Wearable athletic activity monitoring methods and systems

• US 9,504,414 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2012
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adidas AG
• Original Assignee: Adidas AG
• Inventors: Coza, Aurel, Dibenedetto, Christian, Allen, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Allen
• Application Number:
  US13/446,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20130274904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,691 Days
• Field of Search: 700/91, 482/8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/10 Athletes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/162 Testing reaction times
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/62 Time or time measurement used for time reference, time stamp, master time or clock signal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0006 Computerised comparison for qualitative assessment of motion sequences or the course of a movement
• 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 2218/00 Aspects of pattern recognition specially adapted for signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training

Abstract

A method for monitoring an individual engaged in an athletic activity includes detecting movement of the individual at a first time, using a sensor module coupled to the individual, determining that the movement of the individual corresponds to a predetermined activation movement, entering an active state of the sensor module in response to the determination that the movement of the individual corresponds to the predetermined activation movement, and detecting movement of the individual at a second time, using the sensor module in the active state.

Claims

1. A method for determining a jump characteristic of an individual, the method comprising:

identifying take-off of a jump performed by the individual;

determining a first vertical velocity of the individual, based on first acceleration data sensed at an initiation of the jump, using a sensor module comprising an accelerometer coupled to the individual;

determining a second vertical velocity of the individual, based on the first vertical velocity and second acceleration data sensed between the initiation of the jump and the take-off of the jump; and

calculating maximum jump height based on the second vertical velocity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying take-off of the jump comprises sensing a resultant acceleration of about zero, using the sensor module.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying take-off of the jump comprises sensing a resultant acceleration of about zero for at least 50 ms, using the sensor module.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein initiation of the jump is determined to occur at the time within the 50 ms preceding at which resultant acceleration sensed by the sensor module reaches a minimum, and

wherein the first vertical velocity is determined to be zero.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating maximum jump height comprises performing an energy conservation calculation.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

providing an output based on the maximum jump height of the individual.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the output is a display of the maximum jump height of the individual.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the output is a display of the maximum jump height of the individual in conjunction with a characteristic of a sports object.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the output is a display of the maximum jump height of the individual in conjunction with a characteristic of a different individual.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the output is a display of the maximum jump height of the individual in conjunction with a past maximum jump height of the individual.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the output is a display of the maximum jump height of the individual in conjunction with a target maximum jump height of the individual.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the output is displayed immediately following completion of the jump by the individual.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein providing the output comprises:

transmitting data representative of the maximum jump height of the individual; and

displaying a representation of the data representative of the maximum jump height on a display device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the display device is a portable phone.

15. A method for monitoring an individual engaged in an athletic activity, the method comprising:

detecting movement of the individual, using a sensor module comprising an accelerometer coupled to the individual;

recording movement data;

determining a correlation between the movement data and an activity metric by reference to a data structure;

determining an initial spatial orientation of the individual;

determining a change in spatial orientation of the individual;

determining the activity metric based on the change in the spatial orientation; and

providing an output that conveys the activity metric.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

detecting movement of the individual at a first time, using the sensor module;

determining that the movement of the individual detected at the first time corresponds to a predetermined activation movement;

entering an active state of the sensor module in response to the determination that the movement of the individual detected at the first time corresponds to the predetermined activation movement; and

detecting movement of the individual at a second time, using the sensor module in the active state.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

sensing magnetic field data and acceleration data, using the sensor module;

comparing the magnetic field data and the acceleration data with a lookup table; and

identifying, based on the comparison, the movement of the individual.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein sensing magnetic field data and acceleration data comprises:

sensing first magnetic field data and first acceleration data at a first time, using the sensor module; and

sensing second magnetic field data and second acceleration data at a second time, using the sensor module.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining a first orientation and a first acceleration of the individual at the first time, based on the first magnetic field data and the first acceleration data; and

determining a second orientation and a second acceleration of the individual at the second time, based on the second magnetic field data and the second acceleration data.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the output is at least one of:

a display of the identified movement of the individual,

a display of the identified movement of the individual in conjunction with a characteristic of a sports object,

a display of the identified movement of the individual in conjunction with a characteristic of a different individual,

a display of the identified movement of the individual in conjunction with a past identified movement of the individual, and

a display of the identified movement of the individual in conjunction with a target identified movement of the individual.

21. The method claim 15, wherein the output is at least one of:

an orientation of acceleration of the individual or a portion thereof,

a magnitude of acceleration of the individual or a portion thereof,

an orientation of a force applied to the individual or a portion thereof,

a magnitude of a force applied to the individual or a portion thereof, and

a duration of movement of the individual or a portion thereof.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein providing the output comprises:

transmitting data representative of an identified movement of the individual; and

displaying a representation of the data representative of the identified movement on a display device, wherein the display device is preferably a portable phone.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying take-off of a jump performed by the individual;

determining a first vertical velocity of the individual, based on first acceleration data sensed at an initiation of the jump, using the sensor module;

determining a second vertical velocity of the individual, based on the first vertical velocity and second acceleration data sensed between the initiation of the jump and the take-off of the jump; and

calculating maximum jump height based on the second vertical velocity.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein identifying take-off of the jump comprises sensing a resultant acceleration of about zero for at least 50 ms, using the sensor module.

25. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

sensing acceleration data of the individual during a jump performed by the individual, using the sensor module;

receiving data representative of a mass of the individual; and

determining a jump force of the individual based on the acceleration data and the mass of the individual.

26. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, at the sensor module, instructions to perform an instructed movement;

sensing magnetic field data and acceleration data during the movement of the individual, using the sensor module;

comparing the magnetic field data and the acceleration data with a lookup table including a movement data profile for the instructed movement;

identifying, based on the comparison, that the movement corresponds to the movement data profile for the instructed movement; and

calculating a reaction time based on the elapsed time from receipt of the instructions to a point in time with reference to the movement of the individual.

27. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, at the sensor module, instructions to perform an instructed movement;

sensing magnetic field data and acceleration data during the movement of the individual, using the sensor module; and

storing a representation of the magnetic field data and acceleration data in a lookup table in association with the instructed movement.

28. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

sensing acceleration data using the sensor module;

receiving data representative of a mass of the individual; and

determining a force applied by the individual based on the acceleration data and the data representative of the mass of the individual.

29. A method for monitoring an individual engaged in an athletic activity, the method comprising:

detecting movement of the individual, using a sensor module comprising a magnetic field sensor coupled to the individual;

recording movement data;

determining a correlation between the movement data and an activity metric by reference to a data structure;

determining an initial spatial orientation of the individual;

determining a change in spatial orientation of the individual;

determining the activity metric based on the change in the spatial orientation; and

providing an output that conveys the activity metric.