Pin plate for construction of an article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10433617-B2
Application number	US-201715494066-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2017
Priority date	Jul 28, 2014
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

An apparatus for aligning materials in order to construct an article is provided. The apparatus may include an array of moveable pins and a solid plate having an array of holes, where the array of holes is aligned with the array of pins. Each pin may be extended and/or retracted by a programmable actuator array. When a pin is extended, at least a portion of the pin may extend through the hole with which it is aligned, such that at least a portion of the pin extends beyond the solid plate. A fraction of the total number of pins in the array of pins may be extended by the programmable actuator array. The particular pins that are to be extended may be based on a pattern for an article. A material that is to be used in constructing the article may be aligned using the extended pins.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for aligning one or more materials in order to construct an article, the apparatus comprising:
a first plate having a face, a back, and an array of holes, each hole in the array of holes extending from the back of the first plate to the face of the first plate;
an array of pins coupled to a pin plate, the array of pins aligned with the array of holes, wherein each pin of the array of pins, when in an extended position, extends at least partially beyond the face of the first plate, and when in a retracted position, retracts behind the face of the first plate; and
an actuator system configured to individually actuate each pin of the array of pins, wherein individually actuating each pin comprises at least one of extending and retracting each pin.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each pin of the array of pins is aligned with one hole of the array of holes.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein each pin of the array of pins is aligned with a center of one hole of the array of holes.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each pin of the array of pins when in the extended position extends through a hole of the array of holes.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the array of pins includes greater than 1000 pins and the array of holes includes greater than 1000 holes.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of each pin of the array of pins is between about 1 millimeter and about 10 millimeters.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the diameter of each pin of the array of pins is about 3 millimeters.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of each pin of the array of pins is based on the one or more materials to be aligned.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a geometry of each pin of the array of pins is based on the one or more materials to be aligned.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising each pin of the array of pins having a pin tip, the pin tip being one of a planar pin tip, a spherical pin tip, or a conical pin tip.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising each pin of the array of pins having a pin body, the pin body being shaped as one of a pyramid, a cone, a cube, or a prism.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each pin of the array of pins has a pin length, and a portion of the pin length extends beyond the face of the first plate when the array of pins is in the extended position, the portion of the pin length that extends beyond the face of the first plate is less than or equal to the pin length.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a locking system that is configured to temporarily secure each pin of the array of pins in one of the extended position or the retracted position.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a computing system causes the actuator system to extend at least a fraction of pins in the array of pins, the at least a fraction of pins based on a pattern for a shoe upper.

15. A system for aligning one or more materials in order to construct an upper of a shoe, the system comprising:
a first plate having a face, a back, and an array of holes, each hole in the array of holes extending through the first plate, from the face of the first plate to the back of the first plate;
an array of moveable pins coupled to a pin plate, each pin of the array of moveable pins moveable between an extended position and a retracted position, each pin of the array of moveable pins having a pin length and a respective pin address, wherein each pin, when in the retracted position, is retracted such that the pin length is behind the face of the first plate, and when in the extended position, is extended away from the face of the first plate such that at least a portion of the pin length extends through a corresponding hole of the array of holes; and
an actuator array that independently actuates each pin of the array of moveable pins, wherein independently actuating each pin of the array of moveable pins comprises at least one of extending and retracting each pin of the array of moveable pins based on the respective pin address.

16. The system of claim 15 , further comprising:
a computing system that interfaces with the actuator array to cause the actuator array to perform at least one of extending and retracting each pin of the array of moveable pins based on a pattern corresponding to a shoe design.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the actuator array comprises one of a hydraulic actuator, an electric actuator, or a mechanical actuator.

18. The system of claim 15 , further comprising a locking system that fixes each pin of the array of moveable pins in the extended position or the retracted position.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein each pin of the array of moveable pins has a pin base, wherein the actuator array actuates each pin of the array of moveable pins by moving the pin base.

20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the array of holes is concentrated more densely at one of a perimeter of the first plate or a center of the first plate.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Davis Carrie L

Classifications

• A43D11/00 Primary

  Machines for preliminary treatment or assembling of upper-parts, counters, or insoles on their lasts preparatory to the pulling-over or lasting operations; Applying or removing protective coverings · CPC title

• Y10T29/49998

  Work holding · CPC title

• B25B11/02

  Assembly jigs · CPC title

• B26D7/01

  Means for holding or positioning work · CPC title

• B23Q3/186

  Aligning devices · CPC title