Systems and methods for activity determination based on human frame

• US 9,531,415 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZIH Corp. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Stelfox, Jill, Wohl, Michael, O'Hagan, James, Traeger, Cynthia
• Primary Examiner(s): BEE, ANDREW W.
• Application Number:
  US14/205,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20140361909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/002 adapted to accommodate electronic equipment patients' garments for medical monitoring A41D13/1281; luminous ornaments A41D27/085
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/005 with embedded cable or connector
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/04 Vests, jerseys, sweaters or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 2600/10 for sport activities
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/30 Mounting radio sets or communication systems
• 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 2024/0056 for statistical or strategic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• 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 24/00 Electric or electronic controls for exercising apparatus of preceding groups; Controlling or monitoring of exercises, sportive games, training or athletic performances
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0686 Timers, rhythm indicators or pacing apparatus using electric or electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 : by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10227 : loading programming parameters or programs into the interrogator, e.g. for configuring the interrogator
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 : arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10306 : ultra wide band
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 : the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 : Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 7/01 : Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 : Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 : Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 : using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 : Sports
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 : for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 : for simulation or modelling of medical disorders
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1036 : with automatic suppression of narrow band noise or interference, e.g. by using tuneable notch filters H04B1/123 takes precedence; filter circuits H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7097 : Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71635 : Transmitter aspects H04B1/7174 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71637 : Receiver aspects H04B1/7183 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/719 : Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 : Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 : Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Systems and related methods providing for determining activities of individuals are discussed herein. Circuitry may be configured to wirelessly receive tag signals from a plurality of RF location tags. Two or more of the RF location tags may be positioned on an individual, such as at positions that may at least partially define a human frame. The circuitry may be configured to correlate the two or more RF location tags with the individual. Location data for each of the two or more RF location tags may be determined based on the received tag signals. An activity of the individual may be determined based on the location data. In some embodiments, one or more activities involving multiple individuals may be determined based on RF location tags and sensors positioned on each of the multiple individuals. Furthermore, sensor data from the sensors may be communicated over the UWB channel.

Claims

1. A method for determining activity, comprising:

wirelessly receiving signals from a plurality of ultra-wideband (UWB) tags carried by an individual over a UWB communications channel;

correlating two or more UWB tags of the plurality of UWB tags with an individual profile information, the individual profile information comprising a reference body distance;

determining location data for each of the two or more UWB tags based on the signals;

determining a body distance based on the location data;

comparing the body distance to the reference body distance; and

determining an activity of the individual based on the comparing the body distance to the reference body distance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more UWB tags are each located on the individual at locations such that the two or more UWB tags at least partially define a human frame.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the two or more UWB tags is located at or near the individual'"'"'s head, shoulder, elbow, wrist, knee, or foot.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the activity of the individual further includes determining a characteristic of the activity including one or more of a speed, acceleration, momentum and movement path of at least one of the two or more UWB tags.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising wirelessly receiving sensor data from one or more sensors carried by the individual via the UWB communications channel and wherein determining the activity of the individual is further based on the sensor data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is co-located with at least one of the two or more UWB tags.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is selected from the group consisting of an accelerometer, a near field communication (NFC) sensor, a proximity sensor, a heat sensor, an eye dilation sensor, a hydration sensor, an environmental sensor, a heart rate sensor, a blood pressure sensor, and a blood chemistry sensor.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising wirelessly receiving contact data from one or more near field communication (NFC) sensors carried by the individual and wherein:

determining the activity of the individual is further based on the contact data; and

the contact data indicates that at least one of the one or more NFC sensors is in near field communicable range with a second NFC sensor.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

wirelessly receiving sensor data from one or more sensors carried by the individual; and

determining one or more characteristics of the activity based on the sensor data and on the comparing the body distance to the reference body distance.

10. An apparatus for determining an activity of an individual, the apparatus comprising:

a communications module configured to;

wirelessly receive signals from a plurality of ultra-wideband (UWB) tags carried by the individual over a UWB communications channel;

a processor coupled to the communications module, wherein the apparatus is configured to cause the processor to;

correlate two or more UWB tags of a plurality of UWB tags with an individual profile information, the individual profile information comprising a reference body distance;

determine location data for each of the two or more UWB tags based on the signals;

determine a body distance based on the location data;

compare the body distance to the reference body distance; and

determine the activity of the individual based on the comparing the body distance to the reference body distance.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the two or more UWB tags are each located on the individual at locations such that the two or more UWB tags at least partially define a human frame.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one of the two or more UWB tags is located at or near the individual'"'"'s head, shoulder, elbow, wrist, knee, or foot.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the communications module is further configured to:

wirelessly receive sensor data from one or more sensors carried by the individual; and

wherein the apparatus is further configured to cause the processor to determine one or more characteristics of the activity based on the sensor data and on the comparing the body distance to the reference body distance.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is further configured to cause the processor to determine a characteristic of the activity including one or more of a speed, acceleration, momentum and movement path of at least one of the two or more UWB tags.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the communications module is further configured to wirelessly receive sensor data from one or more sensors carried by the individual via the UWB communications channel and wherein the apparatus is further configured to cause the processor to determine the activity of the individual further based on the sensor data.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is co-located with at least one of the two or more UWB tags.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is selected from the group consisting of an accelerometer, a near field communication (NFC) sensor, a proximity sensor, a heat sensor, an eye dilation sensor, a hydration sensor, an environmental sensor, a heart rate sensor, a blood pressure sensor, and a blood chemistry sensor.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the communications module is further configured to wirelessly receive contact data from one or more near field communication (NFC) tags carried by the individual and wherein the apparatus is further configured to cause the processor to:

determine the activity of the individual further based on the contact data, and wherein

the contact data indicates that at least one of the one or more NFC sensors is in near field communicable range with a second NFC sensor.

19. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and computer program instructions stored therein, the computer program instructions comprising program instructions for:

wirelessly receiving signals from a plurality of ultra-wideband (UWB) tags carried by an individual over a UWB communications channel;

correlating two or more UWB tags of the plurality of UWB tags with an individual profile information, the individual profile information comprising a reference body distance;

determining location data for each of the two or more UWB tags based on the signals;

determining a body distance based on the location data;

comparing the body distance to the reference body distance; and

determining an activity of the individual based on the comparing the body distance to the reference body distance.