the prompt signal S P in an iterative or substantially continuous manner. Conversely, for the implementation of an active RF transponder, the incoming prompt signal S P may be emitted in response to a callback signal broadcast by the detection tag 78 in an iterative or substantially continuous manner. The prompt signal S P is an electromagnetic field wave having a predetermined (first) RF power level with a standardized (first) downlink frequency. In addition, the prompt signal S P includes an embedded data set with encoded unique information (e.g., transmitter ID, call code, time stamp, etc.). Some implementations can help reduce the bandwidth overhead created by superimposing data on a carrier swept within a narrowband system. It should be noted that the reverse situation is also possible, where the detection tag 78 broadcasts and the module 70 receives and retransmits the prompt signal S P .

[0050] After receiving this prompt signal S P , the detection tag 78 responds by processing the signal S P and retransmits it back to the transmitter-detector modules 70, 72 as an outgoing response signal S R . The response signal S R is an electromagnetic field wave having a distinguishable (second) RF power with a complementary (second) uplink frequency separate from the first frequency. The detection tag 78 includes an RF frequency converter that modulates the incoming prompt signal S P (e.g., by multiplying the frequency of the incoming signal), and based on the incoming prompt signal S R , before transmitting the signal S P to the transmitter-detector modules 70, 72, the response signal S Rmay include an RF signal amplifier for enhancing. To help ensure that the transmitter-detector modules 70, 72 recognize the detection tag 78, the response signal S R returns at least a portion of the SP embedded data of the prompt signal in an echo manner to the transmitter-detector modules 70, 72. To minimize on-board power usage, the detection tag 78 may operate in two modes, namely, an idle mode and an active mode. When idling, the detection tag 78 is generally in a quiescent state and thus draws no power from the resident power supply 52 or an off-board power source. In comparison, when active, the detection tag 78 temporarily draws power from the resident power supply 52 or is powered by the incoming prompt signal S P . Thus, the detection tag 78 does not transmit a transparent output signal unless and until a signal with RF power at a predetermined frequency is received.

[0051] The intelligent electronic shoe 10 of FIGS. 1-3 may utilize alternative means for exchanging data with the IES system 30 and the vehicle 32 as part of performing a pedestrian collision threat assessment. Instead of using an RF transponder, the detection tag 78 may be manufactured using one or more electroactive polymer (EAP) sensors, each of which has an individual dielectric EAP element attached to the sole structure 14 or the upper 12. According to this example, the incoming prompt signal S P is an electric field that generates a current having a voltage sufficient to induce a physical state change (e.g., arcing or swelling) of the implanted dielectric EAP element. Through normal use of the IES 10, the user 11 reverses the physical state change of the EAP sensor unknowingly, for example, by flattening or compressing the dielectric EAP element with their foot. In so doing, the EAP sensor generates a current, and the current is used by the IES 10 to generate a response signal S RCause it to output. It is also envisioned that IES10 may be enabled to communicate directly with vehicle 32, for example, through an inter-device wireless ad hoc network (WANET), rather than redirecting all data through, for example, an IES system 30 or other existing (multiple) wireless access points.

[0052] Referring again to FIG. 5, method 100 processes block 107 using processor-executable instructions for transmitting or receiving a pedestrian collision warning signal generated in response to the transmission of a response signal S indicating that a vehicle may enter or block a road in a manner that may cause an automobile accident. In a basic application, regardless of the secondary variable, each time user 11 approaches intersection 13 simultaneously with automobile 32, a pedestrian collision warning signal is automatically broadcast via IES system 30. For example, as seen in FIG. 4, wireless transmitter node 86 of IES system 30 may broadcast a pedestrian collision warning signal to a first user 11A wearing IES10 who is approaching and expected to cross road intersection 13A at the same time that moving vehicle 32A is expected to cross intersection 13A. Even if visually obstructed from each other by buildings, a second user 11B wearing IES10 and approaching intersection 13A at the same time as vehicle 32A may also receive the pedestrian collision warning signal. A pair of IES10s may be registered to a user 11C who is visually, physically, or mentally impaired. Because this individual may likely enter intersection 13A unknowingly when vehicle 32A is passing through, a pedestrian collision warning signal may be sent to the third user 11C. This warning signal may be sent to multiple users 11A, 11B, 11C, and any potentially threatening vehicle 32A so that each party can take corrective measures to prevent an inadvertent collision between a pedestrian and an automobile. R

[0053] ​For more sophisticated multimodal applications, the IES system 30 receives data from a variety of sensing devices that use, for example, light detection, radar, lasers, ultrasonic, optical, infrared, attenuation mass, smart materials, or other suitable technologies for object detection and tracking. According to the illustrated example, the IES system 30 may include or receive sensor signals from one or more digital cameras, one or more range sensors, one or more velocity sensors, one or more dynamic sensors, and any required filtering, classification, fusion, and analysis hardware and software for processing raw sensor data. Each sensor generally generates an electrical signal indicative of the characteristics or state of a target object as an estimate having a corresponding standard deviation. The operating characteristics of these sensors are generally complementary, although some sensors are more reliable than others in estimating certain parameters. Most sensors have different operating ranges and coverage areas and can detect different parameters within their operating ranges. Further, the performance of many sensor technologies may be affected by different environmental conditions. As a result, sensors generally exhibit parametric variances whose operational overlaps provide opportunities for sensory fusion.

