CN113939348A

CN113939348A - Intelligent shin guard

Info

Publication number: CN113939348A
Application number: CN202080036055.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 巴卡里·卡玛拉
Original assignee: Vbkam
Current assignee: Vbkam
Priority date: 2019-05-15
Filing date: 2020-05-14
Publication date: 2022-01-14
Also published as: BR112021022834A2; EP3969135A1; MA55956A; WO2020229574A1; US20230079575A1; KR20220008862A; JP2022532360A; CA3140229A1; AU2020276716A1; FR3095956A1

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to a smart shin guard (10) comprising a microprocessor (11), data sensors (12, 13), a memory (14), at least one wireless communication interface (15) allowing transmission of at least a part of the data relating to a sports session captured by the sensors, and electronic components of a power supply (17) integrated into the body of the shin guard.

Description

Intelligent shin guard

The present invention relates to a so-called "smart" shin guard for measuring and transmitting data.

In the sports world, both in the professional world (which is very valuable) and in the amateur world, posterior analysis of the game makes it possible to quantify the subjective perception, ultimately improving the performance of the team.

Some athletes provide complex analysis equipment that requires heavy infrastructure or additional athlete equipment, which is often very expensive, meaning that the equipment is used only by very large clubs. These devices include smartwatches, belts (on the waist or around the chest), armband wearing smartphones, etc. However, the analysis devices worn by these athletes cause discomfort, hindering their use and acceptance, and most of these devices are not allowed in official competitions.

In certain types of athletic activities, such as football, baseball, martial arts, hockey, cross-country, football, etc. (and depending on the association, class, age … … of the athlete), each athlete may or must wear a shin guard. The shin guard is protection of the lower leg, often essential in case of competition and/or training, and is now usually made of fibreglass, composite material (carbon type), plastic or polyurethane.

In addition to the sometimes mandatory wearing, it is also well suited to analyze the wearer's performance, since it is related to the posture taken during the session (match or training), i.e. the control of the ball (in the case of ball sports), the hit received (in the case of martial arts), etc. By providing the shin guard with a measuring function, an analysis device can be provided for each athlete.

The document WO20170178880 describes a shin guard provided with an electronic chip that allows to collect various data, in particular the distance travelled, the average speed, the force and the blows, etc. The chip is in the shape of a capsule that is placed in the inner upper portion of the shin guard, protected by a small safety pocket between the hard portion of the shin guard and the protective foam, and connected to a data processing and display application.

However, the chip can be removed from the enclosure, with the risk of loss or damage. In addition, the small size of the chip allows for battery life, data capture and analysis, and the ability to transmit this data to a processing device.

Therefore, it is desirable to solve these inconveniences.

Embodiments of the invention then relate to a smart shin guard that includes a microprocessor integrated into the shin guard body, a data sensor, a memory, at least one wireless communication interface that allows transmission of at least a portion of the data relating to the physical training session captured by the sensor, and electrical components of a power supply.

According to one embodiment, the shin guard further comprises a human-machine interface comprised of light emitting diodes arranged at an upper edge of the shin guard.

According to one embodiment, the shin guard further comprises a connection port for charging the power supply, the port being arranged at the bottom of the shin guard and arranged downwards.

According to one embodiment, the power supply is rectangular in shape, centered between the connection port and the microprocessor.

According to one embodiment, the sensors comprise accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer type motion sensors, and global positioning system type position sensors.

According to one embodiment, at least some electronic components are arranged on the flexible printed circuit to match the curved shape of the shin guard.

According to one embodiment, at least some of the electronic components are arranged on at least two printed circuits to match the curved shape of the shin guard.

According to one embodiment, the shin guard includes at least two wireless communication interfaces according to different communication protocols, one interface for transmitting certain data in real time during a session and another interface for transmitting other data after the session.

Embodiments of the present invention also relate to a method of capturing and transmitting data from a sports session, comprising the steps of: wearing, by an athlete during a sporting session, a shin guard according to one embodiment; collecting data about a sports session; at least some of the captured data is sent to a data processing and display application.

Embodiments of the present invention also relate to a method of receiving and processing data from a sports session, comprising the steps of: receiving, by a data processing and display application, data associated with the at least some captured sports sessions, the data transmitted by a data capture and transmission method according to one embodiment; and processing the received data.

According to one embodiment, a method of receiving and processing further comprises the step of dividing the data into at least two time segments for analysis.

Before the embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to the reader and are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which are illustrative only, and the specific structure shown and described may be modified within the scope of the appended claims.

Various other objects, features and advantages associated with the present invention will be understood by reading the accompanying drawings, in which reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic view of electronic components of a shin guard according to one embodiment;

fig. 2 is an exploded mechanical side view of a shin guard according to one embodiment;

fig. 3 is a front view of a shin guard according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an application installed on a smartphone, particularly an athlete's profile, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an application installed on a smartphone, in particular the selection of a session location according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a view of an application installed on a smartphone, particularly data for a session according to one embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a view of an application installed on a smartphone, particularly data relating to a session divided into at least two periods according to one embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a view of an application installed on a smartphone, an

Fig. 9 is a view of an application installed on a smartphone, which specifically illustrates dividing data related to a session into at least two periods, according to one embodiment.

It was found that the analysis device must be integrated as far as possible into the existing shin guard, i.e. it cannot lead to an external growth of the product, for weight reasons, to the hindrance of the athlete, to integration into existing products and manufacturing processes, etc.

For this reason, electronic components have been integrated into the body of the shin guard, with smart modifications to achieve maximum functionality in a smaller space, and to withstand mechanical shock and temperature variations.

The shin guard is easily hit by other players or objects such as balls, sticks, etc. Furthermore, it is in contact with the leg, usually under the socks of the player, and is subject to the humid environment associated with the sweat of the player and to the temperature variations between the outside (between winter and summer) and the body temperature. The typical service life of the existing shin guard is two years.

Ideally, but not necessarily, the smart shin guard should be able to record the entire session (hereinafter understood as training or competition) without charging. The duration of a game is about two hours and there must be a period of time between the players' dressing and the end of the session, thus enabling an autonomous operation of about three hours.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the electronic components of the smart shin guard.

The smart shin guard 10 comprises a microprocessor 11(CPU), data sensors, in particular a motion sensor 12(CAP) and a position sensor 13(GPS), a memory 14(MEM), at least one wireless communication interface 15(COM), a human machine interface 16(HMI) and a power supply 17 (BAT). In addition, if the power supply 17 is of the recharging type (with respect to inductive loads) over a wire, the connection port 18(I/O) is linked to the power supply 17 and may also be linked to the microprocessor 11 to allow downloading of data, installation of functions, etc.

The microprocessor 11 allows data to be acquired by the motion sensor 12 and the location 13, stored in a memory 14, and communicated via a wireless communication interface 15. The microprocessor 11 is capable of executing a startup sequence algorithm or pre-processing. The microprocessor 11 desirably allows for multiple interface management, persistence, low power consumption operational capability in standby and use, availability of cartridges that ensure required connectivity capabilities, support and availability of development tools (e.g., downloading and installing new functions).

Motion sensors 12 may include, but are not limited to, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and three-axis magnetic fields.

The position sensor 13 is of the GPS ("global positioning system") type. The use of such sensors is known in the art.

The memory 14 has a data storage capacity at least equivalent to the life of the battery. Providing only one idea, and without limitation, if the sensor acquisition frequency is 100 to 200Hz and data is written in blocks of 16 bytes, i.e., 1600 to 3200BPS (bytes per second) in a four hour period, this provides a data volume of 46MB, i.e., 368 MB. Thus, the target memory is 512 Mb. A dedicated SPI ("serial peripheral interface") bus can be used to connect the microprocessor 11 to the memory 14.

In order for the smart shin guard 10 to communicate with a data analysis medium (e.g., a smartphone or a touch pad), at least one wireless communication interface 15 is provided. Several different wireless communication modes are possible according to different communication standards or protocols-WiFi, bluetooth, GSM, etc. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, particularly power consumption, communication distance, and interface size.

In one embodiment, the wireless communication interface 15 is a WiFi module, allowing large data packets to be transmitted with acceptable transmission times.

