Capacitive foot presence sensing for footwear
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsSteven H. Walker, Phillip Meneau
Life of this patent
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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.
Claims20
A method for controlling active footwear, the method comprising:
- receiving a sensor signal from a capacitive sensor that is coupled to an article of footwear, wherein the capacitive sensor is configured to sense information over time about a changing position of a foot during a donning event as the foot enters the article and when the foot is spaced apart from the capacitive sensor;
- using a processor circuit, identifying values of the sensor signal from different times:
- and
- using the processor circuit, determining whether the foot is present in or absent from the article using the identified values of the sensor signal from different times.
A system for use with an article of footwear, the system comprising:
- a capacitive sensor disposed inside the article of footwear, wherein the capacitive sensor is configured to sense information over time about a changing position of a foot during a donning event as the foot enters the article and when the foot is spaced apart from the capacitive sensor;
- and
- a processor circuit configured to:
- identify values of the sensor signal at different times;
- and
- determine whether the foot is present in or absent from the article using the identified values of the sensor signal from the different times.
A method for controlling active footwear, the method comprising:
- receiving a sensor signal from a capacitive sensor that is coupled to an article of footwear, wherein the capacitive sensor is configured to sense information over time about a changing position of a foot when at least a portion of the foot is spaced apart from the capacitive sensor;
- using a processor circuit, identifying values of the sensor signal from different times;
- and
- using the processor circuit, determining whether to actuate an automated lacing engine using the identified values of the sensor signal from different times.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.