Real-Time Swimming Monitor

• US 20100030482A1
• Filed: 06/14/2009
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xipu Li
• Original Assignee: Xipu Li
• Inventors: Li, Xipu
• Granted Patent: US 9,216,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/19
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/10 Athletes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/09 Rehabilitation or training
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• 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 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6823 Trunk, e.g., chest, back, abdomen, hip
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/063 Spoken or verbal instructions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0661 arranged on the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0666 worn on the head or face, e.g. combined with goggles or glasses
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/03 the user being in water
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/16 Angular positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 33/004 comprising two separate lenses joined by a flexible bridge
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/12 Arrangements in swimming pools for teaching swimming or for training
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/12 Classification; Matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/22 : in connection with sports or games

Abstract

A wearable device for monitoring and providing real-time feedback about a swimmer'"'"'s body motion and performance, in particular, body orientation and forward speed, is provided. The device comprises a three-axis accelerometer, optionally a three-axis gyroscope, a memory, and a microcontroller configured to process the sensor input, calculate a swimmer'"'"'s performance and provide feedback to the swimmer through an output. The output can be an earpiece or a swimming goggle with a digital display.

Claims

1. A wearable data acquisition and processing system configured to measure a swimmer'"'"'s body motion and performance, the system comprising:

a three-axis accelerometer;

a memory;

an output device; and

a microcontroller configured to;

receive input from the accelerometer;

calculate in real-time the swimmer'"'"'s instant body orientation with respect to the swimmer'"'"'s surroundings;

calculate in real-time the swimmer'"'"'s instant speed in a forward direction;

increment a timer;

periodically store in the memory the received accelerometer input, the instant body orientation, and the instant speed in the forward direction; and

periodically output to the output device the timer value and the instant speed in the forward direction.

2. The wearable system defined in claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to calculate the instant body orientation with respect to gravity.

3. The wearable system defined in claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to determine in real-time the swimmer'"'"'s mode of activity, wherein the mode of activity is selected from a group comprising:

diving;

gliding;

stroking;

standing;

turning;

pushing off a wall; and

stopping; and

wherein the mode of activity is determined from at least one of the received accelerometer input, the instant body orientation, and the periodically stored body orientations from the memory.

4. The wearable system defined in claim 3, wherein the timer further comprises a split timer that resets when the swimmer'"'"'s mode of activity is pushing off the wall or diving, and wherein the microcontroller is further configured to periodically store the split timer values into the memory.

5. The wearable system defined in claim 4, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to record in the memory the number of times the swimmer'"'"'s mode of activity is stroking between a consecutive pair of split timer resets.

6. The wearable system defined in claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to calculate the instant speed in the forward direction by integrating the received accelerometer input and the periodically stored accelerometer inputs, wherein the forward direction is determined by the instant body orientation.

7. The wearable system defined in claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to:

determine a rotation value from the instant body orientation; and

output a warning signal to the output device when the rotation value is outside a predetermined range of values.

8. The wearable system defined in claim 1, wherein content in the memory is downloadable to a personal computer for further analysis.

9. The wearable system defined in claim 1, further comprising a three-axis gyroscope configured to provide rotational measurements to the microcontroller, and wherein the microcontroller is further configured to calculate the instant body orientation and the instant speed in the forward direction based on the provided rotational gyroscope measurements and the received accelerometer inputs.

10. The wearable system defined in claim 1, further comprising at least one photoelectric sensor configured to detect markings in the swimmer'"'"'s surroundings, and wherein the microcontroller is further configured to use the at least one photoelectric sensor to calibrate the instant speed in the forward direction and the instant body orientation.

11. The wearable system defined in claim 1, further comprising a GPS receiver configured to provide location measurements to the microcontroller, and wherein the microcontroller is further configured to use the provided location measurements to calibrate the instant speed in the forward direction.

12. The wearable system defined in claim 1, further comprising an input device that provides input to the microcontroller, and wherein the microcontroller is further configured to:

calculate a workout summary comprising at least one of an average instant speed in the forward direct, average stroke count between split timer resets, and final timer value; and

output the workout summary to the output device based on the provided input.

13. The wearable system defined in claim 1, wherein the output device is an earpiece.

14. The wearable system defined in claim 1, wherein the output device is a display attached to a goggle.

15. A method of measuring and providing feedback about a swimmer'"'"'s body motion and performance, the method comprising:

receiving input from a three-axis accelerometer;

calculating in real-time the swimmer'"'"'s instant body orientation with respect to the swimmer'"'"'s surroundings;

calculating in real-time the swimmer'"'"'s instant speed in a forward direction;

incrementing a timer;

periodically storing the received accelerometer input, the instant body orientation, and the instant speed in the forward direction; and

periodically outputting the timer value and the instant speed in the forward direction.

16. The method defined in claim 15, wherein calculating the instant body orientation comprises calculating the instant body orientation with respect to gravity.

17. The method defined in claim 15, further comprising determining in real-time the swimmer'"'"'s mode of activity from at least one of the received accelerometer input, the instant body orientation, and the periodically stored body orientations, wherein the mode of activity is selected from a group comprising:

diving;

gliding;

stroking;

standing;

turning;

pushing off a wall; and

stopping.

18. The method defined in claim 17, wherein incrementing the timer comprises incrementing a split timer that resets when the swimmer'"'"'s mode of activity is pushing off the wall or diving;

and periodically storing the split timer values.

19. The method defined in claim 18, further comprising counting the number of times the swimmer'"'"'s mode of activity is stroking between a consecutive pair of split timer resets.

20. The method defined in claim 15, wherein calculating the instant speed in the forward direction comprises integrating the received accelerometer input and the periodically stored accelerometer inputs, wherein the forward direction is determined by the instant body orientation.

21. The method defined in claim 15, further comprising:

determining a rotation value from the instant body orientation; and

outputting a warning signal when the rotation value is outside a predetermined range of values.

22. The method defined in claim 15, further comprising:

receiving rotational measurements from a three-axis gyroscope; and

calculating the instant body orientation and the instant speed in the forward direction based on the received rotational gyroscope measurements and the received accelerometer inputs.

23. The method defined in claim 15, further comprising calibrating the instant speed in the forward direction and the instant body orientation by detecting markings in the swimmer'"'"'s surroundings using at least one photoelectric sensor.

24. The method defined in claim 15, further comprising calibrating the instant speed in the forward direction based on location measurements of the swimmer made by a GPS receiver.

25. The method defined in claim 15, further comprising:

receiving at least one user input;

calculating a workout summary comprising at least one of an average instant speed in the forward direct, average stroke count between split timer resets, and total workout duration; and

outputting the workout summary based on the at least one user input.