Pressure Sensor to Quantify Work

• US 20190328079A1
• Filed: 07/11/2019
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IFIT Incorporated (Amynta Agency, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ICON Health & Fitness Incorporated (HF HOLDINGS INC)
• Inventors: Ashby, Darren C., Watterson, Scott R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,932,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/38 with power sources
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/42 where power is generated by conversion of mechanical movement to electricity, e.g. by piezoelectric means
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/14 Shoes for cyclists
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/008 using hydraulic or pneumatic force-resisters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0085 using pneumatic force-resisters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/012 using frictional force-resisters electromagnetically-controlled brakes A63B21/0056
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/22 Resisting devices with rotary bodies A63B21/0608 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0046 Details of the support elements or their connection to the exercising apparatus, e.g. adjustment of size or orientation attachments of resisters or weights to the body of the user A63B21/4001; using rollers, wheels, castors or gliding means to be moved over the floor or guide tracks A63B22/20
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0056 the pivoting movement being in a vertical plane, e.g. steppers with a horizontal axis platforms for rocking motion about a horizontal axis A63B22/16
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0605 performing a circular movement, e.g. ergometers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/51 Force
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/56 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/06 heartbeat rate only
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/207 P-O2, i.e. partial O2 value
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/30 : blood pressure A63B2230/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/75 : calorie expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 3/08 : Pedals
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 6/50 : characterised by detectors or sensors, or arrangement thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 5/06 : other than of endless-walk type
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/142 : using capacitors

Abstract

A monitoring system includes a shoe and a sole integrated into the shoe. The monitoring system also includes a connection mechanism attached to an underside of the sole and is shaped to connect the sole to a pedal. A pressure sensor is incorporated into the shoe that senses a force exerted on the pedal when the shoe is connected to the pedal through the connection mechanism.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring pedaling, comprising:

placing a first plate above a second plate in a sole of a shoe;

determining a baseline distance between the first plate and the second plate in the absence of an upward force or a downward force on the sole;

determining the upward force based on a first distance between the first plate and the second plate, the first distance being greater than the baseline distance; and

determining the downward force based on a second distance between the first plate and the second plate, the second distance being less than the baseline distance.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a capacitance with the baseline distance.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the baseline distance includes determining a baseline capacitance for the baseline distance.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the upward force includes determining whether a measured capacitance is less than the baseline capacitance.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining an amount of the upward force based on how much the measured capacitance is below the baseline capacitance.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the downward force includes determining whether a measured capacitance is greater than the baseline capacitance.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining an amount of the downward force based on how much the measured capacitance is above the baseline capacitance.

8. A method for monitoring a user, comprising:

measuring a first distance between a first plate placed above a second plate in a sole of a shoe at a first timestamp;

measuring a second distance between the first plate and the second plate at a second timestamp; and

determining a direction of a force applied to the sole based on a difference between the first distance and the second distance.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the direction of the force includes determining that the force is an upward force when the first distance is less than the second distance and that the force is a downward force when the first distance is greater than the second distance.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein measuring the first distance includes measuring a first capacitance and wherein measuring the second distance includes measuring a second capacitance.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the direction of the force includes determining that the force is an upward force when the first capacitance is greater than the second capacitance and that the force is a downward force when the first capacitance is less than the second capacitance.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining an exercise performed by said user by analyzing a pattern of measured distances.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining an amount of calories burned by said user based on a pattern of measured distances.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising wirelessly transmitting the first distance and the second distance to a remote computing device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein wirelessly transmitting the first distance and the second distance includes at least partially processing the first distance and the second distance in the shoe before wirelessly transmitting.

16. A monitoring system, comprising:

a shoe including a sole;

a connection mechanism attached to an underside of the sole, wherein the connection mechanism is shaped to connect the sole to a pedal; and

a pressure sensor including a first plate and a second plate spaced apart from the first plate to form a capacitor, wherein the pressure sensor is incorporated within the sole of the shoe that senses a force exerted on the pedal when the shoe is connected to the pedal through the connection mechanism, wherein the first plate is located above the second plate, a baseline distance between the first plate and the second plate representing a distance between the first plate and the second plate in the absence of an upward force and a downward force, and the pressure sensor determines an applied upward force based on if the distance between the first plate and the second plate is greater than the baseline distance and the pressure sensor determines an applied downward force if the distance between the first plate and the second plate is less than the baseline distance.

17. The monitoring system of claim 16, wherein the shoe includes an accelerometer.

18. The monitoring system of claim 17, wherein the accelerometer measures a motion of the shoe in at least three directions.

19. The monitoring system of claim 16, wherein the computing device includes a processor and memory, the memory including programmed instructions that cause the processor to quantify the force based at least in part on the measurements of the pressure sensor.

20. The monitoring system of claim 19, wherein the programmed instructions further cause the processor to quantify a calorie count based at least in part on the measurements of the pressure sensor.