Adjustable Shoe With Motor-Driven Heel Rotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
High heel shoes commonly cause foot pain in women due to their design, which existing shoe technologies have not adequately addressed.
Innovation Solution
An automatic heel height adjustment system in shoes, featuring rotatable outsole portions and a removable heel, allowing for quick switching between flat and high heel configurations using sensors and motors to adjust the shoe's state in response to user needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If high heel shoes are worn, then fashionability and elegance are improved, but foot pain and pressure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe heel height is made dynamically adjustable through a motor-driven mechanism that can rotate the heel assembly between different angular positions. The motor receives control signals to automatically adjust the heel angle, transforming a static shoe structure into a dynamic one that can adapt to different wearing conditions and relieve foot pressure by switching between high heel and flat configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The heel height parameter is made variable through an adjustable mechanism. The system changes the physical parameter of heel height by rotating the heel assembly to different angles, allowing the shoe to transition between high heel state (for fashionability) and flat state (for comfort), thus resolving the contradiction between fashionability and foot comfort.
2Ease of operation
If heel height is adjusted frequently, then foot comfort is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe incorporates pressure sensors that automatically detect when the wearer's foot experiences excessive pressure or when the shoe state needs changing. The sensor system triggers the motor to adjust the heel height automatically without requiring manual intervention from the wearer, making the complex adjustment mechanism operate autonomously and simplifying the user interaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses pressure sensors to provide real-time feedback about the wearer's foot pressure conditions. This feedback is processed by a control system that automatically commands the motor to adjust the heel height accordingly, creating a closed-loop control system that manages the complexity internally while maintaining simple external operation.
3Ease of operation
If automatic adjustment system is added, then ease of operation is improved, but weight of shoe increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical adjustment with an automated electromechanical system. Instead of requiring the wearer to manually manipulate complex mechanical components, a motor-driven system with sensor feedback automatically performs the adjustment, substituting human mechanical action with an automated system that manages the operational complexity internally.
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable shoe includes an outsole having a middle portion hingedly attached to a forefoot portion and a heel portion. A segmented driveshaft spans from the forefoot portion of the outsole to the heel portion. Rotation of a front segment of the driveshaft causes the forefoot portion of the outsole to rotate about a hinge axis thereby adjusting a forefoot angle. A first motor is connected to the driveshaft and operable to rotate the driveshaft. A processor is in communication with the first motor and programmed to operate the first motor to provide adjustment to the shoe. A method of adjusting a shoe includes receiving a signal representing a measured force on a portion of an outsole of the shoe. If the measured force exceeds a pre-determined threshold, a motor is activated to change an angle of a forefoot portion of the outsole relative to a middle portion.