Arrangement and method for configuring equipment

• US 20160303426A1
• Filed: 06/22/2016
• Published: 10/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Suunto Oy (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Suunto Oy (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Martikka, Mikko, Pernu, Kimmo, Lindman, Erik, Lahtinen, Terho
• Granted Patent: US 10,327,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A41B 1/00 Shirts
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/002 adapted to accommodate electronic equipment patients' garments for medical monitoring A41D13/1281; luminous ornaments A41D27/085
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/06 Trousers
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 2600/10 for sport activities
• CPC Class Codes: A41F 9/00 Belts, girdles, or waistbands for trousers or skirts
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/00 Footwear for sporting purposes non-skid devices, e.g. ice-spurs or studs for football shoes, A43C15/00
• 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 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0065 Evaluating the fitness, e.g. fitness level or fitness index
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/50 Force related parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/54 Transponders, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/60 muscle strain, i.e. measured on the user
• 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: A63B 60/46 Measurement devices associated with golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like for measuring physical parameters relating to sporting activity, e.g. baseball bats with impact indicators or bracelets for measuring the golf swing
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 11/00 Accessories for skiing or snowboarding fittings on vehicles for carrying skis B60R9/12
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 45/412 : Speed sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 45/414 : Acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 45/42 : characterised by mounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 : using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/86 : Performing a diagnostic of the sensing device
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 : Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

The invention concerns an arrangement and a method for configuring equipment for personal performance monitoring comprising at least one carrier item having a mounting zone for receiving a communication module, one or more sensors and/or actuators and a first processing unit functionally connected to said mounting zone and said sensors and/or actuators. The first processing unit is configured to process sensor signals from the sensors and/or actuators and to communicate with a communication module that is mounted on the mounting zone of the carrier item and having a second processing unit configured to further process said sensor/actuator signals and to communicate processed signals to a remote device over a wireless communication protocol. A remote device is adapted to provide a predefined code to configure the equipment to process sensor or actuator signals according to a use of said carrier item as identified by said predefined code.

Claims

1. An arrangement for configuring equipment for personal performance monitoring, said equipment comprising:

at least one carrier item comprising;

a mounting zone for receiving a communication module,

one or more sensors and/or actuators,

a first processing unit functionally connected to said mounting zone and said sensors and/or actuators and configured to process sensor signals from said sensors and/or actuators and to communicate with a communication module,

at least one communication module adapted to be mounted on said mounting zone of the carrier item and having a second processing unit configured to further process said sensor/actuator signals and to communicate processed signals to a remote device over a wireless communication protocol,

a remote device adapted to communicate with said communication module over said wireless communication protocol and to send a predefined code to said communication module to configure the same to process sensor or actuator signals from said carrier item according to a use of said carrier item as identified by said predefined code.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the communication module is configured to write said predefined code into a first memory unit in order to enable said first and second processing units to process sensor or actuator signals from said carder item according to an instruction set corresponding to said use of said carrier item.

3. An arrangement according to claim 2, wherein said instruction set is fetched from said remote device and stored in a second memory unit in said communication module.

4. An arrangement according to claim 2, wherein said instruction set is generated from said code by an algorithm stored in a second memory unit in said communication module.

5. An arrangement according to claim 2, wherein said first memory unit is in said carrier item and is functionally connected to said first processing unit.

6. An arrangement according to claim 2, wherein said first memory unit is in said communication module and is functionally connected to said first or second processing unit.

11. An arrangement according to claim 1 or 7, wherein a carrier items comprise a belt, a garment and/or a piece of sports equipment, such as a bat, racket, club, ski or bicycle, with one or more integrated sensors or actuators.

12. The arrangement according to claim 1 or 7, wherein said mounting zone for said communication module comprise conductive fasteners such as snaps located on an outer surface of a housing for said communication module, in order to secure the communication module to the mounting zone and for providing electronic contact terminals for communication between said carrier item and said communication module.

13. The arrangement according to claim 1 or 7, wherein the remote device have access to a plurality of instructions sets corresponding to different predefined uses of said carrier item.

15. The arrangement according to claim 1 or 7, wherein the sensors or actuators are EMG sensors, acceleration sensors, power sensors, speed sensors, a satellite positioning sensor or a trigger actuator for a trigger or drive signal.

