MULTI-MODAL ON-FIELD POSITION DETERMINATION

• US 20180332661A1
• Filed: 11/10/2016
• Published: 11/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Andon, Christopher, Kash, Brian, Palmer, Ryan, Pheil, Holli
• Granted Patent: US 11,096,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/08 Sport
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/09 for tracking people
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0205 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0249 Determining position using measurements made by a non-stationary device other than the device whose position is being determined
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A system, devices, and methods include a player network hub and relay network hubs. The player network hub is configured to form a body area network with peripheral devices by communicating wirelessly according to a first wireless protocol and transmit location information according to a second wireless protocol different than the first wireless protocol. The relay network hubs are configured to form a wide area network with the player network hub and a master network hub by communicating, at least in part, according to the second wireless protocol, wherein the relay network hubs are configured to receive the location information from the player network hub and wherein at least one of the relay network hubs or the master network hub are configured to determine a location of the player network hub based on the location information.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a player network hub configured to;

form a body area network with peripheral devices by communicating wirelessly according to a first wireless protocol; and

transmit location information according to a second wireless protocol different than the first wireless protocol; and

relay network hubs configured to form a wide area network with the player network hub and a master network hub by communicating, at least in part, according to the second wireless protocol, wherein the relay network hubs are configured to receive the location information from the player network hub and wherein at least one of the relay network hubs or the master network hub are configured to determine a location of the player network hub based on the location information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the relay network hubs each have a relative known location with respect to a reference and wherein the at least one of the relay network hubs or the master network hub are configured to determine a location of the player network hub according to the reference.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the relay network hubs are in a fixed position relative to the reference.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the relay network hubs are dynamically repositionable relative to the reference and are configured to determine the known location based on a current position of the at least one of the relay network hubs.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one relay network hub is dynamically repositionable along a constraining apparatus.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one relay network hub is a component of an autonomous vehicle configured to be dynamically repositionable with respect to the reference.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one relay network hub is configured to be dynamically repositionable based, at least in part, on movement of the player network hub with respect to the reference.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the reference is a field of play, wherein the player network hub is configured to be associated with and secured with respect to a player engaged in an athletic activity on the field of player, and wherein the at least one relay network hub is configured to be dynamically repositioned based, at least in part, on movement by the player on the field of play.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one relay network hub is configured to be dynamically repositionable to remain in communication range of the relay network hub.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the reference is a field of play and wherein the player network hub configured to be associated with a player of an athletic event on the field of play.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the peripheral devices are configured to be associated with the player.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the peripheral devices is configured to sense data regarding the player and transmit the data to the player network hubs according to the first wireless protocol.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the player network hub is configured to transit the data to at least one of the relay network hubs;

the at least one relay network hubs are configured to transmit the data regarding the player to the master network hub; and

the master network hub is configured to at least one of determine analytics based on the data and cause the data to be presented on a user interface.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the relay network hubs comprise:

an antenna configured to communicate according to the second wireless protocol; and

a location circuit configured to determine the location information.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein location information is based on a distance between the player network hub and the relay network hub.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one of the relay network hubs or the master network hub are configured to determine the location of the player network hub by triangulating the distance information determined by the location circuit of multiple ones of the relay network hubs.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the relay network hubs each further comprise a wireless communication tag comprising the antenna, the location circuit, a data port, and a microcontroller configured to manage the location circuit and data reception and transmission via the data port.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the player network hub comprises the wireless communication tag, wherein the location circuit is configured to transmit a data packet to the relay network hubs via the antenna, and wherein the location circuit of the relay network hub is configured to determine a distance between the player network hub and the relay network hub based on the data packet.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the player network hub comprises:

a body area network hub configured to communicate according to the first wireless protocol; and

a wireless communication tag, coupled to the body area network hub, configured to communicate according to the second wireless protocol.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the body area network hub comprises an antenna and a communication module configured to communicate according to the first wireless protocol.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the wireless communication tag comprises:

a location circuit configured to generate a location packet;

an antenna configured to transmit the location packet to at least some of the relay network hubs according to the second wireless protocol.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the player network hub is configured to be secured with respect to a player involved in an athletic activity.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the player network hub is configured to receive data transmitted form the peripheral devices and transmit the data to at least one of the relay network hubs.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the data is physiologic data related to the player.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the data is indicative of a proximity of an auxiliary device to one of the peripheral devices.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the auxiliary device is equipment utilized in the athletic activity.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the player network hub is integrated in at least one of apparel or an article configured to be worn by the player.