However, several interfaces can be provided, for example one that allows certain data to be sent all the time quickly (the coach wishes to keep track of the distance each player has travelled in real time), while another interface, for example a USB or bluetooth port, allows other data to be downloaded after a session for more in-depth analysis. Likewise, a communication interface (wireless or wired) may be assigned as a primary interface, with the other interface being activated only if the primary interface is no longer functional.

In one embodiment, the smart shin guard 10 is equipped with a WiFi interface and a bluetooth interface, as connecting a smart phone to a device like a shin guard via WiFi involves switching the network of the phone to this interface and then locking the communication capabilities of the phone to this single interface. The handset then loses its data connection with the outside world. In addition, constant power supply of the WiFi interface involves high consumption. It is then necessary to re-wear the shin guard part in the middle, or to replace the shin guard part. The use of a bluetooth interface allows permanent connection and allows connection with a smartphone without the latter losing its data connection. Thus, the bluetooth interface can be used to overview product status, configuration, and occasionally initiated WiFi connections.

In the case of two communication interfaces, the target is an antenna common to both interfaces.

In one embodiment, the human-machine interface 16 is a light emitting diode (also referred to as an LED, "light emitting diode" or LED). Preferably, the diodes are arranged on the top of the product, on the upper edge, as shown in fig. 3, so that they can be easily seen by the athlete when looking down. For example, he or she can ensure that the shin guard is always on and obtain data, and see when a call is in progress.

The diode can then indicate whether the shin guard is open, the charge level, whether connected to the network, whether the memory is full, etc.

More preferably, the shin guard does not include a screen type interface that could be damaged during the session and in any case difficult to review, and does not include buttons that could be a source of failure. The tap type button can be used to open and close the shin guard, trigger data transfer, and any other operation.

Instead of a "tap" type button for turning the power to the shin guard on and off, the program can involve a motion sensor 12 and a position sensor 13 to define conditions on the position of the smart shin guard 10 and the gestures to be performed to start and stop data logging on the smart shin guard 10. This procedure also includes communicating information from the shin guard to the athlete so that he/she can verify the proper stopping and starting of the data records on the smart shin guard 10.

In one embodiment, when the smart shin guard 10 is in an upright position, with the edge comprising the diode facing upwards, the effect of tapping the smart shin guard 10 in this position is detected by the smart shin guard 10 and triggers the green diode to light continuously for 3 seconds and then flash for 5 seconds, during which the effect of tapping twice on the smart shin guard 10 in succession is to start recording data.

Tapping is an action performed by hand motion that strikes the shin guard with sufficient force to be detected by the motion sensor 12 without damaging the smart shin guard 10.

Two consecutive taps are two taps within 2 seconds of each other.

To stop data recording, the effect of two consecutive taps on the smart shin guard 10 when the shin guard is in an upright position, with the edge comprising the diode facing downwards, makes it possible to stop data recording.

During data recording, a loss of GPS signal will cause the green LED to flash until the GPS signal is again received.

The blue diode flashes indicating that the data recording function is normal.

The power supply 17 (battery) is preferably rechargeable, lightweight and small. A lithium polymer type battery can be used and associated with a 17A power management circuit (GES) (PMIC or "power management integrated circuit") to compose the functions of charging, charge management, controlling the LED interface, if present, measurement and battery protection. In the case of a rechargeable power supply, a USB type-C connector can be included to recharge the battery. Preferably, in the described embodiment, the USB port is the only opening on the outside of the shin guard housing. Preferably, the USB port is arranged downward to prevent it from being filled with rain or sweat. It then relates to the implementation of an identification/discrimination circuit linked to the interface.

However, as described above, the inductively rechargeable battery can also be used in consideration of the battery size, the operation time, the recharging time, and the like.

The mechanical limitations of the described electrical components, shin guards, including total available area, thickness, and curvature of the legs must be considered.

Standard shin guards are generally narrow at the bottom and wide at the top, and may vary in length depending on the size of the athlete.

Thus, a first constraint is the total surface area available for placement of electrical components. The highest and most bulky components are the communication interface 15, the power supply 17 and the port 18. Electromechanical integration studies have shown that the required surface results in the need for a surface (due to the curvature of the legs) that is incompatible with the use of a single PCB ("printed circuit board") plane, i.e., a planar surface that is insufficient to receive all components. Thus, the printed circuit may be a "flex" or flexible PCB consisting of three parts that conform to the curved shape of the shin guard, or three linked printed circuits. A printed circuit is placed in the upper portion of the shin guard to have as large a surface as possible and to allow the diode to illuminate the aperture of the indicator light.

