Foldable Sports Shoe With Segmented Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shoes that allow size adjustment suffer from compromised dimensional stability when designed for temporary size changes, such as during transport, as they often sacrifice rigidity for collapsibility.
Innovation Solution
The shoe top part is made of flexible material with reinforcing elements that maintain shape perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, using rigid materials in the heel and toe regions and adjustable reinforcing elements between the front and rear parts, along with a high-tensile strength fixing strap and detachable stiffening means to ensure rigidity and adjustability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the shoe top part is made of flexible material to enable collapsing, then the ease of operation for collapsing improves, but the dimensional stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe top part is divided into different material zones: flexible material in the connecting region for collapsing, and rigid material in the heel and toe regions for stability. This segmentation allows each region to perform its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different material properties are applied to different regions of the shoe top part. The connecting region uses flexible material for collapsibility, while the heel and toe regions use rigid material for structural stability, ensuring local optimization of properties.
2Strength
If reinforcing elements are added to maintain rigidity, then the strength improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe top part combines flexible material and rigid material in a composite structure. The rigid material forms reinforcing elements embedded in or attached to the flexible material, creating a composite structure that provides both flexibility for collapsing and rigidity for support.
Data Source
AI summary
The shoe is a foldable shoe with sufficient rigidity during use but allows for folding during periods of non-use. The shoe has an upper which is made of a flexible material that makes it possible to push the upper together in the longitudinal direction of the shoe. In a portion of the shoe there are reinforcing elements which run perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the shoe and maintain the form of the shoe in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the shoe. Rigid material is formed around the toe area and the heel area of the shoe. To make the shoe sufficiently rigid for use, an outer element that clamps onto the reinforcing elements, a stiff insole, or both is used.