A wearable simulated visual swimming learning device

Abstract

A wearable simulated visual swimming learning device, belonging to the fields of neurophysiology or sports equipment technology, solves the problem of individual self-directed swimming learning. It is a combined device mainly composed of multiple components, including a safety buoyancy device, a water pressure sensor device, a water surface speed measuring device, and a head-mounted simulator device. The head-mounted simulator device mainly consists of a half-screen transparent darkroom, an intelligent processor, and a display screen. It can process received or input data or signals, connect to a wireless network, and has a USB data interface. It can insert and play virtual human motion image videos or real-person motion video recordings provided by a removable storage card or a wireless network. The water pressure sensor device and the water surface speed measuring device are mounted on the buoyancy device and connected to the head-mounted simulator device via a data cable or radio signal. The monitored data information is displayed on the head-mounted simulator device. In this way, the person can directly visually obtain swimming instructional video motion images played on the display screen and simulate swimming learning, seeing the effects of their own swimming and the external swimming environment, thus learning to swim more quickly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a wearable simulated visual swimming learning device, mainly a self-guided swimming learning device composed of multiple devices, belonging to the fields of biological neuroscience or sports equipment technology. Background Technology

[0002] Most terrestrial animals on Earth need to breathe air to survive, and most animals are born with the ability to swim. Driven by survival instincts, animals will instinctively keep their heads above water and then move their limbs rhythmically when they fall into the water. However, humans are not born swimmers. Even if a non-swimmer can temporarily keep their head above water, their limbs will flail haphazardly, unlike other animals. The decline in human swimming skills is related to the evolutionary process of animals on Earth from aquatic to terrestrial life. Not only have human swimming skills declined, but learning to swim is also very difficult. Learning to swim typically takes more than 50 hours, or even longer. Without experienced guidance and supervision, drowning accidents are very likely to occur, highlighting the importance of learning to swim.

[0003] To facilitate learning to swim, many swimming aids have been invented. A utility model patent application, application number 201520064714.9, discloses a novel swimming training aid for instruction, used to keep swimmers within a fixed area of ​​the water for hand and leg exercises. The aid includes a railing, a vertical pole, a railing mounting assembly, a swimming belt, and a connecting strap. The railing mounting assembly surrounds the railing and includes fasteners and connectors; the fasteners are fixed to the railing. The bottom end of the vertical pole is detachably connected to the connector, and then to the railing. The top end of the vertical pole is connected to one end of the connecting strap, and the other end of the connecting strap is fixed to the swimming belt. The swimming belt is fastened to the waist and abdomen. This utility model is low-cost, easy to store and transport, and limits the distance swimmers can travel in the pool, making it convenient and practical. However, this swimming training aid only provides an upward safety pull to prevent the swimmer from sinking; it is essentially a safety protection device for learning to swim and does not provide any instruction on proper swimming techniques.

[0004] Chinese patent CN203389311U discloses a swimming training device, comprising a bed board, hand guards, connecting rods, head ventilation holes, coil springs, a body support pad, leg trainers, and a sliding groove. The leg trainers include a foot pedal adjustment rod, foot pedals, a foot pedal adjustment rack, a slider, a spring, and a slider guide rail. The body support pad is located in the upper middle part of the bed board with the headboard as the top. Two coil springs are fixed to the left and right sides of the upper part of the body support pad. The connecting rod is connected to the hand guards, passing through the coil springs and inserting into the bed board, allowing rotation around the springs as a fulcrum. The two leg trainers are located at the foot of the bed board with the headboard as the top, and their left and right positions can be adjusted via the sliding groove. This swimming training device is only suitable for land-based practice and is not adapted to the complex buoyancy, pressure, and resistance environment of water, making it difficult to achieve the goal of learning to swim.

