JP7462999B2 - Smart insoles with suspension function that automatically control the height of the arch of the foot and body weight to balance the foot, and natural healing shoes that use these to correct body shape and relieve joint pain - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a smart insole with a suspension function that automatically controls the height of the arch of the foot and body weight to balance the foot, and to natural healing shoes that use the insole to correct body shape and relieve joint pain.

Humans are the only living creatures whose feet are shaped like an arch. Without the arch, the foot's recovery ability would be significantly reduced and it would be difficult to absorb shock when moving. The arch is a good structure that makes it easy to distribute shock throughout the body.

In cases of flat feet or curved legs, the foot cannot form a normal arch, causing foot fatigue and various foot deformities and diseases such as arthritis, hallux valgus, heel pain, interdigital neuroma, and plantar fasciitis. In contrast, cavus pes occurs when the arch is more curved than normal and can occur congenital or acquired, but it can occur acquiredly due to muscle deformation when wearing high-heeled shoes such as high heels frequently, and excessive pressure is applied only to the front part of the sole and heel, causing calluses and corns and pain.

However, ordinary shoes use flat insoles, and when walking, the weight of the body is concentrated on the heels of the feet, which transmits impact forces to the spine, etc., putting strain on the lower back, shoulders, neck, etc., which can lead to pain. If a person has flat feet, bowed legs, cavus feet, or other differences in personal arches, continuously using a general flat insole can cause various problems, such as continuously straining the feet and joints, worsening symptoms, or deforming the toes, increasing fatigue in the knees, ankle joints, toes, etc.

A conventional technique for supporting arches is disclosed in Published Patent Application No. 10-2011-0017781 entitled "Insoles with a Self-Positioning System for Arch Support" (Patent Document 1), but this has the inconvenience of requiring the arch support to be replaced and fitted to suit the height of the individual's arch.

Furthermore, in the Registered Patent No. 10-0912910 "Functional Shoes" (Patent Document 2), there was the inconvenience of having to adjust the slider to fit the individual height of the arch of the foot.

In addition, Patent Document 3, No. 10-0928712, "Shoes with Arch Correction," discloses a technology that uses a spring and an "arch correction plate" to support the arch and relieve pain, but since it is limited by the shape of the rigid arch correction plate, there is a problem that it cannot automatically adapt to various arch shapes.

Normally, insoles are made mainly of elastic cushion foam, but it is very difficult to combine elastic means such as springs with this type of cushion foam. This is because, when both ends of the spring are supported only by the cushion foam, both ends of the spring go into the cushion foam, causing the spring pressure to be concentrated in a small spring contact area and transmitted to the foot. Therefore, the only option is to use a hard arch correction plate as in Patent Document 3.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2011-0017781 Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-0912910 Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-0928712

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide an arch-adaptive insole capable of providing arch support and automatically adapting to various arch shapes, and a shoe using the same.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an arch-adaptive insole in which a spring can be directly formed in the cushion foam of the insole, and a shoe using the same.

The arch-adaptive smart insole according to one aspect of the present invention includes an insole cushion foam 10 made of an elastic foam having a shape corresponding to the shape of the foot, and an arch spring module 20 arranged in a first arrangement hole 11 of the insole cushion foam 10 and supporting the arch of the foot via a blocking portion 18 of the insole cushion foam 10 that blocks the upper part of the first arrangement hole 11. The arch spring module 20 includes at least a first coil spring 21 and a second coil spring 22, and the first coil spring 21, which has a smaller diameter than the second coil spring 22, is located inside the second coil spring 22.

The arch-adaptive smart insole is characterized in that the upper end of the second coil spring 22 is configured to be lower than the upper end of the first coil spring 21, thereby conforming to the arch of the foot.

In the arch-adaptive smart insole described above, the first coil spring 21 and the second coil spring 22 are elastic band-shaped flat plate material that is wider than it is thick and wound in a spiral shape, and the flat surface of the flat plate material at the upper end of the first coil spring 21 and the second coil spring 22 each supports the closed portion 18 of the insole cushion foam 10.

