Transmission for motorized tensioning system of article of footwear
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorAustin Orand
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tensioning system, method, and article of footwear includes a motor, a reel, and a transmission configured to transmit torque from the motor shaft to the reel shaft along a torque path to drive and rotate the reel shaft. The transmission has a compound gear. The compound gear includes a shaft gear, comprising an elongate shaft substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and offset with respect to the motor shaft along the lateral axis, the shaft gear configured to rotate independent of a fixed reference, and operatively coupled the reel and a ring gear, fixedly coupled to a first end of the shaft gear and operatively coupled to the motor.
Claims21
A tensioning system for adjusting a tensioning member of an article of footwear comprising:
- a reel configured to spool the tensioning member, the reel comprising a reel shaft;
- a motor comprising a motor shaft, the motor shaft and the reel shaft being substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis, the motor shaft being spaced apart from the reel shaft along a lateral axis;
- and
- a transmission configured to transmit torque from the motor shaft to the reel shaft along a torque path to drive and rotate the reel shaft, the transmission comprising:
- a compound gear, comprising:
- a shaft gear, comprising an elongate shaft substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and offset with respect to the motor shaft along the lateral axis, the shaft gear configured to rotate independent of a fixed reference, and operatively coupled the reel;
- and
- a ring gear, fixedly coupled to a first end of the shaft gear and operatively coupled to the motor.
A method, comprising:
- obtaining a shaft gear comprising an elongate shaft;
- fixedly coupling a ring gear to a first end of the shaft gear to form a compound gear;
- forming a transmission with the compound gear, in part by securing the shaft gear to rotate independent of a fixed reference, the elongate shaft substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the transmission;
- coupling a motor shaft of a motor to the transmission, the elongate shaft offset with respect to the motor shaft along a lateral axis;
- and
- coupling a reel shaft of a reel to the transmission, the reel configured to spool a tensioning member, wherein the reel shaft, the motor shaft, and the shaft gear are substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis, the motor shaft, the reel shaft, and the shaft gear being spaced apart along a lateral axis.
An article of footwear, comprising:
- an upper section configured to seat a tensioning member to secure the article of footwear to a foot;
- a sole section, secured to the upper;
- a reel, seated in the sole section, configured to spool the tensioning member, the reel comprising a reel shaft;
- a motor, seated in the sole section, comprising a motor shaft, the motor shaft and the reel shaft being substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis, the motor shaft being spaced apart from the reel shaft along a lateral axis;
- and
- a transmission, seated in the sole section, configured to transmit torque from the motor shaft to the reel shaft along a torque path to drive and rotate the reel shaft, the transmission comprising:
- a compound gear, comprising:
- a shaft gear, comprising an elongate intermediate shaft substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and offset with respect to the motor shaft along the lateral axis, the shaft gear configured to rotate independent of a fixed reference, and operatively coupled the reel;
- and
- a ring gear, fixedly coupled to a first end of the shaft gear and operatively coupled to the motor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.