[0005] Chinese utility model patent ZL2017207131366, entitled "A Swimming Learning Ring," describes a swimming learning ring as a combination of a neck float, a sound and light warning device, a small battery, a switch, a water pressure triggering device, and several auxiliary connecting mechanisms. The neck float is an inflatable buoyancy ring or a foamed plastic buoyancy ring, with a break in the ring body for expansion and wearing. The warning device includes a sound warning device, a light warning device, or an electrical device combining sound and light. The water pressure triggering device... The device includes a float triggering device and an air chamber triggering device; the audible and visual alarm, small battery, switch, and water pressure triggering device are connected by conductive wires and then embedded or glued to the outer surface of the neck ring; the water pressure triggering device is installed on the outer side or bottom of the neck ring and can contact water; the audible and visual alarm is installed on the upper part of the neck ring, and the sound hole is isolated from the outside world through a waterproof sound transmission cover; the water pressure triggering device, when placed in water, can activate or deactivate its internal electrical contacts or change its internal resistance as the neck ring rises or sinks. A swimming learning ring integrates a neck ring and an audible and visual alarm into one unit. A water pressure triggering device converts the change in buoyancy experienced by the neck ring in water into a change in current, which is then transmitted to the audible and visual alarm to issue a warning. The trigger sensitivity can be adjusted, allowing learners to understand the effects of their limb movements in the water and continuously correct their swimming techniques, thus achieving the goal of quickly learning to swim. However, the aforementioned swimming learning ring only infers the effects of a swimmer's swimming movements through sensing, without demonstrating or prompting the swimmer about the movements, resulting in poor learning effectiveness.

[0006] Invention Patent Application (Application No. 2019105913790): An intelligent swimming learning ring, which is a combination of multiple functional organ components, mainly composed of a float, a monitor, an coded light box, a digital video recorder, a microcomputer, a prompter, a lithium battery, and waterproof components. The float is a buoyant body that supports the swimmer to float safely on the water surface without affecting swimming movements. The monitor is a device that monitors the swimmer's limb movements and can be divided into a video camera monitor, a water pressure sensor monitor, and a flow deflector monitor. The coded light box is a collection of boxes that converts the electrical signals provided by the monitor into indicator lights coded with numbers or different characters. The digital video recorder can capture images and convert them into transmittable data, and can input image data to a computer via a USB data cable. The microcomputer has image and various data recognition functions, and has functions such as storage, calculation, analysis, processing, and program editing, and has USB input and output ports. The interface; the monitor is responsible for monitoring the swimmer's movements and transmitting the monitored data to the coding light box. The coding light box encodes and simplifies the data, and then a digital video recorder records the simplified coded light information and inputs it into a microcomputer via USB. The microcomputer runs according to a pre-set program: automatically receiving data and comparing the received coded data with pre-stored coded swimming type data to draw a conclusion immediately. This conclusion, also pre-stored data, is then communicated to the swimmer through a prompt, allowing the swimmer to quickly understand the shortcomings in their swimming movements and correct them accordingly. This intelligent swimming learning circle, with its combined monitoring and audio prompts, is a relatively advanced swimming learning device and has achieved good results. However, due to its complexity, there are instances of monitoring failure and success. Although it successfully enables swimming learning, it relies solely on audio prompts and cannot provide the direct visual learning experience, thus having certain limitations. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To overcome the inherent inability of humans to swim, to address the need for instructors to guide swimming lessons, and to mitigate the risk of drowning during the learning process, we have invented a wearable simulated visual swimming learning device. This device ensures the safety of learners during the swimming learning process, preventing drowning. Furthermore, swimming learning is self-directed, requiring no external guidance or supervision, and can achieve simulated visual learning, making the learning process faster and safer.

[0008] A technical solution to the problem of a wearable simulated visual swimming learning device is as follows: The wearable simulated visual swimming learning device is a combined device mainly composed of multiple components, including a safety buoyancy device, a water pressure sensor device, a water surface speed measuring device, and a head-mounted simulator device. The safety buoyancy device is a wearable device that supports a person's buoyancy on the water surface without drowning. The water pressure sensor device monitors changes in buoyancy generated during swimming. The water surface speed measuring device monitors the speed generated during swimming. The head-mounted simulator device is a semi-transparent, relatively dark box, containing an intelligent processor and a display screen. It processes received or input data or signals, can connect to a wireless network and has a USB data interface, and can insert and play virtual human motion image videos or real-person motion video recordings provided by a removable storage card or wireless network; the water pressure sensor device and water surface speed measuring device are embedded in the buoyancy device and connected to the head-mounted simulator device by a data cable or radio signal. The monitored data information is transmitted into the intelligent processor for processing and then displayed on the screen or directly. In this way, people can directly visually obtain swimming instruction video motion images played on the screen and simulate swimming learning. They can also see the effects of their own swimming and the external environment, and learn to swim faster.

