Impact-sensing and measurement systems, methods for using same, and related business methods

• US 7,308,818 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2005
• Issued: 12/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Herman Group, Co.
• Original Assignee: Garri Productions, Inc.
• Inventors: Dankworth, Jeff, Lerner, Ian, Considine, Gary, Roberts, Roswell R. III, Server, Rita
• Primary Examiner(s): Cygan; Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAVIS, OCTAVIA L
• Application Number:
  US11/055,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20050266967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 73/120.9, 73/120.1, 482/84
• US Class Current: 73/12.09
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/063 Spoken or verbal instructions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2244/10 Combat sports
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0075 Means for generating exercise programs or schemes, e.g. computerized virtual trainer, e.g. using expert databases
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0024 for hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/32 with indicating devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3632 Clubs or attachments on clubs, e.g. for measuring, aligning A63B69/3614 takes precedence; clubs for swinging exercises in general A63B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3635 with sound-emitting source
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 Sports

Abstract

Impact-sensing and measurement systems are disclosed, especially for use in contact sports and related activities that involve exchanges of impacts or blows. The system generally includes at least one impact sensor, a controller, and a feedback device. The controller is in communication with the at least one impact sensor, and includes a microprocessor having a control program software executed thereon at least for processing data from the at least one impact sensor. The feedback device is in communication with the controller and is configured to produce an audio or video output, or combined audio and visual output, based on impact data produced by the impact sensor upon sensing an impact and processed by the first controller. The controller can be programmed to provide specialized training regimens and/or interactive training programs, such as over a computer network.

Claims

1. An impact-sensing and measurement system, comprising:

an impact-sensor module comprising at least one impact sensor and a first impact converting controller, the first impact converting controller (i) being communicable in impact data converting communication with the at least one impact sensor and (ii) communicable with an impact data storage medium;

a controller module separate from but in impact data requesting communication with the impact-sensor module, the controller module comprising a second controller connectable in communication with the first controller, the second controller comprising a controller processor system having mountable thereon workout program software, the workout program software comprising an impact data processing component and an user selectable interactive workout program running component, wherein the interactive workout program can involve impacts sensed by the at least one impact sensor, a workout level selected by a user, and an impact technique selected by a user; and

a feedback application connectable in communication with the second controller, the feedback application being connectable in audio or video feedback communication, or combined audio and video feedback communication, with a feedback output device, wherein the feedback application feedback communication can be derivable from (i) impact data processed by the first and second controllers; and

(ii) the interactive workout program.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller module comprises the feedback application.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the impact-sensor module further comprises at least one display element communicable with the second controller.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the display element can exhibits a display whenever a force associated with an impact sensed by the at least one impact sensor exceeds a force threshold.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the display element comprises an LED that illuminates whenever the force exceeds the force threshold.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first controller comprises:

multiple inputs including a respective impact-sensor input for each impact sensors connected to the first controller;

a respective analog-to-digital converter for each impact-sensor input;

a storage memory system for stored data and stored code usable for operating the first controller; and

a display whereby the display may be triggered when at least one impact sensors senses an impact having a force exceeding a threshold.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the feedback application can provide feedback concerning a parameter associated with one or more impacts sensed by the at least one impact sensor, and wherein the feedback application can communicate suggested workout events via the feedback output device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the feedback output device comprises a visual display.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the feedback output device comprises an audio device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the audio device comprises an audio-playback device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the feedback output device further comprises a visual display.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive workout program comprises a learning control based on stored impact data values.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one impact sensor further comprises an impact sensor data memory, and wherein the second controller is communicable with the first controller to recall data from the memory.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one impact sensor comprises at least one accelerometer capable of sensing an acceleration in at least one spatial dimension.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one impact sensor comprises either a single accelerometer configured to sense an acceleration along multiple spatial axes or multiple accelerometers each being configured to sense an acceleration along at least one respective spatial axis.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one impact sensor comprises a first accelerometer configured and orientatable to sense components of the acceleration along two spatial dimensions and a second accelerometer configured and orientatable to sense a component of the acceleration along a third spatial dimension.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the second controller is configured to calculate, from a sensed acceleration, an absolute force applied to the impact sensor.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one impact sensor is spatially orientatable and configured to sense accelerations along multiple spatial axes.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the second controller is communicable with the first controller via a wire.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the second controller is wirelessly communicable with the first controller.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the first controller comprises a processor system configured to produce output signals corresponding to impact data obtained by the at least one impact sensor and measured by the first controller processor system.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one impact sensor is configured to sense an acceleration along multiple spatial axes, and wherein the output signals are analog signals respectively proportional to the measured impact data in each of the multiple axes.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one impact sensor is configured to sense an acceleration along multiple spatial axes, and wherein the output signals are digital signals corresponding to the measured impact data in each of the multiple axes.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the second controller further comprises a storage medium communicable with the second controller processor system and capable of storing a profile of the user, and wherein the interactive workout program can involve a stored profile of the user.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the storage medium comprises a RAM, a flash memory, or a combination thereof.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one impact sensor comprises multiple impact sensors;

