Footwear Control Lockout for Motorized Tensioning Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing footwear and apparel systems lack a mechanism to prevent inadvertent manual control during high-intensity or competitive activities, leading to potential disruption of motorized tensioning systems.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a lockout mode in motorized tensioning systems that disables manual controls during detected competitive or high-intensity activities, using sensors to determine the user's activity level and activate the lockout feature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual control buttons are provided for adjusting tensioning system, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to potential inadvertent activation during high-intensity activity
Solution Approach 1:
The control device transitions between different operational states (normal mode and lockout mode) based on detected activity levels. During high-intensity competitive activity, the system dynamically locks out manual controls to prevent inadvertent activation, while remaining fully operational during low-intensity activities, thus adapting its controllability to the current usage context
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors that continuously monitor activity levels and provide feedback to the control device. This feedback mechanism enables the system to automatically determine when to enable or disable manual controls based on real-time detection of competitive versus non-competitive activity states
2Reliability
If lockout mode is implemented to prevent inadvertent control, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional sensors and control logic
Solution Approach 1:
The control device serves multiple functions: it operates as a standard manual control interface during non-competitive activities, and automatically transitions to a lockout state during competitive activities. This multi-functionality allows a single device to adapt its behavior based on activity context, avoiding the need for entirely separate control systems
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically detects activity levels and self-regulates its control accessibility without requiring user intervention. The control device monitors its own operational context through integrated sensors and autonomously determines when to enable or disable manual controls, eliminating the need for external monitoring systems
Data Source
AI summary
An article of footwear can include provisions for improving the operation and use of various systems associated with the article. A control device included in the article can be configured to allow manual control of a system by a user. A lockout feature that can disable manual control may be included. During periods of competitive activity, the manual controls may be disabled to allow a user wearing the article to engage in different activities without inadvertent activation of a system. In some cases, the control device and lockout feature can be used in conjunction with a motorized tensioning system.