In the arch-adaptive smart insole described above, the arch spring module 20 further includes a disk-shaped movable support part 24, the lower ends of which are disposed on a first surface of the first coil spring 21 and the second coil spring 22 to support the first coil spring 21 and the second coil spring 22, and a third coil spring 23, the upper end of which is disposed on a second surface opposite to the first surface of the disk-shaped movable support part 24 to support the load via the disk-shaped movable support part 24, and the disk-shaped movable support part 24 is movable up and down in the first arrangement hole 11.

The arch-adaptive smart insole further includes a rear spring module 30 that is arranged in the second arrangement hole 11 of the insole cushion foam 10 and supports the heel of the foot. The rear spring module 30 includes a fourth coil spring 31 and a fifth coil spring 32 that are arranged concentrically and have different diameters, and a solid support part 33 that supports the upper ends of the fourth coil spring 31 and the fifth coil spring 32, is located below the closing part 19 of the second arrangement hole 11, and is made of a hard material.

The arch-adaptive smart insole may further include a cover 40 that supports the lower ends of the arch spring module 20 and the rear spring module 30, closes the lower portions of the first and second arrangement holes 12, and is bonded to the insole cushion foam 10.

The arch-adaptive smart insole described above has at least one through hole 13 penetrating the upper and lower surfaces of the insole cushion foam 10, and the through hole 13 can be connected to the first arrangement hole and the second arrangement hole 12 using a trench formed in the insole cushion foam 10.

In the arch-adaptive smart insole described above, the height of the inner part of the heel of the insole cushion foam 10 may be lower than the height of the outer part of the foot.

The arch-applied smart insole described above can be applied to natural healing shoes.

The present invention has the advantage that it can be adapted to various arch shapes because the upper end of the spring can be configured to have a profile that corresponds to the profile of the foot arch, and the load is transferred directly to multiple springs via cushion foam without a rigid spring support base, and each spring can lower independently.

In addition, according to the present invention, by configuring a disk-shaped moving support part between the first coil spring, the second coil spring, and the third coil spring, the problem of the springs falling sideways or bending to the side is significantly reduced, and the arch spring module can maintain a stable overall posture even when compressed.

In addition, according to the present invention, the arch height is automatically adjusted, making it applicable to flat feet, cavus feet, normal feet, and other foot arches regardless of their height, eliminating the need for separate adjustments to suit the height of each individual's foot arch and providing the features required by the arch shape.

In addition, according to the present invention, the arch support is automatically adjusted according to the height of the arch, which differs from person to person, to balance the foot through the arch, support the arch at the center of the sole of the foot, straighten the distorted musculoskeletal system, correct the body shape, and perform an orthotic function of distributing and supporting the body's weight and load. It helps to align the arch correctly and symmetrizes the upright joints of the body, thereby relieving structural disorders that may occur in the human body, i.e., structural pain in the joints, and has a shock absorbing effect that can safely protect each part of the human body, such as the spine, lower limb joints, muscles, etc., from shocks that occur during various activities such as exercise. It also contributes to health by preventing and protecting the human body from injury and relieving joint pain, and protects the knee joints and spine and relieves pain.

In addition, the present invention provides an arch support insole that effectively supports flat feet with low arches, cavus feet with high arches, and normal feet, disperses body weight and absorbs shock, safely protecting various parts of the human body such as the knee joint, spine, lower limb joints, plantar fasciitis, and muscle pain from shocks that occur during various activities such as working and exercising, and is also useful for protecting the knee and hip after knee and hip surgery.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an arch-adaptive smart insole according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from above. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an arch-adaptive smart insole according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from below. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an arch spring module of an arch-adaptive smart insole according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a rear spring module of an arch-adaptive smart insole according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the heel portion of the insole cushion foam as seen from the rear. 1A shows the correspondence between the arch spring module 20 of an arch-adaptive smart insole according to one embodiment of the present invention and the foot arch profiles F and F', and FIG. 1B shows a comparative example showing the correspondence between the spring and the foot arch profiles F and F' when a general coil-type spring is applied to the arch portion of the insole. 1A shows the arch spring module 20 of an arch-adaptive smart insole according to an embodiment of the present invention in correspondence with various types of foot arches, and FIG. 1B is a plan view showing various types of foot arches.

