Measuring muscle exertion using bone conduction

• US 10,045,732 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2014
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Baldwin, Christopher, Amento, Brian S.
• Primary Examiner(s): DOUGHERTY, SEAN PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US14/482,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20160066834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0028 Body tissue as transmission medium, i.e. transmission systems where the medium is the human body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0051 by applying vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4504 Bones A61B5/4547 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4519 Muscles A61B5/389, A61B5/224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body

Abstract

Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for measuring user exertion via bone conduction. According to one aspect, a device can generate a measurement signal. The device can cause a transducer to transmit the measurement signal through a body of a user. The device can receive, via the transducer, a modified measurement signal. The modified measurement signal can include the measurement signal as modified by the body of the user. The device can compare the modified measurement signal to a modified baseline signal. The device can determine, based on a result of comparing the modified measurement signal to the modified baseline signal, a level of exertion experienced by the user while the measurement signal was transmitted through the body of the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

instructing, by a mobile device comprising a processor and an electro-acoustic transducer, a user to relax at least one muscle;

generating, by the mobile device, via execution of a signal generator module by the processor of the mobile device, a baseline bone conduction signal;

causing, by the mobile device, the electro-acoustic transducer to transmit the baseline bone conduction signal through at least one bone of a body of the user while the user relaxes the at least one muscle;

receiving, by the mobile device, via the electro-acoustic transducer, a modified baseline bone conduction signal, wherein the modified baseline bone conduction signal comprises the baseline bone conduction signal modified by the body of the user while the user relaxes the at least one muscle responsive to receiving instruction from the mobile device;

receiving, by the mobile device, an input instructing the mobile device to begin an exertion measurement to obtain muscle exertion data indicative of a level of exertion experienced by the at least one muscle;

in response to receiving the input instructing the mobile device to begin the exertion measurement, generating, by the mobile device, via execution of the signal generator module by the processor of the mobile device, a measurement bone conduction signal;

causing, by the mobile device, the electro-acoustic transducer to transmit the measurement bone conduction signal through the at least one bone of the body of the user while the user contracts the at least one muscle;

receiving, by the mobile device, via the electro-acoustic transducer, a modified measurement bone conduction signal, wherein the modified measurement bone conduction signal comprises the measurement bone conduction signal as modified by the body of the user while the user contracts the at least one muscle of the body of the user; and

comparing, by the mobile device, via execution of a signal comparator module by the processor of the mobile device, the modified measurement bone conduction signal to the modified baseline bone conduction signal to obtain the muscle exertion data indicative of the level of exertion experienced by the at least one muscle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the mobile device, the level of exertion experienced by the at least one muscle to an application; and

executing, by the processor of the mobile device, the application to utilize the level of exertion to perform an operation.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing, by the mobile device, the muscle exertion data to be stored.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein causing, by the mobile device, the muscle exertion data to be stored comprises causing, by the mobile device, the muscle exertion data to be stored in a memory component of the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein causing, by the mobile device, the muscle exertion data to be stored comprises causing, by the mobile device, the muscle exertion data to be stored by a service that is accessible by the mobile device via a network to which the mobile device is connected.

6. A mobile device comprising:

an electro-acoustic transducer;

a processor; and

a memory that stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the mobile device to perform operations comprising

instructing a user to relax at least one muscle,

generating a baseline bone conduction signal,

causing the electro-acoustic transducer to transmit the baseline bone conduction signal through at least one bone of a body of the user while the user relaxes the at least one muscle,

receiving, via the electro-acoustic transducer, a modified baseline bone conduction signal, wherein the modified baseline bone conduction signal comprises the baseline bone conduction signal modified by the body of the user while the user relaxes the at least one muscle responsive to receiving instruction from the mobile device,

receiving an input instructing the mobile device to begin an exertion measurement to obtain muscle exertion data indicative of a level of exertion experienced by the at least one muscle,

in response to receiving the input instructing the mobile device to begin the exertion measurement, generating a measurement bone conduction signal,

causing the electro-acoustic transducer to transmit the measurement bone conduction signal through the at least one bone of the body of the user while the user contracts the at least one muscle,

receiving, via the electro-acoustic transducer, a modified measurement bone conduction signal, wherein the modified measurement bone conduction signal comprises the measurement bone conduction signal as modified by the body of the user while the user contracts the at least one muscle of the body of the user, and

comparing the modified measurement bone conduction signal to the modified baseline bone conduction signal to obtain the muscle exertion data indicative of the level of exertion experienced by the at least one muscle.

7. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise

providing the level of exertion experienced by the at least one muscle to an application;

and

executing the application to utilize the level of exertion to perform an operation.

8. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise causing the muscle exertion data to be stored.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein causing the muscle exertion data to be stored comprises causing the muscle exertion data to be stored in the memory.

10. The mobile device of claim 8, further comprising a network component;

and wherein causing the muscle exertion data to be stored comprises causing the muscle exertion data to be stored by a service that is accessible by the mobile device via a network to which the mobile device is connected.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor of a mobile device, cause the mobile device to perform operations comprising:

instructing a user to relax at least one muscle;

generating a baseline bone conduction signal;

causing an electro-acoustic transducer of the mobile device to transmit the baseline bone conduction signal through at least one bone of a body of the user while the user relaxes the at least one muscle;

receiving, via the electro-acoustic transducer, a modified baseline bone conduction signal, wherein the modified baseline bone conduction signal comprises the baseline bone conduction signal modified by the body of the user while the user relaxes the at least one muscle responsive to receiving instruction from the mobile device;

receiving an input instructing the mobile device to begin an exertion measurement to obtain muscle exertion data indicative of a level of exertion experienced by the at least one muscle;

in response to receiving the input instructing the mobile device to begin the exertion measurement, generating a measurement bone conduction signal;

causing the electro-acoustic transducer to transmit the measurement bone conduction signal through the at least one bone of the body of the user while the user contracts the at least one muscle;

receiving, via the electro-acoustic transducer, a modified measurement bone conduction signal, wherein the modified measurement bone conduction signal comprises the measurement bone conduction signal as modified by the body of the user while the user contracts the at least one muscle of the body of the user; and

comparing the modified measurement bone conduction signal to the modified baseline bone conduction signal to obtain the muscle exertion data indicative of the level of exertion experienced by the at least one muscle.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing the level of exertion experienced by the at least one muscle to an application; and

executing the application to utilize the level of exertion to perform an operation.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise causing the muscle exertion data to be stored.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein causing the muscle exertion data to be stored comprises causing the muscle exertion data to be store in a memory of the mobile device or causing the muscle exertion data to be stored by a service that is accessible by the mobile device via a network to which the mobile device is connected.