JP2013509964A - Footwear temperature control method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments relate to footwear such as boots and shoes, and more particularly to temperature control elements for controllably adjusting and / or changing the temperature of the footwear and the wearer's foot. The present invention relates to a footwear having a removable element such as a liner. Various embodiments comprise an electrical contact in a footbed configured to couple to a temperature control element in the liner, a power source, a controller, and an actuator coupled to the top of the footwear.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

(Cross-reference of related applications)
This application claims priority from US Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 258,554, filed November 5, 2009, entitled “Footwear Temperature Control Method and Apparatus”, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. Incorporated herein by reference.

(Technical field)
Embodiments herein relate to footwear such as boots and shoes. More particularly, it relates to footwear having removable parts, such as liners, booties or insoles, with temperature control parts that controllably adjust and / or change the temperature of the footwear and the wearer's foot.

  Footwear is often worn in situations where temperature fluctuations can have a significant impact on wearer comfort and safety. Footwear typically comprises a variety of insulating materials to keep the wearer's feet warm in a cold environment. Although somewhat effective, in severe cold environments, insulation alone may not be sufficient to maintain safety and comfort and foot temperature may be significantly lower. In addition, insulated footwear can be problematic in warmer environments and situations where the wearer exercises a lot of energy, as the footwear can catch heat and moisture and make the foot too hot. May be. In addition, individuals with circulatory problems such as peripheral arterial injury and Raynaud's phenomenon may have difficulty adjusting foot temperature, especially in cold environments.

  Systems have been developed in which an electrical heating system is incorporated into the body of the footwear and power is supplied by a portable power source. However, these heating systems are very prone to failure. For example, the heating element is brittle and can easily break. If the conductor path is destroyed, the heated footwear becomes unusable. Due to the nature of the heated components incorporated in the footwear, once broken, these systems cannot be repaired or the repair costs are very high. In addition, the heating element is incorporated into the footwear because the placement of the elements in the upper, midsole or outsole of the footwear is labor intensive and requires precise sewing to avoid conductor damage. This is very difficult to manufacture.

  The embodiments will be readily understood by the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. The embodiments are shown for illustrative purposes and are not intended to be limited to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2A is a top view (A), bottom view (B), and side view (C) of a removable liner for use in footwear, according to various embodiments. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a removable liner and footbed according to various embodiments. FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate electrical coupling mechanisms for use with removable liners according to various embodiments. FIGS. 1A is an exploded view (A), top view (B), side view (C) and bottom view (D) of a removable liner according to various embodiments. FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded view (A) of an electrical coupling mechanism, a top view (B), a bottom view (C), and a side view (D) of a removable liner having an electrical coupling mechanism, according to various embodiments. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of several components of an exemplary footwear temperature control system according to various embodiments. It is a left view (A) of an example of footwear provided with one embodiment of a temperature control element, a right view (B), and a rear view (C).

  In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part of the description and are shown for the purpose of illustrating possible embodiments. It should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the embodiments is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

  To assist in understanding the embodiments, various operations may be described as a plurality of individual operations, but the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are order dependent. Absent.

  For illustrative purposes, the expression “A / B” or the expression “A and / or B” means (A), (B) or (A and B). For illustrative purposes, expressions of the form “at least one of A, B, and C” are (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C) or (A, B and C). For illustrative purposes, an expression of the form (A) B means (B) or (AB), that is, A is an optional element.

  This description may use the term “embodiment” or “embodiments” to refer to one or more identical or different embodiments, respectively. Furthermore, terms such as “comprising”, “comprising”, and “having” are synonymous when used with respect to the embodiments.

  In various embodiments, a temperature control foot fair is provided. A removable liner, such as a sock liner, footbed, insole, bootie, etc., may comprise a temperature control element (referred to herein as “TCE”) disposed therein. When connected to a portable power source (eg, battery or battery), the TCE increases and / or decreases the temperature of the liner and increases and / or decreases the temperature of the footwear perceived by the wearer's foot. It may be configured. In some embodiments, the electrical contact element is located in or on the exterior of the liner and is located in or on the footwear body (eg, on the top of the footbed or on the midsole, outsole, etc.) It may be configured to contact the electrical contact element to facilitate electrical coupling and control of the portable power source and the TCE.

  The TCE may comprise a heating element, a cooling element, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the heating element may be a metal-based conductor that is embedded, etched, or printed into a substrate coupled to a liner. In some embodiments, the heating element and / or cooling element may comprise one or more piezoelectric and / or thermoelectric heaters and / or coolers that can control the temperature of the liner.

