Apparatus and method for teaching and algorithms for identifying qualifying movements

• US 9,706,962 B1
• Filed: 07/01/2015
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alert Core, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Alert Core, Inc.
• Inventors: Uehara, Gregory Takeo
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): COTEY, PHILIP L
• Application Number:
  US14/789,136
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 7337901
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/10 Athletes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/09 Rehabilitation or training
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0004 characterised by the type of physiological signal transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1107 Measuring contraction of parts of the body, e.g. organ, muscle apparatus for measuring work or force in general G01L
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1114 Tracking parts of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1121 Determining geometric values, e.g. centre of rotation or angular range of movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1122 of movement trajectories
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1124 Determining motor skills
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/224 Measuring muscular strength
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/227 of constricting muscles, i.e. sphincters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4519 Muscles A61B5/389, A61B5/224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6823 Trunk, e.g., chest, back, abdomen, hip
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7267 involving training the classification device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/744 Displaying an avatar, e.g. an animated cartoon character
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/02 for the abdomen, the spinal column or the torso muscles related to shoulders (e.g. chest muscles)
• 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: G09B 19/0038 : Sports
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 : relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 : for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 : for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients

Abstract

A wearable device has user movement sensors and core contraction sensors. Signals from the sensors are transmitted to a processor which analyzes the movement signals and determines when a qualifying movement is performed which benefits from core contraction. Signals from the core contraction sensors are also transmitted to the processor and are used to determine if the core is contracted during the qualifying movement. If the core is contracted during the qualifying movement, the movement is a protected qualifying movement. However, if the core is not contracted during the qualifying movement the movement is an unprotected qualifying movement. The system can inform the user when unprotected qualifying movements are performed.

Claims

1. A method for development of procedural memory for a core based support, comprising:

providing a movement sensor and a core muscle contraction sensor in communication with a processor;

detecting movements of a user who is standing or sitting with the movement sensor;

transmitting movement signals from the movement sensor to the processor;

detecting core muscle contractions of the user with the core muscle contraction sensor;

transmitting core contraction signals from the core muscle contraction sensor to the processor;

processing the movement signals with a qualifying movement algorithm running on the processor to determine that the movements of the user who is standing or sitting detected by the movement sensor are either qualifying movements that benefits from the core muscle contractions or non-qualifying movements that do not benefit from the core muscle contractions;

detecting by the processor, a timing relationship between the qualifying movements and the core muscle contractions; and

analyzing the timing relationship by the processor to determine that the qualifying movement is either a protected qualifying movement where the core muscle contractions of the user who is standing or sitting are detected by the core muscle contraction sensor during the qualifying movement detected by the movement sensor or an unprotected qualifying movement where the core muscle contraction is not detected by the core muscle contraction sensor during the qualifying movement detected by the movement sensor.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing of the movement signals by the qualifying movement algorithm includes detecting non-movements of the user who is standing or sitting prior to a start of the movements.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing of the movement signals by the qualifying movement algorithm includes detecting non-movements after an end of the movements.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing of the movement signals by the qualifying movement algorithm includes detecting movements of the user who is standing or sitting for a duration of time.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

determining the duration of time that is optimized for a user; and

storing the duration of time that is optimized for the user.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

determining the duration of time that is optimized for the qualifying movement; and

storing the duration of time that is optimized for the qualifying movement.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing of the movement signals by the qualifying movement algorithm includes calculating changes in position and orientation of the user from a start of the movements to an end of the movements.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing of the movement signals with the qualifying movement algorithm includes determining that the movements of the user who is standing or sitting detected by the movement sensor are more likely to be a first of the qualifying movements than any of the non-qualifying movements.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing of the movement signals with the qualifying movement algorithm includes determining that the movements of the user who is standing or sitting detected by the movement sensor are more likely to be a first of the qualifying movements than a second of the qualifying movements.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing of the movement signals with the qualifying movement algorithm includes determining that the movements of the user who is standing or sitting detected by the movement sensor are more likely to be one of the non-qualifying movements than one of the qualifying movements.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the movement sensor detects the movements of the user in X, Y and Z directions and the processing the movement signals with a qualifying movement algorithm includes determining that the movements of the user who is standing or sitting exceed a movement threshold value.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the movement sensor detects the movements of the user in a three dimensional volume and the processing the movement signals with a qualifying movement algorithm includes determining that the movements of the user who is standing or sitting extend outside the three dimensional volume.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the movement sensor detects the movements of the user in X, Y and Z directions and the processing the movement signals with a qualifying movement algorithm includes determining that the movements of the user who is standing or sitting exceed an X movement threshold value, a Y movement threshold value or a Z movement threshold value.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the movement sensor detects the movements of the user in X, Y and Z directions and rotations of the user about X, Y and Z axes and the processing the movement signals with a qualifying movement algorithm includes determining that the movements or the rotations of the user who is standing or sitting exceed a movement threshold value and a rotation threshold value.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the movement sensor detects the movements of the user in X, Y and Z directions and rotations of the user about X, Y and Z axes and the processing the movement signals with a qualifying movement algorithm includes determining that the movements or the rotations of the user who is standing or sitting exceed an X movement threshold value, a Y movement threshold value, a Z movement threshold value, an X axis rotational threshold value, a Y axis rotational threshold value or a Z axis rotational threshold value.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the movement sensor detects the movements of the user who is standing or sitting in X, Y and Z directions and the qualifying movement algorithm includes identifying a detected qualifying movement based upon the movements of the user in X, Y and Z directions.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the movement sensor detects the movements of the user in X, Y and Z directions and rotations of the user about X, Y and Z axes and qualifying movement algorithm includes identifying a detected qualifying movement based upon the movements of the user who is standing or sitting in X, Y and Z directions and the rotations of the user about the X, Y and Z axes.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing of the movement signals with the qualifying movement algorithm includes neglecting the effects of DC offsets.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing an output mechanism in communication with the processor;

wherein the processor transmits an output signal to the output mechanism, the output signal recommending a pause and a core contraction prior to performing the movements of the user who is standing or sitting.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the detecting of the user with the movement sensor is performed while the user is performing an athletic movement.