Height and volume limitations also have an effect on the size of the power supply 17. Electromechanical integration studies have shown that an elongated rectangular battery placed in the center of the lower part of the shin guard is the best solution, at least under current limitation.

As mentioned above, the port 18 is placed at the bottom of the shin guard to avoid it being "filled" in the rain or in the sweat of the player.

In the example shown in fig. 1, the microprocessor 11, the motion sensor 12 and the human-machine interface 16 are arranged on a central printed circuit 19-1, which is the widest due to its central position on the player's leg. More specifically, the human-machine interface is arranged in the top center to allow quick review by the athlete, as described above. Also, an antenna (not shown) of the wireless communication interface 15 is preferably arranged at the top to facilitate its connection to the communication network.

The position sensor 13 and the wireless communication interface 15 are arranged on a printed circuit board 19-2 which is narrow on one side, while the memory 14 and the power supply management module 17A are arranged on a circuit board 19-3 which is also narrow on the other side. The port 18 is located centrally in the bottom of the shin guard, apart from the other components. The power supply 17 is disposed between the port 18 and the microprocessor 11 on the central printed circuit 19-1.

In case the wireless communication interface 15 (or one of the at least one wireless communication interface 15) is of the WiFi type, it is arranged on the central printed circuit 19-1, since at present, due to the size of this interface, the central portion is the only portion capable of accepting it. Preferably, the microprocessor 11 is also arranged centrally to reduce the complexity of the links between the components.

Fig. 2 is an exploded mechanical side view of the shin guard 10. It will be noted that the back 20, which is typically supported by foam for comfort, and the front 21, which protects the player. The electronic components are arranged between two

faces

20, 21 on the printed circuits 19-1, 19-2, 19-3. Also shown are a power supply 17 and a port 18, the port being at the bottom of the shin guard, the power supply 17 being between the port 18 and the circuit board.

Fig. 3 is an anterior view of the shin guard 10. A facade 21 (with flags, club names, photographs etc.) can be seen which can be personalised according to the wishes of the athlete and/or club. At the top, the position of the diode 16 is shown, the diode being arranged on the upper edge (between the front face 21 and the back face 20). Finally, the location of the port 18 for the wired connection is shown.

Fig. 4-8 show an example of an analysis application installed on a smartphone, which receives data from an associated smart shin guard 10.

Fig. 4 is a view of an application installed on a smartphone, which includes athlete data. The athlete can enter various parameters such as his name, his photograph or his head portrait, his height, his gender, his weight, his location in the sports team, his club name, an identifier of the associated smart shin guard, his age, his rank (beginner, hobbyist, professional … …), years of practice, applicable unit system (e.g., miles or kilometers), and many other elements. In addition, the leg to which the shin guard is mounted is also configurable to provide greater accuracy. The athlete may wish to mount him on the leg he/she most frequently shoots on to better track the number of shots, or conversely prefer to mount him on the other leg to measure, for example, the number of impacts sustained.

Furthermore, nothing prevents the simultaneous use of two smart shin guards 10 (one for each leg). This is useful for estimating the number of strokes per leg, determining the dominant leg, checking the data against each other-i.e. finding the magnitude of the difference between the data captured by the shin guard mounted on the left leg and the shin guard mounted on the right leg, etc. In the case of collective analysis, it is also necessary to equip the legs of each player, for example to determine a preferred pass line.

The application can be combined with more than one shin guard, e.g. one for training, one for competition, or one for each player, if the coach wants to consult the data of all his players. Session data may be stored according to session (date, time, location) and downloaded or transmitted as needed.

In addition, other data, such as heart rate, blood oxygenation, and breathing rate can be acquired by other devices (or perhaps by the shin guard itself), transmitted to a smartphone or tablet application, and integrated/correlated to the processing of session data.