[0054] A dedicated control module or a suitably programmed processor aggregates and preprocesses a set of sensor-based data, fuses the aggregated data, analyzes the fused data together with relevant cloud-source data and the behavior data of each target object under evaluation, and estimates whether there is a statistically high likelihood that the target object will enter the predicted path of the vehicle. In the input / output block 109, for example, the resident footwear controller 44 collects (1) the position data indicating the real-time position of the IES10, and thus the user 11, (2) the dynamics data indicating the real-time speed, acceleration / deceleration, and heading of the IES10, and thus the user 11, and (3) the behavior data indicating the historical behavior of the user 11 while wearing the IES10, and transmits them to the IES system 30. Such historical data may include the past tendencies of a given user at a particular intersection or a particular geographical location, generally the historical tendencies of a given user in an urban or rural environment, the historical tendencies of a given user under various weather conditions, the historical tendencies of a given user in a particular dynamic scenario, and the like. It is assumed that the IES controller 44 may collect and transmit other types of data, including predictive path data indicating the estimated path of the user 11 based on the available current and historical information.

[0055] In a predefined process block 111, method 100 of FIG. 5 applies a sensor fusion module to the aggregated raw sensor data, thereby proceeding to processor-executable instructions for a resident or remote controller to determine the likelihood of target object intrusion relative to the predicted route and location of the vehicle. For example, IES system 30 conditions data received from resident footwear controller 44 to ensure overlap with a single common "reference" time frame, coordinate system, set of standard measurements, etc., by correlating the received sensor data with each other. As soon as the received sensor data is adequately conditioned to ensure alignment across relevant metrics, IES system 30 may execute a data correlation protocol that classifies each respective portion of the sensor data and then correlates the relevant portions of the sensor data based on any complementary classifications. Next, IES system 30 may execute a sensor fusion procedure on the conditioned and classified data, along with the route plan data of the target object and the target vehicle. Sensor fusion may be represented as a computational framework for the aggregation, analysis, and association of data from heterogeneous or homogeneous sources (e.g., multiple distinct sensor types as described above). For the illustrated application, sensor fusion may be embodied as a dedicated software device that intelligently combines data from several sensors, corrects for individual sensor deficiencies, and calculates fully accurate and understandable position and orientation information.

[0056] After the sensor fusion is completed, the IES system 30 calculates a pedestrian collision threat value. This collision threat value predicts a monitored target object that is likely to behave in a way that causes a harmful event rather than not causing it. According to the illustrated example, the pedestrian collision threat value may predict an intrusion of the user 11 in such a way that the predicted route of the target vehicle 32 at least partially obstructs the predicted route of the target vehicle relative to the current (real-time) location of the target vehicle. This pedestrian collision threat value may be based on the fusion of user location data, user dynamics data, and user behavior data. Optionally, the pedestrian collision threat value may incorporate the fusion of behavior data, user location data, and user dynamics data with cloud-sourced data and environmental data. The environmental data may consist of information indicating the user's surrounding environment, such as current weather conditions, current vehicle traffic conditions, current pedestrian traffic conditions, and equivalent conditions. In comparison, the cloud-sourced data may consist of information indicating the locations, movements, and / or behaviors of multiple individuals in proximity to the user. The remote computing node that receives the aforementioned data may include a remote host system 34, a cloud computing system 36, the resident vehicle controller 76 of the motor vehicle 32, or a combination of their distributed calculations. Alternatively, the footwear controller 44 may transmit some or all of the said data to the central control device of the intelligent traffic management system through the wireless communication devices 48, 50.

[0057] Method 100 of FIG. 5 proceeds to decision block 113 to determine whether the threat value of a pedestrian collision is greater than a calibrated threshold value. The calibrated threshold value may be determined through empirical testing that provides quantitative data sufficient to establish a statistically significant minimum confidence percentage (e.g., 80%) that probabilistically concludes that the calculated collision threat value is not conclusive or that a collision event will not occur below it. In response to a determination that the pedestrian collision threat value is not greater than the calibrated threshold value (block 113 = NO), method 100 may return to terminal block 101 and operate in a continuous loop, or may proceed to terminal block 117 and terminate temporarily. Conversely, after determining that the pedestrian collision threat value is actually greater than the calibrated threshold value (block 113 = YES), method 100 proceeds to processing block 115, where one or more corrective actions are taken to avoid a collision between the user and the vehicle. As an example, and without limitation, wireless transmitter node 86 may transmit a pedestrian collision imminent notification to vehicle controller 76, and vehicle controller 76 may respond immediately by issuing a braking command signal or a plurality of braking command signals to the vehicle braking system to execute a braking maneuver, e.g., to come to a complete stop, or may reduce the speed to a calculated value that facilitates an avoidance steering maneuver. Additionally or alternatively, vehicle 32 may perform other autonomous vehicle functions such as controlling the vehicle steering, managing the operation of the vehicle transmission, controlling the engine throttle, and other automated driving functions. After the corrective actions executed at process block 115 are complete, method 100 proceeds to terminal block 117 and terminates temporarily.

