Aquatic training system and method

• US 8,317,659 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2010
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Peter Stokes, Mr Woodson
• Original Assignee: Swimnetix Corporation
• Inventors: Woodson, Peter S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Donnelly, Jerome W
• Application Number:
  US12/791,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20100304934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 482/111, 482/54, 377/19
• US Class Current: 482/11
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0068 Comparison to target or threshold, previous performance or not real time comparison to other individuals
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0647 Visualisation of executed movements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0658 Position or arrangement of display
• 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 2220/801 Contact switches
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/805 Optical or opto-electronic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/806 Video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/54 Transponders, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/06 heartbeat rate only
• 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 24/0075 Means for generating exercise programs or schemes, e.g. computerized virtual trainer, e.g. using expert databases
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/12 Arrangements in swimming pools for teaching swimming or for training

Abstract

A system and method for training swimmers in a controlled aquatic environment, such as a pool, the system comprising a base station in communication with various system components. The base station receives pertinent data from the swimmer through direct wiring detecting a contact with the pool (i.e. the completion of a lap) or through wireless communication. The base station can include an accelerometer-based touch pad for detecting contact of a swimmer with the pool wall. The base station can alternatively include an optical transceiver for transmitting and receiving swimmer data. The swimmers can be equipped with a finger tapper and a toe tapper for determining lap times and sending the relevant information to the base station. The training system can also include an underwater display for providing relevant information to a swimmer within a pool and an underwater video camera for recording video footage of swimmers.

Claims

1. A system for aquatic training of a swimmer in a swimming pool, the system comprising:

a touch pad for detecting movement, in at least one axis of movement, of the swimmer that is performing laps in the swimming pool;

the touch pad including a flexible touch sheet that is constructed and arranged for suspension from a side of the swimming pool, and at least one accelerometer that determines whether the movement from the swimmer has occurred based upon the at least one axis of movement of the accelerometer;

the accelerometer mounted with the flexible touch sheet so as to respond to the detected movement of the flexible touch sheet;

touch pad control electronics associated with the touch pad coupled to, and for logging movement of, the accelerometer;

a base control device including a display device for displaying at least lap time and constructed and arranged for viewing by the swimmer during a lap, a waterproof case assembly for housing the display, and a system processor operatively connected to the touch pad control electronics and for storing data corresponding to touch pad movement for display on the display device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the base control device includes a touch-screen display having an adhesive overlay integrated therein that seals to a surface of a bottom case of the case assembly, so as to, in combination with at least one waterproof connector, render the base control device waterproof.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the adhesive overlay includes a plurality of micro-beads on a portion of the overlay facing the touch-screen display to prevent a non-adhesive portion of the overlay from sticking to a portion of the touch-screen display within the perimeter of the touch-screen display.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the accelerometer is mounted so as to respond to both contact and near contact of the swimmer with the flexible touch sheet.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a continuous heart rate monitoring device and a procedure for obtaining a heart rate of the swimmer.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising wireless communication for exchanging data with a plurality of other devices connected within a network.

7. The system of claim 1 including a sensing device for monitoring a swimmer in an aquatic environment, wherein the sensing device is operatively connected to the base control device and detects at least one contact of the swimmer, and an application running on the base control device, for receiving and storing data corresponding to a plurality of contacts, the plurality of contacts including the at least one contact, and wherein the sensing device is an optical communication device, and the data corresponding to the plurality of contacts is transmitted optically from the swimmer to the optical communication device and then to the base control device.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising a tapper device for detecting the plurality of contacts by the swimmer, and the tapper device optically transmits data corresponding to the plurality of contacts to the optical communication device.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the swimmer is provided with a unique identifier represented respectively on the tapper device, and another swimmer is provided with another unique identifier represented on another tapper device.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the tapper device is a finger tapper device for detecting the plurality of contacts by the swimmer, and the finger tapper optically transmits data corresponding to the at least one contact to the optical communication device.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the tapper device is a toe tapper device for detecting the plurality of contacts by the swimmer, and the toe tapper optically transmits data corresponding to the at least one contact to the optical communication device.

12. The system of claim 10 further comprising a continuous underwater heart-rate monitoring device and procedure for optically transmitting heart-rate to the optical communication device.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the device is recharged inductively by the base control device and stored data is transmitted to the base control device when the tapper device is properly positioned adjacent the base control device and initiates recharge.