Shoe Sole Groove Segmentation for Pronation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shoe soles fail to balance natural foot movement with prevention of excessive pronation and reduction of physical burden during running, as they either restrict movement too much or lack sufficient support for heel strike runners.
Innovation Solution
A shoe sole design with three regions - fore-sole, middle-sole, and rear-sole - featuring specific groove portions aligned with imaginary lines corresponding to key flexion axes, providing varying depths and ratios to mimic natural foot movement while restraining excessive pronation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If high-hardness materials and resin parts are used in the midsole to restrain deformation, then excessive pronation is prevented, but natural foot movement is limited and foot functions are decreased
Solution Approach 1:
The midsole is divided into multiple regions (first, second, and third regions) with different rigidity characteristics. The first region has higher rigidity to prevent excessive pronation, while the second and third regions have lower rigidity to allow natural foot movement and weight transfer, resolving the contradiction between stability and ease of operation through spatial segmentation of mechanical properties
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the midsole are assigned different material properties and structural characteristics. The first region uses high-hardness materials for pronation control, while the second and third regions use softer materials for flexibility and natural movement, allowing each local area to optimize its function rather than using uniform material properties throughout
2Ease of operation
If excessive weight reduction and flexion grooves are added to achieve bare-foot feeling, then natural movement of the foot is improved, but the shoe cannot withstand the load expected from running activities
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe sole is segmented into multiple functional regions with varying groove depths and material densities. The first region has shallower grooves to maintain structural strength for load bearing, while the second and third regions have deeper grooves to enhance flexibility and natural movement, allowing the shoe to simultaneously withstand running loads and provide bare-foot feeling
Solution Approach 2:
The groove depth parameter is varied across different regions of the shoe sole. By controlling the depth, width, and distribution of flexion grooves in each region, the shoe achieves optimal balance between flexibility for natural movement and structural integrity for load bearing capacity during running activities
3Ease of operation
If the shoe sole is made with uniform groove depth to maximize flexibility, then natural movement is improved, but excessive pronation cannot be prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The groove depth and structural characteristics are locally optimized for different functional requirements. The first region maintains shallower grooves and higher structural density to prevent excessive pronation, while the second and third regions feature deeper grooves to maximize flexibility and natural foot movement, allowing each local area to perform its specific function effectively
Data Source
AI summary
A shoe sole which has a landing surface composed of three regions of a middle-sole region, a fore-sole region and a rear-sole region, and has a plurality of groove portions in the landing surface. The groove portions include: a first groove portion located in the fore-sole region, on a first imaginary line extending along the MP joint; a second groove portion located in the fore-sole region, on a second imaginary line extending along a line which connects a medial outer edge of the fore-sole region and a lateral outer edge of the middle-sole region with each other, in an area which is closer to a toe than to the first groove portion; and a third groove portion located in the rear-sole region, on a third imaginary line extending along a line which connects a medial outer edge of the rear-sole region and a lateral outer edge of the middle-sole region with each other.