Real time control of ski parameters—method and apparatus

• US 9,522,319 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2013
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IPCOMM LLC
• Original Assignee: IPCOMM LLC
• Inventors: Czaja, Stanislaw
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Bryan
• Application Number:
  US14/095,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20150151186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 702/188
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 2203/18 Measuring a physical parameter, e.g. speed, distance
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 2203/22 Radio waves emitting or receiving, e.g. remote control, RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 2203/24 Processing or storing data, e.g. with electronic chip
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 5/075 Vibration dampers vibration dampers per se F16F7/00

Abstract

A method and apparatus for measurements of motion and dynamic parameters of ski and to provide real-time corrective feedback to the user or to the ski consisting of Microelectromechanical (MEMS) sensors and actuators embedded in the ski equipment in communication with control system residing in user'"'"'s smart-phone.

Claims

1. A system for real time measurements of a selected user motion and changes of the selected user ski equipment dynamic parameters and to provide feedback to the selected user or to the selected user ski equipment comprising:

a multiplicity of Microelectromechanical (MEMS) sensors, embedded into or attached to the selected user ski equipment or ski slope equipment;

a smart-phone application for data collection, analysis and control comprising;

a first radio interface for receiving first information from the MEMS sensors and transmitting third information to the MEMS actuators or to the selected user;

a second radio interface for receiving a second information from the smart-phone GPS receiver;

a third radio interface for transmitting the first information and the second information to a remote computer server and for receiving the third information from the remote computer server;

and wherein the first information comprises instantaneous measurements of the selected user motion vectors, and wherein the second information comprises GPS coordinates of the selected user current location, and wherein the first information is analyzed by the smart-phone application and results of said analysis, together with the second information, is transmitted to the remote computer server, and wherein based on the second information, the remote computer server generates map of the selected user current location and presents said map and analysis of the selected user motion and changes of the selected user ski equipment dynamic parameters to a remote user, and wherein the remote user sends corrective feedback as the third information to the selected user or to the selected user ski equipment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein first information comprises data obtained from Microelectromechanical (MEMS) accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, force and barometric pressure sensors is analyzed by a smart-phone application to provide description of a selected user motion and changes of the selected user ski equipment dynamic parameters.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein analysis of changes of a selected user ski equipment dynamic parameters provide information of:

the selected user ski linear and angular acceleration;

linear and angular velocity;

angle, roll and heading of ski edges;

radius of turn;

g-forces; and

ski vibration frequencies.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein analysis of a selected user motion, ski heading, angles, roll and g-forces and vibrations, provide estimation of forces applied to the ski edge and effect of turn parameters on loss of the selected user ski equipment velocity.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein second information comprises GPS coordinates of a selected user current location and wherein said coordinates information is used by a remote computer server to generate a 3D map associated with the selected user current geographic coordinates.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein third information comprises instructions from a remote user to the selected user of the selected user ski equipment and wherein said instructions are based on visual observation of the selected user motion in respect to 3D map of terrain associated with the selected current location and changes of the selected user ski equipment dynamic parameters.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein first information containing numerical data of a selected user motion is transmitted to a remote computer server on smart-phone third radio interface is overlaid on 3D map associated with the selected user current location generated by the remote computer server from coordinates contained in second information, and presented for visualization and analysis to the remote user, and wherein said visual information allows the remote user to send third information comprising corrective instructions to the selected user.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein corrective instruction sent by a remote user to the selected user on smart-phone third radio interface comprises an audio message.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein corrective instruction sent by a remote user to a selected user on smart-phone third radio interface comprises haptic stimulus signal and wherein said haptic stimulus signal is transmitted to haptic actuators embedded in the selected user ski equipment on the smart-phone first radio interface.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein corrective instruction sent by a remote user to a selected user ski equipment on smart-phone third radio interface comprises stimulus signal intended to change physical characteristics of the selected user ski equipment and wherein said stimulus signal is transmitted to Microelectromechanical (MEMS) actuators embedded in the selected user ski equipment on the smart-phone first radio interface.

11. A method providing corrective feedback to a selected user or to the selected user ski equipment based on real time measurements of the selected user motion and changes of the selected user ski equipment dynamic parameters comprising:

obtaining the selected user motion information measurements;

obtaining measurement of change of the selected user ski equipment dynamic parameters;

obtaining GPS coordinates of the selected user current location;

processing the selected user motion information and changes of the selected user ski equipment dynamic parameters;

processing of the selected user GPS coordinates to obtain 3D map of the selected user current location;

providing visual and numerical results of the selected user motion and changes in dynamic parameters of the selected user ski equipment in relation to 3D map of the selected user current location to a remote user; and

providing corrective instructions to the selected user,

wherein the selected user motion information and changes of the selected user ski equipment dynamic parameters are analyzed and the numerical results of said analysis overlaid on 3D map of the selected user current location, and wherein said overlaid combined information is used by the remote user to provide corrective feedback to the selected user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein change of dynamic parameters of a selected user ski equipment is obtained by observing changes of motion vectors from multiplicity of accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers embedded in the selected user ski equipment.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein numerical results of a selected user motion and changes of the selected user ski equipment dynamic parameters comprises of:

angular an linear velocity of the selected user ski;

orientation of the selected used ski in relation to 3D coordinate system; and

g-forces applied to the selected user ski equipment.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein numerical results of analysis of a selected user motion and changes of dynamic parameters of the selected user ski equipment is overlaid on 3D map of the selected user current location obtained from GPS coordinates, and wherein said information is presented to remote user for visualization.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein corrective feedback provided by remote user to a selected user or to the selected user ski equipment is in form of an audio information, or a haptic stimulus or a control signals applied to Microelectromechanical (MEMS) actuators embedded in the selected user ski equipment.

16. A non-transitory computer accessible memory medium for storing program instructions pertaining to system for real time measurements of a selected user motion and changes of the selected user ski equipment dynamic parameters and providing feedback to the selected user or to the selected user ski equipment, wherein the program instructions execute all of the following:

establish and maintain communication with MEMS sensors and actuators embedded in the selected user ski equipment using the selected user'"'"'s smart-phone first radio interface;

establish and maintain communication with GPS receiver to obtain coordinates of the selected user current location using the selected user'"'"'s smart-phone second radio interface;

establish and maintain communication with a remote computer server using the selected user'"'"'s smart-phone third radio interface;

retrieve the selected user ski equipment motion information from MEMS sensors, analyze said motion information to obtain ski equipment orientation in a 3D coordinates space and changes in the ski equipment dynamic parameters;

transmit analysis of the selected user ski equipment and current location GPS coordinates to the remote computer server;

process GPS coordinates to obtain a 3D map of the selected user current location, overlay results of analysis of ski motion on said 3D map and present the results for visual analysis to a remote user; and

transmit the remote user corrective feedback information to the selected user or to the selected user ski equipment.