Footbed with Segmented Resilient Balls for Impact Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing footbeds in footwear do not adequately provide improved protection and comfort, especially when walking on hard surfaces, as they fail to effectively distribute and absorb the forces exerted on the heel and forefoot.
Innovation Solution
A footbed with resilient balls located in a resilient matrix material, where the balls have a higher hardness measure than the matrix, providing cushioning and support by distributing foot pressure unevenly, with the heel portion having larger balls than the forefoot portion, and interconnected by spacing pins within a single layer, surrounded by the matrix material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional shoe soles and insoles are used, then basic foot protection is provided, but adequate cushioning and force distribution on hard surfaces is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The footbed is segmented into multiple functional zones with different ball diameters (larger balls in heel portion, smaller balls in forefoot portion) and varying ball densities. This segmentation allows each zone to independently respond to the specific force distribution patterns of different foot regions when contacting hard surfaces, providing optimized cushioning and force distribution where needed most.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the footbed are assigned different local properties: the heel portion contains larger diameter balls to absorb higher impact forces from heel strike, while the forefoot portion contains smaller diameter balls for lighter cushioning during push-off. The matrix material hardness is specifically tuned to be softer than the balls to maximize energy absorption while maintaining structural integrity.
2Ease of operation
If resilient balls are used for cushioning, then comfort is improved, but ball position stability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The matrix material serves as an intermediary substance that fills the spaces between the resilient balls and bonds them in place. This matrix material provides a stable structural framework that prevents ball migration while still allowing the balls to compress and rebound, thus maintaining both position stability and cushioning functionality simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The footbed employs a composite structure combining resilient balls (for cushioning) with matrix material (for structural stability). This composite approach allows the two materials with different properties to work together: the balls provide elastic deformation for comfort while the matrix material provides structural integrity to maintain ball positions during use.
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
The footbed offers enhanced comfort and protection by compressing and decompressing under foot pressure, maintaining ball positions and providing additional cushioning through the matrix material, effectively reducing the impact of walking on hard surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
heel and forefoot portions comprising resilient balls located in a resilient matrix material
Implementation Method 2
matrix material has a second hardness measure that is different than the first hardness measure of the balls
Data Source
AI summary
A footbed comprises a cushion comprising a heel portion, a forefoot portion, and a lower surface. The heel and forefoot portions each comprise resilient balls located in a resilient matrix material. The balls have a first hardness measure, and the matrix material has a second hardness measure that is different than the first hardness measure. The balls in the forefoot portion are of a first diameter and the balls in the heel portion are of a second diameter, the first diameter being smaller than the second diameter. The heel portion is separated from the forefoot portion by a midfoot portion. Each of the balls in the cushion may be interconnected with adjacent respective balls by spacing pins, the spacing pins creating gaps between adjacent respective balls, the matrix material being located in the gaps. The matrix material substantially surrounds each of the balls in the cushion.