The identification or association of the smart shin guard with the application can be accomplished by scanning the bar code or Q code on the shin guard itself or its packaging, entering a number identification, connecting by cable (at least once adjusted) or just connecting the nearest shin guard.

Data about the location of the session (training or competition) may also be entered, such as the name of the stadium or the contact address. Some stadiums have different technical parameters, such as the type of surface (grass, asphalt, etc.), its surface area and its flatness.

Fig. 5 is a view of an application installed on a smartphone, including selection of session locations (stadium, field, parking, etc.). In one embodiment, the athlete can use his current location to locate himself on a satellite map or photograph such as *** earth (R). Information about the location of the conversation (its size, location) can be defined by tracking contours on the map or photograph.

Fig. 6 is a view of an application installed on a smartphone, which includes session data. The date-indicated session can be noted, as well as statistics related to the session, in particular the distance traveled, maximum speed, number of hits and power of kicks.

FIG. 7 is a view of an application installed on a smartphone, including data relating to periods of a session divided into at least two periods; data related to the first half of the current session may be noted.

Fig. 8 and 9 are views of an application installed on a smartphone, including dividing data related to a session into at least two periods.

Fig. 8 shows all data recorded for a session.

Fig. 9 shows that the session data is divided into at least two periods, where the first period corresponds to the upper half field and the second period corresponds to the lower half field. Data corresponding to time periods before, during rest and after training are therefore excluded. This division allows the physical activity of the athlete to be compared between the two sessions. For example, perhaps he or she is more tired or contacts the ball more often. As can be seen in fig. 7, the distance traveled, number of hits, etc. are then specific to the time period in question.

Other applications and uses of the data are possible.

With respect to data transfer and processing, raw session data is sent to an analytics application (typically on a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet, but also on a computer). The application includes a programming interface (API or "application programming interface"), data about the athlete and shin guard (e.g., which version). The programming interface transfers the raw data to processing software, which analyzes it and applies algorithms. The decoded data is returned to the application, which formats the displayed session data. However, this method can be implemented differently, in particular in a dedicated computer or tablet for processing session data, in particular in a professional environment.

In this detailed description, the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the invention is not limited to the presented embodiments.

In one embodiment, the shin guard does not include motion and position sensors, only one or the other.

Furthermore, the human-machine interface 16 is not essential. The power and condition of the shin guard can be checked simply using a smartphone application.

Other variations and embodiments can be inferred and implemented by those skilled in the art of the present invention upon reading the description and the accompanying drawings.

Claims

1. A smart shin guard (10) comprising a microprocessor (11), data sensors (12, 13), a memory (14), at least one wireless communication interface (15) allowing transmission of at least part of the data relating to a sports session captured by the sensors, and electronic components of a power supply (17) integrated into the shin guard body.

2. The shin guard of claim 1, further comprising a human-machine interface (16) comprised of light emitting diodes disposed on an upper edge of the shin guard.

3. The shin guard according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a connection port (18) for charging the power supply, the port being arranged at a bottom of the shin guard and arranged downwards.

4. The shin guard according to claim 3, wherein the power supply (17) is rectangular in shape, centered between the connection port (18) and the microprocessor (11).

5. The shin guard according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sensors comprise a motion sensor (12) of the accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer type, and a position sensor (13) of the global positioning system type.

6. The shin guard according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least some electronic components are arranged on a flexible printed circuit to match a curved shape of the shin guard.

7. The shin guard according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein at least some electronic components are arranged on at least two printed circuits (19-1, 19-2, 19-3) to match a curved shape of the shin guard.

8. The shin guard according to any one of claims 1-6, comprising at least two wireless communication interfaces according to different communication protocols, one interface for transmitting some data in real time during a session and another interface for transmitting other data after the session.

9. A method of capturing and transmitting data for a sports session, comprising the steps of: wearing by an athlete the shin guard according to any one of claims 1 to 8 during a sporting session; collecting data about the sports session; at least some of the captured data is sent to a data processing and display application.

10. A method of receiving and processing data from a sports session, comprising the steps of: receiving, by a data processing and display application, at least some captured data relating to a sports session transmitted by the method of capturing and transmitting data according to claim 9; the received data is processed.

11. The reception and processing method according to claim 10, further comprising a step of dividing data into at least two time periods for analysis.