Optical Foot Sole Scanning Apparatus and Insole Production Apparatus Having Same, Method for Ascertaining a Three-Dimensional Shape of an Insole and Method for Automatically Producing an Insole

Abstract

An optical foot sole scanning apparatus, comprising: a) an element that is substantially in the shape of a plate or a wedge in the unloaded state and is made of a resilient material, having a foot placement side facing a foot sole of a human foot to be scanned when in use and having a scanner side, wherein the resilient material is at least partially light-transmissive, b) an optical scanner that is arranged on the scanner side of the element and is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation through the element at least in part onto the foot placement side of the element when in use and to record data when in use, and c) an evaluation unit that is connected to the optical scanner and is set up to perform a reconstruction of the three-dimensional shape of the foot sole from the data recorded by the optical scanner, and an orthopedic foot sole scanning system having same, an insole production apparatus having same, a method for ascertaining a three-dimensional shape of an insole having same, and a method for automatically producing an insole having same.

Claims

1. An optical foot sole scanning apparatus, comprising: a) an element that is substantially in the shape of a plate or a wedge in the unloaded state and is made of a resilient material, having a foot placement side facing a foot sole of a human foot to be scanned when in use and having a scanner side, wherein said resilient material is at least partially light-transmissive; b) an optical scanner that is arranged on said scanner side of said element and is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation through said element at least in part onto said foot placement side of said element when in use and to record data when in use; and c) an evaluation unit that is connected to said optical scanner and is set up to perform a reconstruction of the three-dimensional shape of the foot sole from said data recorded by said optical scanner.

2. The optical foot sole scanning apparatus of claim 1, wherein said resilient material comprises silicone gel.

3. The optical foot sole scanning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the Shore OO hardness of said resilient material is under 50.

4. The optical foot sole scanning apparatus of claim 1, wherein said element has a polyurethane protective coating on said foot placement side.

5. The optical foot sole scanning apparatus of claim 4, wherein said polyurethane protective coating has a layer thickness of between 2 μm and 100 μm.

6. The optical foot sole scanning apparatus of claim 1, wherein said optical scanner comprises a 2D or 3D laser scanner.

7. The optical foot sole scanning apparatus of claim 1, wherein said optical scanner additionally captures the intensity of the reflected signal.

8. The optical foot sole scanning apparatus of claim 1, wherein said element has a layer thickness of between 1 cm and 10 cm in the unloaded state.

9. The optical foot sole scanning apparatus of claim 1, wherein said optical scanner has a capturing accuracy of 1 mm or better.

10. An orthopedic foot sole scanning system, comprising: an optical foot sole scanning apparatus comprising: a) an element that is substantially in the shape of a plate or a wedge in the unloaded state and is made of a resilient material, having a foot placement side facing a foot sole of a human foot to be scanned when in use and having a scanner side, wherein said resilient material is at least partially light-transmissive; b) an optical scanner that is arranged on said scanner side of said element and is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation through said element at least in part onto said foot placement side of said element when in use and to record data when in use; and c) an evaluation unit that is connected to said optical scanner and is set up to perform a reconstruction of the three-dimensional shape of the foot sole from said data recorded by said optical scanner; and at least one silicone pillow that is suitable for changing a position of at least one foot placed on said element by being introduced under at least one arch.

11. An insole production apparatus, comprising: an optical foot sole scanning apparatus comprising: a) an element that is substantially in the shape of a plate or a wedge in the unloaded state and is made of a resilient material, having a foot placement side facing a foot sole of a human foot to be scanned when in use and having a scanner side, wherein said resilient material is at least partially light-transmissive; b) an optical scanner that is arranged on said scanner side of said element and is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation through said element at least in part onto said foot placement side of said element when in use and to record data when in use; and c) an evaluation unit that is connected to said optical scanner and is set up to perform a reconstruction of the three-dimensional shape of the foot sole from said data recorded by said optical scanner; and an insole fabrication device that is in data connection with said optical foot sole scanning apparatus.

