JP2021104277A - Shock absorber, shoe sole, and shoe - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a shock absorber which is excellent in shock-absorbing performance and also in durability, and can be used in various applications.SOLUTION: A shock absorber 1A includes a three-dimensional structure comprising a unit structure U repeatedly, regularly and continuously arranged in at least one direction, the unit structure U being in a three-dimensional shape formed by a wall 10 having an external shape defined by a pair of parallel curved surfaces. The three-dimensional structure is composed of a triply periodic minimal surface with a thickness added thereto, and has a meandering portion which is a portion presenting a cross-sectional shape extending in a meandering manner when the three-dimensional structure is cut along at least a specific plane. The shock absorber 1A comprises a reinforcement portion 20 to reinforce a turning point of the meandering portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a cushioning material that cushions impact, a sole provided with the cushioning material, and a shoe provided with the sole.

Conventionally, various cushioning materials for cushioning impact have been known, and these various cushioning materials are used depending on the application. For example, in shoes, a cushioning material may be provided on the sole of the shoe for the purpose of cushioning the impact generated at the time of landing. As the cushioning material provided on the sole, a resin or rubber member is generally used.

In recent years, shoes having a lattice structure or a web structure on the sole of the shoe have been developed to improve cushioning performance not only in terms of material but also structurally. Documents that disclose shoes having a sole provided with a portion having a lattice structure include, for example, US Patent Publication No. 2018/0049514 (Patent Document 1).

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-527637 (Patent Document 2) describes the geometry of a polyhedron having a cavity inside, a triple-period minimal surface, etc. as a three-dimensional object manufactured by using the three-dimensional laminated molding method. It is described that it is possible to manufacture a product with a thickness based on a smooth surface structure, and it is disclosed that by constructing the three-dimensional object with an elastic material, for example, this can be applied to a shoe sole. ing.

U.S. Patent Publication No. 2018/0049514 Special Table 2017-527637

Here, the cushioning material having a structure thickened based on the geometrical surface structure as described above has higher compressive rigidity than the cushioning material including a portion having a lattice structure or a web structure. It has a structural feature of being cushioned.

However, in the cushioning material having a structure in which the thickness is added based on the triple periodic minimal surface, there is a problem that stress concentration is locally generated when an external force is applied due to the structure. .. This local stress concentration causes a decrease in durability.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cushioning material which can be used for various purposes and has excellent cushioning performance and durability. Another object of the present invention is to provide a sole provided with the cushioning material and a shoe provided with the sole.

The cushioning material based on the present invention has a three-dimensional shape formed by a wall whose outer shape is defined by a pair of parallel curved surfaces as a unit structure, and the unit structure is regularly and continuously in at least one direction. It includes a three-dimensional structure that is repeatedly arranged. The three-dimensional structure is made of a thickness based on a triple-period minimal surface, and at least a meandering portion, which is a portion where a meandering extending cross-sectional shape appears when cut along a specific plane. Have. The cushioning material based on the present invention includes a reinforcing portion for reinforcing the turning point of the meandering portion.

The sole according to the present invention is provided with the cushioning material according to the present invention described above.

The shoe based on the present invention includes the above-mentioned sole based on the present invention and an upper provided above the sole.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cushioning material having excellent cushioning performance and excellent durability, which can be used for various purposes, and a shoe sole provided with the cushioning material. And, it becomes possible to provide shoes having the sole.

It is a partially cutaway perspective view of the cushioning material which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a front view of the cushioning material shown in FIG. It is a top view of the cushioning material shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the cushioning material shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows the result of simulating the cushioning performance of the cushioning material which concerns on Comparative Examples 1 and 2 and Example. It is a schematic cross-sectional view which showed the difference of the way of deformation of the cushioning material which concerns on Comparative Examples 1 and 2 and the cushioning material which concerns on Example. It is the figure which showed the part of FIG. 6 enlarged. It is a schematic cross-sectional view which shows the shape of the main part of the cushioning material which concerns on 1st and 2nd modification. It is a partially cutaway perspective view of the cushioning material which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is sectional drawing of the cushioning material shown in FIG. It is a partially cutaway perspective view of the cushioning material which concerns on a related form. It is sectional drawing of the cushioning material shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the sole according to Embodiment 3 and the shoe provided with this. It is a side view of the sole shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which showed the arrangement example of the cushioning material in the sole shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments shown below, the same or common parts are designated by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the cushioning material according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the cushioning material seen from the direction of arrow II shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cushioning material seen from the direction of arrow III shown in FIG. Further, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cushioning material along the line IV-IV shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the cushioning material 1A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the cushioning material 1A includes a three-dimensional structure S having a plurality of unit structures U (particularly see FIG. 1). Each of the plurality of unit structures U has a three-dimensional shape formed by a wall 10 whose outer shape is defined by a pair of parallel curved surfaces.

Here, in FIG. 1, in order to facilitate understanding, the reference reference numeral U is not attached to the unit structure in a strict sense, and the unit space has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, which is the space occupied by the unit structure. It is attached to.

The plurality of unit structures U are regularly and regularly along each of the width direction (X direction shown in the figure), the depth direction (Y direction shown in the figure), and the height direction (Z direction shown in the figure). It is continuously and repeatedly arranged. In FIGS. 1 to 4, only three unit structures U adjacent to each other in the width direction, the depth direction, and the height direction are extracted and shown, and the fracture surface thereof is shaded.

In the present embodiment, the cushioning material 1A in which a large number of unit structures U are provided in the width direction, the depth direction, and the height direction will be described as an example, but the width direction, the depth direction, and the height will be described. The number of repetitions of the unit structure U in the longitudinal direction is not particularly limited, and two or more units may be arranged along at least one of these three directions.

