Distributed systems and methods to measure and process sport motions

• US 9,060,682 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2012
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AlpineReplay, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AlpineReplay, Inc.
• Inventors: Lokshin, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): WEST, LEWIS G
• Application Number:
  US13/660,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20140120838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 455/66.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/10 Athletes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• 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: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A distributed, multi-stage, intelligent system is configured to determine user action performance characteristics parameters in action sports. Ruggedness, complexity, and cost are unevenly distributed among components across the stages for improved overall performance and reduced cost. The system includes stage-one, wearable devices configured to use sensors to collect initial data and transfer the initial data to stage-two devices which may temporally store the initial data and/or perform further data processing to generate intermediate data for communication to one or more stage-three devices configured for long term data storage, further processing and presentation.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a stage-one sensor device configured to be attached to a user during performance of sport actions, wherein the stage-one sensor device includes;

a processor;

a plurality of sensors coupled to the processor and configured to obtain measurements related to motions of the user in the sport actions;

a transceiver coupled to the processor for short range wireless communications; and

memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the stage-one sensor device to;

collect sensor data from the plurality of sensors; and

transmit the sensor data via the transceiver;

a stage-two device that includes;

a processor;

a user interface coupled to the processor and configured to receive user instructions;

a first transceiver for short range wireless communications;

a second transceiver for long range wireless communications; and

memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the second-stage device to;

receive the sensor data transmitted by the stage-one device via the first transceiver;

process the sensor data and present the processed sensor data via the user interface; and

transmit the processed sensor data, using the second transceiver, to a server computing apparatus via a network, wherein the server computing apparatus is disposed at a location remote to the stage-one sensor device and the stage-two device, and the server computing apparatus is configured to time synchronize the processed sensor data from the plurality of sensors.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the server computing apparatus, comprising a database to store the input processed sensor data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the server computing apparatus is configured to generate action performance characteristics parameters based on the input data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the action performance characteristics parameters include at least one of:

speed, distance, vertical drop, air time, jump height, and jump rotation.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the server computing apparatus further comprises a web interface to present rankings of users based on the processed sensor data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein, wherein the plurality of sensors of the stage-one sensor device include at least one of:

a Global Positioning System receiver;

a rotation sensor;

an accelerometer; and

a magnetic inclination sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the stage-two device is configured to transmit the user instructions to the stage-one sensor device, wherein the stage-one sensor device is configured to operate the plurality of sensors in accordance with the user instructions, and wherein the user instructions include one or more of an instruction to:

start sensor data collection;

stop sensor data collection;

set a data sampling rate;

initiate sensor data transfer; and

set a signal conditioning parameter.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the stage-two device is configured to receive instructions for operating the plurality of sensors from the remote server apparatus using the second transceiver and provide the instructions to the stage-one sensor device via the first transceiver.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the stage-one sensor device is configured to collect the sensor data from a plurality of sensors at a respective sampling rate that is adjustable for each sensor.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the stage-one sensor device is configured to:

analyze data received from a respective sensor from the plurality of sensors; and

adjust the respective sampling rate for the respective sensor based on the analysis.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the stage-one sensor device is configured to:

analyze data received from a first sensor from the plurality of sensors; and

collect or abstain from collecting data from a second sensor from the plurality of sensors based on the analysis.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the stage-one sensor device is configured to perform data conditioning that comprises one or more of:

individually calibrating one or more sensors;

cross calibrating at least two sensors;

identifying a reference temperature for one or more sensors; and

compensating the sensor data based on temperature.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the stage-two device is configured to download firmware into the memory of the stage-one sensor device, wherein the new firmware is for one or more of updating the stage-one sensor device and calibrating the stage-one sensor device.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein processing the sensor data by the stage-two device includes redacting at least a portion of the sensor data.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein processing the sensor data by the stage-two device includes determining a performance parameter based on the sensor data.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the performance parameter includes one or more of:

a maximum speed and a total distance.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the performance parameter is displayed via a display screen of the user interface.

18. The system of claim 3, wherein the server computing apparatus is configured to transmit the action performance characteristics parameters to the stage-two device, and the stage-two device is configured to display the action performance characteristics parameters on a display screen of the user interface.

19. The system of claim 2, wherein the server computing apparatus is configured to:

perform, based on the processed sensor data, a cross-correlation between at least two sensors providing the sensor data;

generate respective parameters for calibrating the at least two sensors based on the cross-correlation; and

transmit the respective parameters for calibrating the at least two sensors to the stage-two device for delivery to the respective sensors via the stage-one sensor device.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the stage-one sensor device comprises a plurality of sensors, wherein the plurality of sensors are attached to a respective plurality of locations of one or more of the user and the user'"'"'s equipment.

21. A method comprising:

collecting sensor data from a plurality of sensors by a stage-one sensor device attached to a user during performance of sports actions, wherein the sensors are configured to obtain measurements related to motions of the user in the sport actions;

wirelessly transmitting the sensor data, by the stage-one sensor device, to a stage-two device;

processing the sensor data by the stage-two device and presenting the processed sensor data via a user interface coupled to the stage-two device;

wirelessly transmitting, by the stage-two device over a network, the processed sensor data to a server computing apparatus disposed at a location remote to the stage-one sensor device and the stage-two device, wherein the server computing apparatus is configured to time synchronize the processed sensor data from the plurality of sensors.