DYNAMIC SAMPLING

• US 20140358473A1
• Filed: 05/30/2014
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Goel, Manan, Cummings, Kate
• Granted Patent: US 10,398,358 B2
• 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 non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor is configured to perform at least:

receive acceleration data representing movement of an appendage of a user at a sampling rate processor located on a device configured to be worn on an appendage of a human, wherein the acceleration data was obtained by an accelerometer located on the device while the accelerometer is operating at a first sampling rate;

based, at least in part, on the received acceleration data itself, classify the acceleration data into one of a plurality of activity categories representing an activity being performed by the user; and

based upon at least the classified activity category, selecting a second sampling rate from a plurality of sampling rates for operating the accelerometer during the activity being performed by the user.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the medium further comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed further perform at least:

compare, with a processor located on the device, a first value of acceleration data obtained from the accelerometer during operation at the first sampling rate against a plurality of threshold values;

determine that the first value of acceleration data corresponds to a first threshold value within the plurality the threshold values; and

wherein the selection of the second sampling rate is based upon both the correspondence of the first value of acceleration data to the first threshold value and the classified activity category.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the accelerometer is a first accelerometer and the medium further comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed further perform at least:

selecting a second sensor that is not the first accelerometer to capture motion data from the user during performance of the activity based upon at least one of;

(a) the correspondence of the first value of acceleration data to the first threshold value and (b) the classified activity category.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein after selecting the second sensor, the first accelerometer and the second sensor are utilized to capture the user'"'"'s movement.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the accelerometer is a first accelerometer and the medium further comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed further perform at least:

based upon selecting the second sensor, the first accelerometer is not used after the selection of the second sensor to capture the user'"'"'s movement during the activity.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the accelerometer is a first accelerometer and the medium further comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed further perform at least:

compare a value of acceleration data obtained from the accelerometer during its operation at the first sampling rate to a plurality of threshold values;

determining that the value of acceleration data corresponds to a first threshold value within the plurality the threshold values; and

based upon the correspondence to the first threshold value and the classified activity category, selecting a second threshold value.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein determining that the first sampling rate corresponds to the threshold value is configured to occur at a sampling rate processor located on the device and the determination of correspondence is further configured to be based upon at least one of:

the first value of the acceleration data being equal to the first threshold value, the first value of the acceleration data being numerically closer to, and greater than, a second threshold value as compared to the threshold value, and the first value of the acceleration data is determined to be within a predefined range of the first threshold value.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the sampling rate processor is configured to determine the first sampling rate as a low-battery sampling rate corresponding to a low level of stored electrical energy in the power supply.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first value of the acceleration data comprises at least of an amplitude or a frequency.

10. The unitary apparatus of claim 7, wherein the acceleration data corresponding to the classified activity category is configured to be stored at an analysis processor on the device, wherein the analysis processor is physically distinct from the sampling rate processor.

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

a structure configured to be worn on an appendage of a user, comprising;

a power supply;

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

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

receive the captured acceleration data at a sampling rate processor located on the unitary apparatus;

determine a first sampling rate, 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 an analysis processor from the power supply during sampling;

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

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

12. The unitary apparatus of claim 11, 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.

13. The unitary apparatus of claim 11, 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.

14. The unitary apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second sampling rate corresponds to a low power consumption rate by the analysis processor that maintains a sampling resolution to capture data for the classified activity category.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor is configured to perform at least:

a) receiving, from an accelerometer of a processor, acceleration data;

b) identifying an activity from a plurality of activities based, at least in part, on the received acceleration data; and

c) adjusting a sampling rate of the accelerometer based on the activity identified in b).

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the medium further comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed further perform at least:

comparing a first value of acceleration data obtained from the accelerometer during operation against a plurality of threshold values;

determining that the first value of acceleration data corresponds to a first threshold value within the plurality the threshold values; and

wherein the adjustment of the sampling rate is based upon the correspondence of the first value of acceleration data to the first threshold value.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the accelerometer is a first accelerometer and the medium further comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed further perform at least:

selecting a second sensor that is not the first accelerometer to capture motion data based upon the correspondence of the first value of acceleration data to the first threshold value.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein after selecting of the second sensor, the first accelerometer and the second sensor are utilized to capture motion data.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the accelerometer is a first accelerometer and the medium further comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed further perform at least:

based upon selecting the second sensor, the first accelerometer is not used to capture motion data.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the accelerometer is a first accelerometer and the medium further comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed further perform at least:

comparing a value of acceleration data obtained from the first accelerometer during its operation at the first sampling rate to a plurality of threshold values;

determining that the value of acceleration data corresponds to a first threshold value within the plurality the threshold values; and

based upon the correspondence to the first threshold value and the classified activity category, selecting a second threshold value.