As described above, each of the plurality of unit structures U has a three-dimensional shape formed by the wall 10. Therefore, by connecting these plurality of unit structures U continuously to each other, the three-dimensional structure S is also composed of an aggregate of these walls 10.

Here, the three-dimensional structure S contained in the cushioning material 1A has a structure in which the three-dimensional structure S is thickened based on the geometrical surface structure. In the cushioning material 1A according to the present embodiment, the surface structure is a Schwartz P structure which is a kind of mathematically defined triple periodic minimal surface. The minimal surface is defined as the one having the smallest area among the curved surfaces having a given closed curve as a boundary.

As shown in FIG. 4, the three-dimensional structure S having a thickness based on the Schwartz P structure is a portion where a meandering extending cross-sectional shape appears when the three-dimensional structure S is cut along a specific plane. It has a meandering portion 11. In the present embodiment, the specific plane is a plane orthogonal to the paper surface and parallel to the IV-IV line in FIG.

Due to the structure of the three-dimensional structure S, the meandering portion 11 has three types in total: one extending along the width direction, one extending along the depth direction, and one extending along the height direction. Although it will exist, here we focus on the meandering portion 11 that appears in the cross section shown in FIG. 4 and extends along the height direction (that is, the Z direction).

The meandering portion 11 extending in the height direction has a plurality of direction turning points 12 located along the height direction, and at the direction turning point 12, the inside corner portion 13 and the outside corner portion 13 14 and 14 are provided respectively. Of these, the inside corner portion 13 is a portion that appears to have a concave shape on the surface of the wall 10 in the above cross-sectional shape, and the outside corner portion 14 is a portion that is convex on the surface of the wall 10 in the above cross-sectional shape. It is a part that appears to have a shape.

Here, the meandering portion 11 extending in the height direction has a different distance from the adjacent meandering portion depending on the position in the height direction, and the above-mentioned distance moves along the height direction. As it grows and shrinks periodically.

Of these, the wall 10 at the portion where the distance is the smallest is provided with a ring-shaped reinforcing portion 20 so as to sandwich the direction turning points 12 of the adjacent meandering portions 11. The plurality of ring-shaped reinforcing portions 20 provided in this way are composed of additional members configured as members separate from the wall 10, and each of the plurality of reinforcing portions 20 is at the turning point 12 described above. It is located so as to cross the inside corner 13.

In addition, in FIGS. 1 to 4, the plurality of reinforcing portions 20 are included in the three-dimensional structure S so that the specific shapes and arrangement positions of the plurality of ring-shaped reinforcing portions 20 can be easily understood. Also for the part arranged outside the part shown by extracting for the illustration of (that is, the part shown by extracting only three adjacent unit structures U in the width direction, the depth direction, and the height direction). , This is illustrated without breaking.

Here, the method for producing the cushioning material 1A is not particularly limited, but the cushioning material 1A can be produced, for example, by modeling using a three-dimensional laminated modeling apparatus. When the cushioning material 1A is manufactured by modeling using this three-dimensional laminated modeling device, the material of the wall 10 and the material of the ring-shaped reinforcing portion 20 described above are the same. However, when the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) type three-dimensional lamination modeling device is used, it is possible to make the material of the wall 10 and the material of the ring-shaped reinforcing portion 20 different from each other.

The material of the cushioning material 1A (that is, the wall 10 and the ring-shaped reinforcing portion 20) may be basically any material as long as it is rich in elastic force, but is a resin material or a rubber material. Is preferable. As a more specific material, when the cushioning material 1A is made of resin, it can be, for example, a thermoplastic resin such as ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), and for example, polyurethane (PU) or the like. Can be a thermosetting resin. On the other hand, when the cushioning material 1A is made of rubber, it can be made of, for example, butadiene rubber.

The cushioning material 1A can also be composed of a polymer composition. Examples of the polymer contained in the polymer composition in this case include olefin-based polymers such as olefin-based elastomers and olefin-based resins. Examples of the olefin polymer include polyethylene (for example, linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), etc.), polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymer, propylene-1-hexene copolymer, and propylene-4. -Methyl-1-pentene copolymer, propylene-1-butene copolymer, ethylene-1-hexene copolymer, ethylene-4-methyl-pentene copolymer, ethylene-1-butene copolymer, 1- Buten-1-hexene copolymer, 1-butene-4-methyl-pentene, ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, ethylene-ethyl methacrylate copolymer, ethylene-butyl methacrylate copolymer Copolymer, ethylene-methyl acrylate copolymer, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, ethylene-butyl acrylate copolymer, propylene-methacrylic acid copolymer, propylene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, propylene-ethyl methacrylate Copolymer, propylene-butyl methacrylate copolymer, propylene-methyl acrylate copolymer, propylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, propylene-butyl acrylate copolymer, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), propylene- Examples thereof include polyolefins of vinyl acetate copolymers.

Further, the polymer may be an amide-based polymer such as an amide-based elastomer or an amide-based resin. Examples of the amide polymer include polyamide 6, polyamide 11, polyamide 12, polyamide 66, and polyamide 610.

Further, the polymer may be an ester polymer such as an ester elastomer or an ester resin. Examples of the ester polymer include polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate.

Further, the polymer may be a urethane-based polymer such as a urethane-based elastomer or a urethane-based resin. Examples of the urethane-based polymer include polyester-based polyurethane and polyether-based polyurethane.

Further, the polymer may be a styrene-based polymer such as a styrene-based elastomer or a styrene-based resin. Examples of the styrene-based elastomer include styrene-ethylene-butylene copolymer (SEB), styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymer (SBS), and hydrogenated SBS (styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene copolymer (SEBS)). , Styrene-isoprene-styrene copolymer (SIS), SIS hydrogenated product (styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene copolymer (SEPS)), styrene-isobutylene-styrene copolymer (SIBS), styrene-butadiene- Examples thereof include styrene-butadiene (SBSB) and styrene-butadiene-styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBSBS). Examples of the styrene resin include polystyrene, acrylonitrile styrene resin (AS), and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin (ABS).

