Exercise assistive device

• US 9,731,184 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2014
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: bOMDIC Inc.
• Original Assignee: bOMDIC Inc.
• Inventors: Cheng, Shih-Heng
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Allen
• Application Number:
  US14/460,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20150051721A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 700 91
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/06 Indicating or scoring devices for games or players , or for other sports activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/16 by matching signal segments

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an exercise assistive device. The present disclosure also provides a method for estimating stamina level and a method for adjusting stamina category. The present disclosure further provides the several types and applications of the exercise assistive device.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring stamina of a user by managing an exercise assistive device, comprising:

setting an initial stamina category based on biological information of the user or information of a stored stamina category in the exercise assistive device;

sensing a physiological signal of the user using a sensor module;

estimating, using a processing module, a stamina level based on the physiological signal and the initial stamina category;

sending a notification to the user through a user interface when the stamina level reaches a first threshold;

adjusting, using the processing module, the initial stamina category if the stamina level reaches below the first threshold and meets a first condition or a second condition;

wherein the first condition is met if the stamina level continuously remains between the first threshold and a second threshold for a first time period, and the second condition is met if the stamina level reaches below the second threshold; and

updating information of the stored stamina category in the exercise assistive device based on the adjustment of the initial stamina category.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the physiological signal comprises at least one of (1) fatigue signal such as heart rate, breathing pattern, and movement speed, (2) energy signal such as glycogen concentration, and oxygen concentration, and (3) activity signal such as exercise intensity.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the fatigue signal related to heart rate is monitored by an ECG sensor or an optical sensor.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the activity signal is monitored by at least one of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a step counter, a cadence monitor, a speedometer, and a power meter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the biological information comprises:

body dimension information such as height, weight, age, and gender.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial stamina category is classified into a plurality of stamina category levels according to the user'"'"'s fitness level, wherein the user'"'"'s fitness level is determined by the biological information of the user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the stamina category is classified into 10 levels.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of estimating the stamina level comprises:

(1) mapping the physiological signal to lactate acid concentration with a mathematical model that varies with the initial stamina category of the user, wherein the mathematical model utilizes at least one of a linear regression model, a non-linear regression model, and a piecewise function;

(2) mapping the lactate acid concentration to the amount of increase or decrease of the stamina of the user, and (3) summing up the stamina level and the amount of increase or decrease of the stamina of the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the stamina level has a range at least from 0% to 100%.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the 100% stamina level corresponds to a range of lactate acid concentration from 2 to 6 mmol per liter.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the 0% stamina level corresponds to the lactate acid concentration which requires a second time period to decrease to a range of lactate acid concentration from 2 to 6 mmol per liter.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the first threshold corresponds to the 0% stamina level.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is sent when the stamina level is at the first threshold or above the first threshold, wherein the notification is a vibrating notification, a voice notification or a visual notification.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of sending the vibrating notification comprises:

sending a first vibrating pattern when the stamina level decreases to a third threshold above the first threshold;

sending a second vibrating pattern when the stamina level decreases to the first threshold; and

sending a third vibrating pattern when the stamina level increases to a fourth threshold above the first threshold.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the stamina level is outputted to be in conjunction with at least one parameter such as heart rate, velocity, time, map, temperature, humidity, altitude, caloric expenditure, exercising efficiency, or estimated maximum distance.

16. An exercise assistive device, comprising:

a strap; and

an enclosure positioned at the vicinity of a user'"'"'s heart by the strap, comprising;

a sensor module having at least one electrode to sense an ECG signal of the user;

an user interface adapted to receive biological information and send notification when a stamina level reaches a first threshold;

a storage module adapted to store at least one mathematical model and a stored stamina category; and

a processing module adapted to (1) determine an initial stamina category based on the biological information of the user or information of the stored stamina category in the storage module, (2) estimate a stamina level based on the ECG signal and the initial stamina category, (3) adjust the initial stamina category if the stamina level reaches below the first threshold and meets a first condition or a second condition, wherein the first condition is met if the stamina level continuously remains between the first threshold and a second threshold for a first time period, and the second condition is met if the stamina level reaches below the second threshold, and (4) update information of the stored stamina category in the storage module based on the adjustment of the initial stamina category.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the ECG signal (1) determines a user'"'"'s heart rate according to the time intervals between specific ECG waves and (2) is used to filter noises through the identification of its specific characteristics of waveform, such as T wave.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the biological information comprises:

body dimension information such as height, weight, age, and gender.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein the user interface comprises at least one output such as a display, a vibrating component, or a speaker.

20. The device of claim 16, wherein the mathematical model varies with the stamina category of the user, and the mathematical model utilizes at least one of a linear regression model, a non-linear regression model, or a piecewise function.

21. The device of claim 16, wherein the stamina category is classified into a plurality of stamina category levels according to the user'"'"'s fitness level, wherein the user'"'"'s fitness level is determined by the biological information of the user.

22. The device of claim 16, wherein the stamina level has a range of at least from 0% to 100%.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the 100% stamina level corresponds to a range of lactate acid concentration from 2 to 6 mmol per liter.

24. The device of claim 22, wherein the 0% stamina level corresponds to the lactate acid concentration which requires a second time period to decrease to a range of blood lactate concentration from 2 to 6 mmol per liter.

25. The device of claim 22, wherein the first threshold corresponds to the 0% stamina level.

26. The device of claim 16, wherein the notification is sent when the stamina level is at the first threshold or above the first threshold, wherein the notification is a vibrating notification, a voice notification or a visual notification.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the vibrating notification comprises:

a first vibrating pattern when the stamina level decreases to a third threshold above the first threshold;

a second vibrating pattern when the stamina level decreases to the first threshold; and

a third vibrating pattern when the stamina level increases to a fourth threshold above the first threshold.

28. The device of claim 16, wherein the stamina level is outputted from the user interface to be in conjunction with at least one parameter such as heart rate, velocity, time, map, temperature, humidity, altitude, caloric expenditure, exercising efficiency, or estimated maximum distance.

29. An exercise assistive device, comprising:

a strap; and

an enclosure positioned directly or indirectly on a user'"'"'s skin by the strap, comprising;

a sensor module having at least one optical sensor to sense a physiological signal of a user;

an user interface adapted to receive biological information and send notification when the stamina level reaches a first threshold;

a storage module adapted to store at least one mathematical model and a stored stamina category; and

a processing module adapted to (1) determine an initial stamina category based on the biological information of the user or information of the stored stamina category in the storage module, (2) estimate a stamina level based on the physiological signal and the initial stamina category, (3) adjust the initial stamina category if the stamina level reaches below the first threshold and meets a first condition or a second condition, wherein the first condition is met if the stamina level continuously remains between the first threshold and a second threshold for a first time period, and the second condition is met if the stamina level reaches below the second threshold, and (4) update information of the stored stamina category in the storage module based on the adjustment of the initial stamina category.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the physiological signal comprises at least one of (1) fatigue signal such as heart rate, breathing pattern, and movement speed, (2) energy signal such as glycogen concentration, and oxygen concentration, and (3) activity signal such as exercise intensity, and the biological information comprises:

body dimension information such as height, weight, age, and gender.

31. The device of claim 29, wherein the stamina level has a range of at least from 0% to 100%, and the 100% stamina level corresponds to a range of lactate acid concentration from 2 to 6 mmol per liter.

32. The device of claim 31, wherein the 0% stamina level corresponds to the lactate acid concentration which requires a second time period to decrease to a range of lactate acid concentration from 2 to 6 mmol per liter.

33. The device of claim 29, wherein the enclosure is placed in the vicinity of the user'"'"'s forehead, wrist, leg or arm with the strap.