12. The insole production apparatus of claim 11, wherein said insole fabrication device comprises one of a milling cutter and a 3D printer.

13. A method for ascertaining a three-dimensional shape of an insole, comprising the steps of: providing an optical foot sole scanning apparatus comprising: a) an element that is substantially in the shape of a plate or a wedge in the unloaded state and is made of a resilient material, having a foot placement side facing a foot sole of a human foot to be scanned when in use and having a scanner side, wherein the resilient material is at least partially light-transmissive; b) an optical scanner that is arranged on the scanner side of the element and is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation through the element at least in part onto the foot placement side of the element when in use and to record data when in use; and c) an evaluation unit that is connected to the optical scanner and is set up to perform a reconstruction of the three-dimensional shape of the foot sole from the data recorded by the optical scanner; placing at least one foot with the foot sole on the element; scanning the foot sole(s) with the optical scanner transferring the data ascertained by the scanning from the optical scanner to the evaluation unit; reconstructing the three-dimensional shape of the foot sole; and calculating a three-dimensional shape of at least one insole for improving the weight distribution on the foot in the loaded state from the reconstructed shape of the foot sole by means of the evaluation unit.

14. The method for ascertaining a three-dimensional shape of an insole of claim 13, further comprising the step of: changing a position of the at least one foot by introducing at least one silicone pillow under an arch of the at least one foot for correcting a misalignment before scanning takes place.

15. The method for ascertaining a three-dimensional shape of an insole of claim 13, wherein calculating a three-dimensional shape of the insole by means of the evaluation unit comprises automatically performing the steps of: cutting out the foot shape; selecting an insole size on the basis of the scanned foot sole or the reconstructed shape of the foot sole; and selecting the material thickness of the insole on the basis of the reconstructed shape of the foot sole.

16. A method for automatically producing an insole, comprising the steps of: providing an insole production apparatus comprising: an optical foot sole scanning apparatus that further comprises: a) an element that is substantially in the shape of a plate or a wedge in the unloaded state and is made of a resilient material, having a foot placement side facing a foot sole of a human foot to be scanned when in use and having a scanner side, wherein the resilient material is at least partially light-transmissive; b) an optical scanner that is arranged on the scanner side of the element and is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation through the element at least in part onto the foot placement side of the element when in use and to record data when in use; and c) an evaluation unit that is connected to the optical scanner and is set up to perform a reconstruction of the three-dimensional shape of the foot sole from the data recorded by the optical scanner; and an insole fabrication device that is in data connection with the optical foot sole scanning apparatus; placing at least one foot with the foot sole on the element scanning the foot sole(s) with the optical scanner; transferring the data ascertained by the scanning from the optical scanner to the evaluation unit; reconstructing the three-dimensional shape of the foot sole; and calculating a three-dimensional shape of at least one insole for improving the weight distribution on the foot in the loaded state from the reconstructed shape of the foot sole by means of the evaluation unit; and fabricating the insole by means of the insole fabrication device.

17. The method for automatically producing an insole of claim 16, wherein calculating a three-dimensional shape of the insole from the ascertained data by means of the evaluation unit comprises automatically performing the steps of: cutting out the foot shape; selecting an insole size on the basis of the scanned foot sole or the reconstructed shape of the foot sole; and selecting the material thickness of the insole on the basis of the reconstructed shape of the foot sole.

18. The optical foot sole scanning apparatus of claim 4, wherein said polyurethane protective coating is disinfectable.

19. The orthopedic foot sole scanning system of claim 10, wherein said resilient material comprises silicone gel.

20. The orthopedic foot sole scanning system of claim 10, wherein the Shore OO hardness of said resilient material is under 50.

21. The orthopedic foot sole scanning system of claim 10, wherein said element has a polyurethane protective coating on said foot placement side.

22. The orthopedic foot sole scanning system of claim 10c, wherein said polyurethane protective coating has a layer thickness of between 2 μm and 100 μm.

23. The orthopedic foot sole scanning system of claim 10c, wherein said polyurethane protective coating is disinfectable.