In addition, the above-mentioned polymers include, for example, acrylic polymers such as polymethyl methacrylate, urethane acrylic polymers, polyester acrylic polymers, polyether acrylic polymers, polycarbonate acrylic polymers, epoxy acrylic polymers, conjugated diene polymerization based acrylic polymers, and The hydrogen additive, urethane-based methacrylic polymer, polyester-based methacrylic polymer, polyether-based methacrylic polymer, polycarbonate-based methacrylic polymer, epoxy-based methacrylic polymer, conjugated diene polymerization-based methacrylic polymer and its hydrogen additive, polyvinyl chloride-based resin, silicone. It may be a polymer, butadiene rubber (BR), isoprene rubber (IR), chloroprene (CR), natural rubber (NR), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), butyl rubber (IIR) or the like. ..

The cushioning material 1A according to the present embodiment described above is configured so that the cushioning function is exhibited in the height direction (that is, the direction parallel to the axial direction of the plurality of ring-shaped reinforcing portions 20). Therefore, when an external force is applied along the direction, the cushioning material has excellent cushioning performance and durability. This is largely due to the structural features (shape features) of the cushioning material 1A. Hereinafter, this point will be described in detail based on the results of the verification test conducted by the present inventor.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the results of simulating the cushioning performance of the cushioning materials according to Comparative Examples 1 and 2 and Examples. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a difference in the way of deformation of the cushioning material according to Comparative Examples 1 and 2 and the cushioning material according to the example based on the simulation result. Here, FIGS. 6 (A1) to 6 (A4) show how the cushioning material is deformed according to Comparative Examples 1 and 2 when the external force is gradually increased, and FIG. 6 (B1) shows. ~ FIG. 6 (B4) shows how the cushioning material is deformed according to the embodiment when the external force is gradually increased. Further, FIGS. 7 (A) and 7 (B) are enlarged views of FIGS. 6 (A4) and 6 (B4), respectively.

In the verification test, the models of the cushioning materials according to Comparative Examples 1 and 2 and Examples are specifically designed, and it is assumed that an external force is applied to these models along a predetermined direction, and the behavior in that case is assumed. Was individually analyzed by simulation. More specifically, for each of these models, a so-called stress-strain curve was obtained, and the shape change of the cushioning material when an external force was applied was verified.

Here, the cushioning material according to the embodiment is the cushioning material 1A itself according to the present embodiment, and is composed of a wall 10 and a plurality of ring-shaped reinforcing portions 20. On the other hand, the cushioning materials according to Comparative Examples 1 and 2 all have a structure in which a plurality of ring-shaped reinforcing portions 20 are removed from the cushioning material 1A according to the present embodiment, and are composed of only the wall 10. Is.

Of these, the cushioning material according to Comparative Example 1 has a unit structure U having a width direction dimension, a depth direction dimension, and a height direction dimension of 10 mm, respectively, and the wall 10 has a thickness t of 1.4 mm. It is the one. The space factor V in this case is about 30%.

Further, the cushioning material according to Comparative Example 2 has a unit structure U having a width direction dimension, a depth direction dimension, and a height direction dimension of 10 mm, respectively, and the wall 10 has a thickness t of 1.8 mm. It was done. The space factor V in this case is about 40%.

On the other hand, in the cushioning material according to the embodiment, the width direction dimension, the depth direction dimension, and the height direction dimension of the unit structure U are each 10 mm, and the thickness t of the wall 10 is 1.4 mm. It is a thing. The space factor V in this case is larger than that in Comparative Example 1 by the amount of having a plurality of ring-shaped reinforcing portions 20, and is about 40%, which is equivalent to that in Comparative Example 2.

Further, the directions of the external forces applied to the cushioning materials of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 and Examples are all in the height direction (that is, in the cushioning materials of Examples, the axial directions of the plurality of ring-shaped reinforcing portions 20). Parallel direction). As the material of the cushioning material according to Comparative Examples 1 and 2 and Examples, urethane-based acrylic polymer was assumed.

As can be seen from the comparison between the cushioning material according to Comparative Example 1 and the cushioning material according to Comparative Example 2 with reference to FIG. 5, in the cushioning material consisting only of the wall 10, the thickness t of the wall 10 is changed. This makes it possible to change the compressive rigidity of the cushioning material. Specifically, the larger the thickness t of the wall 10, the larger the compressive rigidity, and the smaller the thickness t of the wall 10, the smaller the compressive rigidity.

On the other hand, when the thickness t of the wall 10 is changed, the space factor V also increases accordingly. Therefore, as the thickness t of the wall 10 increases, the space factor V increases and the cushioning material is used. The heavier the wall 10, the smaller the thickness t, the smaller the space factor V and the lighter the cushioning material. Therefore, there is a so-called trade-off relationship between ensuring compressive rigidity and reducing weight.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 6 (A1) to 6 (A4), in the cushioning material 1X according to Comparative Examples 1 and 2, the external force applied along the height direction (that is, the Z direction) increases. As a result, a particularly large deformation occurs at the direction change point 12 of the meandering portion 11 having a curved cross-sectional shape from the beginning. The deformation at the turning point 12 becomes remarkable as the external force increases, and finally, the meandering portion 11 collapses along the height direction and the walls 10 come into contact with each other.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 7A, a high compressive stress is applied near the surface of the wall 10 at the inside corner portion 13 of the turning point 12, and at the outside corner portion 14 of the turning point 12. Will apply a high tensile stress near the surface of the wall 10. That is, stress concentration occurs locally, especially in the vicinity of the turning point 12. This local stress concentration leads to breakage of the cushioning material 1X in the portion, and as a result, it becomes difficult to expect high durability of the cushioning material 1X.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 6 (B1) to 6 (B4), also in the cushioning material 1A according to the embodiment, as the external force applied along the height direction (that is, the Z direction) increases, from the beginning. A particularly large deformation occurs at the turning point 12 of the meandering portion 11 having a curved cross-sectional shape. The deformation at the turning point 12 increases as the external force increases, but when the deformation progresses to some extent, further deformation is suppressed.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7B, after the deformation has progressed to some extent at the turning point 12, the ring-shaped reinforcing portion 20 arranged along the corner 13 of the turning point 12 has the corner. The surfaces of the portions 13 will come into contact with each other. That is, the ring-shaped reinforcing portion 20 is sandwiched by the wall 10 in the substantially height direction.

