Shoe degradation sensor

Abstract

In various examples there is an apparatus for measuring shoe degradation, comprising at least one Hall effect sensor positioned adjacent a first surface of a sole of a shoe. At least one magnet positioned adjacent a second surface of the sole of the shoe; and a communications assembly in electronic communication with the or each Hall effect sensor via a conductive connector. The communications assembly is operable to transfer data from the Hall effect sensor to an external device.

1 . An apparatus for measuring shoe degradation of a shoe that is free from contact with surfaces external to the shoe, comprising:
 at least one Hall effect sensor positioned adjacent a first surface of a sole of the shoe;   at least one magnet positioned adjacent a second surface of the sole of the shoe; and   a communications assembly in electronic communication with the or each Hall effect sensor via a conductive connector;   wherein the communications assembly is operable to transfer data from the Hall effect sensor to an external device, and receive power from the external device.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the communications assembly is a near-field communication, NFC, assembly. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the external device is an NFC enabled device. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the external device is a smartphone. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein, in use, the first surface of the sole of the shoe is an upper surface adjacent a foot of a user and the second surface of the sole of the shoe is a lower surface adjacent a ground surface. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is for measuring shoe degradation of a shoe that is not being worn. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the electronic communication between the or each Hall effect sensor and the communications assembly uses I2C protocol. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the data transferred between the or each Hall effect sensor and the external device comprises a measurement of a distance between at least one Hall effect sensor and at least one magnet. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising only two Hall effect sensors and only two magnets. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein, in use, the or each Hall effect sensor is positioned vertically above the or each magnet. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising a local power source in electronic communication with the Hall effect sensor. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising a charging port in electronic communication with the Hall effect sensor. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising a wireless technology module in electronic communication with the Hall effect sensor. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the wireless technology module is operable to provide communication between the Hall effect sensor and a remote cloud server. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the wireless technology module comprises one or more of the following technologies: RFID, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LoRa, LiFi, power harvesting from ambient radio waves, and/or ZigBee. 
     
     
         16 . A method of measuring the degradation of a shoe that is free from contact with surfaces external to the shoe, comprising:
 using a near field communications, NFC, communications assembly, harvesting power at the shoe from an external device which is NFC enabled, without contact between the external device and the shoe, the shoe incorporating a Hall effect sensor adjacent a first surface of a sole of the shoe;   detecting, via the Hall effect sensor using the harvested power, the magnitude of a magnetic field generated by a magnet adjacent a second surface of the sole of the shoe;   determining, using the Hall effect sensor, a distance between the first surface of the sole of the shoe and the second surface of the sole of the shoe;   transmitting the determined distance from the Hall effect sensor to the NFC communications assembly via a conductive connector; and   transmitting the determined distance from the NFC communications assembly to the external device.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the method is for measuring the degradation of a shoe that is not being worn. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising transitioning the NFC communications assembly from a resting mode into a command mode in dependence on receipt of a trigger from the external device; and during the command mode, setting up a configuration of the Hall effect sensor and reading from the Hall effect sensor. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the NFC communications assembly is configured to carry out one or more of the following actions in dependence on a command from the external device without the need of an intermediary microcontroller: Hall effect sensor configuration set up, Hall effect sensor measurement control, interpret readings from the Hall effect sensor, interpret commands from the external device. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the Hall effect sensor and the magnet are vertically paired by being generally aligned with a same axis perpendicular to the sole of the shoe; or wherein the transmission of the determined distance from the Hall effect sensor to the NFC assembly uses I2C protocol; or further comprising: transmitting the determined distance from the Hall effect sensor to a remote cloud server. 
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . (canceled)