  In various embodiments, a controller, power supply, actuator, and / or temperature regulator may be electrically coupled to the TCE and configured to adjust the power supply to control the liner temperature as desired. A temperature regulator and power supply may be located on the footwear so that the wearer may control the temperature of the liner, for example by manipulating settings on the controller, or for example a wired or wireless interface May be used to remotely control the temperature of the liner. In other embodiments, a thermostat may be used to automatically control the liner temperature.

  1A-C show an example of a footwear liner and TCE according to various embodiments. In various embodiments, the liner 10 may be sized to removably engage with footwear having various shapes and structures. As shown, the liner 10 may include a TCE 20 disposed therein and configured to provide a heat source and / or a cooling source. In various embodiments, the TCE 20 may comprise one or more conductors 22 strategically patterned on at least a portion of the liner 10. As shown in FIG. 1A, in some embodiments, the distribution of conductors 22 may be concentrated in the front of the liner, ie, the thumb / toe portion. This is an advantageous structure because the toes and / or the front part of the foot is usually the part of the foot that becomes cold or too hot due to reduced blood circulation. In other embodiments, the conductor 22 may cover substantially the entire surface of the liner 10 and the entire foot may be heated or cooled, or the conductor 22 may be disposed in both the heel and toe areas of the liner. It may be another zone or pattern as required. In embodiments having both heating and cooling elements, the heating and cooling conductors 22 may be interspersed, alternated, or placed in close proximity to different regions of the liner 10.

  In various embodiments, the conductor 22 may be cross-linked polyethylene (PEX), polyimide (PI), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC), polyolefin (such as polyethylene), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). It may be carried by a substrate such as thermoplastic urethane (TPU) or ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), or another substrate which is thin and flexible as a whole and is not easily affected by temperature fluctuations. The conductor 22 may include, for example, a metal line or metal-based wiring deposited, etched, printed and / or molded on a substrate. In some embodiments, other conductive materials may be used, such as conductive fabrics having silver ions or copper threads, for example. In various embodiments, the conductor 22 may extend to and / or terminate in a contact group that includes contacts 24, 26, for example, positive and negative electrical terminals.

  In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the TCE 20 may be disposed on the top surface 13 of the liner 10 and the contact group 28 may be disposed on the bottom or bottom surface 15 of the liner 10. As shown in FIG. 1C, the TCE 20 may penetrate the liner 10 from the upper surface 13 to the lower surface 15, for example, through a slot 21. As further shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, in various embodiments, the contact group 28 may be further disposed to be disposed on the lower surface 15 of the liner 10 and engage a corresponding contact group 38. A corresponding contact group 38 may be coupled to the body of the footwear, for example the footbed 30 (see also FIGS. 3-4), thereby providing electrical coupling. In some embodiments, the contact group 38 includes corresponding positive and negative electrical contacts 34, 36 and any footwear interior that contacts the lower surface 15 of the liner 10, such as an outsole, midsole, or footwear lining. It may be arranged in a part. In other embodiments, the contacts 34 and 36, i.e., contact groups 38, may be located on other parts of the footwear, such as the sides of the footwear and the rear, e.g. near the heel. In addition, in some embodiments, a conduit 31 and an optional quick release electrical coupling 33 are provided to couple the electrical contacts 34, 36 to a power source, controller, actuator, or other component. It may be done.

  In various embodiments, electrical contacts 24, 26, 34, and 36 may be made of any suitable metallic or non-metallic conductive material. In some embodiments, the contacts 24, 26, 34 and 36, and / or contact groups to follow the flexure of the liner 10 and / or footwear body and accommodate various liner or footwear topographies. 28 and 38 may have flexibility. In various embodiments, the contacts 24, 26 are removably coupled to the contacts 34, 36 to help resist relative movement and / or separation between corresponding contacts that tend to destroy electrical conductivity. It may be configured to. For example, in one embodiment, a conductive hook-and-loop-type material, such as conductive Velcro®, is used to contact the contacts 24, 26 on the liner 10 and the footwear body. A connection may be made between the corresponding contacts 34, 36 above. In another embodiment, one of the contact groups 28, 38 may be recessed and the other of the contact groups 28, 38 may protrude and engage a recessed contact group.

  In other embodiments, the contacts 24, 26, 34, and 36 may be conductive magnetic contacts, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. For example, the contacts 24, 26, 34 and / or 36 may be magnetic so as to couple together in a manner that resists unintentional separation. In various embodiments, the contacts 24, 26, 34 and 36 may have corresponding male 19 and female 17 positioning structures that ensure reliable electrical coupling between the contacts.

