Automated Shoe Shell Selection via Foot Form Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shoe manufacturers face difficulties in selecting optimal shoe components that fit users' feet accurately, leading to increased burden and inefficiency in the shoe-making process.
Innovation Solution
A shoe making assistance apparatus that uses foot form data to select and output suitable shell models from various types, reducing the need for manual selection and bonding of shoe components, and includes an input device for accepting foot form data, a computing unit for selecting shell models, and an output device for providing the selected model.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual selection of shoe components is performed by workers, then flexibility in handling various foot geometries is maintained, but workload and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by allowing the shoe making apparatus to automatically select optimal shell components based on measured foot geometry data, eliminating the need for worker intervention in component selection and thereby reducing both workload and time consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical selection process with an automated computing system that uses algorithms to analyze foot geometry data and select appropriate shell components, substituting human labor with computational processing
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple types of shell models are prepared to fit various foot geometries, then fitting accuracy improves, but device complexity and selection difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from measured foot geometry data to automatically determine the most suitable shell component type, creating a closed-loop process where measurement results directly inform component selection without requiring worker judgment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the selection criterion from subjective worker judgment to objective numerical parameters derived from foot geometry measurements, allowing automated comparison and selection based on quantifiable characteristics
3Productivity
If automated selection system is implemented, then productivity increases, but initial system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe making apparatus is designed with multi-functionality, integrating both measurement capabilities and component selection functions into a single system, allowing it to serve multiple purposes and justify the investment through increased productivity
Data Source
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AI summary
A shoe (10) is constituted of an upper (1), a sole (2), and a shell (3) in which the upper (1) and the sole (2) are inserted. A shoe making assistance apparatus (100) that assists making of a shoe includes an input device (106) that accepts foot form data, a processor (102) that selects at least one type of a shell model from among a plurality of types of shell models different in shape based on the foot form data accepted by the input device (106), and an output device (108) that provides output of the shell model selected by the processor (102).