[0009] A safety buoyancy device described in a wearable simulated visual swimming learning device is a device that can support a person to float on the water surface without drowning. It includes life jackets, life rings, swimsuits, or strap-on buoyancy blocks. Of course, buoyancy devices that do not hinder swimming movements should be selected, such as neck floats or strap-on buoyancy blocks. Neck floats do not affect the swimming movements of a person's limbs and can keep the person's head safely floating on the water surface. Therefore, the raising and lowering of the neck floats can best cooperate with the water pressure sensor to monitor the effect of a person's swimming.

[0010] A wearable simulated visual swimming learning device is a combination of multiple devices, including a water pressure sensor used to measure the pressure of liquids and gases. Similar to other sensors, the pressure sensor converts pressure into an electrical signal output. Using a pressure sensor allows for the direct conversion of the measured pressure into various forms of electrical signals, such as wired data line output or radio signal output, facilitating monitoring and control requirements in automated systems. Therefore, it is widely used in industrial production, most commonly in the water pressure sensor in a car fuel tank, where changes in pressure determine the amount of gasoline and display the data on the car's dashboard. In general applications, the pressure sensor labels one atmosphere as 0, values ​​below one atmosphere as negative, and values ​​above one atmosphere as positive. Pressure sensors are already a modern technology and will only be briefly described here. In the application of the water pressure sensor device described in this invention, the water pressure monitored by the water pressure sensor is inversely proportional to the buoyancy generated by the swimming motion. The water pressure sensor is installed at the bottom of the safety buoyancy device and is connected to the intelligent processor and display screen via a data cable or radio signal. The intelligent processor marks one atmosphere as 0, data below one atmosphere as negative, and data above one atmosphere as positive. When the buoyancy generated by the swimming motion acts on the safety buoyancy device and floats upwards, the display screen shows the water pressure change data monitored by the water pressure sensor decreasing from large to small towards 0. The smaller the change (it cannot be lower than 0, because 0 is already atmospheric pressure), the greater the buoyancy generated by the swimming motion.

[0011] A wearable simulated visual swimming learning device includes a surface speed measuring device that transmits the buoyancy ring's speed to a head-mounted display via a data cable. Common surface speed measuring devices, also called flow velocimeters or flow meters, typically use a rotating multi-bladed impeller to capture water flow velocity. The rotational speed of the impeller determines the captured flow velocity. A common flow velocimeter is a water meter, which contains a multi-bladed impeller to capture the flow velocity of the liquid and, combined with the cross-sectional area of ​​the pipe, obtains the water flow rate data. Some water meters directly convert the captured flow rate data into an electrical signal for digital display. For speed measuring devices installed on ships, the captured water flow velocity data is directly transmitted as an electrical signal to a display screen in the bridge, possibly via wireless or wired transmission. Surface speed measuring devices are existing technology and will only be briefly introduced here. In this invention, the water surface speed measuring device mounted on the buoyancy device has a multi-bladed impeller at the bottom that captures the water flow speed, which should be the speed at which a person swims forward (including the speed of the water's own flow in the swimming environment). The captured data can be converted into an electrical signal and transmitted to a head-mounted simulator device, allowing the person to see the approximate speed effect produced by their swimming.

[0012] A wearable simulated visual swimming learning device includes a head-mounted simulator with an internal intelligent processor and display screen. The intelligent processor, essentially a microcomputer, receives external data signals via a USB interface, processes them intelligently, and makes the visual input easier for swimmers. It can also play videos or virtual dynamic images on the display screen by inserting a removable storage card. Furthermore, it can connect to a wireless network to determine location and play swimming instructional videos provided by the network. The processor also wirelessly connects to short-range devices via Bluetooth, enabling wireless data connection with water pressure sensors and surface speed measuring devices. Laptops and smartphones are similar devices that integrate intelligent processors and displays, combining a computer and screen. They can receive data signals via USB and play content from externally inserted removable storage cards, and can wirelessly connect to headphones, car navigation systems, etc., via Bluetooth.

