System For Sensing Human Movement and Methods of Using Same

• US 20110130183A1
• Filed: 07/25/2009
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael J. Pelletter
• Original Assignee: Michael J. Pelletter
• Inventors: Pelletter, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,602,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/7
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0025 Tracking the path or location of one or more users, e.g. players of a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/004 Multiple detectors or sensors each defining a different zone
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0096 using performance related parameters for controlling electronic or video games or avatars
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/801 Contact switches
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/805 Optical or opto-electronic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2244/10 Combat sports
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/32 with indicating devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/21 characterised by their sensors, purposes or types
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/833 Hand-to-hand fighting, e.g. martial arts competition A63F13/837 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1068 being specially adapted to detect the point of contact of the player on a surface, e.g. floor mat, touch pad
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8029 Fighting without shooting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00

Abstract

A system and method are provided for translating gross human movement into electronic signals and therapeutic, training, or educational uses for the system. An exercising or video gaming system, comprising: a floor pad controller, and a striking controller. The floor pad controller having force sensor(s) and/or placement sensor(s) arranged in a pattern in the plane of a ground or floor. The striking controller having force sensor(s) and contact sensor(s) arranged in an curved grid between the outer layer of the striking controller and an inner core. Applying force to any sensor(s) in the floor pad controller or striking controller executes an action in response to an instruction from the exercising or video gaming system; and an inner core returnably coupled to a ground or floor of a room, so that the striking controller returns to an upright position after being struck by the user.

Claims

1. An exerciser or video gaming system, comprising:

a floor pad controller, comprising;

force sensor(s) and/or placement sensor(s) arranged in a pattern in the plane of a ground or floor, so that whenever force is applied to the floor pad controller by a user, the force and/or placement of the force is registered by the force sensor(s) and/or placement sensor(s), wherein the force sensor(s) and/or placement sensor(s) detect force and/or placement applied against the floor pad controller;

a striking controller, comprising;

an outer layer, comprising;

force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) arranged in an curved grid between the outer layer of the striking controller and the inner core, wherein the force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) comprise transducer(s) and/or contact closures to sense force and/or contact applied against the striking controller, wherein applying force to any force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) in the grid executes an action in response to an instruction from the exercising or video gaming system; and

an inner core returnably coupled to a ground or floor of a room, so that the striking controller returns to an upright position after being struck by the user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outer shell having the fabric or soft cushion has been essentially completely extended to form a safety zone, wherein the fabric or soft cushion may particularly cushion or protect a leg, an arm, a hand, a hip, a thigh, a shoulder or a head of the user from the impact of the blows exerted upon the bottom tier of force and/or contact sensors of the outer shell.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one body position sensor(s) that projects electromagnetic waves onto a user and detects the electromagnetic waves reflected by the person.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the body position sensor(s) is operably coupled to telescoping arms and the coupling is an articulating joint, a hinge, or a ball and socket joint.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a program memory of the processor contains instructions that translate a jump and a strike upon the striking controller by the user or individually a strike by the user upon the striking controller into an action figure'"'"'s jump kick on the video monitor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, where in the curved grid is from about 180°

to about 360°

about the striking controller.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a microphone and headset for communicating with multi-players, which does not also control the exercising or video gaming system.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a hard wire jump switch having an Analog sensitivity adjuster and a hard wired logic circuit so that if no switches are triggered and a time determined by the analog sensitivity adjuster is exceeded, the jump signal will be sent and continued to be sent until a placement sensor on the pad is triggered.

9. The controller of claim 1, wherein one of the force sensor(s) and/or placement sensor(s) is located in the center of the pattern.

14. A kit for playing rhythmic games, comprising:

an exercising or video gaming system that processes and displays rhythmic movement of a user in two or more dimensions, wherein the user is not required to wear any exercising or video gaming system interactive or safety equipment;

a monitor for displaying the rhythmic movement of the user;

a processor for operating the exercising or video gaming system;

a program memory, containing instructions from a video game, operatively coupled to said processor;

the controller of claim 1, operatively coupled to said processor.

10. A method for safely playing an interactive exercising or video gaming system, comprising:

providing a striking controller, comprising;

an outer layer, an inner core and an interface between the inner core and a floor or ground for returnably coupling the striking controller to the ground or floor of a room, so that the striking controller returns to an upright position after being struck by the user;

force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) arranged in an curved grid between the outer layer of the striking controller and the inner core, wherein the force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) comprise transducer(s) and/or contact closures to sense force and/or contact of the force applied against the striking controller, wherein applying force to any force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) in the grid executes an action in response to an instruction from the exercising or video gaming system;

providing an interactive or non-interactive safety zone by essentially completely extending either the combination of the outer layer and the curved grid of the force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) or the outer layer in which the force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) are absent, respectively, to the interface between the inner core and the ground or floor of the room; and

