Top-Loading Lace Spool for Automated Footwear Lacing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motorized lacing systems for footwear suffer from high manufacturing costs, complexity, assembly challenges, lack of serviceability, and fragile mechanical mechanisms, making them unsuitable for mass production and daily use.
Innovation Solution
A modular footwear platform with interchangeable motorized and non-motorized lacing engines, featuring a robust mechanical design, serviceable components, and streamlined assembly processes, allowing for retail-level customization and integration of foot presence sensing and visual feedback through LED lighting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If motorized lacing systems are implemented in footwear, then automated tightening function is achieved, but manufacturing cost and device complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The lacing system is divided into separate functional modules: a lacing engine containing the spool and drive mechanism, and a lace assembly containing the laces and eyelets. This segmentation allows the complex motorized components to be isolated in a serviceable module while keeping the rest of the footwear simple and manufacturable.
Solution Approach 2:
The lacing engine is designed as a universal module that can be applied to various footwear types and configurations. The same basic engine design can accommodate different lace arrangements, footwear styles, and automation levels (motorized or manual), reducing overall system complexity through standardization.
2Extent of automation
If motorized lacing systems are implemented in footwear, then automated tightening function is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the motorized lacing engine from the footwear upper and sole components, the patent enables independent manufacturing of each module. The lacing engine can be produced using standard assembly line processes and then integrated into the footwear, reducing overall manufacturing complexity and cost compared to monolithic designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The lacing engine is designed to be received within a cavity in the lower portion of the footwear, nesting the complex mechanical components within the existing footwear structure. This nesting approach utilizes existing manufacturing cavities and reduces the need for additional complex integration steps.
3Extent of automation
If motorized lacing systems are implemented in footwear, then automated tightening function is achieved, but serviceability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The lacing engine is designed as a removable module that can be independently accessed, removed, and replaced. This segmentation allows service providers to quickly diagnose and repair issues by working on the isolated lacing engine module without disassembling the entire footwear, thereby maintaining serviceability despite the automated function.
Solution Approach 2:
The motorized components are extracted into a separate serviceable module that can be removed from the footwear. This extraction allows the complex mechanical and electrical components to be serviced, repaired, or replaced independently, ensuring that automated functionality does not compromise serviceability.
4Extent of automation
If motorized lacing systems are implemented in footwear, then automated tightening function is achieved, but mechanical reliability decreases due to fragile mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The lacing engine incorporates a spool with pre-formed grooves and a lace routing system that guides the laces through predetermined paths. This preliminary configuration of the mechanical components ensures proper load distribution and reduces stress concentrations, thereby improving the reliability of the automated tightening mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The design includes protective features such as rounded corners on the spool, adequate spacing between components, and cushioning elements that absorb shock and prevent damage to fragile mechanical parts during operation and handling, thereby enhancing overall mechanical reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and apparatus related to footwear including a modular lacing engine are discussed. In an example, a modular footwear apparatus including an upper portion, a lower portion, and a lacing engine is described. The upper portion can include a lace to adjust fit of the upper portion against a foot, the lace adjustable between a first position and a second position based at least in part on manipulation of an effective length of the lace. The lower portion can include a mid-sole and an out-sole, and the lower portion can be coupled to the upper portion at the mid-sole. The lacing engine can include a top-loading lace spool to engage a loop of the lace to enable manipulation of the effective length of the lace through rotation of the lace spool, the lacing engine received within a cavity in the lower portion.