Sensor-Timed Audio Guidance During Exercise Playback

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing exercise guidance systems fail to efficiently interleave audio guidance with audio streams during physical exercise, leading to interruptions or loss of content.

Innovation Solution

An apparatus and method that utilize sensors to generate audio guidance messages based on sensor data, determining optimal time instants to interrupt or modify audio streams for seamless integration with exercise sessions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If audio guidance is provided during exercise, then user guidance is improved, but audio stream interruptions increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguidance delivery reliabilityVSAvoidaudio stream interruption time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system determines future time instants in advance when audio guidance should be delivered, allowing the audio stream to be interrupted at predetermined moments rather than randomly. This preliminary planning ensures guidance is delivered at optimal times without causing unnecessary interruptions to the audio stream flow.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts the audio stream playback based on real-time sensor data from the exercise session. The audio stream is selectively interrupted or modified at specific future time instants when guidance is needed, while maintaining continuous playback at other times, creating a dynamic and adaptive audio delivery system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of operation

If audio stream is continuously played, then user engagement is maintained, but guidance message delivery is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser engagementVSAvoidguidance message delivery
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-determines future time instants when guidance messages should be delivered, allowing the audio stream to be interrupted at planned moments rather than randomly. This ensures guidance is delivered at optimal times without causing unnecessary interruptions to the audio stream flow.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses sensor data from the exercise session as feedback to determine when audio guidance should be delivered. This feedback mechanism ensures that guidance messages are timed appropriately based on real-time exercise conditions, maintaining user engagement while ensuring guidance delivery.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Speed

If audio guidance is delivered immediately, then guidance responsiveness is improved, but audio stream disruption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguidance delivery speedVSAvoidaudio stream management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system determines future time instants in advance when audio guidance should be delivered, allowing the audio stream to be interrupted at predetermined moments rather than randomly. This preliminary planning ensures guidance is delivered at optimal times without causing unnecessary interruptions to the audio stream flow.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts the audio stream playback based on real-time sensor data from the exercise session. The audio stream is selectively interrupted or modified at specific future time instants when guidance is needed, while maintaining continuous playback at other times, creating a dynamic and adaptive audio delivery system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP4201306B1Apparatus, method and computer program product for providing audio guidance during exercise
Publication Date: 2025.10.01 POLAR ELECTRO
  • EP4201306B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4201306B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4201306B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5

AI summary

An apparatus, a method and a computer program product for providing audio guidance during exercise are disclosed. The apparatus comprises one or more sensors to measure sensor data related to an exercise session of a user (100); a loudspeaker (34, 44); and one or more processors (10) to cause performance of at least the following: receiving (200) the sensor data measured during the exercise session from the one or more sensors; playing (202) an audio stream via the loudspeaker to the user during the exercise session; generating (204) an audio guidance message based on the sensor data; determining (206) a future time instant during a future playing period of the audio stream for outputting the audio guidance message; and interrupting (214) the playing of the audio stream at the future time instant and outputting (216) the audio guidance message via the loudspeaker to the user.