Foot-mounted sensor systems for tracking body movement
First Claim
1. A footwear system, comprising:
- two separate foot sensor subsystems each carried by a shoe of a subject and each comprising;
two or more force sensitive resistors configured to measure a force at two or more predetermined anatomical locations on a foot, andfootwear electronics coupled to the force sensitive resistors,wherein each foot sensor subsystem is operatively coupled with a game controller;
the footwear system further comprising a non-volatile memory that carries programming instructions, which, when executed, cause the foot sensor subsystem to;
(a) define subject'"'"'s weight based at least in part on a weight distribution across a foot, a total weight applied to the foot, and a partial weight applied to the foot;
(b) transfer the subject'"'"'s weight data to the game controller;
(c) activate the game controller in response to the subject'"'"'s weight data;
(d) establish an initial sensor state based on the subject'"'"'s weight data; and
(e) reduce tampering with the game controller by;
activating at least one foot sensor subsystems based on the subject'"'"'s weight data corresponding to the initial sensor state, andnot activating the at least one foot sensor subsystems based on the subject'"'"'s weight data lacking correspondence with the initial sensor state.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method is disclosed for foot sensors to be used to determine at least two characteristics of a subject'"'"'s activity by using a combination of sensors for force and foot orientation/motion/position. A wearable footwear ecosystem is comprised of the subject'"'"'s footwear, sensor-enabled insoles or insertable devices, in- or on-footwear electronics that is hard wired to the sensors and may contain additional sensors such as accelerometers, a master device and means to communicate (typically wirelessly) among the various sensor platforms, and the master device including clock synchronization. Correlating the time stamps for data among various sensors, and the master device communicating wirelessly is critical to accurate determination of the desired characteristics. Multiple force-sensitive resistors on a common substrate are individually optimized for dynamic range. Pulse sensors using arrays of such force-sensitive resistors are implemented. The resultant system can profitably be used for gaming, biometric monitoring, and activity tracking.
28 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A footwear system, comprising:
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two separate foot sensor subsystems each carried by a shoe of a subject and each comprising; two or more force sensitive resistors configured to measure a force at two or more predetermined anatomical locations on a foot, and footwear electronics coupled to the force sensitive resistors, wherein each foot sensor subsystem is operatively coupled with a game controller; the footwear system further comprising a non-volatile memory that carries programming instructions, which, when executed, cause the foot sensor subsystem to; (a) define subject'"'"'s weight based at least in part on a weight distribution across a foot, a total weight applied to the foot, and a partial weight applied to the foot; (b) transfer the subject'"'"'s weight data to the game controller; (c) activate the game controller in response to the subject'"'"'s weight data; (d) establish an initial sensor state based on the subject'"'"'s weight data; and (e) reduce tampering with the game controller by; activating at least one foot sensor subsystems based on the subject'"'"'s weight data corresponding to the initial sensor state, and not activating the at least one foot sensor subsystems based on the subject'"'"'s weight data lacking correspondence with the initial sensor state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A pair of footwear, comprising:
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a footwear system having two separate foot sensor subsystems each carried by a piece of footwear of a subject, each foot sensor subsystem comprising; two or more force sensitive resistors configured to measure a force at two or more predetermined anatomical locations on a foot, and footwear electronics coupled to the force sensitive resistors, wherein each foot sensor subsystem is operatively coupled with a game controller; the footwear system comprising a non-volatile memory that carries programming instructions, which, when executed, cause the force sensitive resistors to; (a) define subject'"'"'s weight based at least in part on a weight distribution across a foot, a total weight applied to the foot, and a partial weight applied to the foot; (b) transfer the subject'"'"'s weight data to the game controller; (c) activate the game controller in response to the subject'"'"'s weight data; (d) establish an initial sensor state based on the subject'"'"'s weight data; and (e) reduce tampering with the game controller by; activating at least one foot sensor subsystems based on the subject'"'"'s weight data corresponding to the initial sensor state, and not activating the at least one foot sensor subsystems based on the subject'"'"'s weight data lacking correspondence with the initial sensor state. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification