Patent Application
20180242684
This application claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. § 119 from Taiwan Patent Application No. 106106577, filed on Feb. 28, 2017, in the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a protection for feet, and more particularly to a foot protection device.
Most shoes are made in standard sizes or standard shapes or structures. People's feet, however, are not shaped the same. For example, some people's feet have high arch, while others's feet have low arch. Most of the time, a person's left and right feet are not exactly the same. As such, standardized shoes can cause discomfort and potential physical injuries, especially when worn while doing strenuous exercises. People can purchase custom-made shoes that are shaped to their feet. These custom shoes, however, are not only costly but also time consuming to make.
Many aspects of the embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the different figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevant feature being described. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, and the proportions of certain parts may be exaggerated to be better illustrate details and features. The description is not to considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein.
Several definitions that apply throughout this disclosure will now be presented.
The connection can be such that the objects are permanently connected or releasably connected. The term “outside” refers to a region that is beyond the outermost confines of a physical object. The term “inside” indicates that at least a portion of a region is partially contained within a boundary formed by the object. The term “substantially” is defined to essentially conforming to the particular dimension, shape or other word that substantially modifies, such that the component need not be exact. For example, substantially cylindrical means that the object resembles a cylinder, but can have one or more deviations from a true cylinder. The term “comprising” means “including, but not necessarily limited to”; it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in a so-described combination, group, series and the like.
The pressure sensing layer 110 includes a first surface 111 and a second surface 112 opposite to the first surface 111. The pressure sensing layer 110 is capable of measuring pressure provided by a wearer's foot. The deformation layer 120 includes a third surface 121 and a fourth surface 122 opposite to the third surface 121.
The first surface 111 is disposed near a wearer's foot and the second surface 112 is disposed near the third surface 121. In one embodiment, the second surface 112 directly contacts the third surface 121. The fourth surface 122 is disposed near the inner surface of the sole. In one embodiment, the fourth surface 122 directly contacts the inner surface of the sole.
In one embodiment, the foot protection device 100 further includes a pressure buffer layer 140 located between the pressure sensing layer 110 and the wearer's foot. The pressure buffer layer 140 can be made of a flexible material with certain elasticity. For example, the pressure buffer layer 140 can be made of rubber, leather, fabrics, etc. The foot protection device 100 can further include a communication module 150 configured to communicate with an external controller, such as a cell phone. In one embodiment, the communication module 150 can communicate with an external controller through Bluetooth, zigbee, WiFi or other protocols. The external controller can receive the pressure value obtained by the pressure sensing layer 110 and the thickness value in different sections of the deformation layer 120 through the communication module 150. The foot protection device 100 may receive an external command sent by the external controller through the communication module 150 to change the thickness in different regions of the deformation layer 120.
Referring to
Referring to
For example, each area 123 can include a spring and a first control unit. The first control unit is configured to adjust the length of the corresponding spring according to a control signal sent by the control module 130.
For another example, each area 123 can include a micro air cushion and a second control unit. The second control unit is configured to adjust the inflation level of the corresponding air cushion according to a control signal sent by the control module 130.
The control module 130 is electrically connected with the pressure sensing layer 110 and the deformation layer 120, respectively. The control module 130 is configured to receive the pressure values obtained by the pressure sensing layer 110 and control the thickness of each area 123 according to the corresponding pressure value.
Referring to
Specifically, when the pressure value measured by the pressure sensor 113 is greater than a preset pressure value, the control module 130 controls the deformation layer 120 to gradually reduce the thickness at the corresponding position until the pressure value measured by the sensor 113 is equal to the preset pressure value; when the pressure value measured by the pressure sensor 113 is less than the preset pressure value, the control module 130 controls the deformation layer 120 gradually increases the thickness at the corresponding position until the pressure value measured by the pressure sensor 113 is equal to the preset pressure value.
A smart shoe of one exemplary embodiment is provided. The smart shoe includes a sole, an upper, and a foot protection device 100 provided in the first embodiment.
The foot protection device 100 includes a pressure sensing layer 110, a deformation layer 120, and a control module 130. Both of the pressure sensing layer 110 and the deformation layer 120 are layered structure. The pressure sensing layer 110 includes a first surface 111 and a second surface 112 opposite to the first surface 111. The deformation layer 120 includes a third surface 121 and a fourth surface 122 opposite to the third surface 121.
The first surface 111 is disposed near the wearer's foot and the second surface 112 is disposed near the third surface 121. In one embodiment, the second surface 112 and the third surface 121 is directly contacted. The fourth surface 122 is disposed near the inner surface of the sole. In one embodiment, the fourth surface 122 is directly contacted to the inner surface of the sole.
The control module 130 is electrically connected with the pressure sensing layer 110 and the deformation layer 120, respectively. The position of the control module 130 can be selected according to need. For example, the control module 130 can be located between the second surface 112 and the third surface 121; or the control module 130 can be located between the fourth surface 122 and the inner surface of the sole; or the control module 130 can be located inside the pressure sensing layer 110; or the control module 130 can be located inside the deformation layer 120; or the control module 130 can be located on the surface or inside the upper.
The embodiments shown and described above are only examples. Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present technology have been set forth in the forego description, together with details of the structure and function of the present disclosure, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in the detail, including in matters of shape, size and arrangement of the parts within the principles of the present disclosure up to, and including, the full extent established by the broad general meaning of the terms used in the claims.
Depending on the embodiment, certain of the steps of methods described may be removed, others may be added, and the sequence of steps may be altered. The description and the claims drawn to a method may include some indication in reference to certain steps. However, the indication used is only to be viewed for identification purposes and not as a suggestion as to an order for the steps.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 106106577 | Feb 2017 | TW | national |