providing a video game for instructing a user to either strike, grapple, step, or jump the striking controller while simultaneously looking at the striking controller and the monitor.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the video game is selected from the group of games consisting of side scroller games, fighting games, and combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) arranged in a curved grid across the surface of the striking controller is customized by a software designer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a software designer designates the force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) on the left hand side and the right hand side of the striking controller, from the highest vertical position to the lowest vertical position, running parallel to a longitudinal axis of the controller, to be inputs 1 and 2, respectively, the force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) therebetweeen in an upper portion and a lower portion of the striking controller are designated inputs 3 and 4. This software configuration would be advantageous for playing rhythmic games where the game has an associated up, down, left and right button. The upper middle button would be up, the lower middle button would be down, the left side button would be associated with the left directional arrow, and the right side button would be associated with the right directional arrow. The middle buttons would be associated with punches or possibly a snap kick for the lower button, while the side buttons would be flicking roundhouses, crescent kicks, full roundhouses or side hand chops. The vertically longer side buttons would be advantageous as they would allow a more flexible user to kick higher while a less flexible user can still kick, but lower, without injuring themselves, the user thereby customizing their difficulty.

16. The controller of claim 13, wherein the uppercut bar has a cushioning around a solid core.

18. The controller of claim 16, wherein the sensors have a sensitivity so that they are able to detect a weight equal to or greater than 2.5 Newtons.

15. A controller for an exercising or video gaming system, comprising:

a striking controller, comprising;

an outer layer, an inner core and an interface between the inner core and a floor or ground for reflexively coupling the striking controller to the ground or floor of a room;

force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) arranged in an curved grid between the outer layer of the striking controller and the inner core, the force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) comprising force sensors and contact closures to sense contact and force applied against the striking controller, wherein applying force to any force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) in the grid executes an action in response to an instruction from the exercising or video gaming system;

a body position sensor; and

a radial interactive uppercut bar therebetween.

17. A striking controller for an exercising or video gaming system, comprising:

an outer layer, an inner core and an interface between the inner core and a floor or ground for reflexively coupling the striking controller to the ground or floor of a room;

force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) arranged in an curved grid between the outer layer of the striking controller and the inner core, the force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) comprising force sensors and contact closures to sense contact and force applied against the striking controller, wherein applying force to any force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) in the grid executes an action in response to an instruction from the exercising or video gaming system; and

a microphone and headset for communicating with multiplayers, which does not also control the video exercising or video gaming system.

19. A controller for an exercising or video gaming system, comprising:

an outer layer, an inner core and an interface between the inner core and a floor or ground for reflexively coupling the striking controller to the ground or floor of a room;

force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) arranged in an curved grid between the outer layer of the striking controller and the inner core, the force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) comprising force sensors and contact closures to sense contact and force applied against the striking controller, wherein applying force to any force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) in the grid executes an action in response to an instruction from the exercising or video gaming system; and

an interactive or non-interactive safety zone by essentially completely extending either the combination of the outer layer and the curved grid of force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) or the outer layer, respectively, to the interface between the inner core and the ground or floor of the room;

an exercising or video gaming system for instructing a user to safely either strike, grapple, step, or jump the striking controller while simultaneously looking at the striking controller and the monitor.

20. The controller for the exercising or video gaming system of claim 19, wherein the striking controller is constructed with single unit construction.

21. A method for safely using an exercising or video gaming system, comprising:

providing a striking controller, comprising;

an outer layer, an inner core and an interface between the inner core and a floor or ground for reflexively coupling the striking controller to the ground or floor of a room;

force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) arranged in an curved grid between the outer layer of the striking controller and the inner core, the force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) comprising force sensors and contact closures to sense contact and force applied against the striking controller, wherein applying force to any force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) in the grid executes an action in response to an instruction from the game; and

providing an interactive or non-interactive safety zone by essentially completely extending either the combination of the outer layer and the curved grid of force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) or the outer layer, respectively, to the interface between the inner core and the ground or floor of the room, and wherein the exercising or video gaming system instructs a user to execute a roundhouse kick of the striking controller while simultaneously looking at the striking controller and the monitor.

22. An exercising or video gaming system, comprising:

a floor pad controller, comprising;

force sensor(s) and/or placement sensor(s) arranged in a pattern in the plane of a ground or floor, so that whenever force is applied to the floor pad controller by a user, the force and/or placement of the force is registered by the force sensor(s) and/or placement sensor(s), wherein the force sensor(s) and/or placement sensor(s) detect force and/or placement information applied against the floor pad controller;

a striking controller, comprising;

an outer layer, comprising;

force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) arranged in an curved grid between the outer layer of the striking controller and the inner core, the force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) comprising force sensors and contact closures to sense contact and force applied against the striking controller, wherein applying force to any force sensor(s) and/or contact sensor(s) in the grid executes an action in response to an instruction from the exercising or video gaming system,

wherein neither the floor pad controller nor the striking controller require an input from a headset or microphone worn by a user of the exercising or video gaming system.