Athleticism rating and performance measuring system

• US 8,292,788 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2011
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Chapa, Rodolfo Jr., Arjomand, Hamid G., Braun, Adam C., Bark, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Thanh, Loan
• Assistant Examiner(s): JALALZADEH ABYAN, SHILA
• Application Number:
  US13/168,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20110251824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 482/1, 482/8
• US Class Current: 482/8
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0009 Computerised real time comparison with previous movements or motion sequences of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0012 Comparing movements or motion sequences with a registered reference
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0065 Evaluating the fitness, e.g. fitness level or fitness index
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0068 Comparison to target or threshold, previous performance or not real time comparison to other individuals
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0071 Distinction between different activities, movements, or kind of sports performed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/026 stabilised by weight
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0661 arranged on the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0663 worn on the wrist, e.g. wrist bands
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/18 Baseball, rounders or similar games
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/13 Relative positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/805 Optical or opto-electronic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/093 Height
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/15 with identification means that can be read by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0025 Football American football A63B2243/007
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0037 Basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0066 Rugby; American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/007 American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0006 : Computerised comparison for qualitative assessment of motion sequences or the course of a movement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0062 : Monitoring athletic performances, e.g. for determining the work of a user on an exercise apparatus, the completed jogging or cycling distance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/03 : Athletic drills or obstacles for sport training, other than foot obstacles for skipping
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/06 : Indicating or scoring devices for games or players , or for other sports activities
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0616 : Means for conducting or scheduling competition, league, tournaments or rankings
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0619 : Displays, user interfaces and indicating devices, specially adapted for sport equipment, e.g. display mounted on treadmills
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 : with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/22 : in connection with sports or games

Abstract

A universal athleticism rating system and related athletic performance measuring systems for accurately detecting and recording athletic performance are disclosed. The athleticism rating system evaluates individual athletes against a common, standardized, set of athletic performance tests. Each athlete performs the athletic tests and his or her scores in the individual tests are entered into a standardized calculation to produce a single athletic performance score. The related performance measuring system is preferably a timing system that ensures quick, easy, and accurate collection of athletic event timing related data without the need for the athlete to wear any special detection devices or the like. In a preferred embodiment, the performance measuring system integrates with the rating system to provide seamless athletic data collection and rating of athletes.

Claims

1. A sensor unit utilized in calculating a universal athletic rating comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a selection of a first sporting activity from a plurality of sporting activities, wherein each sporting activity is associated with a consistent plurality of discrete physical tests including at least a first test and a second test, that taken collectively assess skills weighted in a predetermined proportion to be rationally related to skills associated with the selected sporting activity;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed by the processor perform a method comprising;

receiving an electronic signal indicative of a selection of the first sporting activity from the user interface;

detecting a plurality of triggering events from at least one sensor of the sensor unit during a first user'"'"'s performance of the first test of the first sporting activity;

based upon a design of the first test, identifying a false triggering event in the plurality of triggering events resulting from the first user'"'"'s performance of the first test;

detecting a plurality of triggering events from the at least one sensor of the sensor unit during a first user'"'"'s performance of the second test of the first sporting activity; and

calculating a single athletic performance score utilizing triggering events obtained during the first user'"'"'s performance of the discrete physical tests associated with the first sporting activity, wherein false triggering events are not utilized in the calculation of the score.

2. The sensor unit of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed by the processor perform a method further comprising:

based on the selection of the first sporting activity, calibrating the at least one sensor to a first calibration setting to detect a first user performing a first test associated with the selected sporting activity.

3. The sensor unit of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a first sensor and the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed by the processor perform a method further comprising:

dynamically calibrating the first sensor using a sensor reading from the first sensor.

4. The sensor unit of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a first sensor and wherein the calibration of the first sensor to the first or the second calibration setting comprises:

adjusting the first sensor to a predetermined sensitivity setting.

5. The sensor unit of claim 1, wherein the identification of false triggering events comprises:

detecting an athlete entering a sensor field of a first sensor along a first boundary, and in response, storing a first time value, but not reporting a trigger event;

separately detecting the athlete exiting the sensor field of the first sensor along a second boundary, and in response, storing a second time value, but not reporting a trigger event;

determining whether a difference between the first time value and the second time value exceeds a threshold; and

wherein if the threshold is not exceeded, the first time value time value is determined to be a first triggering event and the second time value is determined to be a false triggering event, and if the threshold is exceeded, the second value is determined to be the first triggering event and the first value is determined to be a false triggering event.

6. The sensor unit of claim 5, wherein identifying false triggering events comprises:

detecting events caused by motion of the first user travelling around an outer perimeter of an object which trigger the first sensor within a predefined period of time from a previous triggering event.

7. The sensor unit of claim 1, wherein the design of the first test requires the first user to travel around an outer perimeter of an object and wherein identifying false triggering events comprises:

detecting events caused by motion of the first user travelling around an outer perimeter of the object that triggered the at least one sensor within a predefined period of time from a previous triggering event, wherein triggering events received within the predefined period of time are deemed false triggering events.

8. The sensor unit of claim 1, wherein calculating the score comprises:

applying information relating to the triggering events for each test of the selected sporting activity to a normalized sport-specific athleticism rating equation.