28. The use of an arrangement according to any of claims 1-15 for configuring sports equipment in order to monitor personal performance in sports.

29. The use of an arrangement according to any of claims 1-15 for configuring a tool in order to monitor personal performance when working with such tool.

7. An arrangement for configuring equipment for personal performance monitoring, said equipment comprising:

at least one carrier item comprising;

a mounting zone for receiving a communication module,

one or more sensors and/or actuators,

a tag comprising a n a field antenna and a first memory unit,

a first processing unit functionally connected to said mounting zone, said sensors and/or actuators and said tag, and configured to process sensor signals from said sensors and/or actuators and to communicate with a communication module,

at least one communication module adapted to be mounted on said mounting zone of the carrier item and having a second processing unit configured to further process said sensor/actuator signals and to communicate processed signals to a remote device over a wireless communication protocol,

a remote device adapted to communicate with said tag in the carrier item over a near-field communication protocol in order to write a predefined code into said first memory unit to configure said carrier item to process sensor or actuator signals from said carrier item together with said communication module according to a use of said carrier item as identified by said predefined code.

8. An arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the carrier item is configurable by said predefined code to enable said first and second processing units to process sensor or actuator signals from said carrier item according to an instruction set corresponding to said use of said carrier item.

9. An arrangement according to claim 8, wherein said instruction set is fetched from said remote device and stored in a second memory unit in said communication module.

10. All arrangement according to claim 8, wherein said instruction set generated from said code by an algorithm stored in a second memory unit in said communication module.

14. The arrangement according to claim 7, wherein said tag in said carrier item comprises a radio-frequency identification (RFID) unit.

16. A method for configuring equipment for use in personal performance monitoring, comprising the steps of:

providing at least one carrier item having functionally connected thereto sensor or actuators, and comprising a first processing unit and a mounting zone for receiving a communication module,

providing at least one communication module having a second processing unit and a remote device which are capable of wireless communication with each other over a wireless communication protocol,

mounting said communication module onto said mounting zone to enable said first and second processing units to be functionally connected and to communicate with each other,

selecting in said remote device a predefined code,

communicating said predefined code from said remote device over said wireless communication protocol to the communication module,

configuring said communication module to process sensor or actuator signals from said carrier item according to a use of said carrier item as identified by said predefined code.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the communication module is configured by writing said predefined code into a first memory unit, which enables said first and second processing units to process sensor or actuator signals from said carrier item according to an instruction set corresponding to said use of said carrier item.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein said instruction set is fetched from said remote device and stored in a second memory unit in said communication module.

19. A method according to claim 17, wherein said instruction set is generated from said code by an algorithm stored in a second memory unit in said communication module.

20. A method according to claim 17, wherein said code is written into a first memory unit in said carrier item which is functionally connected to said first processing unit.

21. A method according to claim 17, wherein said code is written into a first memory unit in said communication module which is functionally connected to said second processing unit.

26. A method according to any of claims 16-25 for configuring sports equipment in order to monitor personal performance in sports.

27. A method according to any of claims 16-25 for configuring a tool in order to monitor personal performance when working with such tool.

22. A method for configuring equipment for use in personal performance monitoring, comprising the steps of:

providing at least one carrier item having functionally connected thereto sensor or actuators, a tag comprising a near-field antenna and a first memory unit, and a first processing unit and a mounting zone for receiving a communication module,

providing at least one communication module having a second processing unit and a remote device which are capable of wireless communication with each other over a wireless communication protocol,

selecting in said remote device a predefined code,

communicating said predefined code from said remote device over a near-field communication protocol to said first memory unit in said tag,

configuring said communication module to process sensor or actuator signals from said carrier item according, to a use of said carrier item as identified by said predefined code.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein the carrier item is configured to enable said first and second processing units to process sensor or actuator signals from said carrier item according to an instruction set corresponding to said use of said carrier item.

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein said instruction set is fetched from said remote device and stored in a second memory unit in said communication module.

25. A method according to claim 23, wherein said instruction set is generated from said code by an algorithm stored in a second memory unit in said communication module.