Automatic Lacing Mechanism with Adjustable Positioning Pins
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automatic lacing machines for footwear struggle to maintain the stability of shoe uppers during the lacing process and fail to efficiently accommodate varying distances between lace eyelets across different footwear specifications, leading to inefficiencies in production.
Innovation Solution
An automatic lacing mechanism comprising a positioning module with adjustable positioning pins, a clamping module for securing the shoe upper, and a shoelace-running module, along with a controller for parameter input to adjust pin distance, ensuring stability and efficient lacing across different specifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual lacing is used, then the upper can be soft and breathable, but the production efficiency is low
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe upper itself serves as the positioning reference through its lace eyelet holes. The positioning pins insert into these existing eyelets to locate and stabilize the upper, eliminating the need for external positioning fixtures and enabling automated operation while maintaining production efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual lacing operations with an automated lacing machine that uses mechanical positioning pins, clamping modules, and lace feeding mechanisms to automatically thread laces through eyelets, thereby improving productivity while reducing manual operation complexity
2Adaptability or versatility
If fixed positioning fixtures are used, then the upper can be stabilized, but the distance between positioning points cannot be adjusted for different specifications
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning pins are designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing them to be inserted into and removed from different lace eyelet positions on the shoe upper. This dynamic positioning capability enables the same device to accommodate different footwear specifications without requiring complex adjustable mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning pins serve multiple functions: they locate the shoe upper by inserting into lace eyelets, stabilize the upper during lacing, and can be positioned at different locations depending on the footwear specification. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for specification-specific fixtures
3Extent of automation
If the upper is not firmly fixed, then the lacing process cannot be automated, but firm fixation may damage the soft upper material
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning pins are inserted into the lace eyelet holes before the lacing process begins, establishing stable reference points in advance. This preliminary positioning allows the upper to be firmly held during automated lacing without requiring excessive clamping force that could damage the soft material
Solution Approach 2:
The lace eyelet holes serve as intermediary structures that mediate between the positioning pins and the soft upper material. The pins insert into these pre-existing holes to provide firm fixation points without directly contacting and potentially damaging the surrounding soft material
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic lacing mechanism automatically laces between two shoe pieces, and includes a clamping module, a positioning module, a shoelace-running module, and a shoelace-arranging module. The clamping module is adapted to fixedly clamp shoe pieces. The positioning module is adapted to position the shoe pieces prior to the shoe pieces are fixedly clamped, so that the clamping module could firmly clamp the shoe pieces. The shoelace-running module is adapted to run the shoelace through the lace eyelets on the shoe pieces. The shoelace-arranging module is adapted to change the direction of the shoelace during lacing. The positioning module has two positioning pins, wherein a distance therebetween is adjustable, and therefore the positioning module is suitable for the positioning of footwear having different distances between its lace eyelets, which could make the automatic lacing process smoother.