Legged Locomotion Power Measurement Using Force and Acceleration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional activity monitoring systems fail to accurately quantify the level of effort or work exerted during activities like walking or running due to variations in speed and heart rate caused by factors such as hydration, recovery, temperature, elevation, and environmental conditions, and they do not effectively measure power, which is a more relevant metric than speed or force.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that combines force sensors and accelerometers to calculate power generated during legged locomotion, using the outputs from both types of sensors to provide a more accurate measurement of power exerted by the body, which can be displayed or stored for analysis, and is applicable to humans, animals, or robots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional activity monitoring systems use speed and heart rate sensors to monitor activity, then the system can track basic movement metrics, but the measurement accuracy of effort level deteriorates due to variations caused by hydration, temperature, elevation, and environmental conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the measured parameter from speed and heart rate (which vary with environmental factors) to power output (which directly reflects physiological effort). By measuring force applied to the treadmill belt and multiplying by belt speed, the system obtains a parameter that remains consistent regardless of hydration, temperature, or elevation changes.
2Force
If force sensors are used to measure propulsive forces during locomotion, then the measurement of force improves, but the ability to accurately quantify power generated deteriorates without acceleration data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges force sensor measurements with accelerometer data to calculate power. The force sensors measure the propulsive force applied to the treadmill, while accelerometers capture the kinematic motion. By combining these two data streams, the system can accurately calculate power as the product of force and velocity, resolving the limitation of using force sensors alone.
3Speed
If accelerometer-based systems are used to measure speed and distance, then the measurement of motion parameters improves, but the measurement of power generated deteriorates due to lack of force data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines accelerometer-based speed measurement with force sensor data to enable power calculation. While accelerometers accurately track speed and distance, they cannot measure force. By integrating force sensor measurements with the accelerometer-derived velocity data, the system computes power as force multiplied by speed, achieving both accurate motion tracking and power measurement.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method is provided for calculating power generated by a body during legged locomotion. The system includes at least one accelerometer to measure acceleration of the body during legged locomotion, at least one force sensor to measure a plurality of propulsive force impulses created by the body during legged locomotion, and a processor configured to calculate the power generated by the body during legged locomotion using output signals from both the at least one accelerometer and the at least one force sensor.