With reference to the accompanying drawings, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts that are not relevant to the description will be omitted, and similar names and reference numerals will be used for similar parts throughout the specification.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are exploded perspective views showing an arch adaptive smart insole according to one embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view seen from above and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view seen from below. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an arch spring module of an arch adaptive smart insole according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a rear spring module of an arch adaptive smart insole according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The arch-adaptive smart insole according to one embodiment of the present invention has the function of supporting the arch while automatically adapting to various arch shapes, and is composed of an insole cushion foam 10, an arch spring module 10, a rear spring module 30, and a cover 40.

The insole cushion foam 10 is made of elastic foam that has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the foot when viewed from above, and has elasticity, resilience, moldability, etc., and can be made of synthetic rubber, polyurethane, latex, memory foam, sponges, etc.

The insole cushion foam 10 is configured with a first arrangement hole 11 in which the arch spring module 20 is arranged at a position corresponding to the arch of the foot, and a second arrangement hole 12 in which the rear spring module 30 is arranged at a position corresponding to the heel of the foot. The upper parts of the first arrangement hole 11 and the second arrangement hole 12 are closed, but are formed at the same time when the insole cushion foam 10 is molded with the same material as the insole cushion foam 10. That is, the first closing part 18 that closes the upper part of the first arrangement hole 11 and the second closing part 19 that closes the upper part of the second arrangement hole 12 are formed at the same time when the insole cushion foam 10 is molded with the same material as the insole cushion foam 10. Fabrics or sheets made of various materials may be bonded to the upper surface of the insole cushion foam 10. The inside of the first arrangement hole 11 may have a step, and in particular, after forming a step so that the upper end of the first coil spring 21 of the arch spring module 20 can be accommodated, it may be formed at a higher height (deeper depth) to fix the upper end of the first coil spring 21.

The bottom surface of the insole cushion foam 10 is provided with a groove of a depth and shape corresponding to the thickness of the cover 40 so that the cover 40 can be attached, and the structure is such that the air pressure generated by the change in the volume of the first arrangement hole 11 and the second arrangement hole 12 caused by walking is used to provide air to the foot. At the position of the longquan (front width) of the foot, the insole cushion foam 10 has a slightly raised part, and has at least one through hole 13 that penetrates the upper and lower surfaces of the insole cushion foam 10. The through hole 13 communicates with the first arrangement hole 11 using the buffer well 17 and the first trench 14 formed in the insole cushion foam 10, and the first arrangement hole 11 communicates with the second arrangement hole 12 using the second trench 15. As a result, the change in the volume of the first arrangement hole 11 and the second arrangement hole 12 caused by walking acts to exhaust and inhale air to the longquan side of the foot through the second trench 15, the first trench 14, the buffer well 17, and the through hole 13.

The insole cushion foam 10 is configured with a side wall 16 that has a cylindrical partial shape that surrounds the arch spring module 11, and a space S where the insole cushion foam is not formed is formed on the outside of the side wall 16, thereby helping the arch spring module 11 expand and contract.

The cover 40 is bonded to the insole cushion foam 10 while being placed in a groove formed in the insole cushion foam 10, and is made of a hard material. The cover 40 supports the lower ends of the arch spring module 20 and the rear spring module 30, and is bonded to the insole cushion foam 10 while closing the lower parts of the first and second arrangement holes 12. The cover 40 has a first circular groove 41 that supports and fixes the lower end of the third coil spring 23 of the arch spring module 20, and a second circular groove 42 with a step that accommodates and supports the lower ends of the fourth coil spring 31 and the fifth coil spring 32 of the rear spring module 30.

