Dynamic Footwear Upper Support With Sensor-Driven Tile Stiffness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional athletic shoes lack dynamic support and stability adjustments in response to varying athletic or recreational activities, often providing either insufficient support or unnecessary rigidity.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a dynamic support system in footwear, featuring sensors, microprocessors, reversible motors, and arrays of tiles connected by cables, which can compress or relax to adjust flexibility, support, and impact resistance based on real-time stress data from sensors embedded in the shoe or worn by the user.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional athletic shoes use fixed rigid structures for support, then stability is improved, but flexibility and comfort deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by implementing a support structure that transitions from static to dynamic. Sensors detect stress levels and trigger motors to compress or expand foam tiles, allowing the shoe to adapt its support characteristics in real-time based on the wearer's activity level and foot movement, thereby resolving the contradiction between fixed stability and needed flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by varying the compression state of foam tiles through motor actuation. The system changes physical parameters (compression level, stiffness) of the support structure based on sensor input, enabling the shoe to provide appropriate stability during high-impact activities while maintaining flexibility during low-intensity wear.
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional athletic shoes provide maximum support, then stability is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the support structure into multiple independent foam tiles that can be individually controlled. Instead of using a single heavy rigid structure, the system uses multiple lightweight foam elements that can be selectively activated, providing maximum support only where and when needed, thereby reducing overall weight while maintaining stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic activation system allows the shoe to provide maximum support only during high-impact moments detected by sensors, rather than maintaining constant maximum support. This on-demand activation reduces the effective weight burden during low-activity periods while providing stability when required.
3Adaptability or versatility
If dynamic support systems are added to footwear, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into modular components: sensors positioned at specific locations, individual foam tiles with embedded cables, and distributed motors. This modular segmentation makes the complex system more manageable and allows for targeted placement of components only where needed, reducing overall complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by implementing support mechanisms only in specific regions where needed rather than uniformly throughout the shoe. Sensors and actuators are positioned strategically to provide adaptability in critical areas while leaving other regions simpler, thereby balancing adaptability with manageable complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system provides tailored support and stability during specific activities, enhancing performance and comfort by dynamically adjusting the shoe's properties in response to stress levels, maintaining flexibility when not needed and offering additional support when required.
Implementation Method 1
The reversible motor can rotate the reel in a first direction to pull in the cable to compress the array of tiles and in a second direction opposite to the first direction to loosen the array of tiles
Implementation Method 2
stress sensors such as pressure sensor(s) in the sole reporting to the microprocessor and/or tension sensor(s) in the upper reporting to the microprocessor
Data Source
AI summary
An article of footwear with a dynamic support system that controls arrays of tiles in the upper of the footwear to adjust the level of support provided in different regions of the upper. Sensors in the sole of the footwear, in the upper of the footwear and/or in an article worn by the wearer of the footwear measure the level of stress or other characteristics and provide input to one or more microprocessors that control motors located in the sole or in the upper of the footwear. When the motors are activated, they may compress or loosen arrays of tiles to adjust the stiffness of the upper in one or more regions of the upper.