28. A method, comprising:

forming, with a player network hub, a body area network with peripheral devices by communicating wirelessly according to a first wireless protocol;

transmitting, with the player network hub, location information according to a second wireless protocol different than the first wireless protocol; and

forming, with relay network hubs, a wide area network with the player network hub and a master network hub by communicating, at least in part, according to the second wireless protocol, wherein the relay network hubs are configured to receive the location information from the player network hub and wherein at least one of the relay network hubs or the master network hub are configured to determine a location of the player network hub based on the location information.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the relay network hubs each have a relative known location with respect to a reference and wherein the at least one of the relay network hubs or the master network hub are configured to determine a location of the player network hub according to the reference.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein at least one of the relay network hubs are in a fixed position relative to the reference.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

dynamically repositioning at least one of the relay network hubs relative to the reference; and

determining the known location based on a current position of the at least one of the relay network hubs.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein dynamically repositioning the at least one relay network hub is along a constraining apparatus.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the at least one relay network hub is a component of an autonomous vehicle configured and dynamically repositioning the at least one relay network hub includes the autonomous vehicle repositioning with respect to the reference.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein dynamically repositioning the at least one relay network hub is based, at least in part, on movement of the player network hub with respect to the reference.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the reference is a field of play, wherein the player network hub is associated with and secured with respect to a player engaged in an athletic activity on the field of player, and dynamically repositioning the at least one relay network hub is based, at least in part, on movement by the player on the field of play.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein dynamically repositioning the at least one relay network hub includes maintaining the relay network hub in communication range of the relay network hub.

37. The method of claim 29, wherein the reference is a field of play and further comprising associating the player network hub with a player of an athletic event on the field of play.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the peripheral devices are configured to be associated with the player.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein at least one of the peripheral devices is configured to sense data regarding the player and further comprising:

receiving the data by the player network hub according to the first wireless protocol.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

transmitting the data regarding the player from the player network hub to at least one of the relay network hubs; and

transmitting the data regarding the player form the at least one relay network hub to the master network hub, wherein the master network hub is configured to at least one of determine analytics based on the data and cause the data to be presented on a user interface.

41. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

receiving the location information via an antenna of the relay network hub configured to communicate according to the second wireless protocol, and

determining, with a location circuit of the relay network hub, the location.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the location information is based on a distance between the player network hub and the relay network hub.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein determining the location of the player network hub is by triangulating the distance information determined by the location circuit of multiple ones of the relay network hubs.

44. The method of claim 41, wherein the relay network hubs each further comprise a wireless communication tag comprising the antenna, the location circuit, a data port, and a microcontroller configured to manage the location circuit and data reception and transmission via the data port.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the player network hub comprises the wireless communication tag, wherein transmitting the location information comprises transmitting a data packet to the relay network hubs via the antenna, and wherein determining a distance between the player network hub and the relay network hub is based on the data packet.

46. The method of claim 28, wherein:

forming the body area network is with a body area network hub of the player network hub, the body area network hub configured to communicate according to the first wireless protocol; and

wherein transmitting the location information is via a wireless communication tag, coupled to the body area network hub, configured to communicate according to the second wireless protocol.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the body area network hub comprises an antenna and a communication module configured to communicate according to the first wireless protocol.

48. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

generating, with a location circuit, a location packet;

wherein transmitting the location information comprises transmitting the location packet to at least some of the relay network hubs according to the second wireless protocol.

49. The method of claim 28, further comprising securing the player network hub with respect to a player involved in an athletic activity.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising receiving, with the player network hub, data transmitted form the peripheral devices and transmit the data to at least one of the relay network hubs.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the data is physiologic data related to the player.

52. The method of claim 50, wherein the data is indicative of a proximity of an auxiliary device to one of the peripheral devices.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the auxiliary device is equipment utilized in the athletic activity.

54. The method of claim 49, wherein the player network hub is integrated in at least one of apparel or an article configured to be worn by the player.