Electrical signature analysis to quantify human and animal performance on fitness and therapy equipment such as a treadmill

• US 7,717,826 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2007
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Original Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Inventors: Haynes, Howard D., Cox, Daryl F., Hochanadel, Charles D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lucchesi; Nicholas D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ganesan; Sundhara M
• Application Number:
  US11/688,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20080234107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: 482 1- 9, 482/54, 600/587, 600/595, 738/654, 738/626.8, 731/16, 738/621.93, 733/790.4, 434/258, 235/105, 377/24.2, 702/160, 324/71.1, 324/76.11, 324/76.13
• US Class Current: 482/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait

Abstract

The invention is a human and animal performance data acquisition, analysis, and diagnostic system for fitness and therapy devices having an interface box removably disposed on incoming power wiring to a fitness and therapy device, at least one current transducer removably disposed on said interface box for sensing current signals to said fitness and therapy device, and a means for analyzing, displaying, and reporting said current signals to determine human and animal performance on said device using measurable parameters.

Claims

1. A method of analyzing a physical condition of a subject human or animal, comprising:

sensing a waveform using a current sensor, the waveform representing an electrical current supplied to a fitness and therapy device;

recording the waveform in a data acquisition device;

rectifying the waveform;

identifying in the rectified waveform a plurality of waveform peaks for each of a plurality of strides taken by the subject;

using the plurality of waveform peaks per stride to construct a stride profile;

using the stride profile to determine a first average stride signature and a second average stride signature that are representative of the subject'"'"'s physical condition based on the stride profile.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising associating the first average stride signature and the second average stride signature with right and left strides of the subject.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

performing a frequency analysis of at least one of the first average stride signature and the second average stride signature;

calculating at least one stride frequency in steps per unit time for the at least one of the first average stride signature and the second average stride signature.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

performing a frequency analysis of the first average stride signature and the second average stride signature;

calculating a first stride frequency in steps per unit time for the first average stride signature;

calculating a second stride frequency in steps per unit time for the second average stride signature;

calculating an average stride frequency difference between the first stride frequency and the second stride frequency.