System and method for developing core muscle usage in athletics and therapy

• US 10,292,647 B1
• Filed: 05/25/2016
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alert Core, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Alert Core, Inc.
• Inventors: Uehara, Gregory Takeo
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunlap, Jonathan M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cotey, Philip L
• Application Number:
  US15/164,681
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/10 Athletes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0475 Special features of memory means, e.g. removable memory cards
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0013 Medical image data A61B1/00011, A61B6/56, A61B8/56 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1107 Measuring contraction of parts of the body, e.g. organ, muscle apparatus for measuring work or force in general G01L
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1121 Determining geometric values, e.g. centre of rotation or angular range of movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1128 using image analysis A61B5/1127 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7425 Displaying combinations of multiple images regardless of image source, e.g. displaying a reference anatomical image with a live image geometric transforms for image registration G06T3/14; enhancement using image fusion G06T5/50; algorithms for registration of images G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7435 Displaying user selection data, e.g. icons in a graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0062 Monitoring athletic performances, e.g. for determining the work of a user on an exercise apparatus, the completed jogging or cycling distance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/70 of video data
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A wearable device has a core contraction sensor and a movement sensor which transmits signals to a processor which analyzes the signals. The core contraction signal may determine if the user'"'"'s core is contracted or relaxed. A video camera on a smart device may be used with the wearable device to record video of a user while data from the sensors on the wearable device are also recorded. The core contraction and movement sensor data may be sent to and viewed on the smart device display together with video of the user performing a movement. The simultaneous viewing of the video and sensor data may provide immediate feedback to the user regarding the timing of core contractions with body movements in an athletic, training, or therapeutic movement to allow the user to modify and improve coordination of core contraction with body movements to improve movement performance and achieve better results.

Claims

1. A method for improving the timing of a core engagement with a body movement to improve performance, comprising:

providing a contraction sensor, a movement sensor, a video camera, and a display in communication with a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the contraction sensor having a bumper core sensor interface extending from the contraction sensor;

placing the bumper core sensor interface of the contraction sensor against core muscles of a user;

detecting core contractions of the user with the contraction sensor;

detecting body movements of the user with the movement sensor;

recording the body movements of the user with the video camera;

transmitting core contraction signals from the contraction sensor to the processor;

determining by the processor a contraction status of the core muscles that is either contracted when the core contraction signal is greater than a threshold value or relaxed when the core contraction signal is less than the threshold value;

transmitting body movement signals from the movement sensor to the processor;

transmitting video signals from the video camera to the processor;

storing the core contraction signals, the body movement signals and the video signals in the memory;

determining by the processor timing relationships between the core contraction signals and the body movement signals;

immediately outputting by the processor the video signals and the timing relationships of the core contraction signals and the body movement signals to the display; and

simultaneously displaying on a visual display a user movement from the video signals and the contraction status of the core muscles for the user movement.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the video signals are displayed on the display in slow motion.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the display is a touch screen and a playback speed of the video signals is controlled by a slider control on the display.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the slider may be controlled by a finger in contact with the slider control on the display.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the recording of the body movements of the user starts after the processor receives the body movement signals which include a first body movement signal following a first pause in movement and a first core contraction signal for a minimum predetermined period of time;

and the recording of the body movements ends after the processor detects a second pause in movement and core contraction following a movement where one or both of a movement or core contraction is detected by the processor.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein a minimum duration between the pause before and pause following a movement is detected in order to keep the recorded data.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the core contraction signals are received by the processor in real time from the contraction sensor and the movement signals are received by the processor in real time from the movement sensor, and the video camera, the display, the processor, and the memory are located on a smart device, and the core contraction signals, the movement signals, and the video signals are simultaneously stored in the memory and time stamps are applied to cumulative data groups wherein each of the cumulative data groups includes include some of the core contraction signals, the movement signals, and the video signals.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the core contraction signals and the movement signals are stored in a first memory and the video signals are stored in a second memory, and wherein the core contraction signals, the movement signals and the video signals are combined prior to the outputting of the core contraction signals, the movement signals and the video signals by the processor.

9. A method for development of core muscles based support, comprising:

providing a contraction sensor and a movement sensor in communication with a first processor coupled to a first memory on a first device, wherein the contraction sensor having a bumper core sensor interface extending from the contraction sensor;

placing the bumper core sensor interface of the contraction sensor against core muscles of a user;

providing a video camera in communication with a second processor coupled to a second memory on a second device;

providing a display;

detecting core contractions of the user with the contraction sensor;

detecting body movements of the user with the movement sensor;

recording the body movements of the user with the video camera;

transmitting core contraction signals from the contraction sensor to the first processor;

determining by the first processor a contraction status of the core muscles that is either contracted when the core contraction signal is greater than a threshold value or relaxed when the core contraction signal is less than the threshold value;

transmitting body movement signals from the movement sensor to the first processor;

storing the core contraction signals and the body movement signals sent to the first processor in the first memory;

transmitting video signals of the body movements of the user from the video camera to the second processor;

storing video signals of the body movements of the user in the second memory; and

immediately outputting the core contraction signals and the movement signals from the first memory and some of the video signals from the second memory to the display to illustrate timing relationships of the core contractions and the body movements wherein an image of the user movement from the video signals and the contraction status of the core muscles for the image of the user movement are displayed simultaneously.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein time stamps are applied to the core contraction signals, the movement signals, and the video signals and the time stamps are used to synchronize the core contraction signals, the movement signals, and the video signals before the outputting of the core contraction signals, the movement signals and the video signals.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

providing a user interface and a touchscreen that is part of the display;

wherein the user interface includes a slider shown on the display and the playback is controlled by the slider.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the core contraction signals, the movement signals and the video signals are combined as a plurality of data groups and the plurality of data groups are stored in the first memory or the second memory and each of the plurality of data groups are labeled.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

displaying a listing of the plurality of data groups on the display;

selecting one of the plurality of the plurality of data groups; and

playing the one of the plurality of the plurality of data groups.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the display is part of the video camera.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

detecting body orientations of the user with the movement sensor;

transmitting body orientation signals from the movement sensor to the first processor; and

storing the body orientation signals in the first memory.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

outputting the body orientation signals from the first memory to the display to illustrate timing relationships between the core contractions and the body orientations.

17. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

detecting body postures of the user with the movement sensor;

transmitting body posture signals from the movement sensor to the first processor; and

storing the body posture signals in the first memory.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

outputting the body posture signals from the first memory to the display to illustrate timing relationships between the core contractions and the body postures.

19. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

detecting body rotation of the user with the movement sensor;

transmitting body rotation signals from the movement sensor to the first processor; and

storing the body rotation signals in the first memory.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

outputting the body rotation signals from the first memory to the display to illustrate timing relationships between the core contractions and the body rotations.