Application of Gait Characteristics for Mobile

• US 20160113550A1
• Filed: 10/25/2015
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Precise Mobile Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: David Martin
• Inventors: Martin, David
• Granted Patent: US 10,342,462 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4023 Evaluating sense of balance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/744 Displaying an avatar, e.g. an animated cartoon character
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention provide methods and apparatus for controlling any aspect of a virtual environment in a mobile or wearable device, where the user is performing a gait activity such as walking, jogging or running, and the controlling is performed leveraging the gait characteristics of the user. In some embodiments, the gait characteristics include velocity and stride length. In some embodiments, the only sensors utilized to obtain any contextual information are accelerometers.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an aspect of an application in a mobile or wearable device carried by a user, the method comprising:

determining the gait velocity of the mobile or wearable device user, in real time and with an update frequency larger than the maximum between 2 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency;

controlling an aspect of an application in the mobile or wearable device with the determined gait velocity, in real time and with an update frequency larger than the maximum between 2 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the combination of the determined user'"'"'s gait velocity with other information to accurately determine user'"'"'s location with an update rate higher than the maximum between 2 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency, and wherein the controlling of an aspect of an application in the mobile or wearable device is performed with the determined user'"'"'s location, in real time and with an update frequency larger than the maximum between 2 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined accurately regardless of the positioning of the mobile or wearable device, and leveraging the sensors embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

4. The method in claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined accurately regardless of the positioning of the mobile or wearable device, and leveraging only the accelerometer embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

5. The method in claim 1, wherein the determined gait velocity is displayed in real time in the device screen with indications corresponding to measurements of the gait velocity, where a new indication is included with a frequency higher than the maximum between 2 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency.

6. The method in claim 5, wherein the displaying in real time in the device screen is performed on a time chart, and wherein the maximum number of indications is set to a threshold, and once the threshold is reached, each new indication is included at the position of one edge of the chart, making the oldest indication at the position of the opposite edge of the chart to be discarded, and offsetting the rest of the indications one position towards the oldest indication being discarded.

7. A method for controlling an aspect of a virtual environment in a mobile or wearable device carried by a user, the method comprising:

determining a gait characteristic of the mobile or wearable device user, in real time.

controlling an aspect of a virtual environment in the mobile or wearable device with the determined gait characteristic, in real time.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the user'"'"'s gait characteristic is from the set comprising:

gait velocity, step length and cadence.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining and controlling are performed with an update frequency larger than the maximum between 1 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user'"'"'s gait characteristic is gait velocity, and it is determined accurately regardless of the positioning of the mobile or wearable device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined leveraging the sensors embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined leveraging only the accelerometer embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the virtual environment represents a game environment.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the user'"'"'s gait characteristic is from the set comprising:

gait velocity, step length and cadence.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining and controlling are performed with an update frequency larger than the maximum between 1 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the user'"'"'s gait characteristic is gait velocity, and it is determined accurately regardless of the positioning of the mobile or wearable device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined leveraging the sensors embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined leveraging only the accelerometer embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

19. A system comprising:

a processor;

a processor-readable medium including one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to control an aspect of an application in a mobile or wearable device carried by a user by;

determining the gait velocity of the mobile or wearable device user, in real time and with an update frequency larger than the maximum between 2 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency;

controlling an aspect of an application in the mobile or wearable device with the determined gait velocity, in real time and with an update frequency larger than the maximum between 2 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising the combination of the determined user'"'"'s gait velocity with other information to accurately determine user'"'"'s location with an update rate higher than the maximum between 2 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency, and wherein the controlling of an aspect of an application in the mobile or wearable device is performed with the determined user'"'"'s location, in real time and with an update frequency larger than the maximum between 2 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined accurately regardless of the positioning of the mobile or wearable device, and leveraging the sensors embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

22. The system in claim 19, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined accurately regardless of the positioning of the mobile or wearable device, and leveraging only the accelerometer embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

23. The system in claim 19, wherein the determined gait velocity is displayed in real time in the device screen with indications corresponding to measurements of the gait velocity, where a new indication is included with a frequency higher than the maximum between 2 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency.

24. The system in claim 23, wherein the displaying in real time in the device screen is performed on a time chart, and wherein the maximum number of indications is set to a threshold, and once the threshold is reached, each new indication is included at the position of one edge of the chart, making the oldest indication at the position of the opposite edge of the chart to be discarded, and offsetting the rest of the indications one position towards the oldest indication being discarded.

