Method and apparatus for analyzing feet
First Claim
1. An apparatus for assisting in the fitting of shoes by collecting and processing physiological information about a foot, said apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of optical sensors partially defining a data collection zone, said plurality of optical sensors includingoptical sensors so arranged as to monitor a length dimension of a foot located within said data collection zone,optical sensors so arranged as to monitor a width dimension of a foot located within said data collection zone, andoptical sensors so arranged as to monitor a height dimension of a foot located within said data collection zone, said optical sensors so arranged as to monitor a height dimension including sensors so arranged as to monitor a side profile of a foot located within said data collection zone;
a plurality of pressure sensors arranged in a matrix configuration and located at an elevation below that of said plurality of optical sensors, said plurality of pressure sensors partially defining said data collection zone;
an optical controller coupled to said plurality of optical sensors, said optical controller including, at least, means for directing said plurality of optical sensors to generate optical data representative of locations of a plurality of edges of a foot randomly positioned within the data collection zone;
a pressure controller coupled to said plurality of pressure sensors, said pressure controller including, at least, means for collecting pressure data from each pressure sensor of said plurality of pressure sensors and for convening pressure data from each pressure sensor of said plurality of pressure sensors into corresponding force data representative of pressure applied to each said pressure sensor by a foot; and
a processor device coupled to said optical controller and said pressure controller, said processor device including, at least, means for receiving said optical data from said optical controller and said force data from said pressure controller and for processing said optical data and said force data together,whereby the processed data represents physiological data about a foot placed randomly within the data collection zone.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for measuring feet for fitting shoes which utilizes matrixes of pressures sensors and optical sensors connected to a controller and a monitor. An apparatus of the invention includes a housing which houses a controller and a monitor and defines left and right foot wells for receiving left and right feet, respectively. The floor of each foot well includes a pressure pad assembly which includes a matrix of pressure sensor contacts covered by a variably resistive pressure pad to form pressure sensor matrixes. A digital signal processor normalizes and smooths the pressure data for display on the monitor. Infrared LED'"'"'s and phototransistors are located around the perimeter of each foot well and are utilized to measure the length, width, and heights of a foot. A microprocessor addresses each LED and phototransistor separately. The controller reads data created by the DSP and IR microprocessor, calculates additional data, and displays the resulting data on the monitor. The pressure sensors and optical sensors are utilized to determine, among others, foot length, foot width, shoe size, foot volume, foot shape, force distribution, pronation, arch type, and recommended last type. Such determinations, along with intended use information obtained from the customer, are compared to a database of available shoes to determine recommended best fits for each customer. Such data can also be stored or transferred to an external system for storage with reference to each particular customer.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An apparatus for assisting in the fitting of shoes by collecting and processing physiological information about a foot, said apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of optical sensors partially defining a data collection zone, said plurality of optical sensors including optical sensors so arranged as to monitor a length dimension of a foot located within said data collection zone, optical sensors so arranged as to monitor a width dimension of a foot located within said data collection zone, and optical sensors so arranged as to monitor a height dimension of a foot located within said data collection zone, said optical sensors so arranged as to monitor a height dimension including sensors so arranged as to monitor a side profile of a foot located within said data collection zone; a plurality of pressure sensors arranged in a matrix configuration and located at an elevation below that of said plurality of optical sensors, said plurality of pressure sensors partially defining said data collection zone; an optical controller coupled to said plurality of optical sensors, said optical controller including, at least, means for directing said plurality of optical sensors to generate optical data representative of locations of a plurality of edges of a foot randomly positioned within the data collection zone; a pressure controller coupled to said plurality of pressure sensors, said pressure controller including, at least, means for collecting pressure data from each pressure sensor of said plurality of pressure sensors and for convening pressure data from each pressure sensor of said plurality of pressure sensors into corresponding force data representative of pressure applied to each said pressure sensor by a foot; and a processor device coupled to said optical controller and said pressure controller, said processor device including, at least, means for receiving said optical data from said optical controller and said force data from said pressure controller and for processing said optical data and said force data together, whereby the processed data represents physiological data about a foot placed randomly within the data collection zone. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification