Intelligent electronic footwear and control logic for executing automated footwear features

• US 10,178,890 B1
• Filed: 08/28/2018
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Andon, Christopher, Cobbett, Jamian R., Malhotra, Vikram, Pham, Hien Tommy
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US16/114,632
• Time in Patent Office: 140 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/36 with light sources
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/50 with sound or music sources
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 11/165 characterised by a spool, reel or pulley for winding up cables, laces or straps by rotation
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 19/00 Attachments for footwear, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/14 having dimming means
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2673 on parts worn by the driver, e.g. clothes, gloves or bags, specially adapted to provide auxiliary vehicle signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/525 automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/05 Special features for controlling or switching of the light beam
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/006 indicating risk of collision between vehicles or with pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/07 Controlling traffic signals
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/087 : Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 : event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 : Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Presented are intelligent electronic footwear with controller automated features, methods for making/using such footwear, and control systems for executing automated features of intelligent electronic footwear. An intelligent electronic shoe (IES) includes an upper that attaches to a user'"'"'s foot, and a sole structure that is attached to the upper and supports thereon the user'"'"'s foot. An alert system, which is mounted to the sole structure and/or upper, generates predetermined outputs in response to electronic command signals. The IES system also includes a wireless communications device that wirelessly communicates with a remote computing node, and a footwear controller that communicates with the wireless communications device and alert system. The footwear controller receives location data indicative of the user'"'"'s and remote computing node'"'"'s locations, determines whether the user'"'"'s location is within a predetermined location/proximity to the node'"'"'s location and, if so, transmits command signals to the alert system to notify the user/vehicle.

Claims

1. An intelligent electronic shoe (IES) system, comprising:

an upper configured to attach to a foot of a user;

a sole structure attached to the upper and configured to support thereon the foot of the user, the sole structure defining a ground-engaging surface;

a controller-automated alert system mounted to the sole structure and/or the upper and configured to generate visible, audible and/or tactile outputs responsive to command signals;

a pressure sensor mounted to the sole structure and/or upper and configured to detect a presence of the foot in the upper;

a wireless communications device configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote computing node; and

a footwear controller operatively connected to the wireless communications device, the pressure sensor, and the alert system, the footwear controller being configured to;

receive location data indicative of a user location of the user;

receive location data indicative of a node location of the remote computing node;

determine whether the user location is within a predetermined location or proximity to the node location; and

responsive to the detected presence of the foot in the upper and the user location being within the predetermined location or proximity to the node location, transmit a command signal to the alert system to generate a predetermined visible, audible and/or tactile alert perceptible by the user and/or the remote computing node.

2. The IES system of claim 1, wherein the footwear controller is further configured to transmit, in response to the user location being within the predetermined location or proximity to the node location, a second command signal to a control system of the remote computing node to generate an audible or visual output.

3. The IES system of claim 2, wherein the remote computing node is a motor vehicle with a vehicle headlamp system, and wherein the visual output includes illumination, flashing and/or intensification of a light output of the vehicle headlamp system.

4. The IES system of claim 3, wherein the alert system includes a light system, and wherein the footwear controller is further configured to coordinate the light output of the vehicle headlamp system with a predetermined light output of the light system.

5. The IES system of claim 2, wherein the remote computing node is a motor vehicle with a vehicle horn system, and wherein the audible output includes activation and/or modulation of an audible output of the vehicle horn system.

6. The IES system of claim 1, wherein the user has a portable electronic device, and wherein the wireless communications device is further configured to wirelessly connect to the portable electronic device and thereby wirelessly communicate with the remote computing node.

7. The IES system of claim 1, wherein the alert system includes a haptic transducer, and wherein the command signal causes the haptic transducer to generate a haptic cue.

8. The IES system of claim 1, wherein the alert system includes an audio system, and wherein the command signal causes the audio system to generate a predetermined sound output.

9. The IES system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined location includes a geofence defined by the footwear controller, and wherein the command signal is transmitted to the alert system upon detection of the remote computing node breaching the geofence.

10. The IES system of claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is further configured to detect a weight of the user and output a sensor signal indicative thereof to the footwear controller, and wherein the command signal is transmitted to the alert system further in response to the detected weight of the user being within a predetermine range of a memory-stored validated user weight.

11. An intelligent electronic shoe (IES) system, comprising:

an upper configured to attach to a foot of a user;

a sole structure attached to the upper and configured to support thereon the foot of the user, the sole structure defining a ground-engaging surface;

a controller-automated alert system mounted to the sole structure and/or the upper and configured to generate visible, audible and/or tactile outputs responsive to command signals;

a pressure sensor mounted to the sole structure and/or upper and configured to detect a weight of the user;

a wireless communications device configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote computing node; and

a footwear controller operatively connected to the wireless communications device, pressure sensor, and alert system, the footwear controller being configured to;

receive, from the pressure sensor, a sensor signal indicative of the detected weight of the user;

determine if the detected weight is within a predetermine range of a memory-stored validated user weight;

receive location data indicative of a user location of the user;

receive location data indicative of a node location of the remote computing node;

determine whether the user location is within a predetermined location or proximity to the node location; and

in response to the detected weight being within the predetermine range of the memory-stored validated user weight and the user location being within the predetermined location or proximity to the node location, transmit a command signal to the alert system to generate a predetermined visible, audible and/or tactile alert perceptible by the user and/or the remote computing node.