At the heel of the insole cushion foam 10, the height H2 of the inner part of the foot is lower than the height H1 of the outer part of the foot (see FIG. 5). Therefore, the upper surface of the insole cushion foam 10 is formed with a slight incline from the outer part of the foot to the inner part of the foot. The insole forms a gradient such that the rear part of the outer part of the foot is higher and the rear part of the inner part is lower. By forming such a gradient, it is possible to prevent the load from concentrating on the outer side in the case of bent legs, especially in the case of bow-shaped legs, which causes the legs to become even more bow-shaped.

Referring to FIG. 3, the rear spring module 30 is configured to be placed in the second placement hole 11 of the insole cushion foam 10 and elastically supports the heel of the foot. The rear spring module 30 is configured to include a fourth coil spring 31 and a fifth coil spring 32 that are concentrically arranged and have different diameters, and a solid support part 33.

The fourth coil spring 31 and the fifth coil spring 32 are elastic band-shaped flat plate material that is wider than it is thick and wound in a spiral shape. When viewed from the side, the band-shaped flat plate material draws a curve like a sine wave, and the bulge of the previous turn (N-1th turn) and the dent of the current turn (Nth turn) collide. The solid support part 33 supports the upper end of the fourth coil spring 31 and the upper end of the fifth coil spring 32, and is located below the closing part 19 of the second arrangement hole 11. Since it is made of a relatively hard material, the pressure on the heel when walking is transmitted to the fourth coil spring 31 and the fifth coil spring 32 as a whole via the solid support part 33.

The solid support portion 33 has a cylindrical side wall 332 that protrudes downward, and a flange portion 331 outside the cylindrical side wall 332. The upper ends of the fifth coil springs 32 contact the flange portion 331, and the inner side of the upper end of the fifth coil springs 32 is inserted outside the cylindrical side wall 332 to prevent the fifth coil springs 32 from moving out of position, and the upper ends of the fourth coil springs 31 are inserted inside the cylindrical side wall 332 to prevent the fourth coil springs 31 from moving out of position.

Referring to FIG. 4, the arch spring module 20 is positioned in the insole cushion foam 10 while being placed in the first well 11, and supports the arch of the foot via the blocking portion 18 of the insole cushion foam 10 that blocks the upper part of the first placement hole 11.

The arch spring module 20 is composed of a first coil spring 21, a second coil spring 22, a third coil spring 23, and a disk-shaped moving support part 24. The disk-shaped moving support part 24 is made of a resin such as plastic, with the first coil spring 21 and the second coil spring 22 located on its upper surface and the third coil spring 23 located on its lower surface.

The disk-shaped moving support part 24 is substantially disk-shaped, with the lower ends of the first coil spring 21 and the second coil spring 22 arranged on the upper surface (first surface) to support the first coil spring 21 and the second coil spring 22, and the upper end of the third coil spring 23 arranged on the lower surface (second surface) facing the upper surface to support the third coil spring 23. A flange part 242 formed on the edge of the disk-shaped moving support part 24, which is thinner than the thickness of the disk-shaped moving support part 24, supports the lower end of the second coil spring 22, and the lower end of the first coil spring 21 is supported by a first circular groove 241 formed on the inside of the disk-shaped moving support part 24. In addition, a second circular groove 243 is formed on the lower surface of the disk-shaped moving support part 24 in which the upper end of the third coil spring 23 is supported.

The third coil spring 23 has its upper end positioned on the second surface (lower surface) opposite the first surface (upper surface) of the disk-shaped moving support part 24 to support the load via the disk-shaped moving support part 24, and the disk-shaped moving support part 24 can move up and down in the first arrangement hole 11 while being guided by the inner surface of the first arrangement hole 11.