Therefore, further deformation of the turning point 12 is physically hindered, and the stress is dispersed in the meandering portion 11 other than the turning point 12. Therefore, the meandering portion 11 is arranged so as to sew a plurality of ring-shaped reinforcing portions 20, and the stress concentration at the inside corner portion 13 and the outside corner portion 14 of the turning point 12 can be relaxed.

According to the results of the verification test described above, by using the cushioning material 1A according to the embodiment, an external force is applied along the height direction (that is, the direction parallel to the axial direction of the plurality of ring-shaped reinforcing portions 20). It can be seen that it can be used as a cushioning material that can exhibit high cushioning performance and high durability when the above is added.

Therefore, by using the cushioning material 1A according to the present embodiment described above, it is possible to provide a cushioning material that can be used for various purposes and has excellent cushioning performance and durability.

(First and second modified examples)
8 (A) and 8 (B) are schematic cross-sectional views showing the shapes of the main parts of the cushioning material according to the first and second modifications, respectively. Hereinafter, the cushioning materials 1A1 and 1A2 according to the first and second modifications based on the above-described first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 (A) and 8 (B).

As shown in FIG. 8A, the cushioning material 1A1 according to the first modification has a plurality of ring-shaped reinforcing portions 20 that the cushioning material 1A according to the first embodiment described above has. Instead of this, a plurality of additional thickness portions 15 are provided at predetermined positions on the wall 10. Each of the plurality of additional thickness portions 15 is provided in a protruding shape at the inside corner portion 13 of the direction change point 12 of the meandering portion 11. Further, each of the plurality of additional thickness portions 15 extends so as to cross the inside corner portion 13.

The additional thickness portion 15 is provided to increase the thickness of the turning point 12 as compared with other portions, and replaces the ring-shaped reinforcing portion 20 in the above-described first embodiment with a reinforcing portion. It is configured. By providing the additional thickness portion 15, after some deformation occurs at the direction change point 12 due to the application of an external force, further deformation of the direction change point 12 is physically hindered by the additional thickness portion 15. Therefore, the occurrence of stress concentration at the turning point 12 can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 8B, the cushioning material 1A2 according to the second modification has a plurality of ring-shaped reinforcing portions 20 that the cushioning material 1A according to the first embodiment described above has. Instead of this, a plurality of additional thickness portions 15'are provided at predetermined positions on the wall 10. Each of the plurality of additional thickness portions 15'does not have a protruding shape unlike the additional thickness portion 15 possessed by the cushioning material 1A1 described above, and the direction change point 12 of the meandering portion 11 It is provided so as to embed the inside corner portion 13. Further, each of the plurality of additional thickness portions 15'extend so as to cross the inside corner portion 13.

The additional thickness portion 15'is provided to increase the thickness of the turning point 12 as compared with other portions, and is a reinforcing portion instead of the ring-shaped reinforcing portion 20 in the above-described first embodiment. Consists of. By providing the additional thickness portion 15', after some deformation occurs at the direction change point 12 due to the application of an external force, further deformation of the direction change point 12 is physically caused by the additional thickness portion 15'. Therefore, the occurrence of stress concentration at the turning point 12 can be suppressed.

Therefore, even when the cushioning materials 1A1 and 1A2 according to the first and second modifications are used, the cushioning materials can be used for various purposes as in the case of the cushioning material 1A according to the first embodiment described above. It can be used as a cushioning material having excellent performance and durability.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the cushioning material according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the cushioning material along the XX line shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the cushioning material 1B according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the cushioning material 1B includes a three-dimensional structure S having a plurality of unit structures U (particularly see FIG. 9). Each of the plurality of unit structures U has a three-dimensional shape formed by a wall 10 whose outer shape is defined by a pair of parallel curved surfaces.

The plurality of unit structures U are regularly and regularly along each of the width direction (X direction shown in the figure), the depth direction (Y direction shown in the figure), and the height direction (Z direction shown in the figure). It is continuously and repeatedly arranged. In FIGS. 9 and 10, only three unit structures U adjacent to each other in the width direction, the depth direction, and the height direction are extracted and shown, and the fracture surface thereof is shaded.

As described above, each of the plurality of unit structures U has a three-dimensional shape formed by the wall 10. Therefore, by connecting these plurality of unit structures U continuously to each other, the three-dimensional structure S is also composed of an aggregate of these walls 10.

Here, the three-dimensional structure S included in the cushioning material 1B has a structure in which the three-dimensional structure S is thickened based on the geometrical surface structure. In the cushioning material 1B according to the present embodiment, the surface structure is a gyroid structure which is a kind of mathematically defined triple periodic minimal surface.

As shown in FIG. 10, the three-dimensional structure S having a thickness based on the gyroid structure is a portion where a meandering extending cross-sectional shape appears when the three-dimensional structure S is cut along a specific plane. It has a meandering portion 11. The specific plane is a YZ plane in this embodiment.

