Method and apparatus for estimating a motion parameter

• US 8,060,337 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2010
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin Switzerland GmbH (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Garmin Switzerland GmbH (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: MacDonald, Paul R., Rooney, James K., Stirling, Ross G., Kulach, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kundu; Sujoy K
• Application Number:
  US12/893,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20110022349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 702/141, 702/160, 702/161, 735/10, 738/654, 734/90, 734/92, 734/89
• US Class Current: 702/141
• 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 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait
• 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 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6823 Trunk, e.g., chest, back, abdomen, hip
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/185 for gravity
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers

Abstract

A system for estimating motion parameters corresponding to a user. The system may generally include a receiver operable to receive a signal from an external source, an inertial sensor operable to be coupled with the user and arbitrarily oriented relative to the direction of user motion for generation of a signal corresponding to user motion, and a processing system in communication with the receiver and inertial sensor. The processing system can be operable to utilize the receiver signal to estimate a first parameter corresponding to a first motion parameter type, utilize the inertial sensor signal to estimate a second parameter corresponding to a second motion parameter type, generate a user-specific motion model to correlate the first parameter type and second parameter type using at least the first and second estimated parameters, utilize the inertial sensor signal to estimate a third parameter corresponding to the second parameter type, and utilize the motion model and the third parameter to estimate a fourth parameter corresponding to the first parameter type independent of the receiver signal.

Claims

1. A system for estimating motion parameters corresponding to a user, the system comprising:

an inertial sensor operable to couple with the user for generation of signals corresponding to user motion; and

a processing system in communication with the inertial sensor, the processing system operable to—

utilize a first inertial sensor signal from the inertial sensor to estimate a first user speed parameter and a first user cadence parameter,

at least once, generate a user-specific speed-to-cadence motion model to correlate user speed to user cadence using at least the first user speed parameter and first user cadence parameter,

utilize a second inertial sensor signal from the inertial sensor to estimate a second user cadence parameter, and

at least once, utilize the motion model and the second user cadence parameter to estimate a second user speed parameter when the second user speed parameter cannot be directly estimated using the second inertial sensor signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the inertial sensor comprises one or more accelerometers arbitrarily oriented relative to the direction of user motion.

3. The system of claim 1, further including a housing for housing the inertial sensor and the processing system.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the inertial sensor is operable for mounting:

in a first location to provide the first inertial sensor signal for estimation of the first user speed parameter and the first user cadence parameter; and

in a second location to provide the second inertial sensor signal for estimation of the second user cadence parameter.

5. The system of claim 1, further including a first housing for housing the inertial sensor and a second housing for housing the processing system.

6. The system of claim 1, further including a user interface in communication with the processing system and operable to present a visual indication of the second user speed parameter.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the inertial sensor includes a plurality of accelerometers, a first one of the accelerometers being operable for coupling with a shoe of the user and a second one of the accelerometers being integrated within a mobile phone.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first inertial sensor signal is the same signal as the second inertial sensor signal.

9. A method for estimating motion parameters corresponding to a user, the method comprising:

receiving, with a processing system, a first signal from an inertial sensor to estimate a first user speed parameter and a first user cadence parameter;

at least once, generating with the processing system a user-specific speed-to-cadence motion model to correlate user speed to user cadence using at least the first user speed parameter and first user cadence parameter;

storing the user-specific speed-to-cadence motion model in a computer-readable memory associated with the processing system;

receiving, with the processing system, a second signal from the inertial sensor to estimate a second user cadence parameter;

at least once, with the processing system, utilize the motion model and the second user cadence parameter to estimate a second user speed parameter when the second user speed parameter cannot be directly estimated using the second inertial sensor signal, and

presenting the second user speed parameter to the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the inertial sensor signals are locally received from one or more accelerometers.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the inertial sensor comprises one or more accelerometers arbitrarily oriented relative to the direction of user motion.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the first inertial sensor signal is received from the inertial sensor mounted in a first location and the second inertial sensor signal is received from the internal sensor mounted in a second location.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first inertial sensor signal is the same signal as the second inertial sensor signal.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the second user speed parameter is presented to the user using an electronic display.