The first coil spring 21, the second coil spring 22, and the third coil spring 23 are made of elastic, flat, band-shaped material that is wider than it is thick and wound in a spiral shape. When viewed from the side, the flat, band-shaped material forms a sine wave-like curve, and the bulging part of the previous turn (the N-1th turn) and the concave part of the current turn (the Nth turn) can collide with each other.

According to one feature of the present invention, the flat surface of the flat plate material at the upper end of the first coil spring 21 and the second coil spring 22 respectively supports the closed portion 18 of the insole cushion foam 10. The flat plate material of the last turn at the upper end of the first coil spring 21 and the second coil spring 22 also has a flat surface, but it can be designed not to form a sine wave.

Figure 6(a) shows the correspondence between the arch spring module 20 of an arch-adaptive smart insole according to one embodiment of the present invention and the foot arch profiles F and F', and Figure 6(b) is a comparative example showing the correspondence between the spring and the foot arch profiles F and F' when a general coil spring is applied to the arch portion of the insole.

According to one feature of the present invention, a first coil spring 21 having a smaller diameter than the second coil spring 22 is positioned inside the second coil spring 22 of the arch spring module 20, and the upper end of the second coil spring 22 is configured to be lower than the upper end of the first coil spring 21, so that it roughly corresponds to the arch of the foot. In one embodiment, taking into account the step formed inside the first well, it is preferable that the upper ends of the first coil spring 21 and the second coil spring 22 correspond to the curvature of the arch of the concave foot or a curvature similar thereto.

In the case of a general coil spring, if a circle with one turn at the top end supports the arch of the foot, in the arch spring module 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the topmost turn of the first coil spring 21 and the topmost turn of the second coil spring 22 support the arch of the foot with two circles, a smaller circle and a larger circle, at different parts and different heights. Furthermore, compared to the case of a general spring with a thin rod-shaped wire wound around it, the first coil spring and the second coil spring with a flat plate material wound around them penetrate into the cushion foam to a smaller extent and have a larger area that can support pressure. In the case of a general spring, the upper end easily penetrates into the cushion foam, but the first coil spring and the second coil spring applied to the arch part of the foot do not easily penetrate into the cushion foam, so it is effectively utilized that it is possible to directly support the cushion foam without forming a hard support (such as the "arch correction plate" in Patent Document 3) in the middle. As mentioned above, the uppermost turn of the first coil spring 21 and the uppermost turn of the second coil spring 22 are supported by two circles, which has the effect of greatly increasing the area that supports the arch of the foot. In the embodiment of the present invention, two coil springs are used to directly support the cushion foam of the arch, but three or more coil springs can be used to achieve a larger support area.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6(b), if a single general coil spring is used, it will have a relatively long spring length, and the spring may fall sideways or bend when compressed during repeated use. In particular, if the material surrounding the outside of the spring is cushion foam, it is difficult for the cushion foam, which is a flexible material with elasticity, to effectively guide such a spring, which results in difficulty in embedding a general coil spring directly into the cushion foam. However, according to the present invention, by configuring a disk-shaped movable support part 24 between the first coil spring, the second coil spring, and the third coil spring, the above problem of the spring falling sideways or bending sideways is significantly reduced, and the arch spring module can maintain a stable overall posture even when compressed.

Figure 7(a) shows the arch spring module 20 of an arch-adaptive smart insole according to one embodiment of the present invention in correspondence with various types of foot arches, and Figure 7(b) is a plan view showing various types of foot arches.

When the arch of the foot applies a load to the arch spring module 20 through the insole cushion foam 10, in the case of cavus feet (see profile F1), the first coil spring 21 and the second coil spring 22 are compressed almost simultaneously, and the third coil spring 23 is compressed correspondingly. Cavus feet have a small surface area that comes into contact with the ground when walking, so they easily get tired, and can secondarily cause pain and inflammation in the soles and toes, as well as knee pain, and are more likely to sprain their ankles than normal people, but the wide support area of the first coil spring 21 and the second coil spring 22 significantly reduces these problems.