[0058] In addition to facilitating the automation of one or more vehicle operations designed to mitigate or prevent vehicle-pedestrian collisions, method 100 may concomitantly facilitate the automation of one or more IES functions designed to mitigate or prevent vehicle-pedestrian collisions at process block 115. For example, a first command signal may be sent to a first IES subsystem to execute a first automated configuration AF1 of intelligent electronic shoes. According to the example of FIG. 3, the resident footwear controller 44 receives the pedestrian collision threat value output at block 111, establishes at block 113 that the threat value is greater than a threshold value, and responsively takes a preventive measure at block 115. The resident footwear controller 44 automatically (i.e., without any user or external system prompt) responds to this determination by sending a command signal to the resident lighting system 56 to activate the lighting device 58, thereby generating a predetermined light output. The color and / or pattern selected is optionally detectable by the user 11 and is sufficiently prominent to warn of an impending collision. As a non-limiting example, the resident lighting system 56 may output a flashing bright red light pattern, and the use of this particular color and pattern may be restricted to warning the user of potential danger. The light output of the IES 10 may be coordinated with the light output of the forward headlamps of the vehicle 32 to further facilitate notifying the user 11 of a predicted vehicle collision.

[0059] It is envisioned that any of the disclosed connected wearable electronic devices may automate additional or alternative configurations as part of Methodology 100 shown in FIG. 5. In response to an affirmative determination at decision block 113, the footwear controller 44 may automatically transmit a second command signal to a second subsystem to effect a second automated configuration AF2 of the wearable electronic device. As a non-limiting example, IES10 of FIG. 2 is shown as including a tactile transducer 66 that operatively communicates with an insole 22 and is housed inside a sole structure 14. To alert user 11 of a pedestrian collision threat, the resident footwear controller 44 issues a command signal to the tactile transducer 66 to generate a tactile cue (e.g., a perceptible vibratory force or a series of vibratory pulses) that is transmitted from the midsole 24 through the insole 22 to the user's foot. The intensity and / or pulse pattern output by the tactile transducer 66 as part of Method 100 may be limited to warning the user of an anticipated danger.

[0060] Any arbitrary third automated configuration AF3 may include operating a race motor 64 as a haptic force feedback device selectively activated by a footwear controller 44 to rapidly tension or release the shoe lace 20. Similarly, the IES 10 may operate in association with a smartphone 40 (e.g., an adjusted flash of an LED camera light or an eccentric rotating mass (ERM) actuator) or an active clothing element (e.g., an adjusted activation of a thermal or haptic device incorporated into a shirt or shorts). As yet another option, haptic feedback may be utilized to provide turn-by-turn instructions to the user (e.g., may vibrate with an increased intensity for the left or right foot and / or in a pulse pattern designated to indicate a left or right turn). In the same vein, haptic feedback may similarly be utilized to guide the user along a preselected route or to warn the user against taking a particular (e.g., deemed unsafe) route. Additional information regarding footwear and clothing with haptic feedback can be found, for example, in Patent Document 4 to Ernest Kim, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

[0061] Optionally, the IES 10 may comprise an audio system presented in FIG. 1 by a miniaturized audio speaker 68 attached to the rear quarter 12C of the upper 12. The resident footwear controller 44 automatically transmits a command signal to the audio system speaker 68 to generate a predetermined audio output after confirming that the pedestrian collision threat value is greater than a calibrated threshold value. For example, the audio system speaker 68 may shout "WARNING!" or "STOP!" at an increased acoustic level. As another option, the footwear controller 44 may command the lacing motor 64 to repeatedly tension / relax the shoe lace 20, for example, as a signal / queue for an oncoming vehicle. Footwear infrastructure-to-infrastructure communication may be enabled (and coordinated) to allow the IES 10 to communicate with a networked "smart city" controller, which may then modulate street lighting or traffic signal changes to improve pedestrian or runner safety. Conversely, the "smart city" controller may communicate with the IES 10 to warn the user that a pedestrian has reached a crosswalk with a "Do Not Walk" sign indicating that the pedestrian must yield the right of way to oncoming vehicles.

[0062] Aspects of this disclosure may, in some embodiments, generally be implemented through a computer-executable program of instructions, such as a program module, called a software application or application program, executed by any of a controller described herein or a variation of the controller. The software may, by way of non-limiting example, include routines, programs, objects, components, and data structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular data types. The software may form an interface that enables a computer to react in accordance with a source of input. The software may cooperate with other code segments to initiate various tasks in response to received data in relation to a source of the received data. The software may be stored on any of various memory media, such as a CD-ROM, magnetic disk, bubble memory, and semiconductor memory (e.g., various types of RAM or ROM).

[0063] Furthermore, aspects of this disclosure may be implemented in a variety of computer system and computer network configurations, including multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Additionally, aspects of this disclosure may be implemented in a distributed computing environment where tasks are performed by remote processing devices linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices. Accordingly, aspects of this disclosure may be implemented in association with various hardware, software, or combinations thereof in a computer system or other processing system.

