Foot presence sensing systems for active 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 system comprising:
- a first sensor configured to sense a body position, wherein the first sensor includes an insulating substrate and at least two spaced apart electrodes on the substrate;
- and
- an gap filling member disposed between a surface of the first sensor and a cavity configured to receive the body, wherein the gap filling member is configured to influence a responsiveness of the first sensor to a change in the body position.
A method comprising:
- providing an excitation signal to electrodes of a first sensor, the first sensor configured to sense a body position relative to a surface of the first sensor, and the electrodes being spaced apart on a shared substrate;
- and
- receiving a response signal from the first sensor in response to the excitation signal, wherein a magnitude of the response signal is influenced by a dielectric characteristic of a gap filling member that is disposed between the surface of the first sensor and a cavity configured to receive the body.
An article of footwear comprising:
- a motorized tensioning device for controlling a position of a tensioning member;
- a first sensor configured to sense a foot position inside a cavity of the footwear, wherein the first sensor includes an insulating substrate and at least two spaced apart electrodes on the substrate;
- an gap filling member disposed between a surface of the first sensor and the cavity of the footwear, wherein the gap filling member is configured to influence a responsiveness of the first sensor to a change in the foot position;
- and
- a processor circuit configured to conditionally actuate the motorized tensioning device based on information from the first sensor about the foot position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.