MONITORING ACTIVITY OF A USER IN LOCOMOTION ON FOOT

• US 20140372064A1
• Filed: 04/02/2014
• Published: 12/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Darley, Jesse, Blackadar, Thomas P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,247,897 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/104
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/24 Ornamental buckles; Other ornaments for shoes without fastening function
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0031 provided with a pocket, e.g. for keys or a card
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0078 provided with logos, letters, signatures or the like decoration A43B23/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• 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 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/08 Sensors provided with means for identification, e.g. barcodes or memory chips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6895 Sport equipment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 : using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/725 : using specific filters therefor, e.g. Kalman or adaptive filters A61B5/316 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 : Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 : using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 : Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 : User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0065 : Evaluating the fitness, e.g. fitness level or fitness index
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 : Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/02 : Testing, calibrating or measuring of equipment
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0028 : for running, jogging or speed-walking movable endless bands A63B22/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 : Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02827 : Elastic parameters, strength or force
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/023 : for acceleration measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/08 : with conversion into electric or magnetic values
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0922 : of the bending or flexing mode type
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/025 : for measuring physiological data
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 : relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising

Abstract

One disclosed method involves using at least one device supported by a user while the user is in locomotion on foot during an outing to automatically measure amounts of time taken by the user to complete respective distance intervals. During the outing, data representing the automatically measured amounts of time may be automatically stored in memory of the least one device. Another disclosed method involves using at least one device supported by a user while the user is in locomotion on foot during an outing to automatically identify occasions on which a user completes respective distance intervals. During the outing, the at least one device may display at least one of an average pace of the user since a most recently completed distance interval, an average speed of the user since the most recently completed distance interval, and a projected time to complete a current distance interval based on monitored performance since the most recently completed distance interval. Yet another disclosed method involves using at least one device supported by a user while the user is in locomotion on foot during an outing to monitor a distance traveled by the user. An input to the at least one device may be received that specifies a goal distance for the outing, and the at least one device may determine a remaining distance to be traveled to complete one of the specified goal distance for the outing and a calculated fraction of the specified goal distance for the outing.

Claims

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

a unitary body, further comprising;

a processor;

a sensor in operative communication with the processor, and configured to capture motion data of the user; and

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

capturing, from the sensor while being worn on the user, motion data indicative of a foot contact time during a motion of the user; and

calculating, from the motion data, an estimated heart rate of the user as a stored fitness index for the user divided by the foot contact time of the user.

2. The unitary apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fitness index is stored as a constant value in the non-transitory computer-readable medium.

3. The unitary apparatus of claim 2, wherein the unitary apparatus is calibrated by:

calculating the constant fitness index value as an average value of a measured heart rate of the user multiplied by the foot contact time of the user.

4. The unitary apparatus of claim 2, wherein the measured heart rate is received from a heart rate monitor during a calibration process.

5. The unitary apparatus of claim 1, wherein the unitary body further comprises:

a display configured to display real-time activity information associated with motion of the user.

6. The unitary apparatus of claim 5, wherein the real-time activity information displayed by the display includes the estimated heart rate of the user.

7. The unitary apparatus of claim 5, wherein the real-time activity information displayed by the display includes an average speed of the user.

8. The unitary apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user is a first user, and the fitness index is a first fitness index associated with a first user ID, the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, perform at least:

storing a second fitness index associated with a second user ID.

9. The unitary apparatus of claim 8, wherein the unitary apparatus is further configured to calculate an estimated heart rate of a second user using the second fitness index.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a sensor; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to;

capture motion data from the sensor;

calculate from the motion data a foot contact time for a user; and

determine an estimated real-time heart rate of the user by dividing a fitness index for the user by the calculated foot contact time.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, are configured to calibrate the apparatus by:

calculating, by the processor, the fitness index as an average value of a calibration foot contact time, measured by the sensor, multiplied by a calibration heart rate of the user, measured by a heart rate monitor.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, are further configured to:

calculate an athletic performance parameter of the user from the motion data.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the athletic performance parameter comprises an energy expenditure of the user.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the athletic performance parameter comprises a running speed.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the sensor comprises a locating-determining sensor.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the user is a first user, and the fitness index is a first fitness index, the memory further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, perform at least:

storing a second fitness index associated with a second user.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first user is associated with a first user profile accessible in the apparatus using a first user ID, and the second user is associated with a second user profile accessible in the apparatus using a second user ID.

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

capture sensor data generated by a sensor as a result of a motion of a user;

calculate a foot contact time for the user from the sensor data; and

calculate an estimated heart rate of the user as a product of a stored fitness index and the inverse of the calculated foot contact time.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, are configured perform a calibration to calculate the stored fitness index as the product of a calibration heart rate, measured by a heart rate monitor, and a calibration foot contact time, calculated from sensor data from the sensor.