SHOE, IN PARTICULAR RUNNING SHOE OR SKI BOOT, AND SKIING EQUIPMENT

• US 20100251574A1
• Filed: 06/14/2010
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventus Engineering GmbH
• Original Assignee: Inventus Engineering GmbH
• Inventors: Battlogg, Stefan, Pösel, Jürgen
• Granted Patent: US 8,468,722 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/117.100
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0054 provided with magnets, magnetic parts or magnetic substances
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/0405 Linings, paddings or insertions; Inner boots
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/0433 to the width of calf or shin, i.e. fibula, tibia
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/0443 to the instep of the foot, e.g. metatarsals; Metatarsal clamping devices
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/045 to the width of the foot
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/0452 Adjustment of the forward inclination of the boot leg

Abstract

A shoe contains an adjustable space for the foot and several fluidically connected chambers. In order to adjust the space for the foot, the flowability of a magnetorheological fluid can be influenced by one or more devices that generate a magnetic field and thereby adjust the space for the foot resulting in a better fitting of the shoe. The novel system may also be implemented in orthoses (e.g., pronation correction) or in complete shoes with orthotics devices for correcting musculoskeletal abnormalities.

Claims

1. A shoe with a foot space, comprising:

one or more deformable chambers disposed to vary a shape and/or a volume of the foot space in the shoe;

one or more flow links fluidically connected to respective said deformable chambers;

an amount of magnetorheological fluid (MRF) in said one or more deformable chambers and said one or more flow links; and

at least one magnet device for generating a magnetic field, said magnet device being disposed to subject at least one of said flow links and said deformable chambers to the magnetic field, said magnet device selectively influencing a viscosity of said magnetorheological fluid and varying the shape and/or the volume of the foot space by varying the magnetic field.

2. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein said flow links are valves and flow lines through which said MRF flows out of and into respective said deformable chambers, and said magnet device is disposed to generate the magnetic field in said flow links.

3. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein said one or more deformable chambers are at least two separate chambers having a flow link channel fludically connected therebetween, and said magnet device is disposed at said flow link channel to selectively influence a flow of said MRF between said two chambers.

4. The shoe according to claim 1, which further comprises a supply container with MRF for supplying MRF to said one or more deformable chambers and wherein said magnet device is disposed adjacent to channels interlinking said supply container with said one or more deformable chambers.

5. The shoe according to claim 2, wherein said magnet device is one of a plurality of magnet devices each associated with a respective said flow link.

6. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein said at least one magnet device includes a permanent magnet.

7. The shoe according to claim 6, wherein said permanent magnet is disposed to move relative to said flow links to attenuate or deactivate the magnetic field.

8. The shoe according to claim 7, wherein said permanent magnet is removably disposed in the shoe.

9. The shoe according to claim 6, which comprises a movable and removable magnetic shield for attenuating or deactivating the magnetic field.

10. The shoe according to claim 9, further comprising at least one motor for moving said magnetic shield.

11. The shoe according to claim 6, wherein said permanent magnet has an associated switchable electromagnet to attenuate or deactivate the magnetic field of said permanent magnet.

12. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein said magnet device has at least one switchable electromagnet.

13. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein each of said flow links has a constriction disposed approximately centrally in the magnetic field.

14. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the shoe is a ski boot.

15. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the shoe is a running shoe.

19. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein said flow link comprises a housing, iron cores, and a permanent magnet disposed to form a magnetic circuit, said permanent magnet having at least partially hard-magnetic properties with a coercivity above 1 kA/m.

20. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein said flow link comprises a housing and iron cores disposed to form a magnetic circuit, said iron cores having at least partially hard-magnetic properties.

21. The shoe according to claim 20, wherein a magnetization of the hard-magnetic material is permanently variable by at least one magnetic pulse from a coil of said magnet device.

22. The shoe according to claim 20, wherein a magnetization of the hard-magnetic material may be attenuated or completely canceled by way of a magnetic alternating field of the coil.

23. The shoe according to claim 20, wherein a magnetization of the hard-magnetic material is infinitely variable from a zero value to a retentivity of the material by way of at least one magnetic pulse from a coil of said magnet device.

24. The shoe according to claim 20, wherein a magnetization of the hard-magnetic material has a polarity that is reversible by way of at least one magnetic pulse from a coil of said magnet device.

25. The shoe according to claim 20, which further comprises a current source selected from the group consisting of a battery, a capacitor, an accumulator, and a vibration generator for supplying energy for at least one magnetic pulse from the coil.

26. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein each of said flow links has two sealing elements moveable within said flow links, said magnetorheological liquid in each of said flow links is enclosed by said two sealing elements and is separated from a different compound, which can flow, in said deformable chambers.

16. Skiing equipment, comprising:

a ski with a ski binding;

a ski boot configured to be clamped to said ski binding, said ski boot having a foot space for receiving a foot of a skier, said ski boot including;

a plurality of deformable chambers disposed to vary a shape and/or a volume of the foot space in the shoe;

one or more flow links fluidically connected to said deformable chambers;

an amount of magnetorheological fluid (MRF) in said deformable chambers and in said one or more flow links;

at least one magnet device for generating a magnetic field disposed to subject at least one of said flow links to the magnetic field, said magnet device selectively influencing a viscosity of said magnetorheological fluid and varying the shape and/or the volume of the foot space by varying the magnetic field; and

an electrical energy source connected to said magnet device for supplying electrical energy for energizing said magnet device.

17. The skiing equipment according to claim 16, wherein said electrical energy source has a generator for converting vibration movements into the electrical energy.

18. The skiing equipment according to claim 16, further comprising a control system connected to drive said magnet and/or said flow links.