System and method for selecting an audio file using motion sensor data

• US 9,955,906 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2014
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beats Medical Limited
• Original Assignee: Beats Medical Limited
• Inventors: Clancy, Ciara Lourda, Clancy, Cianan Colm, Chew, Wui Mei
• Primary Examiner(s): Flanders, Andrew C
• Application Number:
  US15/035,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20160270712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0223 of calibration, e.g. protocols for calibrating sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4082 Diagnosing or monitoring movement diseases, e.g. Parkinson, Huntington or Tourette
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/40 Rhythm
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/086 Beats per minute [BPM] indicator, i.e. displaying a tempo value, e.g. in words or as numerical value in beats per minute
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/395 Acceleration sensing or accelerometer use, e.g. 3D movement computation by integration of accelerometer data, angle sensing with respect to the vertical, i.e. gravity sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/015 PDA [personal digital assistant] or palmtop computing devices used for musical purposes, e.g. portable music players, tablet computers, e-readers or smart phones in which mobile telephony functions need not be used
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/135 Library retrieval index, i.e. using an indexing scheme to efficiently retrieve a music piece

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and a method for selecting an audio file using motion data from a mobile computing device connected to or held by a user, the mobile computing device comprising or coupled to motion sensors. The method comprising steps of moving the mobile computing device, obtaining motion data from the motion sensors, computing from the motion data step data based on a number of steps taken by the user in a specific period of time, computing a metronome beat based on the step data and generating a metronome beat file, selecting a stored audio file having a predefined beat parameter matching the metronome beat of the metronome beat file, and playing the audio file. The present invention provides a technology solution delivered through a mobile computing device, such as smart phone, or other computing device, such as a laptop or a PC, a wrist or smart watch, or an accelerometer, pedometer or other external computing device having computer processor means, that improves the gait of people with Parkinson'"'"'s disease. In use, the user'"'"'s daily mobility is assessed through application software on a mobile computing device which is operable to calculate a required individually prescribed treatment for a user. The treatment is then delivered through speakers of the mobile computing device in the form of metronome therapy which is form of auditory cueing that is used to treat people with Parkinson'"'"'s disease.

Claims

1. A method of providing metronome therapy for a user who performs an activity with a cadence of movement by selecting a metronome audio file from a selection of metronome audio files accessed by a mobile computing device carried by the user during said activity, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a mobile computing device that is operable to play said metronome audio files, wherein each of said audio files has corresponding audio beat parameters;

providing at least one motion sensor operable to detect motion of the user at the mobile computing device, wherein said at least one motion sensor has a sensitivity setting;

wherein when the user performs said activity with said cadence of movement said at least one motion sensor detects said cadence of movement;

providing a sensitivity bar operable to adjust said sensitivity setting of said at least one motion sensor depending upon said cadence of movement by calibrating said at least one motion sensor to detect steps of a user according to said cadence of movement;

configuring the at least one motion sensor to detect a deceleration in said cadence of movement by said user;

detecting, identifying and recording changes in said cadence of movement that fall within a selected range of decelerations that are attributable to Parkinson'"'"'s disease and generating motion data;

using said motion data to generate a corresponding metronome beat;

automatically selecting a specific metronome audio file from said metronome audio files on said mobile computing device by comparing said metronome beat to said audio beat parameters to find a best match; and

providing the metronome therapy to the user by playing said specific metronome audio file on said mobile computing device that corresponds to said best match.

2. The method according to claim 1, further including applying a multiplication factor to said metronome beat prior to comparing said metronome beat to said audio beat parameters.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said audio beat parameters and said metronome beat are measured in beats per minute.

4. The method according to claim 1, further including the steps of providing a remote computing device and downloading said audio beat parameters and said metronome beat to said remote computing device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one motion sensor is selected from a group consisting of accelerometers and gyroscopes.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said cadence of movement is detected in each axis of a 3-axis reference frame of movement.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein said sensitivity setting of said at least one motion sensor is automatically set.

7. A system for providing metronome therapy for a user by selecting a metronome audio file from a selection of metronome audio files accessed by a mobile computing device carried by said user, said system comprising:

a mobile computing device operable to play said metronome audio files, wherein each of said metronome audio files has corresponding audio beat parameters;

at least one motion sensor to detect motion and deceleration of said user wherein said at least one motion sensor has a sensitivity setting and wherein when said user performs an activity with a cadence of movement, said at least one motion sensor detects said cadence of movement;

a sensitivity bar operable to adjust said sensitivity setting of said at least one motion sensor depending upon said cadence of movement by calibrating said at least one motion sensor to detect steps of said user according to said cadence of movement;

wherein said at least one motion sensor detects changes in said cadence of motion and said mobile computing device identifies and records if said changes in said cadence of motion are within a selected range of decelerations attributable to Parkinson'"'"'s disease; and

wherein said mobile computing device determines a metronome beat from said cadence of motion, automatically selects a specific metronome audio file from said metronome audio files by comparing said metronome beat to said audio beat parameters to find a best match, and plays said selected metronome audio file that corresponds to said best match.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein said at least one motion sensor is contained within said mobile computing device and is adjusted by said mobile computing device.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein a multiplication factor is applied to said metronome beat prior to comparing said metronome beat to said audio beat parameters.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein said audio beat parameters and said metronome beat are measured in beats per minute.

11. The system according to claim 7, further including a remote computing device, wherein said metronome beat and said audio beat parameters are downloaded to said remote computing device.

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein said at least one motion sensor is selected from a group consisting of accelerometers and gyroscopes.

13. The system according to claim 7, wherein said cadence of movement is detected in each axis of a 3-axis reference frame of movement.

15. The system according to claim 7, wherein said sensitivity setting of said at least one motion sensor is automatically set.