Footwear with force sensing device

• US 20070157488A1
• Filed: 01/11/2006
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BBC International LLC
• Original Assignee: BBC International Limited (BBC International LLC)
• Inventors: Guzman, Rudy
• Granted Patent: US 7,404,263 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/132
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/02 Football boots or shoes, i.e. for soccer, football or rugby
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/025 characterised by an element which improves the contact between the ball and the footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0009 Computerised real time comparison with previous movements or motion sequences of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0068 Comparison to target or threshold, previous performance or not real time comparison to other individuals
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0006 Computerised comparison for qualitative assessment of motion sequences or the course of a movement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0062 Monitoring athletic performances, e.g. for determining the work of a user on an exercise apparatus, the completed jogging or cycling distance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/002 for football American-football dummies A63B69/34
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/06 Indicating or scoring devices for games or players , or for other sports activities

Abstract

An article of footwear is provided, particularly a soccer shoe, having one or more sensors mounted in the shoe upper which, when impacted by a ball, are effective to send a signal to a controller representative of the magnitude of the force with which the ball was struck by the shoe. A liquid crystal display, mounted within a housing which also carries the controller, provides a visual indication of the force of the ball strike which can be readily observed by the wearer of the shoe.

Claims

1. an article of footwear, comprising:

an upper connected to an outsole;

a controller mounted to one of said outsole and said upper, said controller including a display;

at least one sensor coupled to said controller and being mounted to one of said outsole and said upper, said at least one sensor being operative upon impact with a ball to transmit a signal to said controller representative of the magnitude of force with which said at least one sensor contacts the ball, said controller causing said display to provide a visual indication of the magnitude of said force.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1 in which said at least one sensor comprises a printed circuit board coupled to said controller and a contact movable into engagement with said printed circuit board upon impact with a ball.

3. The article of footwear of claim 2 in which said signal representative of the magnitude of force is a timing signal, the duration of said timing signal being dependent on the length of time said contact remains in engagement with said printed circuit board.

4. The article of footwear of claim 2 in which said contact comprises a pad, a metal plate connected to said pad and at least one resilient mount connected to said pad, said at least one resilient mount maintaining said pad and said metal plate in a spaced position relative to said printed circuit board until impact with a ball at which time said metal plate contacts said printed circuit board, said at least one resilient mount returning said pad and said metal plate to said spaced position when impact with the ball is terminated.

5. The article of footwear of claim 3 in which said at least one resilient mount is two spring legs mounted to said pad.

6. The article of footwear of claim 2 further including a cover layer overlying said contact.

7. The article of footwear of claim 6 in which said cover layer is formed with at least one notch.

8. The article of footwear of claim 2 in which said at least one sensor comprises an array of contacts each connected to a cover layer, each of said contacts including a pad having a first end joined to said cover layer and a second end which mounts a metal plate, said cover layer being movable in response to a ball strike between a first position in which said contacts are spaced from said printed circuit board and a second position in which said metal plate of said contacts engages said printed circuit board.

9. The article of footwear of claim 8 in which said cover layer is formed with at least one notch.

10. The article of footwear of claim 1 in which said controller is effective to cause said display to indicate the magnitude of force with which said at least one sensor last contacted the ball.

11. The article of footwear of claim 1 in which said controller stores in memory the highest force value resulting from contact between said at least one sensor and a ball, said controller being effective to compare said stored highest force value to each of said signals transmitted to said controller from said at least one sensor and to cause said display to provide a numeric indication in the event said stored highest force value is exceeded.

12. The article of footwear of claim 1 in which said controller is effective to record the number of signals transmitted by said at least one sensor and cause said display to provide a numeric indication representative of the number of times said at least one sensor contacts the ball.

13. The article of footwear of claim 1 further including a number of light sources coupled to said controller, said controller being effective to illuminate said light sources in a flashing sequence.

14. The method of detecting and displaying the magnitude of force with which a ball strikes an article of footwear, comprising:

(a) mounting at least one force sensor to the article of footwear in position to engage a ball, said at least one force sensor having a contact movable relative to a printed circuit board;

(b) causing the contact of the force sensor to engage the printed circuit board upon impact of the article of footwear with a ball;

(c) producing a signal representative of the time of engagement between the contact and printed circuit board in step (b); and

(d) causing a display to provide a visual indication of the magnitude of force with which the ball impacted the article of footwear based upon the signal produced in step (c).

15. The method of claim 14 in which step (b) comprises deflecting a cover layer which overlies the contact of the force sensor in response to impact with a ball.