Nike, Inc.

Nile, Inc.

Nike Innovate C.v.

Yen-Hsi Liu

Kuo-Hung Lee

Dragan Jurkovic

Chang-Chu Liao

Hung-Yu Wu

Ming-Feng Jean

Patrick Conall Regan

Chih-Chi Chang

Mike F Quigley

Chang-chu Liao

Kuo-hung Lee

Manufacturing of a shoe or a portion of a shoe is enhanced by executing various shoe-manufacturing processes in an automated fashion. For example, information describing a shoe part may be determined, such as an identification, an orientation, a color, a surface topography, an alignment, a size, etc. Based on the information describing the shoe part, automated shoe-manufacturing apparatuses may be instructed to apply various shoe-manufacturing processes to the shoe part, such as a pickup and placement of the shoe part with a pickup tool.

Automated manufacturing of shoe parts with a pickup tool

Manufacturing of a shoe or a portion of a shoe is enhanced by executing various shoe-manufacturing processes in an automated manner. A material handling system suitable for use in an automated shoe-manufacturing process has a guide rail and first and second moveable holding elements, each of the holding elements having gripping elements for engaging a part or part stack during the manufacturing process.

Material handling system for automated processing of shoe parts

Manufacturing of a shoe or a portion of a shoe is enhanced by executing various shoe-manufacturing processes in an automated manner. For example, shoe parts may be retrieved and temporarily assembled according to preset relative positions to form part stacks. The part stacks may be retrieved with the relative positioning of the shoe parts being maintained and placed at a stitching machine for more permanent attachment via stitching of the parts to form a shoe assembly. Movement during stitching of a conveyance mechanism that transfers the part stack from the stacking surface to the stitching machine and movement of a needle associated with the stitching machine may be controlled by a shared control mechanism such that the movements are synchronized with respect to one another. Vision systems may be leveraged to achieve movement and position information between and at machines and locations.

Automated assembly and stitching of shoe parts

Adjustable surface for use in manufacturing shoe parts

Growing community of inventors

Chiayi County, Taiwan

Yen-Hsi Liu