9. The sensor unit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of discrete physical tests are designed to cover a range of athletic skills that are weighted in a predetermined proportion according to the selected sporting activity.

10. The sensor unit of claim 1, wherein the selected sporting activity relates to football and the plurality of tests are selected from the group consisting of:

vertical jumps, bench presses, a distance dash, a distance shuttle, and combinations thereof.

11. The sensor unit of claim 1, wherein calculating the score comprises the application of information relating to the triggering events to a normalized sport-specific athleticism rating equation.

12. The sensor unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor unit is configured to be worn by the first user during performance of the tests.

13. A method for calculating a universal athletic rating comprising:

receiving at a first portable base unit, a user input selecting a first sporting activity from a plurality of sporting activities, wherein each sporting activity is associated with a consistent plurality of discrete physical tests including at least a first test and a second test, that taken collectively assess skills weighted in a predetermined proportion to be rationally related to skills associated with the selected sporting activity;

transmitting an electronic signal from the first portable base unit to at least a first sensor through a first wireless communication link responsive to the selection of the first sporting activity configured to calibrate the first sensor to a first calibration setting for detection of a first user performing a first test associated with the selected sporting activity;

receiving at the first portable base unit, performance data comprising triggering events from the first sensor of the first user performing the first test;

transmitting from the first base unit to a second base unit through a second wireless communication link information comprising results from the performance data of the first user performing the first test, but not a single athletic performance score;

automatically calculating a single athletic performance score utilizing the performance values sensed from the first sensor during the discrete physical tests associated with the selected first sporting activity; and

outputting the single score at the first portable base unit and not at the second portable base unit.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

distinguishing between triggering events and false triggering events by identifying false triggering events, the identification of false events comprising;

detecting events caused by motion of the user that trigger the sensor within a predefined period of time from a previous triggering event, wherein triggering events received within the predefined period of time are deemed false triggering events.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the identification of false triggering events comprises:

detecting a user entering a sensor field of a first sensor along a first boundary, and in response, storing a first time value, but not reporting a trigger event;

separately detecting the athlete exiting the sensor field of the first sensor along a second boundary, and in response, storing a second time value, but not reporting a trigger event;

determining whether a difference between the first time value and the second time value exceeds a threshold; and

wherein if the threshold is not exceeded, the first time value time value is determined to be a first triggering event and the second time value is determined to be a false triggering event, and if the threshold is exceeded, the second value is determined to be the first triggering event and the first value is determined to be a false triggering event.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least a second sensor and wherein the method further comprises:

distinguishing between triggering events and false triggering events by identifying false triggering events, the identification of false events comprising;

detecting events caused by motion of the user travelling around an outer perimeter of an object which trigger the first sensor within a predefined period of time from a previous triggering event.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the calculation of the score comprises:

applying information relating to the triggering events for each test of the selected sporting activity to a normalized sport-specific athleticism rating equation.

18. A sensor system configured to be utilized in the calculation of a universal athletic rating comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a selection of a first sporting activity from a plurality of sporting activities, wherein each sporting activity is associated with a consistent plurality of discrete physical tests including at least a first test and a second test, that taken collectively assess skills weighted in a predetermined proportion to be rationally related to skills associated with the selected sporting activity;

a sensor unit comprising;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed by the processor perform a method comprising;

calibrating a first sensor of the sensor unit to a first calibration setting for detection of a first user performing a first test associated with the selected sporting activity; and

transmitting through a first wireless communication link, performance data obtained from a first sensor of the sensor unit comprising triggering events during the performance of the first test by the first user, to a first base unit;

a second base unit configured to receive results from the performance data from at least the first sensor of the first user performing the test, but not a single athletic performance score, through a second wireless communication link;

wherein a non-transitory computer-readable medium of the sensor system comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor, perform the method comprising;

automatically calculating a single athletic performance score utilizing the performance values sensed from the first sensor during the discrete physical tests associated with the selected sporting activity; and

outputting the single score at the user interface but not at the second base unit.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium of the first sensor unit comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed by the processor, further perform the method comprising:

distinguishing between triggering events and false triggering events by identifying false triggering events, the identification of false events comprising;

detecting events caused by motion of the user that trigger the sensor within a predefined period of time from a previous triggering event, wherein triggering events received within the predefined period of time are deemed false triggering events.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the identification of false triggering events comprises:

detecting a user entering a sensor field of the first sensor along a first boundary, and in response, storing a first time value, but not reporting a trigger event;

separately detecting the athlete exiting the sensor field of the first sensor along a second boundary, and in response, storing a second time value, but not reporting a trigger event;

determining whether a difference between the first time value and the second time value exceeds a threshold; and

wherein if the threshold is not exceeded, the first time value time value is determined to be a first triggering event and the second time value is determined to be a false triggering event, and if the threshold is exceeded, the second value is determined to be the first triggering event and the first value is determined to be a false triggering event.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the system comprises at least a second sensor and wherein the identification of false triggering events comprises:

distinguishing between triggering events and false triggering events by identifying false triggering events, the identification of false events comprising;

detecting events caused by motion of the user travelling around an outer perimeter of an object which trigger the second sensor within a predefined period of time from a previous triggering event.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the calculation of the score comprises:

applying information relating to the triggering events for each test of the selected sporting activity to a normalized sport-specific athleticism rating equation.