DYNAMIC SAMPLING

• US 20140358472A1
• Filed: 05/30/2014
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Goel, Manan, Cummings, Kate
• Application Number:
  US14/291,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20140358472A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/141
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/00 Details of instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/00 Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/40 Data acquisition and logging for input to computer G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/05 Digital input using the sampling of an analogue quantity at regular intervals of time , input from a/d converter or output to d/a converter
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A wrist-worn athletic performance monitoring system, including an analysis processor, configured to execute an activity recognition processes to recognize a sport or activity being performed by an athlete, and a sampling rate processor, configured to determine a sampling rate at which an analysis processor is to sample data from an accelerometer. The sampling rate processor may determine the sampling rate such that the analysis processor uses a low amount of electrical energy while still being able to carry out an activity classification process to classify an activity being performed.

Claims

1. A unitary apparatus configured to be worn by a user, comprising:

a power supply;

a sensor configured to capture acceleration data from the appendage of the user;

an analysis processor;

a sampling rate processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed by the analysis processor perform at least;

receive acceleration data captured by the sensor;

determine a first sampling rate of the captured sensor data, wherein the sampling rate processor is configured to select the first sampling rate with a value below an upper sampling rate in order to reduce power consumption by the analysis processor from the power supply during sampling;

sampling the data captured by the sensor at the determined first sampling rate; and

classifying the acceleration data into an activity category selected from a plurality of activity categories being performed by the user.

2. The unitary apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sampling rate processor is further configured to:

compare a value of the acceleration data to a threshold value; and

determine the first sampling rate as corresponding to the threshold value.

3. The unitary apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sampling rate processor determines the first sampling rate corresponding to the threshold value when the value of the acceleration data is equal to the threshold value.

4. The unitary apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sampling rate processor determines the first sampling rate corresponding to the threshold value when the value of the acceleration data is numerically closer to, and greater than, a second threshold value.

5. The unitary apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sampling rate processor determines the first sampling rate corresponding to the threshold value when the value of the acceleration data is within a range of the threshold value.

6. The unitary apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sampling rate processor determines the first sampling rate as a low-battery sampling rate corresponding to a low level of stored electrical energy in the power supply.

7. The unitary apparatus of claim 2, wherein the value of the acceleration data is an amplitude.

8. The unitary apparatus of claim 2, wherein the value of the acceleration data is a frequency.

9. The unitary apparatus of claim 1, wherein the analysis processor is further configured to store sampled acceleration data corresponding to the classified activity category in the non-transitory computer-readable medium.

10. The unitary apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sampling rate processor is further configured to:

determine a second sampling rate corresponding to the activity category into which the acceleration data is classified, and in response to the determined second sampling rate, storing, by the analysis processor, acceleration data sampled at the second sampling rate.

11. The unitary apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second sampling rate corresponds to a low power consumption rate by the analysis processor, while maintaining a sampling resolution to capture data for the classified activity category.

12. The unitary apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a filter, for selectively filtering out a signal from the captured acceleration data.

13. The unitary apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sampling rate processor receives the captured acceleration data into a memory register circuit.

14. The unitary apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sampling rate processor is further configured to:

select, in response to the classification of the acceleration data into an activity category, a second sensor from which to capture data about the activity of the user.

15. The unitary apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sampling rate processor is further configured to:

select, in response to receipt of the captured acceleration data, a second sensor from which to capture data about the activity of the user.

16. The unitary apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a transceiver, for communicating the sampled data to a portable computer system.

17. The unitary apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first sampling rate ranges from 0 Hz to 50 Hz.

18. A computer-implemented method for reducing power consumption by a sensor apparatus, comprising:

capturing, by a sensor located on a device configured to be worn on an appendage of a user, acceleration data for the wrist of a user;

receiving, by a sampling rate processor of the device, the captured acceleration data;

determining, by the sampling rate processor, a first sampling rate for the sensor, by selecting the first sampling rate that is below an upper sampling rate in order to reduce power consumption by an analysis processor during sampling;

sampling, by the analysis processor, data captured by the sensor at the first sampling rate; and

analyzing, by the analysis processor, the sampled data in an attempt to classify the acceleration data into an activity category being performed by the user.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

comparing, by the sampling rate processor, a value of the acceleration data to a threshold value; and

determining, by the sampling rate processor, the first sampling rate as corresponding to the threshold value.

20. A unitary apparatus configured to be worn on an appendage of a user, comprising:

a sensor configured to capture data related to an activity being carried out by the user;

an analysis processor;

a sampling rate processor, configured to;

receive the captured data;

determine a first sampling rate, wherein the sampling rate processor attempts to choose the first sampling rate below an upper sampling rate in order to reduce power consumption by the analysis processor during sampling;

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed by the analysis processor perform at least;

sampling the data captured by the sensor at the first sampling rate; and

analyzing the sampled data in an attempt to classify the data into an activity category being performed by the user.