25. A system comprising:

a processor;

a processor-readable medium including one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to control an aspect of a virtual environment in a mobile or wearable device carried by a user by;

determining a gait characteristic of the mobile or wearable device user, in real time.

controlling an aspect of a virtual environment in the mobile or wearable device with the determined gait characteristic, in real time.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the user'"'"'s gait characteristic is from the set comprising:

gait velocity, step length and cadence.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the determining and controlling are performed with an update frequency larger than the maximum between 1 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the user'"'"'s gait characteristic is gait velocity, and it is determined accurately regardless of the positioning of the mobile or wearable device.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined leveraging the sensors embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined leveraging only the accelerometer embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

31. The system of claim 25, wherein the virtual environment represents a game environment.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the user'"'"'s gait characteristic is from the set comprising:

gait velocity, step length and cadence.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the determining and controlling are performed with an update frequency larger than the maximum between 1 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the user'"'"'s gait characteristic is gait velocity, and it is determined accurately regardless of the positioning of the mobile or wearable device.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined leveraging the sensors embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined leveraging only the accelerometer embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

37. A processor-readable medium including instructions which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to control an aspect of an application in a mobile or wearable device carried by a user by:

determining the gait velocity of the mobile or wearable device user, in real time and with an update frequency larger than the maximum between 2 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency;

controlling an aspect of an application in the mobile or wearable device with the determined gait velocity, in real time and with an update frequency larger than the maximum between 2 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency.

38. The processor-readable medium of claim 37, further comprising the combination of the determined user'"'"'s gait velocity with other information to accurately determine user'"'"'s location with an update rate higher than the maximum between 2 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency, and wherein the controlling of an aspect of an application in the mobile or wearable device is performed with the determined user'"'"'s location, in real time and with an update frequency larger than the maximum between 2 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency.

39. The processor-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined accurately regardless of the positioning of the mobile or wearable device, and leveraging the sensors embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

40. The processor-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined accurately regardless of the positioning of the mobile or wearable device, and leveraging only the accelerometer embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

41. The processor-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the determined gait velocity is displayed in real time in the device screen with indications corresponding to measurements of the gait velocity, where a new indication is included with a frequency higher than the maximum between 2 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency.

42. The processor-readable medium of claim 41, wherein the displaying in real time in the device screen is performed on a time chart, and wherein the maximum number of indications is set to a threshold, and once the threshold is reached, each new indication is included at the position of one edge of the chart, making the oldest indication at the position of the opposite edge of the chart to be discarded, and offsetting the rest of the indications one position towards the oldest indication being discarded.

43. A processor-readable medium including instructions which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to control an aspect of a virtual environment in a mobile or wearable device carried by a user by:

determining a gait characteristic of the mobile or wearable device user, in real time.

controlling an aspect of a virtual environment in the mobile or wearable device with the determined gait characteristic, in real time.

44. The processor-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the user'"'"'s gait characteristic is from the set comprising:

gait velocity, step length and cadence.

45. The processor-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the determining and controlling are performed with an update frequency larger than the maximum between 1 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency.

46. The processor-readable medium of claim 45, wherein the user'"'"'s gait characteristic is gait velocity, and it is determined accurately regardless of the positioning of the mobile or wearable device.

47. The processor-readable medium of claim 46, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined leveraging the sensors embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

48. The processor-readable medium of claim 46, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined leveraging only the accelerometer embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

49. The processor-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the virtual environment represents a game environment.

50. The processor-readable medium of claim 49, wherein the user'"'"'s gait characteristic is from the set comprising:

gait velocity, step length and cadence.

51. The processor-readable medium of claim 49, wherein the determining and controlling are performed with an update frequency larger than the maximum between 1 Hz and the user'"'"'s step frequency.

52. The processor-readable medium of claim 51, wherein the user'"'"'s gait characteristic is gait velocity, and it is determined accurately regardless of the positioning of the mobile or wearable device.

53. The processor-readable medium of claim 52, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined leveraging the sensors embedded within the mobile or wearable device.

54. The processor-readable medium of claim 52, wherein the user'"'"'s gait velocity is determined leveraging only the accelerometer embedded within the mobile or wearable device.