[0064] Any of the methods described herein may include machine-readable instructions for execution by (a) a processor, (b) a controller, and / or (c) any other suitable processing device. Any algorithm, software, protocol or method disclosed herein may be embodied as software stored on a tangible medium, such as, for example, flash memory, CD-ROM, floppy disk, hard drive, digital versatile disk (DVD), or other memory device. One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the entire algorithm and / or a portion thereof may alternatively be executed by a device other than a controller and / or embodied in firmware or dedicated hardware in a manner that is available (e.g., implemented by application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), programmable logic device (PLD), field programmable logic device (FPLD), discrete logic, etc.). Further, while specific algorithms are described with reference to the flowcharts shown herein, one will readily appreciate that many other ways of implementing the exemplary machine-readable instructions may alternatively be used.

[0065] The following exemplary configurations and settings are not intended to represent any and all embodiments or aspects of the present disclosure. Rather, many of the configurations and advantages of the present disclosure will become more readily apparent from the following representative examples. In this regard, each of the disclosed systems, methods, devices, protocols, etc. may include any of the configurations, options, and alternatives described herein with respect to other embodiments, alone and in any combination, unless explicitly disclaimed or logically prohibited.

[0066] Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to an intelligent electronic shoe system for a 1-foot user. The IES system includes an upper configured to be attached to the user's foot and a sole structure attached to the upper and configured to support the user's foot thereon. The sole structure has an outsole that defines the ground engagement portion of the IES. A light system attached to the sole structure and / or the upper is configured to generate light in response to a command signal. A wireless communication device is configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote computing node. The IES system includes a resident or remote footwear controller operatively connected to the wireless communication device and the lighting system. The footwear controller is configured to receive one or more location data sets indicative of the user's user location and the node location of the remote computing node. The footwear controller determines whether the user location is within the vicinity of a predetermined location or the node location. In response to the user location being within the vicinity of a predetermined location or the node location, the controller transmits a command signal to the light system to generate a predetermined light output.

[0067] For any of the disclosed IES systems, the footwear controller may be further configured to transmit a second command signal to the control system of the remote computing node to generate an audible or visual output, for example, in response to the user location being within the vicinity of a predetermined location / node location. The remote computing node may be an automobile having a vehicle headlamp system. In this case, the visual output may include illumination, flashing, and / or enhancement of the light output of the vehicle headlamp system. The audible output of the vehicle may include activation and / or modulation of the audible output of the vehicle horn system. The footwear controller may be further configured to coordinate the light output of the vehicle headlamp system with a predetermined light output of the IES light system.

[0068] For any of the disclosed IES systems, the wireless communication device of the IES system is wirelessly connected to a portable electronic device and is further configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote computing node thereby. The IES system may include a sole structure and / or a tactile transducer attached to the upper. The footwear controller may transmit a third command signal to the tactile transducer, in response to, for example, the user's location being within the vicinity of a predetermined location / node location, to generate a tactile cue. As another option, the IES system may include an audio system attached to the sole structure and / or the upper. The footwear controller may transmit a fourth command signal to the audio system, in response to, for example, the user's location being within the vicinity of a predetermined location / node location, to generate a predetermined audio output.

[0069] For any of the disclosed IES systems, the remote computing node may be a security system, in which case the footwear controller may transmit an activation release command signal to the security system, in response to, for example, the user location being within the vicinity of a predetermined location or node location. Optionally, the remote computing node may be a home automation system, in which case the footwear controller may transmit a fifth command signal to the home automation system, when, for example, the user's location is within the vicinity of a predetermined location or node location, to lock or unlock a door, activate or deactivate an indoor light, and / or raise or lower the temperature of a thermostat.

[0070] For any of the disclosed IES systems, a predetermined location may include a geofence defined by a footwear controller. A command signal for activating the optical system may be transmitted after detection of a remote computing node that breaches the geofence. The IES system may further include a pressure sensor attached to the sole structure or upper, the pressure sensor being configured to detect the presence (or absence) of a foot within the upper. In this example, a command signal for activating the IES optical system is transmitted at least in part in response to the detected presence of a foot within the upper. The pressure sensor may additionally (or alternatively) be configured to detect the weight of the user. In this case, the footwear controller receives a sensor signal from the pressure sensor indicative of the detected weight of the user, determines whether the detected weight is within a predetermined range of a verified user weight stored in memory, and may transmit a command signal to the IES optical system only if the detected weight is within the predetermined range of the verified user weight.

[0071] For any of the disclosed IES systems, a shoelace is attached to the upper, a race motor is attached inside the sole structure, and is configured to selectively transition between a tensioned state and a non-tensioned state of the shoelace. A footwear controller may communicate with the race motor to determine whether the shoelace is in a tensioned state or a non-tensioned state. A command signal for activating the IES optical system is further transmitted in further response to the shoelace being in a tensioned state. For some applications, the tensioned state includes a plurality of discrete tensioned positions. The IES system may include a race sensor that detects the current one of the discrete tensioned positions for the user. In this case, the footwear controller may receive a sensor signal from the race sensor indicating the current discrete tensioned position for the user. From this data, the controller may determine whether the current discrete tensioned position corresponds to a verified race tensioned position stored in memory. An activation command signal for the IES optical system may be transmitted in response to the current discrete tensioned position corresponding to the verified race tensioned position.

[0072] For any of the disclosed IES systems, a remote computing node may include an optical sensor operable to detect a predetermined optical output of the IES optical system. This optical output may include a personalized color and / or blinking pattern configured to authenticate the user to the remote computing node. In at least some embodiments, the wireless communication device of the IES system includes a BLE, CAT-M1, and / or CAT-NB1 wireless interface. The IES system may include a barcode, an RFID tag, and / or an NFC tag attached to the sole structure / upper, each of which is configured to communicate a security authentication code to the remote computing node.

