Capacitive foot presence sensing for footwear

• US 10,448,707 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2017
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Walker, Steven H., Meneau, Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): Haden, Sally
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pierorazio, Jillian K
• Application Number:
  US15/610,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20170265594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 36 501, 36137, 324686, 324658-662, 362103, 73780, 73862626, 7386268
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0054 provided with magnets, magnetic parts or magnetic substances
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/125 characterised by the midsole or middle layer
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/14 characterised by the constructive form
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/18 Resilient soles skating boots provided with resilient means A43B5/1658
• 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 3/0031 provided with a pocket, e.g. for keys or a card
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/36 with light sources
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/38 with power sources
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/44 with sensors, e.g. for detecting contact or position
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/00 Shoe lacing fastenings garment fastening devices A41F
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/003 Zone lacing, i.e. whereby different zones of the footwear have different lacing tightening degrees, using one or a plurality of laces laces combined with another system A43C11/008; zone tightening using straps A43C11/14
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/006 Rear lacing, i.e. with a lace placed on the back of the foot in place of, or in addition to the traditional front lace
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/02 with elastic laces
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/04 with rings or loops
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/06 tightened by draw-strings
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 11/00 Other fastenings specially adapted for shoes dress fastenings in general A44B
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 11/008 Combined fastenings, e.g. to accelerate undoing or fastening
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 11/14 Clamp fastenings , e.g. strap fastenings; Clamp-buckle fastenings; Fastenings with toggle levers
• 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 7/00 : Holding-devices for laces
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 7/08 : Clamps drawn tight by laces
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1036 : Measuring load distribution, e.g. podologic studies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6807 : Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/12 : using electric or magnetic means G01D5/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/145 : influenced by the relative movement between the Hall device and magnetic fields see G01R33/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/24 : by varying capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2405 : by varying dielectric
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/34 : the beams of light being detected by photocells
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/12 : by measuring variations in the magnetic properties of materials resulting from the application of stress
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/14 : by measuring variations in capacitance or inductance of electrical elements, e.g. by measuring variations of frequency of electrical oscillators
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/142 : using capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/144 : with associated circuitry G01L1/146 and G01L1/148 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/0009 : Force sensors associated with a bearing testing of bearings G01M13/04
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/0014 : by using capacitive sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/0071 : Specific indicating arrangements, e.g. of overload
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/12 : for measuring axial thrust in a rotary shaft, e.g. of propulsion plants
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/16 : for measuring several components of force
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/165 : using variations in capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/24 : for determining value of torque or twisting moment for tightening a nut or other member which is similarly stressed
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 : electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/048 : Monitoring; Safety
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24015 : Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 : Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A foot presence sensor system for an active article of footwear can include a sensor housing configured to be disposed at or in an insole of the article, and a controller circuit, disposed within the sensor housing, configured to trigger one or more automated functions of the footwear based on a foot presence indication. In an example, the sensor system includes a capacitive sensor configured to sense changes in a capacitance signal in response to proximity of a body. A dielectric member can be provided between the capacitive sensor and the body to enhance an output signal from the sensor.

Claims

1. An automated footwear system for installation in a footwear article, the automated footwear system configured to adjust a footwear article tension about a foot when the foot is detected inside the footwear article by a foot presence sensor, the automated footwear system comprising:

a capacitive foot presence sensor including multiple electrodes spaced apart by an insulator and having a foot-facing surface, the capacitive foot presence sensor configured to be disposed inside of the footwear article and configured to provide a foot presence-indicating signal that is based on an electric field between the multiple electrodes when at least one of the multiple electrodes receives a sensor drive signal, wherein the foot presence-indicating signal from the capacitive foot presence sensor includes information about changes in the electric field due to changes in proximity of the foot relative to the capacitive foot presence sensor when the foot is spaced apart from the capacitive foot presence sensor;

a dielectric member provided on the foot-facing surface of the capacitive foot presence sensor and configured to enhance a sensitivity of the capacitive foot presence sensor to changes in location of the foot relative to the capacitive foot presence sensor, the dielectric member including a material having a greater relative permittivity than air;

a tensioning device housing configured to be disposed at least partially inside of an insole, a midsole, or an outsole of the footwear article; and

a processor circuit provided inside of the tensioning device housing and configured to control a tensioning device, based on the foot presence-indicating signal from the capacitive foot presence sensor, to adjust the footwear article tension about the foot;

wherein the dielectric member and the multiple electrodes of the capacitive foot presence sensor are provided at least partially outside of the tensioning device housing and are coupled to the processor circuit.

2. The automated footwear system of claim 1, further comprising:

the footwear article;

wherein the tensioning device housing is provided in a midsole region of the footwear article, and the capacitive foot presence sensor is provided at an upper foot-facing surface of the tensioning device housing.

3. The automated footwear system of claim 2, wherein the processor circuit is configured to receive the foot presence-indicating signal from the capacitive foot presence sensor, and determine whether the foot is present in or absent from the footwear article using a comparison of a magnitude characteristic of the foot presence-indicating signal with a specified threshold magnitude characteristic.

4. The automated footwear system of claim 3, further comprising an environment sensor configured to measure an environment characteristic in or near the footwear article, wherein the processor circuit is configured to change the specified threshold magnitude characteristic for use in the comparison based on a change in the environment characteristic.

5. The automated footwear system of claim 3, wherein the processor circuit is configured to update the specified threshold magnitude characteristic for use in the comparison based on a time-varying reference capacitance signal, and wherein the time-varying reference capacitance signal changes in response to a change in a humidity or temperature characteristic of an environment that includes the system.

6. The automated footwear system of claim 2, wherein the processor circuit is configured to receive the foot presence-indicating signal from the capacitive foot presence sensor, and determine whether the foot is present in or absent from the footwear article by determining whether a time-varying magnitude characteristic of the foot presence-indicating signal includes a magnitude change that exceeds a specified threshold change amount within a specified duration.

7. The automated footwear system of claim 2, wherein the processor circuit is configured to receive the foot presence-indicating signal from the capacitive foot presence sensor, and determine whether the foot is present in or absent from the footwear article by determining whether a portion of a time-varying magnitude characteristic of the foot presence-indicating signal exceeds a specified time-varying signal morphology limit.

8. The automated footwear system of claim 2, wherein the multiple electrodes include at least two comb-shaped electrodes that are spaced apart within a common plane.

9. The automated footwear system of claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the multiple electrodes extends substantially parallel with an upper surface of the insole of the footwear article.

10. The automated footwear system of claim 2, wherein the dielectric member comprises neoprene.

11. The automated footwear system of claim 2, wherein the multiple electrodes of the capacitive foot presence sensor are disposed on a common flexible substrate.

12. The automated footwear system of claim 2, wherein the multiple electrodes include first and second comb-shaped electrodes, each comb-shaped electrode having multiple spaced apart extension members arranged parallel to a common axis, and wherein the extension members of the first and second electrodes are interleaved.

13. The automated footwear system of claim 2, further comprising an electrical interconnect coupled to the processor circuit, and wherein the capacitive foot presence sensor is coupled to the processor circuit using the electrical interconnect.

14. The automated footwear system of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the capacitive foot presence sensor is coupled to an outer foot-facing surface of the tensioning device housing.