Due to the structure of the three-dimensional structure S, the meandering portion 11 has three types in total: one extending along the width direction, one extending along the depth direction, and one extending along the height direction. Although it will exist, here we focus on the meandering portion 11 that appears in the cross section shown in FIG. 10 and extends along the height direction (that is, the Z direction).

The meandering portion 11 extending in the height direction has a plurality of direction turning points 12 located along the height direction, and at the direction turning point 12, the inside corner portion 13 and the outside corner portion 13 14 and 14 are provided respectively. Of these, the inside corner portion 13 is a portion that appears to have a concave shape on the surface of the wall 10 in the above cross-sectional shape, and the outside corner portion 14 is a portion that is convex on the surface of the wall 10 in the above cross-sectional shape. It is a part that appears to have a shape. Here, the meandering portion 11 extending in the height direction is positioned so that the distance between the meandering portions 11 adjacent to each other is constant.

A reinforcing portion 20 is provided at a position corresponding to the inside corner portion 13 of the meandering portion 11. The reinforcing portion 20 is arranged in a meandering shape along the meandering portion extending along the width direction (that is, the X direction), which is a meandering portion different from the meandering portion 11 extending along the height direction described above. The meandering reinforcing portion 20 extends so as to cross a plurality of inside corner portions 13 located along the width direction.

Even when the cushioning material 1B according to the present embodiment configured in this way is used, as described above, the cushioning material 1B crosses the inside corner portion 13 of the direction change point 12 of the meandering portion 11 which is a portion where stress concentration occurs. Since it has a structure in which the meandering reinforcing portion 20 is arranged, the stress concentration that may occur at the turning point 12 can be alleviated by the meandering reinforcing portion 20, and as a result, the cushioning performance is excellent and the durability is excellent. It can also be an excellent cushioning material.

(Related form)
FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the cushioning material according to the related form. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the cushioning material along the line XII-XII shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the cushioning material 1C according to the related form will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the cushioning material 1C includes a three-dimensional structure S having a plurality of unit structures U (particularly see FIG. 11). Each of the plurality of unit structures U has a three-dimensional shape formed by a wall 10 whose outer shape is defined by a pair of parallel planes.

The plurality of unit structures U are regularly and continuously along each of the width direction (X direction shown in the figure), the depth direction (the direction intersecting the paper surface), and the height direction (Z direction shown in the figure). It is arranged repeatedly. In FIGS. 11 and 12, only two unit structures U adjacent to each other in the width direction, the depth direction, and the height direction are extracted and shown, and the fracture surface thereof is shaded. In FIG. 11, the Y direction, which is the depth direction, extends in the direction intersecting the paper surface as described above, and in the notation, it overlaps with the coordinate axis representing the Z direction. Not shown.

As described above, each of the plurality of unit structures U has a three-dimensional shape formed by the wall 10. Therefore, by connecting these plurality of unit structures U continuously to each other, the three-dimensional structure S is also composed of an aggregate of these walls 10.

Here, the three-dimensional structure S included in the cushioning material 1C has a structure in which the three-dimensional structure S is thickened based on the geometrical surface structure. In the cushioning material 1C according to the present related form, the surface structure is an octet structure which is a kind of polyhedron having a cavity inside.

The cushioning material 1C according to this related form is manufactured by modeling using a three-dimensional laminated modeling device. In that case, for manufacturing reasons, the above-mentioned cavity provided inside the cushioning material 1C cannot be completely sealed by the wall 10. Therefore, through holes 16 are formed at predetermined positions of the plurality of walls 10. Since the wall 10 in the vicinity of the portion where the through hole 16 is provided is fragile as compared with the other portion of the wall 10, it becomes a portion where stress concentration is likely to occur due to greater deformation when an external force is applied. ..

Therefore, in the cushioning material 1C according to the present related embodiment, a ring-shaped reinforcing portion 20 is provided so as to insert the adjacent through holes 16 to each other, thereby suppressing the occurrence of stress concentration. .. That is, since the ring-shaped reinforcing portion 20 inserts the through hole 16, an external force is applied along the height direction, so that the wall 10 in the vicinity of the portion where the through hole 16 is provided is deformed to some extent. After the progress, the ring-shaped reinforcing portion 20 comes into contact with the wall 10 of the portion defining the through hole 16, and further deformation of the wall 10 is physically hindered. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of stress concentration on the wall 10 in the vicinity of the portion where the through hole 16 is provided.

Therefore, even when the cushioning material 1C according to the present related embodiment is used, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of stress concentration in a specific portion of the wall 10 by the reinforcing portion 20, and as a result, the cushioning performance is excellent and the durability is also improved. It can be an excellent cushioning material.

In addition, in FIGS. 11 and 12, the plurality of reinforcing portions 20 are included in the three-dimensional structure S so that the specific shapes and arrangement positions of the plurality of ring-shaped reinforcing portions 20 can be easily understood. Also for the part arranged outside the part shown by extracting for the purpose of illustration (that is, only the two adjacent unit structures U in the width direction, the depth direction, and the height direction are extracted and shown). , This is illustrated without breaking.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the sole according to the third embodiment and a shoe provided with the sole, and FIG. 14 is a side view of the sole shown in FIG. Further, FIG. 15 is a schematic view showing an example of arrangement of the cushioning material in the sole shown in FIG. Here, FIG. 15A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sole along the line XVA-XVA shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the sole 110 and the shoe 100 provided with the sole 110 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15. The sole 110 according to the present embodiment includes the cushioning material 1A according to the above-described first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 13, the shoe 100 includes a sole 110 and an upper 120. The sole 110 is a member that covers the sole of the foot and has a substantially flat shape. The upper 120 has a shape that covers at least the entire instep side portion of the inserted foot, and is located above the sole 110.