  4A-D show an exploded view (A), top view (B), side view (C) and bottom view (4D), respectively, of an exemplary TCE 20 according to various embodiments. 5A-D show an exploded view (A), a top view (B), a bottom view (C), and a side view (D), respectively, of an example of a corresponding footbed portion 30 of the footwear. As shown in FIGS. 4A-D, in some embodiments, the contacts 24, 26 may be located at the rear of the TCE 20. As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 4A, the conductor 22 may include a metal element that is a FeCrAl alloy, such as Aludirome®, for example, and is sandwiched between layers of a substrate 23 such as a PEX film or a PI film. May be formed. The contacts 24, 26 may include a magnetic button 25 that is coupled to the upper side of the conductor 22 using, for example, an adhesive film 27. A corresponding metal button 29 may be coupled to the underside of the conductor 22 and connected to the contacts 34, 36 of the foot bed 30.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A-D, in various embodiments, the footwear 30 of the footwear may have corresponding electrical contacts 34, 36 disposed on the upper surface 42. When the liner 10 is placed in the footwear, a contact interface is created between the liner contacts 24, 26 and the footbed contacts 34, 36, thereby completing the electrical coupling. Once the electrical interface is created, the power provided by the power source (not shown) energizes the conductor 22 of the TCE 20 (not shown) and increases or decreases the liner temperature. This changes the temperature of the footwear. As shown in FIG. 5A, the electrical contacts 34, 36 may include a metal conductor 33 made of FeCrAl alloy such as Audirome (registered trademark), for example, and sandwiched between layers of a substrate 35 such as PEX film or PI film. Also good. In some embodiments, additional metal buttons 37 and / or adhesives 39 are disposed under the contacts 34, 36 and may function, for example, as support members or spacers.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the corresponding liner / footbed contacts are used to ensure a secure electrical connection, and in spite of water or debris entry and liner 10 misalignment encountered during use. The liner contacts 24, 26 and / or footbed contacts 34, 36 may be large so that reliable electrical coupling is maintained and maintained. In some embodiments, the liner contacts 24, 26 may have a diameter of about 0.5 square inches or greater.

  Further, in some embodiments, the contacts 24, 26 and / or contacts 34, 36 may be disposed at approximately both ends or both sides of the liner 10 and / or footbed 30. Separating the contacts helps to avoid unwanted contacts and system shorts. In other embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the contacts 24, 26 and / or contacts 34, 36 may be located in a range that is generally adjacent or in close proximity to each other. In various embodiments, it may be advantageous to place the contacts 24, 26 and / or contacts 34, 36 below the heel and / or thrush region of the foot that supports the majority of the active wearer's weight. In some embodiments, this arrangement helps to make the contact between corresponding contacts better and consistent. In addition, in some embodiments, the size of the liner contacts 24, 26 may be smaller than the size of the footbed contacts 34, 36. This size difference ensures that the liner contacts 24 and / or 26 are well positioned and in contact with the corresponding footbed contacts 34 and / or 36. In other embodiments, the footbed contacts 34, 36 may be smaller than the liner contacts 24, 26.

  FIG. 6 shows schematic parts of various parts of a temperature regulation system according to various embodiments. In various embodiments, the TCE 20 may be disposed in a footwear liner (not shown) and include an exposed contact group 28. A corresponding footbed contact group 38 may be disposed in the footwear (not shown) in such a manner that when the liner is inserted into the footwear, it electrically couples with the contacts of the contact group 28. . The contacts of the contact group 38 may be electrically coupled to a controller 50 and a power supply 60 that can be placed at desired locations on the footwear. The controller 50 and the power source 60 may be separate components or integrated components.

  In some embodiments, the controller 50 may be an integrated circuit based system configured to regulate and control the current supplied to the TCE 20 by the power supply 60. The actuator 55 is electrically coupled to the controller 50 and may be configured with multiple settings (eg, high, medium, low, off), for example. In various embodiments, the actuator 55 may be configured to set an electrical thermostat that can adjust the temperature of the liner, for example, based on the internal temperature of the footwear or a predetermined setting. In some embodiments, the power source 60 or the controller 50 may be removably coupled to the AC / DC adapter 80, for example, via the USB connector 82, for example, to recharge the power source 60. In various embodiments, TCE 20, controller 50, power supply 60 and actuator 55 are connected to each other by conduit 31 comprising quick release coupler 33, mini USB adapter 61, or other electrical interface or plug 63 known to those skilled in the art. It may be removably coupled.

  In various embodiments, the controller 50 may be programmable to enhance the functionality of the temperature control footwear. For example, the controller 50 may be configured to be coupled to a computer or portable device via known interface connections 82, 61 (eg, USB or micro USB). Various parameters such as temperature ranges, light / indicator effects, and / or time cycles associated with various settings may be modifiable. In various embodiments, a wireless interface component, such as a transceiver, may be coupled to or integrated with the controller 50 to allow remote control and operation of the controller settings.