[0073] Additional aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method of manufacturing a footwear product for a user's foot. The method includes providing an upper configured to receive and attach to the user's foot; providing a sole structure configured to support the user's foot thereon, the sole structure having an outsole defining a ground engaging portion; attaching the sole structure to the upper; attaching an optical system to the sole structure and / or the upper, the optical system being configured to generate light in response to a command signal; attaching a wireless communication device to the sole structure and / or the upper, the wireless communication device being configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote computing node; and attaching a resident controller to the sole structure and / or the upper, the resident controller being operatively connected to the wireless communication device and the optical system. The resident controller is configured to receive location data indicating the location of the user, receive location data indicating the location of the remote computing node, determine whether the location of the user is within a vicinity of a predetermined location or the location of the node, and in response to the user being within the vicinity of the predetermined location / node, transmit a command signal to the optical system to generate a predetermined light output.

[0074] Other aspects of this disclosure are directed to a method of implementing an automated configuration of intelligent electronic shoes. The IES includes an upper of open or closed construction for attachment to a user's foot, a sole structure attached to the upper and defining a ground-engaging surface, and a light system operable to generate light in response to an electronic command signal. The method includes receiving, by a resident footwear controller via a wireless communication device, location data indicating a location of the user and location data indicating a location of a remote computing node. The method also includes determining, via the footwear controller, whether the location of the user is within a predetermined location or within a vicinity relative to the location of the node. In response to the location of the user being within a vicinity relative to the location of the predetermined location / node, the footwear controller automatically transmits a command signal to the light system to generate a predetermined light output.

[0075] For any of the disclosed methods, the footwear controller may further respond to the location of the user being within a vicinity relative to the location of the predetermined location / node by transmitting a second command signal to a control system of the remote computing node to generate an audible or visual output. In some applications, the remote computing node is an automobile having a vehicle headlamp system, in which case the visual output includes illumination, flashing, and / or enhancement of the light output of the vehicle's headlamp system. Optionally, the footwear controller may coordinate the light output of the vehicle's headlamp system with the predetermined light output of the IES's light system. The commanded audible output of the automobile may include activation and / or modulation of the audible output of the vehicle's horn system.

[0076] For any of the disclosed methods, the wireless communication device may be configured to wirelessly connect to the user's portable electronic device and thereby communicate wirelessly with a remote computing node. As yet another alternative, the IES may include a sole structure and / or a haptic transducer attached to the upper, in which case the footwear controller may automatically transmit a third command signal to the haptic transducer in response to the user's location being within the vicinity of a predetermined location / node location to generate a haptic cue. The IES may also include an audio system attached to the sole structure and / or the upper, in which case the footwear controller may automatically transmit a fourth command signal to the audio system in response to the user's location being within the vicinity of a predetermined location / node location to generate a predetermined audio output.

[0077] For any of the disclosed methods, the remote computing node may be a segment of a residential or commercial security system. In this case, the footwear controller may automatically transmit an arm / disarm (or arm) command signal to the security system in response to the user entering (or exiting) a predetermined location or vicinity with respect to a designated section of a residence or commercial building associated with the security system. Optionally, the remote computing node may be a segment of a home automation system. In this example, the footwear controller may lock or unlock the door, activate or deactivate interior lighting, and / or raise or lower the temperature of a thermostat in response to a user entering or exiting a home (or section of a home) associated with the home automation system by transmitting a fifth command signal to the home automation system. The predetermined location or vicinity may be at least partially defined by a geofence generated by the footwear controller. The arm or disarm command signal may be transmitted to the remote computing node or the IES subsystem after the remote computing node or the IES user detects a breach of the geofence.

[0078] For any of the disclosed methods, the IES may incorporate internally a pressure sensor that is attached to the sole structure or upper and configured to detect the presence of a foot within the upper. Transmission of a command signal by the footwear controller may further respond to detecting the presence of a foot within the upper. The pressure sensor attached to the sole structure / upper may be configured to detect the weight of the user. In this case, the footwear controller receives one or more sensor signals from the pressure sensor indicative of the detected weight of the user. Next, the controller determines whether the detected weight is within a predetermined range of the verified weight of the user stored in the memory. In response to the detected weight being within the predetermined range of the verified weight of the user, a command signal may be transmitted to a remote computing node or the IES subsystem.

[0079] For any of the disclosed methods, the IES may include a shoelace or strap attached to the upper and a lace motor attached to the shoe structure and configured to selectively transition the lace / strap between a tensioned state and a non-tensioned state. In this case, the resident footwear controller determines whether the shoelace is in a tensioned state or a non-tensioned state, and if the lace is tensioned, transmits a command signal in response to activate the IES subsystem. The tensioned state may be depicted at a plurality of discrete tensioned positions. In this case, the resident footwear controller may identify (e.g., using sensor signals received from a lace sensor or by monitoring the position of the lace motor output shaft) which of the discrete tensioned positions the lace is in. In response to the current tensioned position of the lace corresponding to the verified tensioned position of the lace stored in the memory, the footwear controller may transmit a command signal to a remote node or the IES subsystem.

