Intelligent insole

• US 10,327,700 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2016
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Tsing Hua University
• Original Assignee: National Tsing Hua University
• Inventors: Lee, Yu-Chi, Wang, Mao-Jiun, Zhang, Chun, Wang, Hsu-Pin
• Primary Examiner(s): Dougherty, Sean P
• Application Number:
  US15/196,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20170238870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 17/00 Insoles for insertion, e.g. footbeds or inlays, for attachment to the shoe after the upper has been joined
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 17/14 made of sponge, rubber, or plastic materials
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/44 with sensors, e.g. for detecting contact or position
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0271 Thermal or temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/029 Humidity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/066 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1074 Foot measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing

Abstract

An intelligent insole is provided. The intelligent insole includes an insole body, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor and a signal collector. The pressure sensor, the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor are formed on the surface of the insole body, and the above sensors and the insole body are manufactured via the same 3D printing process. The pressure sensor senses the pressure signal from the insole body in contact with the foot. The temperature sensor and the humidity sensor respectively sense the temperature signal and the humidity signal of the insole body. The signal collector is respectively electrically connected to the pressure sensor, the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor to receive the pressure signal, the temperature signal and the humidity signal and then transmit the signals to a signal receiver via wireless transmission.

Claims

1. An intelligent insole, comprising:

an insole body formed via 3D printing;

a pressure sensor formed on a surface of the insole body via 3D printing for sensing a pressure signal from the insole body in contact with a foot;

a temperature sensor formed on the surface of the insole body via 3D printing for sensing a temperature signal of the insole body;

a humidity sensor formed on the surface of the insole body via 3D printing for sensing a humidity signal of the insole body; and

a signal transceiver electrically connected to the pressure sensor, the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor to receive the pressure signal, the temperature signal and the humidity signal, respectively, and then transmit the signals to a signal receiver via wireless transmission;

wherein, the pressure sensor, the temperature sensor, the humidity sensor and the insole body are formed in same 3D printing process, and the pressure sensor, the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor are respectively 0.001 to 0.003 mm in thickness.

2. The intelligent insole of claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is disposed in a region where the insole body and the foot come into contact, and the pressure sensor measures a variation of electric potential caused by the foot exerting force on the insole body to obtain the pressure signal.

3. The intelligent insole of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor are disposed in a region where the insole body and the foot do not come into contact to sense a temperature and humidity status of the insole and obtain the temperature signal and the humidity signal.

4. The intelligent insole of claim 1, wherein areas of the pressure sensor, the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor are respectively 2 to 8 mm².

5. The intelligent insole of claim 1, wherein materials for the pressure sensor, the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor comprise electrically conducting metal or piezoelectric material.

6. The intelligent insole of claim 1, wherein the signal receiver is a handheld mobile device displaying sensor readings of the pressure signal, the temperature signal and the humidity signal on a display panel thereof.

7. The intelligent insole of claim 6, wherein the handheld mobile device comprises a health management application comprising a plurality of critical values corresponding to the pressure signal, the temperature signal and the humidity signal, and the health management application sends out a warning when sensed signals exceed the corresponding critical values.

8. The intelligent insole of claim 7, wherein the health management application is configured to connect to a cloud server, upload the pressure signal, the temperature signal and the humidity signal in a predetermined time for storage in the cloud server.

9. The intelligent insole of claim 8, wherein the cloud server comprises a diagnosis advice corresponding to the pressure signal, the temperature signal and the humidity signal, and the diagnosis advice is transmitted back to the handheld mobile device and displayed on the display panel thereof to provide healthcare advices.