In the case of a normal foot (see profile F2), the first coil spring 21 starts to compress first, followed by the second coil spring 22, which is compressed slightly later. With a small load, the normal foot begins to feel pressure from the first coil spring 22, but with a load above a certain level, the first coil spring 21 and the second coil spring 22 simultaneously support the foot, and the third coil spring 23 is compressed accordingly.

In the case of flat feet (see profile F3), the first coil spring 21, the second coil spring 22 and the third coil spring 23 are strongly compressed. In the case of flat feet, the arch spring module 20 has a flatter profile, so the distance (stroke) of compression is much larger, and strong pressure is felt in the arch part. Flat feet have a large area that comes into contact with the ground when walking, which causes chronic fatigue, and when viewed from the outside, the arch of the inside of the foot collapses and the heel tilts outward, but when using the insole according to an embodiment of the present invention, flat feet receive strong pressure in the arch part, which shows a certain self-correcting effect. In particular, there is a phenomenon in which normal feet change to flat feet due to aging, and there is an effect of delaying or correcting the progression to flat feet due to aging.

Claims (6)

An insole cushion foam (10) made of an elastic foam having a shape corresponding to the shape of the foot;
The insole cushion foam (10) is configured in a state of being arranged in a first arrangement hole (11) of the insole cushion foam (10), and the arch spring module (20) supports the arch part of the foot via a closing part (18) of the insole cushion foam (10) that closes the upper part of the first arrangement hole (11),
The arch spring module (20) includes at least a first coil spring (21) and a second coil spring (22), and the first coil spring (21) is positioned inside the second coil spring (22) and has a smaller diameter than the second coil spring (22);
The upper end of the second coil spring (22) is configured to be lower than the upper end of the first coil spring (21) to correspond to the arch of the foot,
The first coil spring (21) and the second coil spring (22) are elastic flat plate materials having a width greater than their thickness, wound in a spiral shape.
At the upper ends of the first coil spring (21) and the second coil spring (22), the flat surfaces of the flat plate material respectively support the closing portions (18) of the insole cushion foam (10);
The arch spring module (20) comprises:
a disk-shaped moving support part (24) on whose first surface the lower ends of the first coil spring (21) and the second coil spring (22) are disposed and which supports the first coil spring (21) and the second coil spring (22);
a third coil spring (23) whose upper end is disposed on a second surface opposite to the first surface of the disk-shaped movable support portion (24) and which supports a load via the disk-shaped movable support portion (24),
The arch-adaptive smart insole is characterized in that the disk-shaped movable support part (24) is capable of moving up and down in the first arrangement hole (11) . The insole cushion foam (10) is configured to be arranged in the second arrangement hole (11), and further includes a rear spring module (30) that supports the heel of the foot,
The rear spring module (30) comprises:
A fourth coil spring (31) and a fifth coil spring (32) arranged concentrically and having different diameters;
2. The arch-adaptive smart insole according to claim 1, further comprising a solid support portion (33) made of a hard material, the solid support portion (33) being positioned below the closing portion (19) of the second positioning hole (11) and supporting the upper end of the fourth coil spring (31) and the upper end of the fifth coil spring (32). The lower portions of the first and second arrangement holes (12) are closed while supporting the lower ends of the arch spring module (20) and the rear spring module (30);
The arch adaptive smart insole of claim 2 , further comprising a cover (40) bonded to the insole cushion foam (10). The insole cushion foam (10) has at least one through hole (13) penetrating the upper and lower surfaces thereof,
3. The arch-adaptive smart insole according to claim 2 , wherein the through-hole (13) communicates with the first and second positioning holes (12) using a trench configured in the insole cushion foam (10). The arch-adaptive smart insole according to claim 1, wherein the height of the inner part of the heel of the insole cushion foam (10) is lower than the height of the outer part of the heel. A natural healing shoe, characterized in that it is equipped with an arch-applied smart insole according to any one of claims 1 to 5 .

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