24. The orthopedic foot sole scanning system of claim 10, wherein said optical scanner comprises a 2D or 3D laser scanner.

25. The orthopedic foot sole scanning system of claim 10, wherein said optical scanner additionally captures the intensity of the reflected signal.

26. The orthopedic foot sole scanning system of claim 10, wherein said element has a layer thickness of between 1 cm and 10 cm in the unloaded state.

27. The orthopedic foot sole scanning system of claim 10, wherein said optical scanner has a capturing accuracy of 1 mm or better.

28. The insole production apparatus of claim 11, wherein said resilient material comprises silicone gel.

29. The insole production apparatus of claim 11, wherein the Shore OO hardness of said resilient material is under 50.

30. The insole production apparatus of claim 11, wherein said element has a polyurethane protective coating on said foot placement side.

31. The insole production apparatus of claim 11c, wherein said polyurethane protective coating has a layer thickness of between 2 μm and 100 μm.

32. The insole production apparatus of claim 11c, wherein said polyurethane protective coating is disinfectable.

33. The insole production apparatus of claim 11, wherein said optical scanner comprises a 2D or 3D laser scanner.

34. The insole production apparatus of claim 11, wherein said optical scanner additionally captures the intensity of the reflected signal.

35. The insole production apparatus of claim 11, wherein said element has a layer thickness of between 1 cm and 10 cm in the unloaded state.

36. The insole production apparatus of claim 11, wherein said optical scanner has a capturing accuracy of 1 mm or better.

Description

[0026] Further features and advantages of the invention are evident from the attached claims and the description below, in which an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to the schematic drawings. In the figures:

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of an optical foot sole scanning apparatus according to the prior art in use with a view of the longitudinal arch of a foot to be scanned;

[0028] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of an optical foot sole scanning apparatus according to a particular embodiment of the invention in use with a view of the longitudinal arch of a foot to be scanned;

[0029] FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of an orthopedic foot sole scanning system according to a further particular embodiment of the invention in use with a view of the longitudinal arch, determining the shape of the foot sole, of a foot to be scanned;

[0030] FIG. 4 shows an individual view of a pair of the silicone pillows used in FIG. 3 for changing the foot position;

[0031] FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of an insole production apparatus according to a particular embodiment of the invention;

[0032] FIG. 6a shows a perspective view of an element that is in the shape of a plate in the unloaded state according to a further particular embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] FIG. 6b shows a perspective view of an element that is in the shape of a plate in the unloaded state according to a further particular embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] FIG. 6c shows a perspective view of an element that is in the shape of a wedge in the unloaded state according to a further particular embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] FIG. 6d shows a perspective view of an element that is substantially in the shape of a plate in the unloaded state according to a further particular embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] FIG. 7a shows a side view of the element of FIG. 6a in the loaded state during use;

[0037] FIG. 7b shows a side view of the element of FIG. 6b in the loaded state during use;

[0038] FIG. 7c shows a side view of the element of FIG. 6c in the loaded state during use;

[0039] FIG. 7d shows a side view of the element of FIG. 6d in the loaded state during use; and

[0040] FIG. 7e shows a plan view from above of the element of FIG. 6d in the loaded state during use.

[0041] FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of an optical foot sole scanning apparatus 10 according to the prior art in use with a view of the longitudinal arch of a foot 18 to be scanned. The optical foot sole scanning apparatus 10 comprises a glass plate 12 with a foot placement side 12a and a scanner side 12b, wherein a scanner 14 having a scanner unit 16 is arranged on the scanner side 12b of the glass plate 12. A foot 18 is placed on the foot placement side 12a of the glass plate 12 during operation. The different regions of the foot 18, the toe region 20, the ball of the foot 22, the arch 24, and the heel 26 are imaged by the scanner 14 during operation. The shape of the foot 18 changes owing to the placement of the foot 18 on the hard glass plate 12. The toe region 20, the ball of the foot 22, and the heel 26 are placed flat against the glass plate 12 over wide areas. Even the arch 24 has dropped relative to the unloaded and/or to the naturally loaded foot shape.

