Automatic retention apparatus
An apparatus for automatically adjusting tension on retention member to hold multiple objects together. Examples include using retention apparatus to obtain optimal fit and use of a human wearable item such as article of footwear. Sensors may be used to sense changes in movement of the article of footwear, of the person wearing it, or of a third object such as a vehicle carrying the person. A retention member may surround at least a portion of the objects, and an actuator may be included that automatically rotates a rotating member such as a gear or pulley that may be coupled to the retention member. The rotating member may be configured to automatically adjust tension on the retention member many times per second based on control signals from control logic responsive to the sensors.
1 . An automatic retention apparatus, comprising:
a retention member defining one or more recesses in at least a portion of the retention member;
a rotating member with multiple teeth engaging the one or more recesses of the retention member, wherein the rotating member is rotatable in a first direction to reduce tension of the retention member, and wherein the rotating member is rotatable in a second direction opposite the first direction to increase tension of the retention member;
an electric motor coupled to the rotating member, wherein the electric motor is operable to rotate the rotating member to adjust the tension of the retention member;
a control circuit configured to:
determine a motion state of a target object the automatic retention apparatus at least partially surrounds using one or more sensors,
determine a target tension according to the motion state using a processor of the control circuit,
control the electric motor to increase or decrease the tension of the retention member to maintain the target tension; and
a wireless communication module configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote computer to receive configuration data and send historical data about the operation of the apparatus.
2 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a network interface operable to communicate with the remote computer over a wired or wireless network connection.
3 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors include at least one sensor configured to generate input received via a wireless communication link from a sensor located remotely from the retention apparatus.
4 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to process sensor input using at least one of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter, Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) filter, or an adaptive signal processing algorithm.
5 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a current watchdog circuit configured to monitor and limit current provided to the electric motor to avoid overloading the motor.
6 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the network interface is configured to communicate over the Internet.
7 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the personal computing device includes a smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer, or any combination thereof.
8 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the remotely located sensor comprises a wireless accelerometer.
9 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the remotely located sensor is located on a separate object from the target object.
10 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the control circuit is configured to apply adaptive thresholding to the processed sensor data to determine the target tension.
11 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the control circuit is configured to extract features from the time or frequency domain of the sensor data.
12 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the current watchdog circuit comprises a hardware abort feature to disconnect power from the electric motor in response to an overcurrent condition.
13 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the current watchdog circuit is further operable to send an alert to the remote computer via the wireless communication module when an overcurrent condition is detected.
14 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication module is further configured to receive sensor data from a plurality of wireless sensors and to aggregate the sensor data for use by the control circuit.
15 . An automatic retention apparatus, comprising:
a retention member for retaining a first object adjacent to a second object;
a rotating member coupled to the retention member and configured to adjust tension on the retention member;
an electric motor operatively coupled to the rotating member;
a control circuit configured to control the electric motor to adjust the tension on the retention member according to input from at least one sensor;
a braking mechanism coupled to the rotating member and configured to automatically disengage when the motor is rotating and to automatically engage to hold the rotating member from rotating when the motor stops rotating.
16 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising:
a wireless communication module configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote computer to receive configuration data and send historical data related to operation of the apparatus.
17 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising:
a network interface operable to communicate with a personal computing device or a remote device over a wired or wireless network connection.
18 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the one or more sensors include at least one sensor configured to generate input received via a wireless communication link from a sensor located remotely from the retention apparatus.
19 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to process sensor input using at least one of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter, Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) filter, or an adaptive signal processing algorithm.
20 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising:
a current watchdog circuit configured to monitor and limit current provided to the electric motor to avoid overloading the motor.
21 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the retention member is a cable passing through a conduit defined by the first object and at least partially surrounding the second object.
22 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the wireless communication module is further configured to receive sensor data from a plurality of wireless sensors and aggregate the sensor data.
23 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the wireless communication module is further configured to wirelessly receive commands from a remote computer to activate or deactivate the braking mechanism.
24 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the network interface is configured to communicate over the Internet.
25 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the remotely located sensor comprises a wireless accelerometer.
26 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the control circuit is configured to apply adaptive thresholding to the processed sensor data to determine the target tension.
27 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the current watchdog circuit comprises a hardware abort feature to disconnect power from the electric motor in response to an overcurrent condition.
28 . The automatic retention apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the conduit is integrated within the first object such that the cable is maintained inside the first object free of exposure on an outside surface of the first object.