Method and apparatus for determining the attachment position of a motion sensing apparatus

• US 8,055,469 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2008
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Original Assignee: Garmin Switzerland GmbH (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: MacDonald, Paul R., Rooney, James K., Stirling, Ross G., Kulach, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kundu; Sujoy K
• Application Number:
  US12/021,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20080190202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 702/141, 702/160, 702/166, 73489-490, 734/92, 735/10, 738/654
• US Class Current: 702/141
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/068 Input by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/22 Stride length
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/64 Frequency, e.g. of vibration oscillation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/70 Measuring or simulating ambient conditions, e.g. weather, terrain or surface conditions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/72 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/74 Atmospheric pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• 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 2230/75 calorie expenditure
• 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 69/0028 for running, jogging or speed-walking movable endless bands A63B22/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/12 Classification; Matching

Abstract

A motion sensing apparatus generally comprising a housing unit operable to be attached to an object at an attachment position, an accelerometer operable to provide a signal corresponding to an acceleration measurement; and a processing system. The processing system is operable to acquire the signal corresponding to the acceleration measurement and analyze the acquired acceleration measurement to identify the attachment position of the housing unit.

Claims

1. A motion sensing apparatus, comprising:

a housing unit operable to be attached to an object at an attachment position;

an accelerometer coupled with the housing unit and operable to provide a signal corresponding to an acceleration measurement;

a memory including a database of motion analysis algorithms; and

a processing system operable to—

acquire the signal corresponding to the acceleration measurement,

analyze the acquired acceleration measurement to identify the attachment position of the housing unit,

access the memory to select a motion analysis algorithm from the database based on the identified attachment position, and

determine a motion parameter utilizing the selected motion analysis algorithm.

2. The motion sensing apparatus of claim 1, further including a user interface operable to present a visual indication of the determined motion parameter to a user.

3. The motion sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further operable to analyze the acquired acceleration measurement to classify a motion of the object and select the motion analysis algorithm based on the identified attachment position and motion classification.

4. The motion sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object is a person and the attachment position is a position corresponding to the person'"'"'s body.

5. The motion sensing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the attachment position is a shoe or a non-shoe position.

6. The motion sensing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the attachment position is one of a position within a shoe and a position on top of the shoe.

7. The motion sensing apparatus of claim 1, further including a plurality of accelerometers coupled with the housing unit and operable to provide a plurality of signals corresponding to acceleration measurements, the processing system being operable to acquire the signals and identify the attachment position of the motion sensing apparatus utilizing the acceleration measurements.

8. The motion sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing unit houses the accelerometers, the memory, and the processing system.