Measuring performance information in running disciplines and shoe systems
First Claim
1. In a process, for determining information pertaining to movement factors in running disciplines and values derived therefrom, particularly information concerning stride length, stride rate, stride time and running time, with a pair of running shoes, each shoe of which contains a transmitter and a receiver, of the type wherein a first one of said shoes, upon contacting the ground, emits a first output signal to a second one of said shoes, said first signal being triggered by a ground contact sensor, and wherein the receiver contained in said second shoe receives said first signal and emits a reflected output signal via the transmitter of the second shoe to the receiver of the first shoe, whereafter the first shoe emits a second output signal to a remote receiver that is linked with a computer unit, and wherein a determination of desired information is computed and displayed by the computer unit data based on the relative timing of the first and second signals, the improvement comprising the additional steps of activating a first counter when said first shoe contacts the ground and deactivating said first counter in response to receipt of the reflected output signal by the receiver of the first shoe;
- activating a second counter when said second shoe lifts off at the ground by a sensor built into said second shoe and deactivating said second counter in response to receipt of the first output signal from the first shoe by the receiver of the second shoe;
emitting a value determined by the second counter to the receiver of the first shoe; and
utilizing readouts from said counters in said determination.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A process and system for measuring information concerning movement factors, and to values, which can be calculated therefrom, particularly stride length, stride number, stride time and running time, via a pair of shoes (1, 2), each of which is provided with a transmitter (S1 or S2), a receiver (E1 or E2), and a signal time measuring device (counter Z1 or Z2). A direct signal (tdir.) emitted by the front shoe (1) in response to ground contact is received by the rearward shoe (2), is transferred in conformance to time parameters to the first shoe 1 as a reflected signal (refl.). The direct and reflected signals as well as the readouts of both counters (Z1 and Z2) are transmitted to a computer unit, particularly, a high-frequency computer unit for use in determination of the movement information.
139 Citations
20 Claims
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1. In a process, for determining information pertaining to movement factors in running disciplines and values derived therefrom, particularly information concerning stride length, stride rate, stride time and running time, with a pair of running shoes, each shoe of which contains a transmitter and a receiver, of the type wherein a first one of said shoes, upon contacting the ground, emits a first output signal to a second one of said shoes, said first signal being triggered by a ground contact sensor, and wherein the receiver contained in said second shoe receives said first signal and emits a reflected output signal via the transmitter of the second shoe to the receiver of the first shoe, whereafter the first shoe emits a second output signal to a remote receiver that is linked with a computer unit, and wherein a determination of desired information is computed and displayed by the computer unit data based on the relative timing of the first and second signals, the improvement comprising the additional steps of activating a first counter when said first shoe contacts the ground and deactivating said first counter in response to receipt of the reflected output signal by the receiver of the first shoe;
- activating a second counter when said second shoe lifts off at the ground by a sensor built into said second shoe and deactivating said second counter in response to receipt of the first output signal from the first shoe by the receiver of the second shoe;
emitting a value determined by the second counter to the receiver of the first shoe; and
utilizing readouts from said counters in said determination. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- activating a second counter when said second shoe lifts off at the ground by a sensor built into said second shoe and deactivating said second counter in response to receipt of the first output signal from the first shoe by the receiver of the second shoe;
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15. System for the determination of movement characteristics in running disciplines, such as stride length, running speed or the like with shoes, especially athletic shoes, comprising:
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(a) first and second shoes; (b) first sensor means, in said first shoe, for responding to contacting of the first shoe with the ground; (c) second sensor means, in said second shoe, for responding to lifting-off of the second shoe with the ground; (d) first transmitter means, in said first shoe, linked to said first sensor means and being activatable for radiating a first signal by a response from the first sensor means; (e) second transmitter means, in said second shoe, for radiating second and third signals; (f) receiver means in said second shoe for receiving the first signal, said receiver means in said second shoe processing said first signal and triggering issuance of said second signal; (g) receiver means in said first shoe for receiving the second and third signals; (h) first counter means in said first shoe, said first counter being linked to said first sensor means for being activatable by a response from said first sensor means and being linked to the receiver means of the first shoe for being deactivatable by receipt of said second signal by said receiver means of the first shoe; (i) second counter means, in said second shoe, said second counter being linked to the second sensor means for being activatable by a response from said second sensor means, being linked to said receiver means of the second shoe for being deactivatable by receipt of said first signal by the receiver means of the second shoe means, and being linked to said second transmitter means for emitting a value determined by said second counter as said third signal; and (j) means for performing said determination of movement characteristics utilizing value determined by said counters. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification