INTEGRATED PORTABLE DEVICE AND METHOD IMPLEMENTING AN ACCELEROMETER FOR ANALYZING BIOMECHANICAL PARAMETERS OF A STRIDE

• US 20130190657A1
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Slyde Analytics LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Myotest SA
• Inventors: FLACTION, Patrick, Quievre, Jacques, Morin, Jean-Benoit
• Granted Patent: US 9,320,457 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/595
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1122 of movement trajectories
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0006 Computerised comparison for qualitative assessment of motion sequences or the course of a movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/00 Aspects of pattern recognition specially adapted for signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training

Abstract

An accelerometer analyzing biomechanical parameters of the stride of a runner, including: fastening a device on the torso of the runner that is electrically self-sufficient and includes a triaxial accelerometer, chronograph, digital processor and display; measuring a sequence of acceleration data in at least the vertical direction using the accelerometer, while the runner runs a certain distance along a running course; during or at the end of the course, having the processor calculate the biomechanical parameters of the stride, including the lowering of the center of gravity and/or the elevation of the center of gravity and/or the sum of the lowering and of the elevation of the center of gravity and/or the vertical mechanical work of the center of gravity of the runner, on the basis of the acceleration data, of the distance and of a period of time measured by the chronograph; and displaying the parameters on the display.

Claims

1. Method implementing an accelerometer for analyzing biomechanical parameters of the stride of a runner, comprising:

(a) fastening a device on the torso of the runner, said device being electrically self-sufficient and comprising a triaxial accelerometer, a chronograph, a digital processor and a display;

(b) measuring a sequence of acceleration data in at least the vertical direction using said accelerometer, while the runner runs a certain distance along a running course;

(c) during or at the end of said running course, having said processor calculate the biomechanical parameters of the stride, including the lowering of the center of gravity and/or the elevation of the center of gravity and/or the sum of the lowering and of the elevation of the center of gravity, on the basis of said acceleration data, of said distance and of a period of time measured by said chronograph;

(d) displaying said parameters on said display.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the lowering of the center of gravity and/or the elevation of the center of gravity and/or the sum of the lowering and of the elevation of the center of gravity are calculated at each stride.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said lowering of said center of gravity is obtained as a function of the maximum bearing force, of the contact time and of the runner'"'"'s mass.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said elevation of said center of gravity is obtained as a function of the vertical takeoff speed.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein said biomechanical parameters include the stiffness, calculated as a function of said maximum bearing force and of said lowering.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said biomechanical parameters include a stride regularity index, calculated on the basis of the reactivity dispersion determined by means of said acceleration data.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said biomechanical parameters include a fatigue level indicator on the basis of said regularity index.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said biomechanical parameters include the asymmetry between at least one parameter of the left leg and at least one corresponding parameter of the right leg.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said biomechanical parameters include an injury risk indicator calculated on the basis of said asymmetry.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said biomechanical parameters include the takeoff angle of the center of gravity at the moment when the foot leaves the ground, obtained from the average speed and the vertical speed at the moment of takeoff.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said average speed is calculated on the basis of said travelled distance and said duration counted by said chronograph, whilst said vertical speed at the moment of takeoff is obtained by integration of said acceleration data.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said biomechanical parameters include the landing angle of the leg on the ground.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said biomechanical parameters include the distance travelled by the runner'"'"'s center of gravity during the duration when the foot is in contact with the ground.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein a sequence of acceleration data in at least the anteroposterior direction is measured by said accelerometer and processed separately from said sequence of acceleration data in the vertical direction in order to calculate at least some of said parameters.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein a sequence of acceleration data in at least the lateral direction is measured by said accelerometer and processed separately from said sequence of acceleration data in the vertical direction in order to calculate at least some of said parameters.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the anteroposterior direction is determined by determining the spatial direction in which the displacement is greater.

17. Computer data carrier storing in a semi-permanent manner a computer program designed to be executed by a microprocessor in order to execute the method of claim 1.

18. Device designed for analyzing the biomechanical parameters of the stride of a runner, comprising:

a self-sufficient electric power source;

a triaxial accelerometer capable of supplying at least one sequence of acceleration data in at least the vertical direction whilst the runner travels a distance on a running course;

a chronograph;

a belt;

a display;

a digital processor programmed for calculating, during or at the end of the run, biomechanical parameters of the stride of said runner, comprising the vertical oscillation of the center of gravity of said runner, on the basis of said acceleration data, of said distance and of a duration counted by said chronograph, and for displaying said parameters on said display.