Orientation during swimming

• US 9,772,190 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2014
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
• Original Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
• Inventors: Erkkila, Mika, Maatta, Harri, Puurunen, Jonna
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLLOWAY, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US14/513,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20160101323A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0655 Tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/60 Apparatus used in water
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2244/20 Swimming
• 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: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/08 involving use of the magnetic field of the earth
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform operations comprising: obtaining heading information indicating a target heading to a target; detecting, during swimming, that the swimmer deviates from the target heading; and informing the swimmer, via a user interface element, that the swimmer has deviated from the target heading.

Claims

1. An orientation apparatus for swimming, comprising:

an attachment unit for attaching the apparatus to a swimmer;

a user interface element;

an optical heart activity sensor;

an inertial measurement unit;

at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising;

obtaining heading information indicating a target heading to a target;

detecting, during swimming, that the swimmer deviates from the target heading;

informing the swimmer, via the user interface element, that the swimmer has deviated from the target heading;

detecting that the swimmer either starts or stops swimming;

detecting activity of the swimmer using the optical heart activity sensor to measure heart activity data;

automatically starting determination of whether the swimmer has deviated from the target heading in response to detecting, based on measurement by the inertial measurement unit, that the swimmer starts swimming; and

automatically stopping determination of whether the swimmer has deviated from the target heading in response to detecting, based on measurement by the inertial measurement unit, that the swimmer stops swimming and starts another type of physical activity.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the target heading is based on at least one of the following:

a magnetic direction of the target, geographic coordinates of the target.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein there is a plurality of targets defining a plurality of swimming parts, and the heading information indicates a plurality of target headings, one for each swimming part.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to further perform operations comprising:

detecting that a target is reached;

determining which swimming part starts after the reached target;

selecting the heading which corresponds to the determined swimming part; and

applying the selected heading as the target heading to be followed during the determined swimming part.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein obtaining the heading information comprises:

recording the current heading of the swimmer for a predetermined time or distance during the swimming; and

storing the recorded heading as the target heading to be followed during swimming.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heading information further indicates a target route to the target, and the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to further perform operations comprising navigating the swimmer along the target route to the target.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein detecting that the swimmer deviates from the target heading comprises:

detecting whether or not the swimmer has deviated from the target heading more than a predetermined margin; and

informing, via the user interface element, that the swimmer has deviated from the target heading only when the swimmer has deviated from the target heading more than the predetermined margin.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is comprised in a wrist device or in swimming gear.

5. An orientation apparatus for swimming, comprising:

an attachment unit for attaching the apparatus to a swimmer;

a user interface element;

a wireless receiver;

an optical heart activity sensor;

at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising;

obtaining heading information indicating a target heading to a target;

detecting activity of the swimmer using the optical heart activity sensor to measure heart activity data;

detecting, during swimming, that the swimmer deviates from the target heading; and

informing the swimmer, via the user interface element, that the swimmer has deviated from the target heading, wherein obtaining the heading information comprises;

wirelessly receiving target location information from another user device, the target location information comprising geographical coordinates of the target location, wherein the wireless receiver applies proximity communication for receiving the target location information; and

determining the heading information based on the received target location information.

7. An orientation apparatus for swimming, comprising:

an attachment unit for attaching the apparatus to a swimmer;

a user interface element;

a wireless receiver enabling cellular communication;

an optical heart activity sensor;

at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising;

obtaining heading information indicating a target heading to a target;

detecting activity of the swimmer using the optical heart activity sensor to measure heart activity data;

detecting, during swimming, that the swimmer deviates from the target heading;

informing the swimmer, via the user interface element, that the swimmer has deviated from the target heading, wherein obtaining the heading information comprises;

wirelessly receiving target location information, the target location information comprising geographical coordinates of the target location, wherein the wireless receiver applies a cellular connection for receiving the target location information; and

determining the heading information based on the received target location information.

8. An orientation apparatus for swimming, comprising:

an attachment unit for attaching the apparatus to a swimmer;

a user interface element;

a wireless receiver enabling cellular communication;

an optical heart activity sensor;

an inertial measurement unit;

at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising;

obtaining heading information indicating a target heading to a target, the obtaining heading information comprising wireles sly receiving target location information, the target location information comprising geographical coordinates of the target location, wherein the wireless receiver applies a cellular connection for receiving the target location information, the obtaining heading information comprising determining the heading information based on the received target location information;

detecting activity of the swimmer using the optical heart activity sensor to measure heart activity data;

detecting, during swimming, that the swimmer deviates from the target heading;

informing the swimmer, via the user interface element, that the swimmer has deviated from the target heading;

determining the current location of the swimmer;

redefining the target heading during swimming based on the current location;

applying the redefined heading as the target heading to be followed;

detecting that the swimmer either starts or stops swimming;

automatically starting determination of whether the swimmer has deviated from the target heading in response to detecting, based on measurement by the inertial measurement unit, that the swimmer starts swimming; and

automatically stopping determination of whether the swimmer has deviated from the target heading in response to detecting, based on measurement by the inertial measurement unit, that the swimmer stops swimming and starts another type of physical activity.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to further perform operations comprising:

obtaining target distance information indicating a distance to the target; and

taking the distance to the target into account when redefining the target heading.

12. An orientation apparatus for swimming, comprising:

an attachment unit for attaching the apparatus to a swimmer;

a user interface element;

a wireless receiver enabling cellular communication;

an optical heart activity sensor;

an inertial measurement unit;

at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising;

obtaining heading information indicating a target heading to a target, the obtaining heading information comprising wireles sly receiving target location information, the target location information comprising geographical coordinates of the target location, wherein the wireless receiver applies a cellular connection for receiving the target location information, the obtaining heading information comprising determining the heading information based on the received target location information;

detecting activity of the swimmer using the optical heart activity sensor to measure heart activity data;

detecting, during swimming, that the swimmer deviates from the target heading;

informing the swimmer, via the user interface element, that the swimmer has deviated from the target heading, wherein informing the swimmer, via the user interface element, that the swimmer has deviated from the target heading comprises causing haptic feedback, wherein left and right deviations have different types of haptic feedbacks, wherein intervals between repeating haptic feedbacks indicates the amount of deviation;

detecting that the swimmer either starts or stops swimming;

automatically starting determination of whether the swimmer has deviated from the target heading in response to detecting, based on measurement by the inertial measurement unit, that the swimmer starts swimming; and

automatically stopping determination of whether the swimmer has deviated from the target heading in response to detecting, based on measurement by the inertial measurement unit, that the swimmer stops swimming and starts another type of physical activity.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising informing the swimmer, via the user interface element, that the swimmer has deviated from a selected heart rate zone, wherein informing the swimmer, via the user interface element, that the swimmer has deviated from the selected heart rate zone comprises causing haptic feedback that indicates the swimmer has deviated from the selected heart rate zone.