[0013] The head-mounted simulator device described in a wearable simulated visual swimming learning device mainly comprises a half-screen perspective relative dark box, an intelligent processor, a display screen, and a focusing lens. The half-screen perspective relative dark box is mainly composed of an opaque shell and a binocular forward-looking half-screen perspective lens. The binocular forward-looking half-screen perspective lens consists of an opaque viewing mirror and a neutral density perspective mirror connected side by side on the same plane. The intelligent processor and the display screen are installed in the opaque viewing mirror part inside the relative dark box. The neutral density perspective mirror can uniformly reduce the light entering from the outside to form a relative dark box environment, allowing people to clearly see the dynamic images of swimming teaching videos played on the display screen, simulate swimming movements based on the dynamic images, and observe the external swimming environment through the neutral density perspective mirror at intervals to judge the safety of the environment.

[0014] The beneficial effects of a wearable simulated visual swimming learning device are as follows: This device combines a safety buoyancy device, a water pressure sensor device, a water surface speed measuring device, and a head-mounted simulator device into a wearable human body. Each device operates independently and is interconnected and cooperates to complete a unified swimming learning system. Swimming learners can visually obtain dynamic swimming instruction images and sounds from the device, simulate visual learning of swimming movements in real time, and see the effects of their own swimming movements, repeating more effective swimming movements and learning to swim quickly. Furthermore, this simulated visual swimming learning device utilizes the characteristics of the human visual nerve to create a semi-screen perspective relative dark box, allowing people to visually learn to swim while also observing the external swimming environment. This pioneering intelligent mechanized technical solution for simulated visual swimming learning makes swimming learning more self-service, faster, and safer. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1This is a side view of a wearable simulation visual swimming learning device.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a side cross-sectional view of the internal structure of a head-mounted simulator device for learning to swim using a wearable visual simulation.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the operation of a display screen inside a head-mounted simulator device that is a wearable visual swimming learning device.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional shape diagram of the outer surface of a head-mounted simulator device for wearable visual swimming learning.

[0019] In the diagram: 1. Head-mounted simulator device; 2. Safety buoyancy device; 3. Water surface speed measuring device; 4. Water pressure sensor device; 5. Human head; 6. Data transmission cable; 7. Earphone; 8. Elastic straps; 9. Waterproof inlet; 10. Water surface; 11. Focusing lens; 12. Display screen; 13. Intelligent processor; 14. Control buttons; 15. Neutral density lens; 16. USB interface; 17. Plastic support frame; 18. Waterproof soft rubber cover; 19. Virtual human body animation; 20. Lift indicator; 21. Forward speed indicator; 22. Lift real-time display column; 23. Forward speed real-time display column; 24. Water pressure data scale; 25. Speed ​​data scale; 26. Opaque shell; 27. Half-screen perspective relative dark box; 28. Opaque lens; 29. ​​Virtual water surface; 30. Half-screen perspective lens. Implementation

[0020] An implementation of a simulated visual swimming learning device Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 Provide a combined explanation.