The upper 120 has an upper main body 121, a tongue 122, and a shoelace 123. Of these, the tongue 122 and the lace 123 are both fixed or attached to the upper body 121.

The upper part of the upper body 121 is provided with an upper opening that exposes the upper part of the ankle and a part of the instep. On the other hand, in the lower part of the upper body 121, for example, a lower opening covered with the sole 110 is provided, and in another example, the lower end of the upper body 121 is sewn in a bag to sew the bottom. Is formed.

The tongue 122 is fixed to the upper body 121 by sewing, welding, adhesion, or a combination thereof so as to cover the portion of the upper opening provided in the upper body 121 that exposes a part of the instep. .. For the upper body 121 and the tongue 122, for example, woven fabric, knitted fabric, non-woven fabric, synthetic leather, resin, etc. are used, and especially for shoes that require breathability and light weight, a double Russell warp knitted fabric woven with polyester yarn is used. It will be used.

The shoelace 123 is composed of a string-shaped member for pulling the peripheral edges of the upper opening provided on the upper body 121 to expose a part of the instep to each other in the foot width direction, and is provided on the peripheral edge of the upper opening. It is inserted through a plurality of holes. By tightening the shoelace 123 with the foot inserted in the upper body 121, the upper body 121 can be brought into close contact with the foot.

As shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the sole 110 has a midsole 111, an outsole 112, and a cushioning material 1A. The midsole 111 is located above the sole 110 and is joined to the upper 120. The outsole 112 has a ground contact surface 112a (see FIG. 14) on its lower surface, and is located below the sole 110. The cushioning material 1A is interposed between the midsole 111 and the outsole 112 at a predetermined position.

The midsole 111 is preferably excellent in cushioning property while having an appropriate strength, and from this viewpoint, the midsole 111 can be, for example, a foam material made of resin or rubber, which is particularly preferable. Can be a foam material made of a thermoplastic resin such as ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), a thermosetting resin such as polyurethane (PU), and butadiene rubber.

The outsole 112 is preferably excellent in wear resistance and grip, and from this viewpoint, the outsole 112 can be made of rubber, for example. The ground contact surface 112a, which is the lower surface of the outsole 112, may be provided with a tread pattern from the viewpoint of enhancing the grip property described above.

As shown in FIG. 14, the sole 110 is a forefoot portion that supports the toe portion and the stepping portion of the foot along the front-rear direction (left-right direction in the figure) which is the long axis direction in a plan view. It is divided into R1, a midfoot part R2 that supports the toe part, and a hindfoot part R3 that supports the heel part of the foot. Further, as shown in FIG. 15A, the sole 110 is located on the median side of the foot in the anatomical normal position along the foot width direction, which is the direction intersecting the long axis direction in the plan view. On the side of the inner foot (that is, the part on the S1 side shown in the figure) that is (that is, the side near the midline) and the side of the foot that is opposite to the midside in the anatomical position (that is, the side that is far from the midline) It is divided into a part on the outer leg side (the part on the S2 side shown in the figure).

Here, in the shoe 100 according to the present embodiment, the midsole 111 is provided with a notch portion having a predetermined shape, and the cushioning material 1A is accommodated in the notch portion, whereby the cushioning material 1A is accommodated. Is fixed in a state of being sandwiched between the midsole 111 and the outsole 112 in the thickness direction of the sole 110.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 (A), the midsole 111 has a plan view across the midfoot portion R2 and the hindfoot portion R3 along the peripheral edge of the sole 110. A U-shaped notch is provided, and a cushioning material 1A formed in a substantially U-shape in a plan view is arranged so as to embed the notch. More specifically, the cushioning material 1A is the edge of the midfoot R2 on the inner foot side, the edge of the hindfoot R3 on the inner foot side, the rear edge of the hindfoot R3, and the hindfoot R3. It is arranged along the edge portion on the outer foot side and the edge portion on the outer foot side of the midfoot portion R2.

The material of the cushioning material 1A is not particularly limited as described in the first embodiment described above, but may be, for example, a resin material or a rubber material, and ethylene-vinyl acetate is particularly preferable. It can be a thermoplastic resin such as a copolymer (EVA), a thermosetting resin such as polyurethane (PU), butadiene rubber or the like. Further, a polymer composition such as an olefin polymer, an amide polymer, an ester polymer, a urethane polymer, a styrene polymer, or an acrylic polymer can also be used.

Here, as shown in FIG. 14, the cushioning material 1A is in the height direction thereof (that is, the direction parallel to the axial direction of the plurality of ring-shaped reinforcing portions 20, in other words, the extending direction of the meandering portion 11. The Z direction in the figure (see FIGS. 1 to 4 and the like) is arranged so as to be orthogonal to the ground contact surface 112a of the sole 110. With this configuration, the load applied to the sole 110 from the sole and the ground at the time of landing is absorbed by the cushioning material 1A deforming with a large amount of deformation, and is applied from the sole 110 to the sole. The load to be applied is reduced, and high cushioning performance can be obtained.

Further, although detailed description thereof will be omitted here, since the cushioning material 1A has a plurality of ring-shaped reinforcing portions 20 as described above, stress concentration is suppressed. The occurrence of breakage due to stress concentration is suppressed, and its durability is ensured as compared with the conventional case.

Therefore, by using the sole 110 and the shoe 100 provided with the sole 110 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain a sole having excellent cushioning performance and excellent durability and a shoe having the sole.

