Waist Accelerometer and GPS Processing for Athletic Metrics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing athletic performance monitoring technologies fail to accurately track key parameters such as contact time, stride duration, stride length, and vertical displacement of the center of gravity during athletic activities, limiting an athlete's ability to optimize training and prevent overtraining or injuries.
Innovation Solution
An athletic performance monitoring device featuring a waist-worn accelerometer and a wristwatch with GPS, altimeter, and processing system that requests and processes acceleration data to provide detailed performance metrics like contact time, stride frequency, and reactivity, with the accelerometer acting as a slave to a master processing system for efficient data management and transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If existing monitoring technology (stop watches, heart rate monitors, GPS systems) is used, then basic performance metrics can be tracked, but detailed athletic performance parameters (contact time, stride duration, vertical displacement, reactivity, stiffness) cannot be accurately monitored
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the monitoring function into two distinct units: a sensing unit (accelerometer) that captures raw acceleration data and a data unit (processing system) that analyzes and displays performance metrics. This segmentation allows the accelerometer to focus on precise data collection while the processing system handles complex analysis, thereby improving measurement precision without compromising versatility
Solution Approach 2:
The processing system is designed to perform multiple functions: it receives acceleration data, processes it to extract various performance parameters (contact time, stride frequency, vertical displacement, reactivity, stiffness), and provides comprehensive athletic performance information. This multi-functionality ensures that a single system can accurately monitor all essential athletic parameters
2Loss of information
If continuous acceleration data is collected and processed in real-time, then comprehensive performance monitoring is achieved, but energy consumption and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The accelerometer continuously collects and stores acceleration data in memory before processing is required. This preliminary data collection ensures that when the processing system needs to analyze performance parameters, the data is already available, eliminating the need for real-time data transmission and reducing energy consumption while maintaining data completeness
Solution Approach 2:
The system is designed so that the accelerometer autonomously manages data storage in its memory, automatically overwriting oldest data when memory is full. This self-service capability reduces the processing burden and energy requirements of the main system while ensuring continuous data availability for comprehensive performance monitoring
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables comprehensive and accurate real-time monitoring of athletic performance, allowing for early detection of fatigue and potential injuries, thereby optimizing training and peak performance on race days.
Implementation Method 1
an athletic performance monitoring device which comprises a user-worn accelerometer to measure acceleration of the using athlete
Implementation Method 2
initiating a GPS to determine the change in vertical direction when the air-time sensor unit detects that the athlete is in the air
Implementation Method 3
a sensing unit, which can comprise an accelerometer (air-time sensor), This document discloses initiating a GPS to determine the change in vertical direction when the air-time sensor unit detects that the athlete is in the air
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention provides an athletic performance monitoring device comprising, an accelerometer configured such that it can be worn by a user close to the center of gravity of the athlete; and a processing system including a global positioning system; wherein the accelerometer is further configured such that it can wirelessly communicate acceleration data, relating to the acceleration of the user, to the processing system, and wherein the processing system is configured such that it can request acceleration data from the accelerometer only when some events depending on the output of the global positioning system and/or on a clock are occurring, and such that it can process the acceleration data it receives from the accelerometer to provide athletic performance information. There is further provided a corresponding method for providing athletic performance information. There is also provided an accelerometer for use in an athletic performance monitoring device.