[0080] For any of the disclosed methods, the remote computing node may include an optical sensor, in which case a predetermined light output of the IES optical system is detectable by the optical sensor and may include a personalized color and / or blinking pattern configured to authenticate the user to the remote computing node. The IES wireless communication device may include a BLE, CAT-M1, and / or CAT-NB1 wireless interface. The IES may comprise a barcode, an RFID tag, and / or an NFC tag attached to the sole structure and / or upper and configured to communicate a security authentication code to the remote computing node.

[0081] Additional aspects of this disclosure are directed to footwear for a user's foot. The footwear includes an upper for receiving and attaching to the user's foot and a sole structure attached to the upper for supporting the user's foot thereon. An optical system and / or an audio system are attached to the sole structure and configured to generate light / sound in response to a command signal. A wireless communication device is attached inside the sole structure for wirelessly communicating with a remote computing node. A resident controller, also attached inside the sole structure, is operatively connected to the wireless communication device and the optical system. The resident controller receives location data indicating the location of the user and the location of the remote computing node. The resident controller determines whether the location of the user is within the vicinity of a predetermined location / node location and, if so, the resident controller transmits one or more command signals in response to the optical system / audio system to generate a predetermined light / audio output.

[0082] While aspects of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the exact structures and compositions disclosed herein, and all modifications, changes, and variations apparent from the foregoing description are within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the present concept clearly includes any and all combinations and sub - combinations of the preceding elements and configurations. Additional configurations may be reflected in the following clauses.

[0083] Clause 1: An Intelligent Electronic Shoe (IES) system comprising: an upper configured to attach to a user's foot; a sole structure attached to the upper and configured to support the user's foot thereon and define a ground - engaging surface; a collision threat warning system attached to the sole structure and / or the upper and configured to generate a visual output, an audible output, and / or a tactile output in response to a command signal; a detection tag configured to receive a prompt signal from a transmitter - detector module and transmit a response signal to the transmitter - detector module in response; a wireless communication device attached to the sole structure and / or the upper and configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote computing node; and a footwear controller operatively connected to the wireless communication device and the collision threat warning system, the footwear controller configured to receive, via the wireless communication device, a pedestrian collision warning signal generated in response to a response signal from the remote computing node, and in response to the received pedestrian collision warning signal, transmit a command signal to the collision threat warning system to generate a predetermined visual alarm, audible alarm, and / or tactile alarm configured to warn the user of an impending collision with a motor vehicle.

[0084] Clause 2: The detection tag includes a radio frequency (RF) transponder attached to the sole structure and / or the upper, the prompt signal has a first RF power with a first frequency, and the response signal has a second RF power with a second frequency distinct from the first frequency, for the IES system according to Clause 1.

[0085] Clause 3: The prompt signal includes an embedded dataset, and the response signal transmits and returns the embedded dataset to the transmitter-detector module, for the IES system according to Clause 2.

[0086] Clause 4: The RF transponder includes an RF antenna and a frequency filter connected to the RF antenna, and the frequency filter is configured to reject signals having an RF power with a third frequency distinct from the first frequency, for the IES system according to Clause 3.

[0087] Clause 5: The detection tag includes an EAP sensor having a dielectric electroactive polymer (EAP) element attached to the sole structure and / or the upper, the prompt signal is an electric field configured to induce a physical state change in the dielectric EAP element, and the response signal is generated by the user reversing the physical state change of the dielectric EAP element, for the IES system according to Clause 1.

[0088] Clause 6: The footwear controller is further configured to transmit user location data and user dynamics data to a remote computing node via a wireless communication device, and to receive, via the wireless communication device, a pedestrian collision threat value that predicts an intrusion of the user into a vehicle location and a predicted route of the vehicle based on a fusion of the user location and user dynamics data, for the IES system according to any one of Clauses 1 to 5.

[0089] Clause 7: The footwear controller is further configured to transmit historical data indicative of a user's historical behavior to a remote computing node via a wireless communication device, and the pedestrian collision threat value is further based on a fusion of user location data, user dynamics data, and behavior data, for the IES system described in Clause 6.

[0090] Clause 8: The pedestrian collision threat value is further based on a fusion of behavior data, user location data, user dynamics data, and cloud source data indicative of the behavior of a plurality of individuals in proximity to the user, for the IES system described in Clause 7.

[0091] Clause 9: The pedestrian collision threat value is further based on a fusion of behavior data, user location data, user dynamics data, cloud source data, and environmental data indicative of the user's surrounding environment, for the IES system described in Clause 8.

[0092] Clause 10: The user has a portable electronic device, and the wireless communication device is further configured to wirelessly connect with the portable electronic device and thereby wirelessly communicate with a remote computing node, for the IES system described in any one of Clauses 1 to 9.

[0093] Clause 11: The remote computing node is a resident vehicle controller of an automobile, and the footwear controller is further configured to transmit user location data, user dynamics data, and / or user behavior data to the resident vehicle controller via a wireless communication device, for the IES system described in any one of Clauses 1 to 10.

[0094] Clause 12: The remote computing node is a central control device of an intelligent traffic management system, and the footwear controller is further configured to transmit user location data, user dynamics data, and / or user behavior data to the central control device via a wireless communication device, for the IES system described in any one of Clauses 1 to 10.