The cushioning material 1A may be formed in a substantially U-shape in a plan view as a whole by combining a plurality of independent members and joining them to each other, but it is more preferable. Is preferably formed in a substantially U-shaped plan view as described above by being configured as one member as a whole. In particular, when the latter configuration is adopted, the cushioning material 1A provided with a plurality of unit structures U having a rectangular parallelepiped shape is used in the notch portion of the non-rectangular parallelepiped shape while eliminating the bias of the cushioning performance in each part. On the other hand, it is important to lay out.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 15 (A) to 15 (E), a cushioning material provided with a plurality of unit structures U occupying a cubic unit space is provided as a part or all of the plurality of unit structures U. Is a specific design method that makes it possible to lay out in a non-cuboidal shape region while eliminating the bias of cushioning performance for each part by only slightly changing the shape without major shape change. Will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 15A, in the region where the cushioning material is arranged, the number of the unit structures U is adjusted in the width direction, the depth direction, and the height while adjusting the size of the unit structure U. It is divided into a region A1 that can be arranged as it is by increasing or decreasing in at least one of the longitudinal directions, and a region A2 that is difficult to arrange. Specifically, in the present embodiment, among the regions where the cushioning material 1A is arranged, the region extending linearly along the peripheral edges of the sole 110 on the inner foot side and the outer foot side is the above-mentioned area. The region corresponding to A1 and extending in a curved line along the peripheral edge on the rear end side of the sole 110 corresponds to the above region A2.

Here, in the region A1, a plurality of unit structures U occupying a unit space having a cubic shape whose side length is adjusted to L as shown in FIG. 15B are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other. And. As a result, the region A1 is spread without gaps by the plurality of unit structures U whose sizes have been adjusted.

On the other hand, in the region A2, as shown in FIG. 15C, among the three sets of facing faces, a specific set of faces occupy a unit space whose shape has been changed so as to be non-parallel to each other. It is assumed that a plurality of unit structures U'composed of the above are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other. Here, the unit structure U'is set so that, for example, a pair of adjacent sides of the four sides of the unit space extending in the width direction are slightly shorter than the length L of the other side. The shape has been changed so as to occupy the unit space after the adjustment. Such a slight shape change does not significantly change the cushioning performance of the unit structure.

The unit structure U'having such a shape is arranged along the above-mentioned region A2, which is a region extending in a curved shape, by arranging the unit structures U'arranged side by side while individually adjusting the size and orientation thereof. This can be spread almost without gaps. Therefore, by making such a slight shape change, the buffering performance equivalent to that of the above-mentioned region A1 can be exhibited even in the region A2.

Therefore, by adopting the design method in this way, the cushioning material provided with a plurality of unit structures U occupying the unit space of the rectangular parallelepiped shape can be significantly changed in part or all of the plurality of unit structures U. It is possible to lay out in a non-cuboidal shape region while eliminating the bias of the cushioning performance for each part only by slightly changing the shape without accompanying.

Therefore, if the cushioning material is designed according to the design method and the cushioning material is manufactured by using the three-dimensional laminated molding apparatus based on the cushioning material, the outer shape of the cushioning material is variously formed as one member. A cushioning material can be easily obtained.

In the above-mentioned design method, when the cushioning material is spread over a more complicated curved region, two specific sets of the three sets of facing surfaces are used as shown in FIG. 15 (D). A plurality of unit structures U1 configured to occupy a unit space whose shape has been changed so as to be non-parallel to each other may be arranged so as to be adjacent to each other.

Here, in the unit structure U1, for example, the pair of adjacent sides of the four sides of the unit space extending in the width direction are L's slightly shorter than the length L of the other side. In addition to the adjustment, for example, the pair of adjacent sides of the four sides of the unit space extending in the height direction are adjusted so that the length L of the other side is slightly shorter than the length L of the other side. The shape is changed so as to occupy the unit space after adjustment. Such a slight shape change does not significantly change the cushioning performance of the unit structure.

The unit structure U1 having such a shape is arranged side by side while individually adjusting its size and orientation, so that the unit structure U1 is spread almost without gaps along the above-mentioned complex curved shape region. Can be done. Therefore, by making such a slight shape change, the same cushioning performance as the above-mentioned region A1 can be exhibited even in the region.

Further, in the above-mentioned design method, when the cushioning material is spread over the linearly extending region, the unit structure as shown in FIG. 15 (E) is replaced with the unit structure U as shown in FIG. 15 (B). A plurality of bodies U2 may be arranged so as to be adjacent to each other. Here, the unit structure U2 occupies the unit space after the adjustment, which is adjusted so that the shape of the specific set of faces is a parallelogram while the three sets of facing faces are parallel. The shape was changed as follows.

In the unit structure U2 shown in the figure, for example, by inclining each of the set of surfaces located in the height direction along the width direction by an angle θ, the shape of the set of surfaces is made into a parallelogram. ing. Such a slight shape change does not significantly change the cushioning performance of the unit structure. Therefore, even when the unit structure U2 is laid out, it is possible to lay out the cushioning material without gaps while eliminating the bias of the cushioning performance for each part.

(Summary of disclosure contents in embodiments, etc.)
The characteristic configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments 1 to 3 and the modified examples thereof can be summarized as follows.

The cushioning material according to a certain aspect of the present disclosure has a three-dimensional shape formed by a wall whose outer shape is defined by a pair of parallel curved surfaces as a unit structure, and the unit structure is regularly arranged in at least one direction. Moreover, it includes a three-dimensional structure that is continuously and repeatedly arranged. The three-dimensional structure is made of a thickness based on a triple-period minimal surface, and at least a meandering portion, which is a portion where a meandering extending cross-sectional shape appears when cut along a specific plane. Have. The cushioning material according to a certain aspect of the present disclosure includes a reinforcing portion for reinforcing the turning point of the meandering portion.

In the cushioning material according to a certain aspect of the present disclosure, the reinforcing portion may be composed of an additional member arranged so as to cross the inside corner portion of the turning point.

In the cushioning material according to a certain aspect of the present disclosure, the reinforcing portion is provided at the inside corner portion of the turning point in order to increase the thickness of the turning point as compared with other portions. It may be composed of an additional thickness portion.

