Athletic performance monitoring systems and methods in a team sports environment

• US 9,192,815 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Molyneux, James, Weast, Aaron B., Burroughs, Brandon S., Berggren, Scott R., Lindsay, Clayton J., Rice, Jordan M., Buxton, Bert B., Lowe, Edward S.
• Primary Examiner(s): RICHMAN, GLENN E
• Application Number:
  US14/726,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20150258373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 179 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0054 provided with magnets, magnetic parts or magnetic substances
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/02 Football boots or shoes, i.e. for soccer, football or rugby
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0025 Tracking the path or location of one or more users, e.g. players of a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0028 Tracking the path of an object, e.g. a ball inside a soccer pitch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0071 Distinction between different activities, movements, or kind of sports performed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/02 Tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/14 Lacrosse
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/18 Baseball, rounders or similar games
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/20 Cricket
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/22 Field hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/24 Ice hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/13 Relative positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/56 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/58 Measurement of force related parameters by electric or magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 : Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/89 : Field sensors, e.g. radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 : Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/54 : Transponders, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/06 : heartbeat rate only
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0025 : Football American football A63B2243/007
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0066 : Rugby; American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/007 : American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 : Tracking a path or terminating locations
• 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 43/00 : Balls with special arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/004 : electrically conductive, e.g. for automatic arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0605 : Decision makers and devices using detection means facilitating arbitration
• 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: G01S 13/34 : using transmission of continuous, frequency-modulated waves while heterodyning the received signal, or a signal derived therefrom, with a locally-generated signal related to the contemporaneously transmitted signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/751 : wherein the responder or reflector radiates a coded signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/82 : wherein continuous-type signals are transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 : Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 : Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/44 : using equipment having another main function to serve additionally as an antenna , e.g. means for giving an antenna an aesthetic aspectH01Q1/27 - H01Q1/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 482/901 : having computer circuitry

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, and methods estimate the distance between a player and a ball by transmitting a chirp (sweep signal) to a radio tag located on the ball. During the chirp, the frequency of the transmitted signal is changed in a predetermined fashion. The radio tag doubles the transmitted frequency and returns the processed signal to a transceiver typically located on the player. The currently transmitted frequency is then compared with the received frequency to obtain a difference frequency from which an apparatus may estimate the distance. The apparatus may simultaneously receive the processed signal from the radio tag while transmitting the sweep signal.

Claims

1. A unitary athletic monitoring device comprising:

a body-worn housing configured to be releasably attached to a first player during performance of an athletic activity, the housing comprising;

a sensor configured to sense athletic movement data, comprising at least a multi-axis accelerometer and having gyroscope capabilities;

an on-board display unit configured to display athletic information;

a transceiver configured to communicate in real-time during the athletic activity with a central computer device;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform at least;

in real-time, process the athletic movement data to calculate athletic metric data, comprising a plurality of vertical height measurements for the first player during the athletic activity;

during the performance of the athletic activity, display on the on-board display unit, a first vertical height measurement of the first player calculated from athletic movement data; and

transmit via the transceiver during the athletic activity, the first vertical height measurement to the central computer device;

receive a second vertical height measurement calculated at a second athletic monitoring device of a second player participating in the athletic activity;

receive an identity of the second player; and

display, during performance of the athletic activity, on a display, the second vertical height measurement and identity of the second player.

2. The athletic monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the first vertical height measurement is an average vertical height measurement determined from the plurality of vertical height measurements obtained during a predefined period of time.

3. The athletic monitoring device of claim 2, wherein the predefined period of time is a timed duration of a sporting event.

4. The athletic monitoring device of claim 3, wherein the timed duration of the sporting event is a quarter of a basketball game.

5. The athletic monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable mediums comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform at least:

receive electronic information corresponding to an interaction between a radio tag of a ball and athletic metric data from the athletic monitoring device indicative of a controlled behavior; and

simultaneously displaying on the on-board display unit, an indication of the controlled behavior with the first vertical height measurement.

6. The athletic monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable mediums comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform at least:

receive electronic information corresponding to an interaction between a radio tag of a ball and athletic metric data from an athletic device of a second player participating in the athletic activity that is indicative of a controlled behavior;

simultaneously displaying on a display unit the identity of the second player with an athletic metric data value of the second player and an athletic metric data value of the first player.

7. The athletic monitoring device of claim 6, wherein the display unit is the on-board display unit.

8. The athletic monitoring device of claim 6, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform at least:

determining the second player is in possession of the ball.

9. The athletic monitoring device of claim 8, wherein the determining the second player is in possession is based on, at least in part, the indication of the controlled behavior.

10. The athletic monitoring device of claim 1, wherein sensor comprises a heart rate monitor.

11. A unitary athletic monitoring device comprising:

a body-worn housing configured to be uniquely associated with and releasably attached to a first player during performance of an athletic activity, the athletic monitoring device comprising;

a sensor configured to sense athletic movement data;

an on-board display unit configured to display athletic information;

a transceiver configured to communicate in real-time during the athletic activity with a central computer device;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform at least;

in real-time, process the athletic movement data to calculate athletic metric data;

during the performance of the athletic activity, display on the on-board display unit, a first measurement of the first player calculated from athletic metric data; and

transmit via the transceiver during the athletic activity, the first measurement of the first player to the central computer device;

receive a second measurement from a second player participating in the athletic activity;

receive an identity of the second player; and

display, during performance of the athletic activity, on the display, the second measurement and identity of the second player.

12. The athletic monitoring device of claim 11, wherein the first measurement is an average vertical height measurement determined from vertical height measurements obtained for predefined period of time.

13. The athletic monitoring device of claim 12, wherein the predefined period of time is a timed duration of a sporting event.

14. The athletic monitoring device of claim 13, wherein the timed duration of the sporting event is a quarter of a basketball game.

15. The athletic monitoring device of claim 11, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable mediums comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform at least:

receive electronic information corresponding to an interaction between a radio tag of a ball and athletic metric data from the athletic monitoring device indicative of a controlled behavior; and

simultaneously displaying on the on-board display unit, an indication of the controlled behavior.

16. The athletic monitoring device of claim 11, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable mediums comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform at least:

receive electronic information corresponding to an interaction between a radio tag of a ball and athletic metric data from an athletic device of a second player participating in the athletic activity that is indicative of a controlled behavior;

simultaneously displaying on a display unit the identity of the second player with an athletic metric data value of the second player and an athletic metric data value of the first player.

17. The athletic monitoring device of claim 16, wherein the display unit is the on-board display unit.

18. The athletic monitoring device of claim 16, wherein one of the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform at least:

determining the second player is in possession of the ball.

19. The athletic monitoring device of claim 18, wherein the determining the second player is in possession is based on, at least in part, the indication of the controlled behavior.

20. The athletic monitoring device of claim 11, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of an accelerometer and a gyroscope.