12. An intelligent electronic shoe (IES) system, comprising:

an upper configured to attach to a foot of a user;

a sole structure attached to the upper and configured to support thereon the foot of the user, the sole structure defining a ground-engaging surface;

a controller-automated alert system mounted to the sole structure and/or the upper and configured to generate visible, audible and/or tactile outputs responsive to command signals;

a shoelace attached to the upper;

a lace motor mounted inside the sole structure and configured to selectively transition the shoelace between a tensioned state and an untensioned state;

a wireless communications device configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote computing node; and

a footwear controller operatively connected to the wireless communications device, lace motor, and alert system, the footwear controller being configured to;

communicate with the lace motor to determine whether the shoelace is in the tensioned or untensioned state

receive location data indicative of a user location of the user;

receive location data indicative of a node location of the remote computing node;

determine whether the user location is within a predetermined location or proximity to the node location; and

in response to the shoelace being in the tensioned state and the user location being within the predetermined location or proximity to the node location, transmit a command signal to the alert system to generate a predetermined visible, audible and/or tactile alert perceptible by the user and/or the remote computing node.

13. The IES system of claim 12, wherein the tensioned state includes a plurality of discrete tensioned positions, the IES system further comprising a lace sensor configured to detect a current one of the discrete tensioned positions for the user, and wherein the footwear controller is further configured to:

receive, from the lace sensor, a sensor signal indicative of the current one of the discrete tensioned positions for the user; and

determine if the current one of the discrete tensioned positions corresponds to a memory-stored validated lace tensioned position,

wherein the command signal is transmitted to the alert system further in response to the current one of the discrete tensioned positions corresponding to the memory-stored validated lace tensioned position.

15. The IES system of claim 12, wherein the footwear controller is further configured to transmit, in response to the user location being within the predetermined location or proximity to the node location, a second command signal to a control system of the remote computing node to generate an audible or visual output.

16. The IES system of claim 15, wherein the remote computing node is a motor vehicle with a vehicle headlamp system, and wherein the visual output includes illumination, flashing and/or intensification of a light output of the vehicle headlamp system.

17. The IES system of claim 16, wherein the alert system includes a light system, and wherein the footwear controller is further configured to coordinate the light output of the vehicle headlamp system with a light output of the light system.

18. The IES system of claim 15, wherein the remote computing node is a motor vehicle with a vehicle horn system, and wherein the audible output includes activation and/or modulation of an audible output of the vehicle horn system.

19. The IES system of claim 12, wherein the user has a portable electronic device, and wherein the wireless communications device is further configured to wirelessly connect to the portable electronic device and thereby wirelessly communicate with the remote computing node.

20. The IES system of claim 12, wherein the alert system includes a haptic transducer, and wherein the command signal causes the haptic transducer to generate a haptic cue.

21. The IES system of claim 12, wherein the alert system includes an audio system, and wherein the command signal causes the audio system to generate a predetermined sound output.

22. The IES system of claim 12, wherein the predetermined location includes a geofence defined by the footwear controller, and wherein the command signal is transmitted to the alert system upon detection of the remote computing node breaching the geofence.

23. The IES system of claim 12, further comprising a pressure sensor mounted to the sole structure and configured to detect a presence of the foot in the upper, and wherein the command signal is transmitted to the alert system further in response to the detected presence of the foot in the upper.

24. The IES system of claim 12, further comprising a pressure sensor mounted to the sole structure and configured to detect a weight of the user, and wherein the footwear controller is further configured to:

receive, from the pressure sensor, a sensor signal indicative of the detected weight of the user; and

determine if the detected weight is within a predetermine range of a memory-stored validated user weight,

wherein the command signal is transmitted to the alert system further in response to the detected weight being within the predetermine range of the memory-stored validated user weight.

25. The IES system of claim 12, wherein the remote computing node includes an optical sensor, and wherein the alert includes a personalized color and/or a blinking pattern detectable by the optical sensor and configured to verify the user to the remote computing node.

14. An intelligent electronic shoe (IES) system, comprising:

an upper configured to attach to a foot of a user;

a sole structure attached to the upper and configured to support thereon the foot of the user, the sole structure defining a ground-engaging surface;

a controller-automated alert system mounted to the sole structure and/or the upper and configured to generate visible, audible and/or tactile outputs responsive to command signals;

a wireless communications device configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote computing node; and

a footwear controller operatively connected to the wireless communications device and the alert system, the footwear controller being configured to;

receive location data indicative of a user location of the user;

receive location data indicative of a node location of the remote computing node;

determine whether the user location is within a predetermined location or proximity to the node location; and

responsive to the user location being within the predetermined location or proximity to the node location, transmit a command signal to the alert system to generate a predetermined visible, audible and/or tactile alert perceptible by the user and/or the remote computing node,

wherein the remote computing node includes an optical sensor, and wherein the alert includes a personalized color and/or a blinking pattern detectable by the optical sensor and configured to verify the user to the remote computing node.