  In various embodiments, the actuator 55 may be removably coupled to the footwear, for example, by a retainer 58. Various customized actuators 55 can be used without changing footwear. For example, a different logo (e.g., a college logo, brand name and / or image, sports team logo) may be placed on the controller 50, or the logo shines in a desired color such as a school, team or brand color. You may comprise as follows. In some embodiments, the actuator 55 can be removably coupled to the footwear in a variety of known ways.

  7A-C show a left side view (A), a right side view (B), and a rear view (C) of an example of footwear comprising one embodiment of TCE20. As shown in FIGS. 7A-C, the footwear may be provided with a receiving pocket, slot or groove that can accommodate the controller 50, power supply 60, actuator 55 and electrical connector and the conduit between them. For example, in the illustrated example, the controller 50 and the power source 60 may be disposed on one side of the upper footwear, and the actuator 55 may be disposed on the other side of the upper footwear. In some embodiments, when the actuator 55 is activated by the user, the controller 50 may carry power from the power supply 60 to the TCE 20 and the conductor 22 may be activated to heat or cool the liner 10. In some embodiments, the controller 50, power supply 60, actuator 55, liner 10 and / or electrical connector and conduit between them are removed by the user, for example for cleaning, repairing, or replacing broken and dirty parts. May be. Again, this single part can be removed for replacement or repair in embodiments without replacing the entire system. Similarly, in some embodiments, system components can be removed from the footwear when the footwear becomes dirty and needs to be cleaned.

  While specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a wide range of alternative and / or equivalent embodiments, or similar objectives, may be calculated without departing from the scope of the invention. It will be understood that the illustrated implementation can replace the illustrated and described embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments can be implemented in a wide variety of ways. This application is intended to cover any adaptations and variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

Claims (23)

A temperature control system for footwear,
A removable liner having a temperature control element configured to change the temperature of the footwear and having a first electrical contact;
A footbed having a second electrical contact, the first and second electrical contacts configured to couple together;
A power source configured to supply power to the second electrical contact;
A controller coupled to the power source and configured to control the temperature control element;
With temperature control system.   The temperature control system of claim 1, further comprising an actuator configured to be coupled to the controller to operate the temperature control system.   The temperature control system of claim 2, wherein the power source, controller, and / or actuator is removably coupled to the footwear.   The temperature control system according to claim 1, wherein the temperature control system comprises a heating and / or cooling element and a substrate.   The temperature control system according to claim 4, wherein the heating and / or cooling element comprises a metal conductor.   The temperature control system according to claim 5, wherein the metal conductor includes an FeCrAl alloy.   5. The temperature control system according to claim 4, wherein the heating and / or cooling element comprises a piezoelectric or thermoelectric heater and / or cooler.   The temperature control system of claim 4, wherein the heating and / or cooling element is disposed in a toe region of the removable liner.   5. A temperature control system according to claim 4, wherein the heating and / or cooling elements are arranged in both the heel area and the toe area of the removable liner.   The temperature control system according to claim 4, wherein the heating and / or cooling element is arranged to cover substantially the entire surface of the removable liner.   The temperature control system according to claim 4, wherein the substrate includes cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) or polyimide (PI).   The temperature control system according to claim 1, wherein the first electrical contact has a first positive electrode and a first negative electrode, and the second electrical contact has a second positive electrode and a second negative electrode.   The temperature control system of claim 12, wherein the second positive electrode and the second negative electrode each have an area of at least 0.5 square inches.   The temperature control system of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrical contacts include magnetic elements.   The temperature control system of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrical contacts include male and female coupling elements.   The temperature control system of claim 15, wherein the first electrical contact includes a male coupling element and the second contact includes a female coupling element. The controller includes an integrated circuit based system;
The temperature control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to regulate a current provided to the temperature control element by the power source.   The temperature control system according to claim 1, wherein the power source is a battery.   The temperature control system of claim 18, wherein the battery is rechargeable.   The temperature control system of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to house the battery.   The temperature control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmable.   The temperature control system according to claim 21, wherein the controller comprises a USB port or a micro USB port. A temperature control system for footwear,
A removable liner having a temperature control element configured to change the temperature of the footwear and having a first electrical contact;
A footbed having a second electrical contact, wherein the first and second electrical contacts are configured to couple together, and wherein the first and second electrical contacts include magnetic elements;
A power source configured to supply power to the second electrical contact;
A controller coupled to the power source and configured to control the temperature control element;
An actuator coupled to the controller and configured to operate the temperature control system;
The temperature control system, wherein the power source, the controller and the actuator are detachably coupled to the upper footwear.

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