Electronically Controlled Bladder Assembly
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsJames Molyneux, Aaron B. Weast
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electronically controlled bladder assembly includes an adjustable pressure bladder and a reservoir connected by an electronically controlled valve. The electronically controlled valve is operated in a manner that inflates the adjustable bladder when the current pressure is below a target pressure and in a manner that deflates the adjustable bladder when the current pressure is above the target pressure. The system and process described herein allows the bladder pressure to be iteratively increased toward and decreased toward the target pressure.
Claims1
A method of controlling an electronically controlled valve in an article of footwear, comprising:
- receiving a current bladder pressure for an adjustable bladder at an electronic control unit for operating the electronically controlled valve;
- comparing the current bladder pressure with a target pressure;
- when the comparing determines that the current bladder pressure is greater than a predetermined percentage from the target pressure, the electronic control unit iteratively opens the electronically controlled valve during heel strike events to move fluid from the adjustable bladder to a reservoir to thereby decrease fluid pressure in the adjustable bladder until fluid pressure in the adjustable bladder reaches the target pressure or within the predetermined percentage of the target pressure;
- and
- when the comparing determines that the current bladder pressure is less than a predetermined percentage from the target pressure, the electronic control unit iteratively opens the electronically controlled valve between heel strike events to move fluid from the reservoir to the adjustable bladder to thereby increase fluid pressure in the adjustable bladder until fluid pressure in the adjustable bladder reaches the target pressure or within the predetermined percentage of the target pressure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.