Fluid-Filled Foot Support Bladders for Adjustable Hardness
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional footwear lacks the ability to dynamically adjust foot support hardness and fluid distribution within the foot-receiving devices, limiting the customization and adaptability to different foot types and activities.
Innovation Solution
A foot support system incorporating a fluid-filled bladder chamber system with interconnected bladders and a fluid transfer mechanism, allowing for the selective movement of fluid between chambers to adjust hardness and pressure, featuring a pump and control system to manage fluid flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional footwear structures are used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the foot support hardness cannot be dynamically adjusted
Solution Approach 1:
The foot support system is divided into multiple independent bladder chambers (heel chamber, midfoot chamber, forefoot chamber) that can be individually controlled. Each chamber can be independently inflated or deflated to provide localized hardness adjustment, allowing the system to adapt to different foot regions' support needs while maintaining overall system manageability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs fluid-filled bladder chambers connected through fluid transfer lines with valves to dynamically adjust the hardness of different foot support regions. By controlling fluid flow between chambers using pneumatic or hydraulic principles, the system achieves variable support characteristics without requiring complex mechanical structures or electronic components.
2Adaptability or versatility
If uniform fluid distribution is used in the foot support system, then the system structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate different foot types and activities
Solution Approach 1:
The foot support system implements local quality by enabling independent fluid distribution control to each bladder chamber. The valve system allows selective inflation or deflation of specific chambers (heel, midfoot, forefoot) based on the user's foot type and activity requirements, creating locally optimized support characteristics rather than uniform distribution throughout the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static uniform fluid distribution to dynamic localized control. The interconnected bladders with valve mechanisms enable real-time adjustment of fluid distribution, allowing the support characteristics to change dynamically based on different foot types, activities, or comfort preferences, while the fluid connectivity maintains system simplicity.
3Productivity
If fixed hardness foot support is used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but it limits performance across various activities
Solution Approach 1:
The foot support system achieves universality by designing a multi-functional bladder chamber system that can provide different support characteristics for various activities. The same interconnected chamber structure with valve control can be adjusted to provide soft support for comfort-oriented activities, firm support for performance-oriented activities, or customized regional support for different foot types, eliminating the need for multiple specialized footwear designs.
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
Enables dynamic adjustment of foot support hardness and pressure distribution, enhancing comfort and performance by accommodating various foot types and activities through customizable fluid distribution.
Implementation Method 1
systems for selectively moving fluid between various portions of the foot support system, foot-receiving device, and/or article of footwear
Implementation Method 2
A foot support system incorporating a fluid-filled bladder chamber system with interconnected bladders and a fluid transfer mechanism, allowing for the selective movement of fluid between chambers to adjust hardness and pressure, featuring a pump and control system to manage fluid flow
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C~1D
AI summary
A fluid-tight foot support system (320, 340), comprising: a foot support bladder (102) for supporting at least a portion of a wearer's foot; a pump (110); a first fluid transfer line (112) extending between the foot support bladder (102) and the pump (110); a fluid reservoir (104); a second fluid transfer line (116, 210, 216) extending between the pump (110) and the fluid reservoir (104); a third fluid transfer line (106, 206, 216) extending between the fluid reservoir and the foot support bladder; and a fluid pressure regulating system for changing fluid pressure in the foot support bladder (104) at least between a first pressure condition and a second pressure condition at a lower pressure than the first pressure condition, wherein the fluid pressure regulating system includes a pressure regulator (322) including a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, wherein the pressure regulator (322) produces a pressure differential between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet to change between the first pressure condition and the second pressure condition.