# US 2010/0167606 A1 · Force sensing oar

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- Number: US 2010/0167606 A1
- Document ID: US20100167606A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 12/645,386
- Filed: 2009-12-22
- Published: 2010-07-01
- Earliest claimed: 2008-12-29
- Inventors: Michael C. Luecker; Michael H. Linse
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20100167606A1

## CPC

- A63B 69/06: for rowing or sculling
- A61B 5/224: {Measuring muscular strength}
- A63B 24/0062: {Monitoring athletic performances, e.g. for determining the work of a user on an exercise apparatus, the completed jogging or cycling distance}
- G01K 13/00: Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes
- A63B 2220/54: Torque
- A63B 2220/58: Measurement of force related parameters by electric or magnetic means
- A63B 2220/72: Temperature
- A63B 2225/50: Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
- B63H 16/04: Oars; Sculls; Paddles; Poles
- A63B: APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT (apparatus for passive exercising, massage A61H)
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G01K: MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (radiation pyrometry G01J5/00)
- B63H: MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING (propulsion of air-cushion vehicles B60V1/14; specially adapted for submarines, other than nuclear propulsion, B63G; specially adapted for torpedoes F42B19/00)

## Abstract

A system for determining the magnitude of force applied to an oar by a rower as the oar is pulled through water includes a deflection sensor and a temperature sensor mounted on an oar shaft to determine deflection and temperature of a portion of the oar shaft during rowing. A processor connected to the deflection sensor and the temperature sensor receives signals indicative of deflection and temperature of the oar shaft and derives a force applied to an oar blade based on the deflection and temperature signals.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for determining a force on an oar during a rower's rowing stroke in water, comprising:
an oar handle;
a hollow oar shaft extending from the oar handle;
an oar blade affixed to the hollow oar shaft distal from the oar handle;
a deflection sensor affixed to a portion of the hollow oar shaft at a location for sensing oar shaft deflection, wherein the deflection sensor generates a deflection signal in response to deflection of the hollow oar shaft resulting from a force acting on the oar blade;
a temperature sensor affixed to a portion of the hollow oar shaft proximate the deflection sensor to generate a temperature signal representing a temperature of the portion of the hollow oar shaft;
a processing device mounted in the hollow oar shaft, the processing device operatively coupled to the deflection sensor and the temperature sensor to receive the deflection signal and the temperature signal, the processing device programmed to determine a magnitude of the force acting on the oar blade based on the received deflection signal and temperature signal;
a display device operatively communicating with the processing device for displaying the determined force magnitude; and
a power source disposed in the hollow oar shaft, wherein the power source is electrically connected to and provides power to the deflection sensor, the temperature sensor, and the processing device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further programmed to determine the magnitude of the force acting on the oar blade based on a table lookup function.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor includes a thin-film temperature sensor and the deflection sensor includes a strain gage.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein:
the hollow oar shaft includes a generally tubular wall; and
the deflection sensor and the temperature sensor are embedded in the tubular wall of the hollow oar shaft.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the deflection sensor and the temperature sensor are affixed on an inside surface of the hollow oar shaft.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the deflection sensor and the temperature sensor are affixed to an outside surface of the hollow oar shaft.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, further comprising an oar collar secured to the hollow oar shaft over the deflection sensor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is communicatively coupled with the deflection sensor and the temperature sensor via a signal wire.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further programmed to determine derived rowing data based on the determined force magnitude.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the derived rowing data includes one or more of:
a cumulative total of the magnitude of the force acting on the oar blade during a selected time period;
an average of the magnitude of the force acting on the oar blade during the selected time period;
a cumulative total of the magnitude of the force acting on the oar blade during a distance rowed;
an average of magnitude of the force acting on the oar blade during the distance rowed; and
a number of rowing strokes per a unit of time, the number of rowing strokes calculated from a periodic change in the magnitude of the force acting on the oar blade.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, further comprising a memory storage device communicatively coupled to the processing device for storing the derived rowing data.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the display device is located remotely from the oar, further comprising:
a wireless transceiver mounted in the hollow oar shaft and operatively connected to the processing device for transmitting the derived rowing data to the remote display device; and
wherein the power source is further electrically connected to and provides power to the wireless transceiver.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein:
the remote display device is configured to receive and differentiate derived rowing data from a plurality of oars; and
the remote display device includes an interface for displaying the derived rowing data from each oar sequentially or simultaneously.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the remote display device is communicatively coupled to the plurality of oars, the remote display device is configured to transmit commands to the plurality of oars for synchronizing the derived rowing data.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, further comprising a memory storage device operatively coupled to the remote display device for storing the derived rowing data.

### Claim 16 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the display device includes an electronic display attached to a surface of the oar and visible to a rower while rowing, the electronic display configured to display the derived rowing data; and
the power source is further electrically connected to and provides power to the display device.

### Claim 17

A method of determining derived rowing data for a rower's rowing stroke in water, comprising:
positioning a deflection measuring device at a location on an oar shaft to measure a deflection of the oar shaft produced as the rower rows through water;
positioning a temperature measuring device proximate the location on the oar shaft to measure the temperature of the location;
generating a deflection signal based on the measured deflection;
generating a temperature signal based on the measured temperature;
determining a force on the oar by a processor based on the deflection signal and the temperature signal;
generating derived rowing data by a processor based on the determined force; and
displaying the derived rowing data on a display.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein displaying the derived rowing data includes displaying the derived rowing data to the rower.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising:
transmitting the derived rowing data to a remote display device; and
wherein displaying the derived rowing data includes displaying the derived rowing data on the remote display device.