U-Shaped Footwear Bladder Chambers for Balanced Cushioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fluid-filled bladders in footwear sole structures lack optimal design for balanced support and cushioning, particularly in terms of responsiveness to applied loads during athletic movements.
Innovation Solution
A bladder design featuring a U-shaped chamber configuration with aligned U-shaped portions and elongate legs, formed from barrier layers with low gas transmission rates, providing enhanced cushioning and support through a composite midsole structure with a chassis interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fluid-filled bladders are designed with barrier layers sealed together, then the bladder can provide cushioning by compressing resiliently under applied loads, but the bladder lacks optimal responsiveness and balanced support characteristics during athletic movements
Solution Approach 1:
The bladder is divided into multiple discrete chambers (first chamber, second chamber, third chamber) instead of a single large chamber. Each chamber can independently respond to applied loads, providing better distribution of forces and improved responsiveness during athletic movements while maintaining overall cushioning function
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the bladder are designed with specific chamber configurations and connections tailored to local requirements. The chambers are positioned and sized to provide optimized support and cushioning characteristics for different areas of the foot, enhancing both reliability and adaptability
2Reliability
If the bladder is pressurized with fluid to provide support, then cushioning is enhanced, but the bladder may lose pressure over time reducing effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The bladder incorporates a one-way valve system that automatically refills chambers when pressure drops below a certain threshold. This feedback mechanism maintains optimal pressure levels over time, ensuring consistent support and cushioning effectiveness without requiring manual intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-chamber design with one-way valves allows the system to recover and maintain pressure by preventing fluid loss and enabling automatic refilling. Rather than simply losing pressure, the system actively manages fluid distribution to maintain effectiveness
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 bladder design offers improved cushioning and support characteristics by maintaining pressure and distributing forces effectively, enhancing the overall comfort and durability of footwear.
Implementation Method 1
The midsole may incorporate a fluid-filled bladder to increase durability of the sole structure, as well as to provide cushioning to the foot by compressing resiliently under an applied load to attenuate ground-reaction forces
Implementation Method 2
The bladder is pressurized with a fluid such as air, and may incorporate tensile members within the bladder to retain the shape of the bladder when compressed resiliently under applied loads
Data Source
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AI summary
A fluid-filled chamber includes first subchamber having a substantially U-shape. The fluid-filled chamber also includes a second subchamber having a substantially U-shape and being spaced apart from the first subchamber in a direction extending along a longitudinal axis of the fluid-filled chamber. In another aspect, a bladder includes a first chamber and a second chamber spaced apart from the first chamber in a direction extending along a longitudinal axis of the bladder. The bladder also includes a web area defining the first chamber and the second chamber and including a first portion having a substantially U-shape and a second portion having a substantially U-shape.