Motion analysis device for sports

• US 8,265,900 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2009
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Swimovate Limited
• Original Assignee: Swimovate Limited
• Inventors: Irlam, James Christopher, Irlam, Lisa Jane
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Phuong
• Application Number:
  US12/642,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20100204952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 996 Days
• Field of Search: 702/160, 702176-188, 702121-123
• US Class Current: 702/160
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/10 Athletes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• 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 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0663 worn on the wrist, e.g. wrist bands
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2244/20 Swimming
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/12 Arrangements in swimming pools for teaching swimming or for training
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0619 Displays, user interfaces and indicating devices, specially adapted for sport equipment, e.g. display mounted on treadmills
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/02 Detectors of external physical values, e.g. temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/22 in connection with sports or games

Abstract

There is described a portable wrist worn device for determining information about the movement of a human body when swimming. The device comprises a waterproof housing containing: an accelerometer operable to generate an acceleration signal; a processor operable to process the acceleration signal so as to generate one or more metrics relating to the movement of the human body; and a means for feedback of the one or more metrics to the user. The accelerometer may be operable to generate an acceleration signal along an axis parallel to the proximo-distal axis of the user'"'"'s arm in use and/or the accelerometer may be operable to generate an acceleration signal along an axis parallel to the dorsal-palmar axis of the user'"'"'s hand in use. The device may also be used in sports other than swimming.

Claims

1. A wrist worn device for determining information about the movement of a human body when swimming, the device comprising a waterproof housing containing:

at least one accelerometer operable to generate both a first acceleration signal along an axis parallel to the proximo-distal axis of the user'"'"'s arm in use and a second acceleration signal along an axis parallel to the dorsal-palmar axis of the user'"'"'s arm in use;

a processor operable to process the first acceleration signal and to thereby generate a first value of a swimming metric relating to movement of the human body and operable to process the second acceleration signal and to thereby generate a second value of said swimming metric, the processor further being operable to compare the first and second values of said swimming metric and to select the greater of the two as a selected value;

a means for feedback of the selected value of said swimming metric to the user; and

wherein said swimming metric comprises one swimming metric chosen from the group consisting of a lap count and a stroke count.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one accelerometer consists of one two-dimensional accelerometer.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one accelerometer consists of one three-dimensional accelerometer.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one accelerometer consists of two one-dimensional accelerometers spatially arranged such that one generates the first acceleration signal along the axis parallel to the proximo-distal axis of the user'"'"'s arm and the other generates the second acceleration signal along the axis parallel to the dorsal palmar axis of the user'"'"'s hand in use, the two accelerometer axes being mutually perpendicular.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said swimming metric comprises a lap count, and wherein the processor is further operable to process the first acceleration signal and to thereby generate a first value of a second swimming metric and to process the second acceleration signal and to thereby generate a second value of the second swimming metric, the processor further being operable to compare the first and second values of the second swimming metric and to select the greater of the two as a selected value, wherein the means for feedback provides both the selected value of the swimming metric and selected value of the second swimming metric to the user;

and

wherein the second swimming metric comprises the stroke count.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the processor is further operable to use the selected value of the lap count and the selected value of the stroke count to calculate the number of strokes per lap.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said swimming metric comprises a lap count, and wherein the processor is further operable to use the selected value of the lap count to calculate at least one parameter chosen from the group consisting of speed, distance and calories burnt, relating to the movement of the human body.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the means for feedback is a visual display.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing algorithm comprises:

a moving average algorithm for smoothing a raw acceleration signals;

a peak detection algorithm for detecting maxima and minima in the smoothed acceleration signal; and

a time delay calculation algorithm for calculating the time delays between consecutive detected maxima.

10. The device of claim 1 further comprising an alarm operable to warn the user when a preset value of the swimming metric is reached.

11. The device of claim 1 further comprising a heart rate sensor for sensing the heart rate of the user.

12. The device of claim 1 further comprising a temperature sensor for sensing the body temperature of the user.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a watch.

14. A method of determining information about the movement of a human body when swimming, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a first acceleration signal along an axis parallel to the proximo-distal axis of a swimmer'"'"'s arm;

generating a second acceleration signal along an axis parallel to the dorsal-palmar axis of the swimmer'"'"'s arm;

processing the first acceleration signal and thereby generating a first value of a swimming metric relating to the movement of the human body;

processing the second acceleration signal and thereby generating a second value of said swimming metric;

comparing the first and second values of said swimming metric and selecting the greater of the two as a selected value; and

outputting the selected value of said swimming metric to the user;

wherein said swimming metric comprises one swimming metric chosen from the group consisting of a lap count and a stroke count.