[0042] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of an optical foot sole scanning apparatus 10 according to a particular embodiment of the invention in use with a view of the longitudinal arch of a foot 18 to be scanned. The optical foot sole scanning apparatus 10 comprises an element 28 that is in the shape of a plate in the unloaded state and is made from a resilient material. The element 28 has a foot placement side 28a, a scanner side 28b, and a layer thickness d. The layer thickness d of the element 28 is preferably between 1 cm and 10 cm, with particular preference between 1.5 cm and 5 cm. The layer thickness d of the element 28 is here preferably adapted to the weight of the person whose foot soles are intended to be scanned. For people of greater weight, foot sole scanning apparatuses 10 having an element 28 with a greater layer thickness d are preferably used. To this end, the element 28 may also be interchangeable. The resilient material from which the element 28 is composed is at least partially light-transmissive silicone gel. The Shore OO hardness of the resilient material is preferably below 50, with particular preference below 15. Provision may in particular be made that the Shore OO hardness of the resilient material lies below 5. All Shore OO hardnesses specified here correspond to values measured in accordance with the ASTM D2240 standard.

[0043] A disinfectable polyurethane protective coating 30 is applied on the foot placement side 28a of the element 28. The layer thickness of the disinfectable polyurethane protective coating 30 is preferably between 2 μm and 100 μm, with particular preference between 10 μm and 50 μm, and with the greatest preference is 25 μm. The disinfectable polyurethane protective coating 30 makes it possible, among other things, to clean and/or disinfect the element 28 particularly easily. An optical scanner 32 is arranged on the scanner side 28b of the element 28. The optical scanner 32 comprises a 3D laser scanner 34. The 3D laser scanner is used to scan a three-dimensional shape of the foot placement side 28a of the element 28 during operation and to perform, based on the data thus obtained, a reconstruction of the three-dimensional shape of the plantar aspect of a foot 18 placed thereon. According to the invention it is also possible to place two feet 18 on the element 28 at the same time and to perform a reconstruction of the three-dimensional shape of the plantar aspects of both feet 18.

[0044] For reconstructing the plantar aspect(s) of one or two feet 18, a laser beam 36 is scanned over the entire foot placement side 28a of the element 28. The resilient material of the element 28 is selected with respect to its hardness such that the foot placement side of the element 28 adapts to the shape of the foot sole 38, and therefore a scan of the foot placement side of the element 28 comprises a complete scan of the foot sole 38. The terms “foot sole” and “plantar aspect of the foot” are used synonymously in this application. The optical foot sole scanning apparatus 10 additionally comprises an evaluation unit 40 (not explicitly illustrated here, cf. FIG. 5), which is connected to the optical scanner 32. The evaluation unit 40 is set up to calculate from the data recorded by the optical scanner 32 a reconstruction of the three-dimensional shape of the plantar aspect of the foot 18 or the feet 18 that can be used as a template for an insole or correspond to it. During the reconstruction, provision may be made that the foot 18 or the feet 18 is or are cut, preferably automatically, out of the scanned foot placement side 28a. Provision may furthermore be made that the further processing comprises selecting an insole size that corresponds to a size of the foot 18 or the feet 18 from a selection of standard sizes for insoles. Provision may further be made for the calculation of the three-dimensional shape of the insole to comprise selecting a material thickness of the insole. Provision can in particular be made that for a person with a higher arch whose feet 18 are scanned, a thicker material thickness of the insole is selected than for a person with a lower arch whose feet are scanned.

