The specification discusses various lacing engine configurations for use in an automated footwear platform. For example, lacing engines with mechanisms to detect lace cable position and/or lace cable tensions are discussed. In an example, the lacing engine can include a housing, a lace spool and a detection mechanism. The lace spool can be at least partially disposed within the housing, and be adapted to collect a portion of the lace cable in response to rotation in a first direction during tightening of the footwear platform. The detection mechanism can detect a state of the lace cable manipulated by the lacing engine.

This application relates to electric winders, particularly, to an intelligent electric winder and a control method therefor. The intelligent electric winder includes a support, a control unit and a winder body, where the winder body includes a casing, a winding reel, a drive structure, and a cable. The drive structure is electrically connected to the control unit. The control unit includes: a socket and a host; the host is arranged inside the casing, and the socket is arranged outside the casing; a start/stop button is provided on a surface of the socket, and the socket is connected to a free end of the cable. Through the intelligent electric winder and a control method therefor, the winding reel is controlled to start or stop winding by sending a wireless control signal, so that the intelligent electric winder is controlled to wind or unwind cables through the wireless communication.

In an example, a lacing engine apparatus can include a housing and a drivetrain. The housing can be securable within a footwear article. The drivetrain can include a motor, a sun gear, a planet gear, a rotating ring gear, and a spool. The spool can be secured to the ring gear and can be rotatable therewith. The spool can be configured to control a lace of the footwear article and can be configured to wind the lace as the ring gear rotates in a first direction.

Apparatus and methods are disclosed related to spooling and unspooling linear material. Such apparatus and methods can assist the user in deploying and/or retracting linear material.

Systems, methods, and apparatus related to a homing mechanism within a drive mechanism of a lacing engine for an automated footwear platform are described. In an example, the homing apparatus can include an indexing wheel, a plurality of Geneva teeth and a stop tooth. The plurality of Geneva teeth can be distributed around a portion of a perimeter of the indexing wheel. Each Geneva tooth of the plurality of Geneva teeth can include side profiles conforming to a first side profile that generates a first force when engaged by an index tooth on a portion of the drive mechanism. The stop tooth can be located along the perimeter of the indexing wheel between two Geneva teeth. Additionally, the stop tooth can include side profiles conforming to a second side profile that generates a second force when engaged by the index tooth.

A device that is used to rewind loose cable and wire that is typically accomplished by hand, that is, no power is available for driving such apparati. This device is adaptable to, and uses the already existing power on a service truck to power the device.

A method of controlling operation of equipment that spools cable on and off a rotatable drum, in one or more embodiments, includes obtaining video data of a position of the cable on the rotatable drum. The method can also include feeding data into a trained artificial neural network and processing the data fed into the trained artificial neural network to determine at least one of a calculated position of the cable on the rotatable drum, a calculated fleet angle, or both. The method can also include actuating the rotatable drum to one of spool cable on and off the rotatable drum.

An article of footwear, method, and motorized lacing system includes a motor, including a motor shaft, a spool, coupled to the motor shaft, configured to spool and unspool the lace based on the turning of the motor shaft, a processor circuit, and a three-dimensional encoder. The three-dimensional encoder defines a major axis and has a surface having a tabs extending from a drum, an optical sensor, positioned within optical range of the cylindrical encoder, configured to output a signal to the processor circuit indicative of a detected one of the tabs, and a beam break, positioned between the three-dimensional encoder and the optical sensor, forming a pair of slits. The optical sensor is positioned to view the tabs through the pair of slits, wherein the processor circuit is configured to operate the motor based, at least in part, on the signal as received from the optical sensor.

A control system for use within an adaptive support garment is discussed herein. The control system can include a lace spool, a ratchet mechanism, an actuator, and a control circuit. The lace spool can include a lace groove adapted to accumulate a portion of a lace cable coupled to a support structure within the adaptive support garment. The ratchet mechanism can be configured to control rotation of the lace spool during operation of the control system. The actuator can be adapted to control engagement of the ratchet mechanism. The control circuit electrically can be coupled to the actuator and can be configured to operate the actuator to engage or disengage the ratchet mechanism. In operation, rotation of the lace spool controls an effective length of the lace cable to provide adaptive support.

An automatic line reel includes a flexible line wound onto a motor-driven reel assembly. A processor controlling the motor detects contact pressure between the flexible line and a triangular pressure transducer, automatically extending the flexible line when the contact pressure exceeds a preset threshold. Line extension stops when contact pressure falls below a second preset threshold. The flexible line may be retracted and rewound around the reel assembly by activation of a switch on a wireless remoted control, by a switch on the automatic line reel, or by activation of a smart phone application program in data communication with the processor controlling the reel assembly. A reel assembly is optionally configured to maintain uninterrupted fluid communications through the automatic line reel as the reel assembly rotates. The reel assembly may optionally be configured to maintain uninterrupted electrical signal communication through the automatic line reel.