[0095] Clause 13: The collision threat warning system includes a tactile transducer attached to the sole structure and / or the upper, and the command signal causes the tactile transducer to generate a predetermined tactile warning configured to warn the user of an impending collision with a vehicle, and the IES system according to any one of Clauses 1 to 12.

[0096] Clause 14: The collision threat warning system includes an audio component attached to the sole structure and / or the upper, and the command signal causes the audio component to generate a predetermined audible warning configured to warn the user of an impending collision with a vehicle, and the IES system according to any one of Clauses 1 to 13.

[0097] Clause 15: The collision threat warning system includes a lighting element attached to the sole structure and / or the upper, and the command signal causes the lighting element to generate a predetermined visual warning configured to warn the user of an impending collision with a vehicle, and the IES system according to any one of Clauses 1 to 14.

[0098] Clause 16: The IES system according to any one of Clauses 1 to 15 further includes a pressure sensor attached to the sole structure and configured to detect the presence of a foot within the upper, and the command signal is transmitted to the collision threat warning system in response to the detection of the presence of a foot within the upper.

[0099] Clause 17: The IES system according to any one of Clauses 1 to 16 further includes a shoe lace attached to the upper and a lace motor attached to the inside of the sole structure and configured to selectively transition the shoe lace between a tensioned state and a non-tensioned state, and the footwear controller is further configured to communicate with the lace motor to determine whether the shoe lace is in a tensioned state or a non-tensioned state, and the command signal is further transmitted to the collision threat warning system in response to the shoe lace being in a tensioned state.

[0100] Clause 18: A method of operating an intelligent electronic shoe (IES), the IES including an upper for attachment to a user's foot and a sole structure defining a ground engagement surface and attached to the upper for supporting the user's foot thereon, the method comprising receiving a prompt signal from a transmitter-detector module via a detection tag attached to the sole structure and / or the upper of the IES, transmitting a response signal to the transmitter-detector module via the detection tag in response to receiving the prompt signal, receiving, via a wireless communication device and via a resident footwear controller, a pedestrian collision warning signal generated by a remote computing node in response to the response signal, wherein both the wireless communication device and the resident footwear controller are attached to the sole structure and / or the upper, receiving the pedestrian collision warning signal, and in response to the received pedestrian collision warning signal, transmitting, via the resident footwear controller, a command signal to a collision threat warning system attached to the sole structure and / or the upper to generate a visual warning, an audible warning and / or a tactile warning configured to warn the user of an impending collision with a motor vehicle. Method.

[0101] Clause 19: The method according to clause 18, wherein the detection tag includes a radio frequency (RF) transponder, the prompt signal has a first RF power with a first frequency, and the response signal has a second RF power with a second frequency distinct from the first frequency.

[0102] Clause 20: The method according to clause 18, wherein the detection tag includes an EAP sensor comprising a dielectric electroactive polymer (EAP) element, the prompt signal is an electric field configured to induce a physical state change in the dielectric EAP element, and the response signal is generated by the user reversing the physical state change of the dielectric EAP element.

[0103] Clause 21: The method according to any one of Clauses 18 to 20, further comprising transmitting user position data and user dynamics data to a remote computing node via a resident footwear controller, and receiving, via the resident footwear controller and through a wireless communication device, a pedestrian collision threat value for predicting an intrusion of a user into a vehicle location and a predicted route of a motor vehicle based on a fusion of the user position data and the user dynamics data from the remote computing node.

[0104] Clause 22: The method according to any one of Clauses 18 to 21, wherein the user has a portable electronic device, and the wireless communication device wirelessly connects to the portable electronic device, thereby wirelessly communicating with the remote computing node.

[0105] Clause 23: The remote computing node is a resident vehicle controller of a motor vehicle, and the method further comprises transmitting user position data, user dynamics data, and / or user behavior data to the resident vehicle controller via the resident footwear controller, the method according to any one of Clauses 18 to 22.

[0106] Clause 24: The remote computing node is a central control device of an intelligent traffic management system, and the method further comprises transmitting user position data, user dynamics data, and / or user behavior data to the central control device via the resident footwear controller, the method according to any one of Clauses 18 to 22.

[0107] Clause 25: The IES further comprises a pressure sensor attached to a sole structure and configured to detect the presence of a foot within an upper, and the command signal is further transmitted to a collision threat warning system in response to detection of the presence of a foot within the upper, the method according to any one of Clauses 18 to 24.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0108] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0265584 A1 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0265594 A1 [Patent Document 3] U.S. Patent No. 9,365,387 B2 [Patent Document 4] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0154505 A1

Claims

1. 1. A system for preventing collisions between a user and a machine moving within a building, the building including a transmitter-detector module, the system comprising: an article of footwear configured to be worn on a foot of the user; a collision threat warning system mounted to the footwear and configured to generate a visual, an audible, and / or a tactile output; a detection tag attached to the footwear and configured to receive a prompt signal from the transmitter-detector module and, in response, transmit a response signal to the transmitter-detector module indicative of a user location of the user; a wireless communication device attached to the footwear and configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote computing node; a sensor attached to the footwear and configured to detect the presence of the user's foot within the footwear; an electronic controller connected to the wireless communication device, the sensor, and the collision threat warning system, the electronic controller comprising: configured to receive a sensor signal from the sensor indicative of the user's foot being detected within the footwear; configured to receive, via the wireless communication device, from the remote computing node, a collision warning signal generated in response to the response signal, the collision warning signal indicating that the user location is within a predetermined proximity or location relative to the moving machine; configured to, in response to receiving the collision warning signal and the detected presence of the foot within the footwear, send a command signal to the collision threat warning system to generate a predetermined visual, audible, and / or tactile alarm configured to alert the user of an impending collision with the moving machine. system.

2. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the detection tag includes a radio frequency (RF) transponder, the prompt signal has a first RF power having a first frequency, and the response signal has a second RF power having a second frequency.

3. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the RF transponder includes an RF antenna and a frequency filter coupled to the RF antenna, the frequency filter configured to reject signals having RF power with a third frequency distinct from the first frequency.

4. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the prompt signal received from the transmitter-detector module includes an embedded data set, and the response signal retransmits some or all of the embedded data set back to the transmitter-detector module.

5. The electronic controller includes: transmitting user dynamic data of the user via the wireless communication device to the remote computing node; and receiving, from the remote computing node via the wireless communication device, a collision threat value based on the user location and the user dynamic data, the collision threat value predicting an intrusion of the user with respect to the location and a projected route of the moving machine. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the electronic controller is further configured to transmit behavior data indicative of historical behavior of the user to the remote computing node via the wireless communication device, and the collision threat value is further based on a fusion of the behavior data with the user location and the user dynamic data.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the collision threat value is further based on a fusion of the behavior data, the user location, and the user dynamic data with crowd-sourced data indicative of behavior of multiple users within a vicinity of the user.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the collision threat value is further based on a fusion of the behavior data, the user location, the user dynamic data, and the crowd-sourced data with environmental data indicative of the user's surroundings.

9. The system of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the user has a portable electronic device with wireless communication capabilities, the wireless communication device further configured to wirelessly connect to the portable electronic device and thereby wirelessly communicate with the remote computing node.

10. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the collision threat warning system includes a tactile transducer attached to the footwear, and the command signal causes the tactile transducer to generate the predetermined tactile alert configured to warn the user of the impending collision with the moving machinery.

11. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the collision threat warning system includes an audio component mounted on the footwear, and the command signal causes the audio component to generate the predetermined audible alert configured to warn the user of the impending collision with the moving machinery.

12. The system of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the collision threat warning system includes a lighting component attached to the footwear, and the command signal causes the lighting component to generate the predetermined visual alert configured to warn the user of the impending collision with the moving machinery.

13. The system of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor attached to a sole structure of the footwear, the pressure sensor configured to detect the presence of the foot within an upper of the footwear.

14. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the collision threat warning system includes a lace motor attached to the footwear and configured to selectively transition shoe laces of the footwear between a tensioned state and an untensioned state, and the command signal causes the lace motor to generate the predetermined tactile alert configured to warn the user of the impending collision with the moving machine.

15. 1. A method of operating a system for preventing collisions between a user and a machine moving within a building, the building including a transmitter-detector module, the method comprising: receiving a prompt signal from the transmitter-detector module via a detection tag attached to an article of footwear worn on the user's foot; in response to receiving the prompt signal, transmitting, via the detection tag, a response signal to the transmitter-detector module indicating a user location of the user; receiving, via an electronic controller, a sensor signal from a sensor attached to the footwear indicating that the user's foot is being detected within the footwear; receiving, via the electronic controller and through a wireless communication device attached to the footwear, a collision warning signal generated by a remote computing node in response to the response signal, the collision warning signal indicating that the user location is within a predetermined vicinity or location relative to the moving machine; and in response to receiving the collision warning signal and the detected presence of the foot within the footwear, sending a command signal via the electronic controller to a collision threat warning system attached to the footwear to generate a predetermined visual, audible, and / or tactile alarm alerting the user of an impending collision with the moving machine. method.

16. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the detection tag includes a radio frequency (RF) transponder, the prompt signal has a first RF power having a first frequency, and the response signal has a second RF power having a second frequency.

17. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the RF transponder includes an RF antenna and a frequency filter coupled to the RF antenna, the frequency filter configured to reject signals having RF power with a third frequency distinct from the first frequency.

18. 18. The method of any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the prompt signal received from the transmitter-detector module includes an embedded data set, and the response signal retransmits some or all of the embedded data set back to the transmitter-detector module.

19. transmitting user dynamic data of the user to the remote computing node via the wireless communication device; receiving, via the electronic controller, from the remote computing node through the wireless communication device, a collision threat value based on the user location and the user dynamic data, the collision threat value predicting an intrusion of the user with respect to the location and a projected route of the moving machine; The method of claim 15.

20. A method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the user has a portable electronic device with wireless communication capabilities, the wireless communication device wirelessly connecting to the portable electronic device and thereby communicating wirelessly with the remote computing node.

21. 21. The method of any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor attached to a sole structure of the footwear, the pressure sensor configured to detect the presence of the foot within an upper of the footwear.

22. The method of any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein the moving machine is a robot, a car, a forklift and / or an automated guided vehicle (AGV) and the building is a manufacturing facility and / or a storage facility.

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