[0045] FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of an orthopedic foot sole scanning system 47 according to a further particular embodiment of the invention in use with a view of the longitudinal arch of a foot 18 to be scanned. The orthopedic foot sole scanning system 47 comprises all the features of the invention shown in FIG. 2. Furthermore, a silicone pillow 42 is arranged here on or under the disinfectable polyurethane protective coating 30 of the element 28 below the foot sole 38 at the arch 24. The arch significantly determines the position of the foot 18 and the three-dimensional shape of the foot sole. The position of the foot 18, and thus the three-dimensional shape of the foot sole 38, is orthopedically corrected by the arrangement of the silicone pillow under the foot sole. The silicone pillow 42 preferably consists of the same light-transmissive material as the element 28. In this way, the laser beam 36 emitted by the 3D laser scanner 34 is not diffracted, or diffracted only slightly, at the interfaces between the silicone pillow 42 and the element 28, or the disinfectable polyurethane protective coating 30. A reconstruction of a three-dimensional shape of the plantar aspect of a foot 18 placed on the element 28 can thus also be performed during an orthopedic correction performed with the silicone pillow 42. The silicone pillows 42 effect a correction that can correspond to the correction of insoles that are to be created. Preferably, silicone pillows 42 of varying sizes are placed under the foot 18 or under the element 28 in succession to optimize the orthopedic correction of the foot 18. Once each of the silicone pillows 42 has been placed, in each case similar to the manner described in connection with FIG. 2, reconstructions of the three-dimensional shape of the foot sole 38 are performed with varying loading. On the basis of the results of the scans thus achieved, an orthopedic technician can easily check for which shape of the silicone pillows 42 an orthopedic correction of a scanned foot 18 is performed optimally, that is to say which shape of the foot sole 38 that was scanned under loading best matches the shape of a healthy foot sole 38. The shape of the insole to be created can then be selected according to the shape of the silicone pillows taking into account the foot position.

[0046] FIG. 4 shows an individual view of a pair of the silicone pillows 42 used in FIG. 3, of which each is set up to be placed on the plantar aspect of the foot 18 in each case under an arch 24 and to change thereby the foot position. The silicone pillows 42 have a flatly tapering region 44 and a raised region 46. The flatly tapering region 44 is set up to be placed at the height of the arch 24 in a region of the foot 18 facing away from the body's core defined by the sagittal plane. The raised region 46 is set up to be placed at the height of the arch 24 in a region of the foot 18 facing the body's core defined by the sagittal plane and has a height of between 1 cm and 6 cm, for example. The silicone pillows 42 are available with different lengths i and widths b and are adapted to feet of different sizes. The length i can here be between 5 cm and 20 cm, for example. The width b can be between 3 cm and 8 cm, for example. Larger or smaller embodiments of the silicone pillows 42 are likewise conceivable.

[0047] FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of an insole production apparatus 48 according to a particular embodiment of the invention. The insole production apparatus 48 comprises an optical foot sole scanning apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2 and an insole fabrication device 50. The insole fabrication device 50 can for example be a milling cutter that is suitable for fabricating insoles or a 3D printer suitable for fabricating insoles. The insole production apparatus 48 serves for automatically fabricating insoles. To this end, a foot 18, or a plurality of feet 18, is placed with its plantar aspect on the foot sole scanning apparatus 10, and a three-dimensional reconstruction of the plantar aspect of the foot 18, or the feet 18, is performed according to the embodiment of the invention described in connection with FIG. 2. The reconstruction is transmitted to the insole fabrication device 50, which, preferably automatically, fabricates insoles according to the reconstruction. For fabrication purposes, the insole can be milled using a milling cutter (not explicitly illustrated) from a blank or be printed using a suitable 3D printer (likewise not explicitly illustrated).

[0048] The element 28 made of resilient material shown in FIG. 6a in this example consists of two layers 28c and 28d, which are made from silicone gels having different Shore hardnesses OOO and are arranged one on top of the other. The element 28 could of course also consist of more than two layers having different Shore hardnesses.

[0049] A disinfectable polyurethane protective coating (not shown) is advantageously located on the upper one 28d of the two layers 28c and 28d.

[0050] The two layers 28c and 28d can have different thicknesses. Alternatively or additionally, the upper layer 28d can be softer than the lower layer 28c so as to be able to scan a foot 18 that is placed thereon (see FIG. 7a) over a particularly large area and in the form of a shell. This is particularly advantageous due to an increased or maximum pressure distribution in the case of diabetic foot syndrome and rheumatic feet.

