Shoe wear-out sensor, body-bar sensing system, unitless activity assessment and associated methods

• US 9,578,927 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Vock, Curtis A., Youngs, Perry
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/298,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20140288856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 340/545.3, 340/693.1, 340/665, 340/545.4, 340/545.5, 340/552, 340/555, 340/561, 340/522, 340/686.1, 340669-670, 340/691.2, 340/692
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0036 with fluorescent or phosphorescent parts
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/50 with sound or music sources
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/00 Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 1/00 Foot or last measuring devices; Measuring devices for shoe parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2033/008 sport articles (balls, skis, rackets)
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2033/0086 clothes; hosiery
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/00 Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/00 Signalling systems according to more than one of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00; Personal calling systems according to more than one of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00

Abstract

A system assesses activity and displays a unitless activity value. A detector senses activity of a user. A processor reads sensed activity data from the detector. A display displays the unitless activity value. An enclosure houses the detector and the processor. The processor periodically reads the sensed activity data from the detector and processes the data to generate an activity number, the number being used to generate the unitless activity value based upon a maximum number and a display range.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a detector that senses activity of a user; and

a processor that;

processes sensed activity data from the detector during an activity period to determine a number representative of the sensed activity data during the activity period; and

generates a unitless activity value based on a comparison of the determined number and an expected maximum number for the activity period.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the processor identifies a particular activity of the user; and

the processor identifies the expected maximum number for the activity period based on the identified particular activity.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a button, wherein the processor identifies the particular activity based on at least one press of the button.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor identifies the particular activity based on at least a portion of the processed sensed activity data.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a display that displays the generated unitless activity value.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor repeats the processing and determining for a plurality of consecutive activity periods.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an enclosure that houses the detector and the processor.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising a display that displays the generated unitless activity value, wherein the enclosure houses the display.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless transmitter;

an enclosure that houses the detector, the processor, and the wireless transmitter; and

a display external to the enclosure that;

receives the generated unitless activity value via the wireless transmitter; and

displays the generated unitless activity value.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor processes the sensed activity data from the detector during the activity period to determine the number by integrating power spectral density of acceleration data of the sensed activity data over the period of time of the activity period.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor generates the unitless activity value by:

determining a ratio based on the comparison of the determined number and the expected maximum number for the activity period; and

multiplying the determined ratio by a range number.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensed activity data is indicative of a number of physical repetitions.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the unitless activity value is based on an intensity of the sensed activity.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the unitless activity value is based on a length of the activity period.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensed activity data is indicative of at least two different activities.

16. A system comprising:

at least one sensor that detects an activity of a user; and

a processor that;

determines a user activity value by processing the detected activity;

ratios the determined user activity value to another activity value; and

reports a unitless activity value based upon the ratio.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one accelerometer.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor determines the user activity value by determining power spectral density of the detected activity over a frequency range.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the other activity value corresponds to a predetermined activity value of a professional athlete for another activity associated with the activity.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a wireless transmitter;

an enclosure that houses the at least one sensor, the processor, and the wireless transmitter; and

a display external to the enclosure that;

receives the reported unitless activity value from the processor via the wireless transmitter; and

displays the received unitless activity value.

21. A system comprising:

a detector;

an accumulator; and

a processor that;

samples the detector to obtain data during a time period;

processes the obtained data to determine a number representative of the obtained data for the time period;

adds the number to the accumulator; and

determines a unitless activity value based upon the number in the accumulator and an expected maximum number.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor repeats the sampling, processing, adding, and determining a plurality of times during the time period.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising a display that displays the determined unitless activity value.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor processes the obtained data by determining power spectral density of the obtained data over a frequency range.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor determines the unitless activity value by:

determining a ratio based on a comparison of the number in the accumulator and the expected maximum number; and

multiplying the determined ratio by a range number.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the obtained data is indicative of a number of physical repetitions.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the unitless activity value is based on an intensity of the obtained data.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the unitless activity value is based on a length of the time period.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the obtained data is indicative of at least two different activities performed by a user.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein the time period is at least eight hours.