Cadence and media content phase alignment

• US 9,568,994 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2015
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spotify AB (Spotify Technology SA)
• Original Assignee: Spotify AB (Spotify Technology SA)
• Inventors: Jehan, Tristan
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCORD, PAUL C
• Application Number:
  US14/883,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20160342201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/062 used as a control parameter for the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/00 Games or sports accessories not covered in groups A63B1/00 - A63B69/00 starting appliances A63K3/02
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/632 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/636 by using biological or physiological data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path

Abstract

Systems, devices, apparatuses, components, methods, and techniques for cadence and media content phase alignment are provided. An example media-playback device includes a content output device that operates to output media content, a cadence-acquiring device, a phase-delay calibration engine, a cadence-based media content selection engine, and a phase-aligned media playback engine. The cadence-acquiring device includes a movement-determining device and a cadence-determination engine configured to determine a cadence based on movement data captured by the movement-determining device. The phase-delay calibration engine configured to determine phase delay values for at least one cadence value. The cadence-based media content selection engine configured to identify a media content item based on the cadence determined by the cadence-acquiring device. The phase-aligned media playback engine configured to align the identified media content item to the repetitive-motion activity and cause the media-output device to output the aligned media content item.

Claims

1. A media-playback device for aligning play back of media content to foot strikes for a user performing a running activity, the media-playback device comprising:

a content output device that operates to output media content;

a cadence-acquiring device comprising a movement-determining device and a cadence-determination engine configured to determine a cadence based on movement data captured by the movement-determining device, wherein the movement-determining device comprises three orthogonally-oriented accelerometers and the cadence-determination engine is configured to;

capture sequences of measurements from each of the three accelerometers;

filter the sequences of measurements based on frequency to generate filtered sequences;

identify a sequence of measurements of the filtered sequences corresponding to the cadence based on calculating energy values for each of the filtered sequences;

a phase-delay calibration engine configured to determine phase delay values for at least one cadence value, wherein the phase-delay calibration engine determines the phase delay values based at least in part on a time required to detect a foot strike within the running activity;

a cadence-based media content selection engine configured to identify a media content item based on the cadence determined by the cadence-acquiring device, wherein the media content item comprises music with a tempo that corresponds to the cadence; and

a phase-aligned media playback engine configured to;

identify a wave action position corresponding to a particular foot strike within the running activity, wherein the phase-aligned media playback engine identifies the wave action position by being programmed to;

calculate a positive energy value of at least one of the sequences of measurements, wherein the positive energy value corresponds to energy of a portion of the at least one of the sequences of measurements that is greater than zero;

calculate a negative energy value of at least one of the sequences of measurements, wherein the negative energy value corresponds to energy of a portion of the at least one of the sequences of measurements that is less than zero;

identify the wave action position as a falling zero crossing when a magnitude of the positive energy value is greater than or equal to a magnitude of the negative energy value; and

identify the wave action position as a rising zero crossing when the magnitude of the positive energy value is less than the magnitude of the negative energy value;

align the identified media content item to the running activity using at least one of the determined phase-delay values; and

cause the content output device to output the aligned media content item.

2. The media-playback device of claim 1, wherein the phase-aligned media playback engine is further configured to:

identify foot strikes within the running activity based on the movement data; and

cause the media-output device to output the identified media content item so that a beat of the media content item is output coincidentally with an expected foot strike.

3. The media-playback device of claim 1, wherein the phase-aligned media playback engine is further configured to:

identify a wave action position within an oscillation of a filtered sequence of measurements captured by the measurement-determining device corresponding to the foot strike based on calculating an orientation of the media-playback device.

4. The media-playback device of claim 1, wherein the phase-aligned media playback engine is further configured to:

determine a phase delay value corresponding to the determined cadence; and

align the identified media content item to the running activity based on the determined phase delay.

5. The media-playback device of claim 1, wherein the cadence-based media content selection engine is configured to identify a media content item that includes music with a tempo that is within a predetermined threshold of the cadence.

