SYSTEM FOR MONITORING A PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETER OF PLAYERS ENGAGED IN A SPORTING ACTIVITY

• US 20150173676A1
• Filed: 08/04/2014
• Published: 06/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Riddell Incorporated (BRG Sports, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Riddell Incorporated (BRG Sports, Inc.)
• Inventors: Greenwald, Richard M., Chu, Jeffrey J., Crisco, Joseph J. III, Ide, Thad M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,292,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/046 Means for detecting hazards or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/10 Athletes
• 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 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• 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 5/1122 of movement trajectories
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4064 Evaluating the brain A61B5/031, A61B5/369, A61B5/14553 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4076 Diagnosing or monitoring particular conditions of the nervous system A61B5/4821, A61B5/4824 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 Head
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/14 Lacrosse
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/22 Field hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/30 Maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/06 heartbeat rate only
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/50 : temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/60 : muscle strain, i.e. measured on the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/007 : American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/06 : Indicating or scoring devices for games or players , or for other sports activities
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/10 : for the head A63B71/081 takes precedence ; in the form of caps or hats A42B1/08; helmets A42B3/00

Abstract

The present invention provides a system for monitoring a physiological parameter of players engaged in a sporting activity. The system includes a plurality of reporting units, a controller, and a signaling device. The reporting unit has an arrangement of sensing devices that measure the physiological parameter of an individual player and generate parameter data. The controller receives the parameter data transmitted from each reporting unit and then processes the parameter data to calculate a parameter result. When the parameter result exceeds a predetermined value, the controller communicates with a signaling device that provides an alert to sideline personnel to monitor the player(s) in question. The system also includes a remote storage device for holding historical data collected by the system which permits subsequent analysis. The system can monitor a number of player physiological parameters, including the acceleration of a player'"'"'s body part that experiences an impact and the temperature of each player.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring impact-related acceleration of a body part of a player engaged in a contact sport, the player wearing a piece of protective sports equipment adjacent the body part that receives and attenuates impacts while the player is engaged in the contact sport, the system comprising:

a reporting unit positioned within a piece of protective sports equipment worn against a body part of an individual player while engaged in the contact sport, the reporting unit having;

a plurality of sensing devices arranged to measure a direction and a magnitude of acceleration of the player'"'"'s body part resulting from impacts applied to the protective sports equipment and to generate body part acceleration data for each of said impacts, and

a control unit configured to process said body part acceleration data and to calculate for each of said impacts;

<

a body part acceleration result;

a direction of the impact;

a location of the impact; and

a duration of the impact; and

a signaling device that provides an alert when said calculated body part acceleration result exceeds a predetermined value.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert provided by the signaling device includes the body part acceleration magnitude, the impact duration and cumulative impacts sustained by the player.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert provided by the signaling device further includes a time stamp and identification of the player that experienced the body part acceleration result that exceeded the predetermined value.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the body part is the player'"'"'s head and the protective equipment is a football helmet, and wherein the plurality of sensing devices are accelerometers configured to be arranged within the football helmet proximate the player'"'"'s head.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the accelerometers measure linear and rotational acceleration of the player'"'"'s head when impacts are received by the football helmet.