[0021] How to use and operate this new invention device Figure 1 This basically solves the problem. Figure 1 In this simulated visual swimming learning device, the safety buoyancy device 2 adopts a neck buoyancy ring, which is already worn around the neck. Of course, life jackets or buoyancy straps may also be used as safety devices. Swimming is learned only when the head 5 is safely floating on the water surface 10. This neck buoyancy ring does not need to be very large, because it only needs to support the head on the water surface. If it is too large, it will generate a lot of forward resistance. Figure 1 The head-mounted simulator device 1 is worn in front of the head to cover the eyes. There is a light-reducing lens 15 on the left side of the screen in front of the eyes. The eyes can see the display screen 12 inside the device and the external environment. Figure 1The headset simulator 1 has an earphone 7 extending from the back to the person's ear canal, so that the person can not only watch the video on the screen but also hear the corresponding video dubbing. Figure 1 The head-mounted simulator device 1 can be securely worn on a person's head 5 because there is an elastic strap 8 at the back to support the wearing. Figure 1 In the diagram, we see that the head-mounted simulator 1 and the safety buoyancy device 2 are interconnected. The surface speed measuring device 3 and the water pressure sensor device 4, each embedded at the bottom of the safety buoyancy device 2, are connected to the head-mounted display device 1 via a data transmission line 6. These are connected internally through a waterproof inlet 9, transmitting real-time data on changes in water pressure and forward speed to the head-mounted display device 1. Besides the wired connection, the head-mounted display device 1 can also connect wirelessly to the surface speed measuring device 3 and the water pressure sensor device 4 via Bluetooth. We also see that the safety buoyancy device 2 is partially submerged in water, and the buoyancy it generates supports the swimmer's head 5 in the upper space, ensuring that even when swimming stops, the swimmer will not sink and can breathe air.

[0022] Figure 2 This diagram explains the main internal structure of the head-mounted simulator device 1. The head-mounted simulator device 1 is generally a long, rectangular eye mask. An opaque outer shell 26 and binoculars with semi-screen viewing lenses 30 form a semi-screen viewing dark box 27. A smart processor 13 and a display screen 12 are installed at the front of the box, and the smart processor 13 and display screen 12 are integrated. The side of the smart processor 13 has control buttons 14 and USB ports 16. Multiple USB ports 16 can be seen, which can receive external data or information from a mobile memory card and display it on the display screen 12. A focusing lens 11 is mounted at a certain distance in front of the display screen 12, allowing the user to clearly see or magnify the image displayed on the screen. The focusing lens 11 is surrounded by a waterproof soft rubber cover 18, ensuring that the device is waterproof and light-proof, creating a dark box environment inside the eye mask device, which is beneficial for viewing the display screen 12. Figure 2 We can see that there is also a light-reducing transparent lens 15 on the front left side of this head-mounted display device 1, which indicates that the dark box environment inside is not absolutely dark, but relatively dark. However, this relative darkness is sufficient for people to see the image content played on the display screen 12.

[0023] If a person wears a head-mounted simulator device 1, what will their visual experience be like? We will discuss this below. Figure 3 Please provide an explanation. Figure 3This refers to the view seen by both eyes inside the head-mounted simulator device 1, divided into a left image and a right image. A light-reducing lens 15 is installed on the left side, and without any obstruction, the left image seen by the viewer is the actual external scene. The right side is an opaque lens 28, with a smart processor 13 and a display screen 12 attached to the front; therefore, the right image seen by the viewer is the video image played on the display screen 12. Figure 3 In this embodiment, the opaque ytterbium 28 occupies a larger proportion than the neutral density lens 15 because of the required position of the display screen 12. In the video image on the right display screen 12, we see a virtual human animation 19 demonstrating swimming movements, which learners can simulate in real time. We also see two vertically rising and falling columns in the right display image: one column 23 indicating forward speed and the other column 22 indicating swimming lift. Below the columns are easily understood visual indicators: lift indicator 21 and forward speed indicator 22. Each column also has easily understood data scales on its sides: speed data scale 25 and water pressure data scale 24. The data on the right scale decreases as it rises, approaching zero, because the water pressure data transmitted by the water pressure sensor device 4 is inversely proportional to the lift generated by the swimmer. The greater the lift generated by the swimmer, the higher the safety buoyancy device 2 rises, and the lower the water pressure detected by the water pressure sensor device 4 becomes, even reaching zero. Swimmers simply need to imitate the movements of the simulated human body animation 19 to learn to swim. Each swimming motion is immediately displayed by the changes in these two columns, allowing learners to understand the effectiveness of their movements and repeat them more effectively. Based on the physiological characteristics of human visual nerves, humans have the ability to concentrate. Although humans have two eyes, while swimming, focusing on the right display screen 12, may neglect the external environment outside the left-hand light-reducing mirror 15. Therefore, swimmers need to blink intermittently to check the external environment on the left and assess its safety. For example, when driving a car, a person's eyes are mostly focused on what's in front, but they also need to blink periodically to check the rearview mirror to assess the situation behind and ensure driving safety.

