SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING POWER APPLIED TO A BICYCLE

• US 20150025816A1
• Filed: 10/02/2014
• Published: 01/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MedHab, LLC
• Original Assignee: MedHab, LLC
• Inventors: Ross, Johnny
• Granted Patent: US 10,004,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/44
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 17/00 Insoles for insertion, e.g. footbeds or inlays, for attachment to the shoe after the upper has been joined
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/14 Shoes for cyclists
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/12 Manufacturing methods specially adapted for producing sensors for in-vivo measurements
• 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 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6811 External prosthesis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/00 Measuring of physical parameters relating to sporting activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/51 Force
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0062 Monitoring athletic performances, e.g. for determining the work of a user on an exercise apparatus, the completed jogging or cycling distance
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 7/00 Measuring speed by integrating acceleration measuring travelled distance by double integration of acceleration G01C21/16
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49128 Assembling formed circuit to base

Abstract

A sensor system and method for monitoring power exerted by a person riding a bicycle has a pair of sensor insoles and a portable electronic device. The sensor insoles each have a plurality of force sensors, an accelerometer, and a transmitter for transmitting data from the plurality of force sensors and the accelerometer. A power measurement program operably installed in the computer memory of the portable electronic device receives the data and calculates power and other outputs based upon the data received.

Claims

1. A sensor system for monitoring and reporting power exerted by a person riding a bicycle, the bicycle having pedals each pivotally mounted on a crank arm, the sensor system comprising:

a sensor insole comprising a substrate layer shaped to be worn adjacent the underside of the foot, the substrate layer having a plurality of force sensors, an accelerometer, and a transmitter for transmitting data from the plurality of force sensors and the accelerometer;

a portable electronic device having a computer processor and a computer memory for receiving the data transmitted from the transmitter of the sensor insole, and further including a computer display; and

a power measurement program operably installed in the computer memory of the portable electronic device for performing the following steps;

receiving the data from the accelerometer regarding movement of the sensor insole;

receiving the data from the force sensors to determine a force exerted by the person again the pedals via the substrate layer of the sensor insole;

calculating power based upon the data received; and

outputting the power calculated on the computer display of the portable electronic device.

2. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the power measurement program performs the following steps:

determining a cadence based upon the data from the accelerometer;

calculating a torque based upon the force measured; and

calculating the power based upon the torque and the cadence.

3. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the power measurement program measures a peak power for every rotation of the pedals, and reports the peak power measured via the computer display of the portable electronic device.

4. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the power measurement program measures a peak power for every rotation of the pedals, determines an average peak power by averaging the peak power for a number of rotations of the pedals, and reports the average peak power on the computer display of the portable electronic device.

5. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the power measurement program measures a total power for every rotation of the pedals, determines an average power by averaging the power measurements for a predetermined number of rotations of the pedals, and reports the average power on the computer display of the portable electronic device.

6. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the power measurement program performs the following steps:

determining a waveform using total acceleration on the Y and Z axes of the accelerometers;

determine an average time from peak to peak of the waveform and extrapolate that over a period of time to determine a cadence;

calculating a power based upon the cadence and the force data received from the force sensors; and

outputting the power calculated on the computer display of the portable electronic device.

7. A method for monitoring power exerted by a person riding a bicycle with pedals, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a pair of sensor insoles, each of the sensor insoles having a substrate layers having a plurality of force sensors, an accelerometer, and a transmitter for transmitting data from the plurality of force sensors and the accelerometer, each of the sensor insoles being adapted to be positioned beneath one of the person'"'"'s feet;

providing a portable electronic device having a computer processor and a computer memory for receiving the data transmitted from the transmitters of the sensor insoles, and further including a computer display;

positioning the pair of sensor insoles beneath the feet of the person;

receiving the data transmitted from the pair of sensor insoles to the portable electronic device while the person rides the bicycle;

determining a waveform using total acceleration on the Y and Z axes of the accelerometers;

determine an average time from peak to peak of the waveform and extrapolate that over a period of time to determine a cadence;

calculating power based upon the cadence and the force data received from the force sensors; and

outputting the power calculated on the computer display of the portable electronic device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the following steps:

calculating a torque based upon the force measured by the force sensors; and

computing the power using the torque and the cadence.

9. The sensor system of claim 7, further comprising the following steps:

measuring a peak power for every rotation of the pedals; and

reporting the peak power measured via the computer display of the portable electronic device.

10. The sensor system of claim 7, further comprising the following steps:

measuring a peak power for every rotation of the pedals;

determining an average peak power by averaging the peak power for a number of rotations of the pedals; and

reporting the average peak power on the computer display of the portable electronic device.

11. The sensor system of claim 7, further comprising the following steps:

measuring a total power for every rotation of the pedals;

determining an average power by averaging the power measurements for a number of rotations of the pedals; and

reporting the average power on the computer display of the portable electronic device.

12. The sensor system of claim 7, further comprising the following steps of receiving a predefined cadence from the person, comparing the cadence calculated to the predefined cadence, and reporting if the cadence is the same as or different from the predefined cadence.

13. A sensor system for monitoring a person performing a physical activity, the sensor system comprising:

a pair of sensor insoles, each having substrate layer shaped to be worn adjacent the underside of the person'"'"'s feet, each of the substrate layers having a plurality of force sensors, an accelerometer, and a transmitter for transmitting data from the plurality of force sensors and the accelerometer; and

a monitoring app adapted to be operably installed in a computer memory of a portable electronic device for performing the following steps;

generating a digital model of the person;

displaying the digital model on the computer display of the portable electronic device; and

displaying movement of the digital model, in real time, based upon the data received from the sensor insoles, so that the digital model of the person approximates the movement of the person performing the physical activity.

14. The sensor system of claim 13, wherein the monitoring app is able to perform the following additional steps:

comparing the movement of the digital model with a preferred movement model;

determining if the actual movement of the person approximates the preferred movement model, or if correction is needed;

communicating with the person, in real time, with corrective instructions when correction is needed.

15. The sensor system of claim 13, wherein the monitoring app is able to perform the following additional steps:

transmitting the digital model in real time via a network to a remote computer for display and analysis.

16. The sensor system of claim 13, wherein the monitoring app is able to provide instructions on how to perform an exercise that are synchronized with the action exercise being performed.

17. A sensor system for monitoring and reporting power exerted by a person, the sensor system comprising:

a pair of sensor insoles, each comprising a substrate layer shaped to be worn adjacent the underside of the foot, each of the substrate layers having a plurality of force sensors;

a transmitter for transmitting data from the plurality of force sensors;

a portable electronic device having a computer processor and a computer memory for receiving the data transmitted from the sensor insoles; and

a power measurement program operably installed in the computer memory of the portable electronic device for performing the following steps;

receiving the data from the force sensors to determine a force exerted by the person again the substrate layer of each of the sensor insoles;

calculating power based upon the data received; and

reporting the power calculated to the person.

18. The sensor system of claim 17, wherein the power management program calculates and reports the power for each of the sensor insoles separately, and also reports a total power that is the sum of both of the sensor insoles.

19. The sensor system of claim 18, wherein each of the sensor insoles further includes at an accelerometer, wherein the portable electronic device further includes a display, and wherein the power measurement program reports on the display the power determined for each of the sensor insoles, and also the total power that is the sum of both of the sensor insoles.