In the cushioning material according to a certain aspect of the present disclosure, the three-dimensional structure may have a Schwartz P structure or a gyroid structure.

The cushioning material according to the above-described aspect of the present disclosure may be composed of either a resin material or a rubber material.

The buffer material according to the above-described embodiment of the present disclosure is selected from the group consisting of olefin-based polymers, amide-based polymers, ester-based polymers, urethane-based polymers, styrene-based polymers, acrylic-based polymers, and methacrylic-based polymers. It may be composed of a polymer composition containing seeds or more.

A sole according to an aspect of the present disclosure comprises a cushioning material according to an aspect of the present disclosure described above.

In the sole according to a certain aspect of the present disclosure, the cushioning material may be arranged so that the extending direction of the meandering portion is orthogonal to the ground contact surface.

A shoe according to a certain aspect of the present disclosure comprises a sole according to the above-mentioned aspect of the present disclosure and an upper provided above the sole.

(Other forms, etc.)
In the above-described first embodiment, the surface structure of the three-dimensional structure contained in the cushioning material has been described by exemplifying the case where this is a Schwartz P structure which is a kind of triple periodic minimal surface. May have a Schwartz D structure.

Further, in the above-described first and second embodiments, a cushioning material having a reinforcing portion formed of an additional member made of a member different from the meandering portion will be illustrated and described, and the first and second modifications described above will be described. In the example, a cushioning material in which a reinforcing portion is intentionally provided integrally with the meandering portion by providing an additional thickness portion at the inside corner portion of the meandering portion is illustrated as an example, but any one of these is necessarily described. It doesn't have to be. That is, in manufacturing, these may be unintentionally integrated in part or all, or in manufacturing, these may be unintentionally configured as separate members in part or in whole. May be good.

Further, in the above-described third embodiment, the case where the cushioning material according to the first embodiment is applied to the sole and the shoe provided with the cushioning material has been described as an example. The cushioning material according to 2 or the cushioning material according to the related embodiment or the cushioning material according to the first and second modifications based on the first embodiment may be applied to the sole and the shoe provided with the same.

Further, in the third embodiment described above, the case where the cushioning material is arranged along the peripheral edges of the midfoot portion and the rear side portion of the sole is illustrated and described, but the position where the cushioning material is provided is set to this. It is not limited and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the cushioning material may be provided on the entire surface of the sole, or a plurality of cushioning materials independent of each other may be provided separately at predetermined positions on the sole. Further, depending on the type and application of the competition in which the shoe is used, the cushioning material may be arranged only on either the inner foot side portion or the outer foot side portion of the sole. Further, the cushioning material may be provided between the midsole and the upper. Here, when the cushioning material is provided on the entire surface of the sole, the entire sole may be replaced with the cushioning material instead of the midsole.

Further, the wall thickness of the cushioning material may be different depending on the arrangement position with respect to the sole, or the surface structure of the cushioning material may be different depending on the arrangement position with respect to the sole. For example, a cushioning material having a Schwartz P structure may be placed on a part of the sole, and a cushioning material having a gyroid surface structure may be placed on another part of the sole. good.

Further, in the above-described third embodiment, the case where the cushioning material according to the present invention is applied to the sole of a shoe has been illustrated and described, but the cushioning material according to the present invention can be used for other cushioning applications. Can be used. For example, the cushioning material according to the present invention can be used for various purposes such as packaging materials, flooring materials for buildings (for example, houses), surface materials for paved roads, surface materials for sofas and chairs, tires, and the like. can.

In addition, the characteristic configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments 1 to 3 and modifications thereof and related embodiments can be combined with each other as long as the gist of the present disclosure is not deviated.

As described above, the above-described embodiment and its modifications disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and are not restrictive. The technical scope of the present invention is defined by the scope of claims and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the description of the scope of claims.

1A ~ 1C, 1A1,1A2 Cushioning material, 10 walls, 11 serpentine parts, 12 turning points, 13 inside corners, 14 outside corners, 15, 15'additional thickness parts, 16 through holes, 20 reinforcement parts, 100 shoes , 110 sole, 111 midsole, 112 outsole, 112a ground plane, 120 upper, 121 upper body, 122 tongue, 123 shoelace, R1 forefoot, R2 midfoot, R3 hindfoot, S three-dimensional structure, U, U', U1, U2 unit structure.

Claims (9)

A three-dimensional structure formed by a wall whose outer shape is defined by a pair of parallel curved surfaces is a unit structure, and the unit structures are regularly and continuously repeatedly arranged in at least one direction. It is a cushioning material containing
The three-dimensional structure is made of a thickness based on a triple-period minimal surface, and at least a meandering portion, which is a portion where a meandering extending cross-sectional shape appears when cut along a specific plane. Have and
A cushioning material provided with a reinforcing portion for reinforcing the turning point of the meandering portion. The cushioning material according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing portion is composed of an additional member arranged so as to cross the inside corner portion of the turning point. The first aspect of the present invention, wherein the reinforcing portion is composed of an additional thickness portion provided at a corner portion of the turning point in order to increase the thickness of the turning point as compared with other portions. Cushioning material. The cushioning material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the three-dimensional structure has a Schwartz P structure or a gyroid structure. The cushioning material according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which comprises either a resin material or a rubber material. A claim comprising a polymer composition containing at least one selected from the group consisting of olefin-based polymers, amide-based polymers, ester-based polymers, urethane-based polymers, styrene-based polymers, acrylic-based polymers, and methacrylic polymers. The cushioning material according to 5. A sole comprising the cushioning material according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The sole according to claim 7, wherein the cushioning material is arranged so that the extending direction of the meandering portion is orthogonal to the ground contact surface. The sole according to claim 7 or 8,
A shoe provided with an upper provided above the sole.

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