System and method for head acceleration measurement in helmeted activities
OwnerWeibin Zhu, Navid Yazdiinventors
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Abstract
The present invention generally relates to a system and method for the precise measurement of acceleration, movement, and other forces imparted on a body or object. Specifically, the invention relates to a system and method for measuring head accelerations in helmeted activities including, but not limited to, football, ice hockey, and lacrosse. Certain embodiments of the invention may include a wireless link to a remote recording station with near real-time data analysis and reporting of force and kinetics measured by the system.
Claims18
A system for determining the acceleration delivered to an object as a result of an impact, the system comprising:
- a plurality of sensor modules configured to detect an acceleration force applied to a user's head,
- wherein at least one of said sensor modules is embedded in an earpiece worn inside in car of the user, and another of said sensor modules is mounted in a helmet worn by the user,
- wherein each sensor module comprises a 3-axis linear accelerometer, a sensor interface and control unit, and a wireless data and power unit,
- wherein at least one of said sensor modules includes a gyroscope;
- a wireless data link mounted inside the helmet;
- an acceleration data processing module comprising computer-executable code stored in non-volatile memory;
- a processor;
- a memory;
- and
- a communications means,
- wherein said acceleration data processing module, said processor, said memory, and said communications means are operably connected and are configured to:
- receive acceleration data from said plurality of sensors via said wireless data link;
- and
- analyze said acceleration data collected by said sensor modules
- wherein sensor data from the earpiece sensor module is used to correct for inaccuracies in sensor data from the helmet sensor module caused by the helmet moving independently of the user's head in response to an impact.
A method for determining the acceleration delivered to an object as a result of an impact force, the method comprising the steps of:
- detecting an acceleration force being applied to a user's head with a plurality of sensor modules configured to detect the acceleration force, wherein at least one of said sensor modules is embedded in an earpiece worn inside an ear of the user, and another of said sensor modules is mounted in a helmet worn by the user, wherein each sensor module comprises a 3-axis linear accelerometer, a sensor interface and control unit, and a wireless data and power unit, wherein at least one of the said sensor modules includes a gyroscope;
- transmitting acceleration data from said sensors, via a wireless data link mounted in said helmet, to data processing module for analysis;
- and
- analyzing said acceleration data collected by said sensor modules at said data processing module
- wherein sensor data from the earpiece sensor module is used to compensate for inaccuracies in sensor data from the helmet sensor module caused by the helmet moving independently of the user's head in response to an impact.
A system for determining the acceleration delivered to an object as a result of an impact, the system comprising:
- a sensor module embedded in an earpiece worn inside an ear of a user, said sensor module includes a 3-axis orthogonal linear accelerometer, a sensor interface and control unit, a wireless data and power unit, and a gyroscope that measures rotation about an axis perpendicular to the user's ear;
- a sensor module and a wireless data link mounted inside the helmet:
- an acceleration data processing module comprising computer-executable code stored in non-volatile memory;
- a processor;
- a memory;
- and
- a communications means,
- wherein said acceleration data processing module, said processor, said memory, and said communications means are operably connected and are configured to:
- receive data from said sensor module via said wireless data link;
- and
- analyze said acceleration data collected by said sensor module to determine a displacement of the head's center of gravity, its velocity, and its acceleration after impact.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.