[0024] Figure 4 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the outer surface shape of the head-mounted simulator device 1 is shown. From Figure 4As can be seen, the entire head-mounted simulator device 1 is similar in form to a regular windproof goggle, with opaque outer shells 26 on each side. The eye-covering area has a waterproof soft rubber cover 18, combined with elastic straps 8 to secure the entire device tightly against the eyes. The head-mounted simulator device 1 of this invention differs from ordinary windproof goggles and other types of goggle devices in that it does not use full-screen goggles for both eyes, but rather a half-screen or partial-screen goggle to view the external scene. Furthermore, the half-screen or partial-screen goggle uses a light-reducing lens 15. This light-reducing lens 15 is a semi-transparent or weakly transparent lens that uniformly reduces the amount of external light passing through, maintaining a relatively dark environment inside the goggle. This allows the user to not only view the display screen 12 but also see the external swimming environment, ensuring safety.

Claims

1. A wearable simulated visual swimming learning device, mainly composed of multiple devices, including a safety buoyancy device, a water pressure sensor device, a water surface speed measuring device, and a head-mounted simulator device. The safety buoyancy device is a wearable device that supports a person's buoyancy on the water surface without drowning. The water pressure sensor device is a device that monitors changes in buoyancy generated during swimming. The water surface speed measuring device monitors the speed data generated during swimming. The head-mounted simulator device is a semi-transparent, relatively dark box, containing an intelligent processor and a display screen. It can process received or input data or signals, connect to a wireless network, and has a USB data interface. It can insert and play virtual human motion image videos or live motion video recordings provided by a removable storage card or a wireless network. Its characteristic is: The water pressure sensor and surface speed measuring device are mounted on the buoyancy device and connected to the head-mounted simulator via data cable or radio signal. The monitored data is transmitted to the intelligent processor for processing and then displayed on the screen or directly. The screen image has two vertically changing columns: one representing the forward speed and the other representing the swimming lift. Each column also has an easy-to-understand visual scale. Swimmers simply imitate the movements of the simulated human body animation to learn to swim. Every time a swimmer performs a swimming movement, the effect of the movement is immediately displayed by these two columns, allowing learners to understand the effect of their movements. In this way, people can directly visually obtain swimming instructional video movement images played on the screen and simulate swimming learning, and can see the effects of their own swimming and the external environment, thus learning to swim faster.

2. The wearable simulated visual swimming learning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water pressure monitored by the water pressure sensor is inversely proportional to the buoyancy generated by a person's swimming movements. The water pressure sensor is installed at the bottom of the safety buoyancy device and is connected to the intelligent processor and display screen via a data cable or radio signal. The intelligent processor marks one atmosphere as 0, data below one atmosphere as negative, and data above one atmosphere as positive. When the buoyancy generated by a person's swimming movements acts on the safety buoyancy device and floats upwards, the display screen shows the water pressure change data changing from large to small towards 0, indicating that the greater the buoyancy generated by the person's swimming movements.

3. The wearable simulated visual swimming learning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The head-mounted simulator mainly consists of a semi-transparent relative dark box, an intelligent processor, a display screen, and a focusing lens, forming a simulated visual device. The semi-transparent relative dark box is mainly composed of an opaque shell and a binocular forward-looking semi-transparent lens. The binocular forward-looking semi-transparent lens is composed of an opaque viewing mirror and a neutral density (ND) viewing mirror connected side by side on the same plane. The intelligent processor and the display screen are installed in the opaque viewing mirror area inside the relative dark box. A focusing lens is installed at a certain distance in front of the display screen. The ND viewing mirror can uniformly reduce the light entering from the outside to form a relative dark box environment, allowing people to clearly see the dynamic images of swimming instruction videos played on the display screen, simulate swimming movements based on the dynamic images, and observe the external swimming environment through the ND viewing mirror at intervals to judge the safety of the environment.

Images