Sports monitoring system using GPS with location beacon correction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9424397-B2
Application number	US-201113335629-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2011
Priority date	Dec 22, 2011
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and methods for monitoring the performance of an individual during a fitness activity are disclosed. A method of monitoring the performance of a participant engaged in a fitness activity includes receiving a GPS signal during the fitness activity at a portable fitness device used by the participant; determining participant performance data based on the received GPS signal; at a stationary position beacon, transmitting location data associated with the location of the stationary position beacon; at a mobile participant receiver supported by the participant, receiving the location data from the stationary position beacon; and modifying the participant performance data based on the data received from the stationary position beacon.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of monitoring the performance of a participant engaged in a fitness activity, comprising:
receiving a GPS signal during the fitness activity at a portable fitness device used by the participant;
determining participant performance data based on the received GPS signal;
at a stationary position beacon, transmitting location data associated with the location of the stationary position beacon;
at a mobile participant receiver supported by the participant, receiving the location data from the stationary position beacon;
performing at least one calculation based on the location data from the stationary position beacon and the participant performance data based on the received GPS signal; and
modifying the participant performance data based on the at least one calculation,
wherein each of the steps is executed using at least one processor,
wherein the stationary position beacon location data is distinct from the received GPS signal, and
wherein performing at least one calculation comprises calculating at least one adjusted value between the participant performance data and participant performance data based on the location data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the participant performance data comprises location data.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the participant performance data comprises data selected from the group consisting of: pace, speed, and distance traveled.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fitness activity includes a predetermined route and the stationary position beacon is positioned at a predetermined location along the route.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying the participant performance data to the user during the fitness activity.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying the participant performance data to the user after the fitness activity.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising at a stationary position beacon, transmitting time data; and at a mobile participant receiver supported by the participant, receiving the time data from the stationary position beacon.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the modifying occurs when the location data is received from the stationary position beacon.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the modifying occurs after the fitness activity is completed.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the modifying occurs after the participant has crossed the stationary position beacon.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the portable fitness device comprises a smartphone.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stationary position beacon includes a mat.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting the location data from the mobile participant receiver to the portable fitness device.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile participant receiver is a dedicated race chip.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile participant receiver is discrete from the portable fitness device.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the participant performance data comprises replacing the participant performance data with participant performance data based on the location data.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing at least one calculation occurs at a mobile participant receiver supported by the participant.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing at least one calculation comprises determining an average of the participant performance data and participant performance data based on the location data, and wherein modifying the participant performance data based on the at least one calculation comprises replacing a portion of the participant performance data with a portion of the average of the participant performance data and the participant performance data based on the location data.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing at least one calculation occurs during the fitness activity.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stationary position beacon comprises the stationary position beacon that is most proximate to the mobile participant receiver, and wherein the at least one calculation is based only on the location data from the most proximate stationary position beacon and the participant performance data based on the received GPS signal.

21. A method of monitoring the performance of a participant engaged in a race having a predetermined route, comprising:
determining participant performance data based on a GPS signal received by a portable fitness device used by the participant during the race;
from a stationary position beacon positioned at a predetermined location along the route, transmitting location data associated with the location of the stationary position beacon;
at a mobile participant receiver supported by the participant, receiving the location data from the stationary position beacon;
determining participant performance data based on the location data from the stationary position beacon;
calculating an average of the beacon-based participant performance data and the GPS-based participant performance data; and
modifying the GPS-based participant performance data based on the average,
wherein each of the steps is executed using at least one processor, and
wherein the stationary position beacon location data is distinct from the GPS signal.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the race is a marathon.

23. The method of claim 21 , further comprising at a stationary position beacon, transmitting time data associated with the location of the stationary position beacon; and at a mobile participant receiver supported by the participant, receiving the time data from the stationary position beacon.

24. The method of claim 21 , wherein the mobile participant receiver is part of the portable fitness device.

25. The method of claim 21 , wherein the mobile participant-receiver is discrete from the portable fitness device.

26. The method of claim 21 , wherein the GPS-based participant performance data, the beacon-based participant performance data, and the modified participant performance data comprise location data.

27. The method of claim 21 , wherein the GPS-based participant performance data, the beacon-based participant performance data, and the modified participant performance data comprise data selected from the group consisting of: pace, speed, and distance traveled.

28. The method of claim 21 , further comprising displaying at least one of the GPS-based participant performance data, the beacon-based participant performance data, and the modified participant performance data on the portable fitness device during the fitness activity.

29. The method of claim 21 , further comprising displaying at least one of the GPS-based participant performance data, the beacon-based participant performance data, and the modified participant performance data to the user after the fitness activity.

30. The method of claim 21 , wherein the modifying occurs when the location data is received from the stationary position beacon.

31. The method of claim 21 , wherein the portable fitness device comprises a smartphone.

32. The method of claim 21 , wherein the stationary position beacon includes a mat.

33. The method of claim 21 , wherein the modifying occurs after completion of the race.

Assignees

• Werner Jon Harald
• Dibenedetto Christian
• Black Stephen John
• Adidas Ag

Inventors

• Werner Jon Harald
• Dibenedetto Christian
• Black Stephen John

Classifications

• G16H40/63

  for local operation · CPC title

• G01S19/19

  Sporting applications · CPC title

• A63B2220/30

  Speed · CPC title

• A63B2220/14

  Geo-tagging, e.g. for correlating route or track location data with specific information related to that specific location · CPC title

• A63B2225/54

  Transponders, e.g. RFID · CPC title