WEARABLE PERFORMANCE MONITORING, ANALYSIS, AND FEEDBACK SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20140142459A1
• Filed: 11/13/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MAD Apparel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: MAD Apparel Incorporated
• Inventors: Jayalth, Dhananja, Weibe, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 10,143,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/547
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/04 Vests, jerseys, sweaters or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 2500/52 in sheet form
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/10 Athletes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0223 of calibration, e.g. protocols for calibrating sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0209 Special features of electrodes classified in A61B5/24, A61B5/25, A61B5/283, A61B5/291, A61B5/296, A61B5/053
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/18 Shielding or protection of sensors from environmental influences, e.g. protection from mechanical damage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0004 characterised by the type of physiological signal transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0015 characterised by features of the telemetry system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/296 for electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/30 Input circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6805 Vests
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6841 by using templates
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0009 Computerised real time comparison with previous movements or motion sequences of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0078 : Exercise efforts programmed as a function of time
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 : Sports
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation

Abstract

The present application relates generally to computer software, mobile electronics, wireless communication links, and wearable monitoring systems. More specifically, techniques, systems, sensors, circuitry, algorithms and methods for wearable monitoring devices and associated exercise apparatus are described. A garment borne sensor system may acquire data on a user'"'"'s performance during exercise, for example. The data may be analyzed in real time and feedback may be provided to the user based on the analysis. Analysis may be used to alter behavior of the user and/or an apparatus the user is engaged with during an activity, such as exercise, conditioning, therapy, etc. A piece of exercise equipment may be instrumented and in communication with the sensor system or other system and may be controlled in real time to adjust its settings to affect the user during the exercise routine. Communication between the sensor system and other systems may be wireless.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring, analyzing and providing feedback on physical activity of a user, comprising:

receiving a system schema for a plurality of muscles of a human subject, the system schema wirelessly received by a garment borne controller of a garment the includes a plurality of garment borne sensors coupled with the controller and configured to acquire signals indicative of muscle activation;

selecting which of the plurality of sensors to analyze;

calibrating selected sensors to account for a user profile of the human subject;

acquiring muscle activation data from outputs of selected sensors while the human subject performs an activity that exercises the plurality of muscles;

analyzing in real-time, the muscle activation data during performance of the activity;

providing in real time, feedback on the performance of the activity to the human subject, the feedback wirelessly received on a wireless device; and

altering in real-time, a behavior of the human subject, an apparatus used by the human subject to perform the activity or both, if the analysis indicates the performance is non-optimal, wherein behavior of the apparatus is altered wirelessly.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting includes a selection of one or more redundant sensors from the plurality of sensors.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the system schema is wirelessly received from a source on the Internet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the system schema is wirelessly received from a smart personal communication device (SPCD).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a wireless communication device in wireless communication with a selected one or more of the controller, or a garment borne equipment detector.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the garment includes an alignment mark operative to aid the human subject in correct placement of the plurality of sensors relative to muscles to be sensed by the plurality of sensors when the human subject dons the garment.

7. A system for monitoring, analyzing and providing feedback on physical activity of a user, comprising:

a garment including borne by the garment,

a controller including a first wireless communication link,

a plurality of sensors coupled with the controller and configured to acquire signals indicative of muscle activation,

an equipment detector including a second wireless communications link and coupled with the controller, and

a battery pack configured to generate electrical power for the controller, sensors, and equipment detector,

wherein the garment is configured to be worn on a portion of a body of a human subject;

an apparatus including a third wireless communications link, the apparatus configured to couple with the human subject during an activity that causes muscle activation in a plurality of muscles in the human subject;

a smart personal communication device (SPCD) including a fourth wireless communications link configured to wirelessly link with a selected one or more of the first, second, or third wireless communication links; and

at least one processor configured to execute one or more algorithms selected from the group consisting of a system schema, sensor selection, sensor calibration, analysis of muscle activation data, providing feedback to the human subject, altering behavior of the human subject, providing coaching to the human subject, and altering behavior of the apparatus.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one processor comprises a plurality of processor distributed among the garment and the SPCD, and wherein the controller comprises the processor for the garment.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one processor comprises a plurality of processor distributed among the garment, the SPCD, and a source on the Internet, and wherein the controller comprises the processor for the garment.

10. The system of claim 7 and further comprising:

a source on the Internet including a fifth wireless communications link configured to wirelessly link with one or more of the first, second, and fourth wireless communications link.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor comprises a plurality of processor distributed among the garment, the SPCD, and the source on the Internet.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is included in a source on the Internet.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the garment is configured to withstand a plurality of cycles of washing, drying or both, without damage to the garment, the controller, the plurality of sensors, the equipment detector, or the battery pack.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of sensors are configured to sense bio-potentials associated with a plurality of muscles of the human subject.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the garment includes an alignment mark operative to aid the human subject in correct placement of the plurality of sensors relative to muscles to be sensed by the plurality of sensors when the human subject dons the garment.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein the garment is made from a material comprised of a stretchable, compressive and form-fitting fabric.

17. The system of claim 7, wherein the feedback is wirelessly transmitted to a feedback device selected from the group consisting of a smartphone, a tablet, a pad, an external display, a headset, and digital eyewear.

18. A computer program product including machine executable instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and configured to execute on a compute engine, the executable instructions comprising:

instructions for communicating a system schema for a plurality of muscles of a human subject;

instructions for selecting which of a plurality of sensors to analyze for the plurality of muscles;

instructions for calibrating selected sensors in the plurality of sensors;

instructions for acquiring muscle activation data from outputs of selected sensors;

instructions for analyzing in real-time, the muscle activation data acquired by selected sensors;

instructions for providing in real time, feedback on the performance of an activity to the human subject; and

instructions for altering in real-time, a behavior of the human subject, an apparatus used by the human subject to perform the activity, or both.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the selecting includes selection of redundant sensors from the plurality of sensors.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the calibrating further comprises a calibration to account for an effect of one or more of skin condition, subcutaneous fat content, body mass index (BMI), or body fat percentage of the human subject on muscle activation data.