[0051] The element 28 shown in FIG. 6b differs from the element shown in FIG. 6a substantially in that the two layers 28c and 28d do not have a constant thickness but are wedge-shaped and arranged such that, once placed one on top of the other, they form an assembled element having a constant thickness.

[0052] Owing to the non-uniform layer thickness or the wedge-shaped design, a foot to be scanned can be tilted inwardly or outwardly (pronation/supination) in the sense of a position correction (see also FIG. 7b). It is thus possible to attain a desired position correction before a scan is performed. However, this is only an example.

[0053] The element 28 shown in FIG. 6c differs from the element shown in FIG. 7b in that the two layers 28c and 28d are arranged one on top of the other in a manner such that the resulting element 28 is wedge-shaped in cross section. The resulting inclined surface (foot placement side 28a) makes a position correction of a foot (see also FIG. 7c) possible.

[0054] The element 28 shown in FIG. 6d differs from the element shown in FIG. 6a in that it does not consist of two layers that were placed one on top of the other but that inside a layer 28d, a region 28e made of silicone gel having—in this example only—a Shore hardness that differs from the Shore hardness of the layer 28d is located. The region 28e or the resulting element 28 can be used for a position correction of a foot for example by erecting the arch before a scan is performed (see also FIGS. 7d and 7e).

[0055] In the examples shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the lower layer 2c has a Shore hardness of for example 32 (measured using a Bareiss durometer OOO) and the upper layer 28d has a Shore hardness of 32 (measured using the Bareiss durometer OOO). Generally speaking, the plate-shaped or wedge-shaped element or at least one layer of the plate-shaped element, wherein the latter may also have more than two layers, can have one of the previously mentioned Shore hardness values. In even more general terms, the plate-shaped or wedge-shaped element or a layer of a multilayer plate-shaped or wedge-shaped element can have a Shore hardness in the range from 20 to 40 Shore OOO (measured using the Bareiss durometer OOO).

[0056] Alternatively or additionally, the plate-shaped or wedge-shaped element can have a time-independent residual pressure deformation in the range from 1% to 4%, preferably of 2%. The value mentioned previously can relate for example to a layer thickness of the element of 20.5±0.1 mm in the unloaded state.

[0057] If the plate-shaped or wedge-shaped element consists of only one layer, it can be produced, for example, as follows: If it consists, for example, of a two-component silicone crosslinked at room temperature, the components are mixed directly before a mold is filled. Next, the silicone is hardened in the mold without further pressure or heat.

[0058] If a disinfectable polyurethane protective coating is also intended to be applied, the latter is already located in the mold beforehand and bonds with the use of a primer during the hardening process.

[0059] If the plate-shaped or wedge-shaped element consists of more than one layer, for example the second layer can be produced by the size of the mold being increased for the second layer and the mold then being filled again with a, preferably harder, lower silicone.

[0060] The features of the invention which are disclosed in the description above, in the drawings, and in the claims may be essential, both individually and in any desired combinations, for the implementation of the invention in its various embodiments.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0061] 10 Optical foot sole scanning apparatus

[0062] 12 Glass plate

[0063] 12a Foot placement side

[0064] 12b Scanner side

[0065] 14 Scanner

[0066] 16 Scanner unit

[0067] 18 Foot

[0068] 20 Toe region

[0069] 22 Ball of the foot

[0070] 24 Arch

[0071] 26 Heel

[0072] 28 Element

[0073] 28a Foot placement side

[0074] 28b Scanner side

[0075] 28c, 28d Layers

[0076] 28e Region

[0077] 30 Disinfectable polyurethane protective coating

[0078] 32 Optical scanner

[0079] 34 3D laser scanner

[0080] 36 Laser beam

[0081] 38 Foot sole

[0082] 40 Evaluation unit

[0083] 42 Silicone pillow

[0084] 44 Flatly tapering region

[0085] 46 Raised region

[0086] 47 Orthopedic foot sole scanning system

[0087] 48 Insole production apparatus

[0088] 50 Insole fabrication device

[0089] d Thickness of the element in the unloaded state

[0090] l Length of the silicone pillow

[0091] b Width of the silicone pillow