6. The media-playback device of claim 1, wherein the cadence-based media content selection engine is further configured to:

monitor for changes in cadence; and

upon detecting a change in cadence;

identify a second media content item based on a changed cadence;

align the second media content item to the running activity; and

cause the media-output device to playback the aligned second media content item.

7. The media-playback device of claim 1, wherein the media playback engine is configured to identify wave action positions corresponding to foot strikes.

8. The media-playback device of claim 1, wherein measurements are captured at a sample rate in the range of 20-200 Hz.

9. The media-playback device of claim 1, wherein the media content item is stored locally on the media-playback device.

10. The media-playback device of claim 1, wherein the media content item is streamed to the media-playback device by a media-delivery system based on a request for media content items that specifies the cadence.

11. The media-playback device of claim 1, wherein the media-playback device is a smartphone.

12. A method of cadence-based media playback for use during running activities comprising:

determining a cadence associated with a running activity based on acceleration data captured by a plurality of accelerometers, wherein the acceleration data comprises sequences of acceleration sample data captured from each of the plurality of accelerometers over a duration of time;

identifying a media content item based on the determined cadence;

identifying a wave action position corresponding to a foot strike within the running activity by;

calculating a positive energy value of at least one of the sequences of acceleration sample data, wherein the positive energy value corresponds to energy of a portion of the at least one of the sequences of acceleration sample data that is greater than zero;

calculate a negative energy value of at least one of the sequences of acceleration sample data, wherein the negative energy value corresponds to energy of a portion of the at least one of the sequences of acceleration sample data that is less than zero;

identify the wave action position as a falling zero crossing when a magnitude of the positive energy value is greater than or equal to a magnitude of the negative energy value; and

identify the wave action position as a rising zero crossing when the magnitude of the positive energy value is less than the magnitude of the negative energy value;

phase aligning the identified media content item to the running activity using a phase delay value and the identified wave action position, wherein the phase delay value is determined based at least in part on a time required to detect a foot strike within the running activity; and

playing back the aligned media content item.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

filtering the sequences of measurements based on frequency to generate filtered sequences;

identifying a cadence signal corresponding to the cadence of the running activity from the filtered sequences; and

analyzing the cadence signal to identify a wave action position corresponding to a foot strike within the running activity.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein analyzing the cadence signal comprises:

identifying a portion of the cadence signal corresponding to an oscillation of the running activity;

determining an orientation of the cadence signal relative to the ground; and

selecting a point within the oscillation that corresponds to an acceleration towards the ground stopping as the wave action position.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining a phase delay value corresponding to the determined cadence; and

aligning the identified media content item to the running activity using the determined phase delay.

16. A method of calibrating a cadence-based media playback device for use during running activities comprising:

generating media output, wherein the media output has a tempo;

determining a cadence associated with a running activity based on acceleration data captured by a plurality of accelerometers, wherein the acceleration data comprises sequences of acceleration sample data captured from each of the plurality of accelerometers over a duration of time;

determining whether the tempo of the media output corresponds to the determined cadence; and

upon determining that the tempo of the media output corresponds to the determined cadence;

identifying a wave action position corresponding to a foot strike within the running activity by;

calculating a positive energy value of at least one of the sequences of acceleration sample data, wherein the positive energy value corresponds to energy of a portion of the at least one of the sequences of acceleration sample data that is greater than zero;

calculate a negative energy value of at least one of the sequences of acceleration sample data, wherein the negative energy value corresponds to energy of a portion of the at least one of the sequences of acceleration sample data that is less than zero;

identify the wave action position as a falling zero crossing when a magnitude of the positive energy value is greater than or equal to a magnitude of the negative energy value; and

identify the wave action position as a rising zero crossing when the magnitude of the positive energy value is less than the magnitude of the negative energy value; and

calculating a phase delay value for the determined cadence based on the identified wave action position and a beat within the media output, wherein the phase delay value is determined based at least in part on a time required to detect a foot strike within the running activity

storing the phase delay value for use in phase-aligning media content to a running activity for play back of an aligned media content item during the running activity.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the tempo of the media output is selected to correspond to a goal cadence selected from a predefined list of cadence values.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the tempo of the media output is selected based on the determined cadence.