the multiple impact sensors are communicable with the first controller, and

the second controller is communicable with the first controller to evaluate respective impact data produced by the multiple impact sensors.

27. The system of claim 26, further comprising a target to which the multiple impact sensors are mounted, the target being configured to receive an impact, as sensed by the impact sensors, from a user.

28. The system of claim 26, further comprising an implement used in a contact sport, wherein the multiple impact sensors are attached to the implement so as to measure an impact produced by striking the implement.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one impact sensor comprises multiple impact sensors connected to the first controller in a daisy-chained manner.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein each impact sensor comprises a respective input connector and a respective output connector that are functionally interchangeable with each other.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the second controller communicates with the first controller according to a packet-based protocol.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the second controller is operable to request data from the first controller and the first controller responds to the request by delivering impact data to the second controller.

33. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computer communicable with at least one of the first and second controllers.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein:

the computer comprises a display; and

at least one of the first and second controllers is further configured to output a video signal to the computer for display of impact data on the display of the computer.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the computer is connected to a network and is configured to communicate via the network with a second computer also connected to the network.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the computers are programmed to provide a user of the system with an interactive workout involving impacts sensed by the at least one impact sensor, wherein data from the impacts are processed by both computers over the network.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein the computer is programmed to provide a user of the system with an interactive workout involving impacts sensed by the at least one impact sensor, wherein data from the impacts are processed by the computer.

38. The system of claim 1, further comprising a playback device communicable with at least one of the first and second controllers, the playback device being configured to store a workout program for a user of the system and to play back the program on demand, wherein the workout program can involve impacts delivered by the user and measurements of the impacts by the at least one impact sensor.

39. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive workout program is selectable from a plurality of interactive workout programs by a user of the system.

41. The personal training system of claim 39, wherein the at least one interactive workout program is a plurality of interactive workout programs, and wherein the user interface is operable by a user of the system to select an interactive workout program form the plurality of interactive workout programs.

40. A personal training system, comprising:

at least one impact sensor having one of a plurality of impact threshold values, the at least one impact sensor comprising an onboard first processor system having an analog-to-digital converter and a first memory communicable with the analog-to-digital converter to receive impact data; and

a management controller module separate from the at least one impact sensor but transmittingly and receivingly communicable with the at least one impact sensor, the management controller module comprising;

(i) a second memory;

(ii) a user information database capable of containing a user profile for at least one user;

(iii) a second processor system communicable with the second memory, the second processor system communicable with the first memory to request impact data and communicable with the second memory to execute at least one interactive workout program stored in the second memory;

(iv) a user interface operable by a user of the system to access (1) the user information database;

(2) select the at least one interactive workout program to be executed by the second processor system; and

(3) select the impact threshold value of the at least one impact sensor from the plurality of impact threshold values; and

(v) a feedback application capable of being in audio or video feedback communication, or combined audio and video feedback communication, with a feedback output device, wherein the feedback communication can be derivable from impact data requested by the management controller and received from the first memory of the at least one impact sensor.

42. A method for sensing and measuring impacts, comprising:

providing an electronic personal training system comprising (i) at least one impact sensor having a first memory and a processor system, (ii) at least one controller having a second memory and being separate from but in communication with the at least one impact sensor, and (iii) at least one user interface;

storing at least one interactive workout program in the second memory of the at least one controller;

inputting user information via the at least one user interface and storing the user information in the second memory;

selecting and executing the at least one interactive workout program, wherein the at least one interactive workout program accesses the user information stored in the second memory;

detecting an impact on the at least one impact sensor and operating the microprocessor to convert the detected impact into impact data;

storing the impact data in the first memory of the at least one impact sensor;

requesting the impact data stored in the first memory be sent from the at least one impact sensor to the at least one controller;

upon receiving the request, transmitting the impact data stored in the first memory to the at least one controller; and

providing feedback based at least partially on the impact data and the user information.