U.S. patent application number 13/106503 was filed with the patent office on 2012-08-30 for boxing training device for measuring and quantifying the relationship between the force and timing of punches.
This patent application is currently assigned to Mike Bucar Tennis Management, Inc.. Invention is credited to MICHAEL H. BUCAR, JUAN MENA, VICTOR URIARTE.
Application Number | 20120220430 13/106503 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46719390 |
Filed Date | 2012-08-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120220430 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BUCAR; MICHAEL H. ; et
al. |
August 30, 2012 |
BOXING TRAINING DEVICE FOR MEASURING AND QUANTIFYING THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FORCE AND TIMING OF PUNCHES
Abstract
A boxing training device having a first housing and at least a
second housing spaced from the first housing. A first sensor is
disposed in the first housing for sensing movement of the first
housing and outputting a first signal as a function of the sensed
movement. At least a second sensor is disposed in the at least
second housing for sensing movement of the second housing and
outputting a second signal as a function of the movement sensed by
the at least second sensor. A system, including the first and at
least second sensor, determines as a function of the first signal
and second signal, the force of an impact to a bag which impact
causes movement of at least one of first or second housing; and
displays the force of the impact.
Inventors: |
BUCAR; MICHAEL H.; (WEST
PALM BEACH, FL) ; MENA; JUAN; (MILFORD, OH) ;
URIARTE; VICTOR; (DORAL, FL) |
Assignee: |
Mike Bucar Tennis Management,
Inc.
|
Family ID: |
46719390 |
Appl. No.: |
13/106503 |
Filed: |
May 12, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61334429 |
May 13, 2010 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
482/84 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 2244/102 20130101;
A63B 2220/53 20130101; A63B 69/32 20130101; A63B 2220/40 20130101;
A63B 69/201 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
482/84 |
International
Class: |
A63B 69/32 20060101
A63B069/32 |
Claims
1. A boxing training device comprising: a first housing; at least a
second housing spaced from the first housing; a first sensor
disposed in the first housing for sensing movement of the first
housing and outputting a first signal as a function of the sensed
movement; at least a second sensor disposed in the at least second
housing for sensing movement of the second housing and outputting a
second signal as a function of the movement sensed by the at least
second sensor; a system, including the first and at least second
sensor, the system for determining, as a function of the first
signal and second signal, the force of an impact to a bag which
impact causes movement of at least one of first or second housing;
and displaying the force of the impact.
2. The boxing training device of claim 1, wherein said first
housing and at least second housing are each adapted to be inserted
into a heavy bag.
3. The boxing training device of claim 1, wherein the system
includes a processor receiving a voltage signal, generated as a
function of the first signal and the second signal, indicative of
sensed movement; the processor converting a value of the voltage to
a force value; and a database associated with the processor; and a
display, the processor performing at least one of displaying the
force value at the display and storing the force value in the
database.
4. The boxing training device of claim 1, wherein at least one of
the first sensor and at least second sensor is an
accelerometer.
5. The boxing training device of claim 1, wherein said first
housing is connected to said at least second housing.
6. The boxing training device of claim 1, wherein the first housing
is rotationally offset relative to the at least second housing.
7. The boxing training device of claim 6, wherein the offset is
about 45 degrees.
8. The boxing training device of claim 3, wherein the processor
stores a threshold force value.
9. The boxing training device of claim 8, wherein the processor
displays the force value at the display when the force value is
greater than or equal to the threshold force value.
10. The boxing training device of claim 8, wherein the processor
compares the force value to the threshold force value and causes
the display to display the force value in a first color if the
force value is less than a predetermined percentage of the
threshold force value, display the force value at the display in a
second color if the force value is within a predetermined
percentage of the threshold force value; and display the force
value in a third color if the force value is greater than a
predetermined percentage of the threshold value.
11. The boxing training device of claim 3, further comprising a
clock, the processor receiving a clock input from the clock, a
first voltage signal and a second voltage signal and determining an
elapsed time between the first voltage signal and the second
voltage signal.
12. The boxing training device of claim 3, wherein the processor
determines a score as a function of the force and the elapsed time
between at least a first voltage signal and a second voltage
signal.
13. The boxing training device of claim 12, wherein the processor
stores a force value at least for two voltage signals and an
elapsed time interval between the occurrence of the two or more
voltage signals for a first predetermined time period.
14. The boxing training device of claim 3, wherein the processor
normalizes the force value.
15. The boxing training device of claim 14, wherein the processor
normalizes the force value by dividing a normalization weight by
the weight of a user to obtain a normalization value and by
multiplying the normalization value by the force value.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional patent
Application No. 61/334,429 filed May 13, 2010, in the entirety
hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This application is directed to a boxing training device,
and more particularly, a device that provides feedback to a boxer
utilizing a heavy bag with respect to the speed and power of
punches that are applied in combination.
[0003] In 2007, the University of Manchester attempted to measure
the punching force of boxer Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton. The Project
was headed by Dr. Qingming Li. The measurement was obtained by
placing load sensors on the punching and having Mr. Hatton punch
them. A high-speed camera was used to record his punches. This data
was used to estimate the velocity at which he was punching. This
however, was a one-time experiment. As a result, the load sensors
do not have to endure the constant shock for years to come. The
sensors for the Ricky Hatton experiment were not able to keep up
with the amount of force being exerted upon them and the final
measurements were estimated from previous data.
[0004] "Punching Bag Dynamometer" by Y. Fortin, M. Lamontagne, and
A. Gadouas described punching force measurement. The system used
however, was (much like the system used by the University of
Manchester to measure Mr. Hatton's punching force) not meant to be
commercialized and it was in-fact a prototype meant to be used only
for that particular experiment. The system they used combined
accelerometers with a pressure transducer inside the bag requiring
a bag redesign.
[0005] The system used the various sensors to correlate data
between the accelerometers and the pressure changes being observed
in the bag. After calibrating these measurements, they used a
simple filtering algorithm in order to remove the noise generated
by gravity. The problem with their system was that it used a water
bag in order to make the pressure transducer effective. Water bags
are not rigid enough to punch and it makes the boxer work
harder.
[0006] Another known system was known from Pediatric Dynamometer by
Patrick Duggan under advisor Dr. Jay Zemel. This system used a
piezoelectric material (namely piezoelectric polyvinylidene
difluoride) placed inside the soles of children's shoes. This
allows the children to wear the shoes as they would any other,
while allowing the monitoring of the kinetic activity of the
children.
[0007] According to this paper, they can be used to measure force.
Not only will it not need the use of a power supply to power the
sensor, but it would be thin enough to cause little to no
disturbance to the boxer. The relation that was setup for this
experiment was the following:
F y ~ Q z ##EQU00001## F y ~ .intg. t begin t end I * t = .intg. t
begin t end V / R * t ##EQU00001.2##
Where:
[0008] F.sub.y: Force measured Q.sub.z: Total Number of
electrons
I: Current
V: Voltage Difference
R: Resistance of the Film
[0009] The designs made by Mr. Duggan were simple enough, the
wiring required for the sensor was minimal. If the sensor could be
obtained to be big enough to cover the entire bag, it would only
require minimal amount of wiring to create the entire setup. The
designs presented show that the whole sensor setup does not take up
much space.
[0010] The results from this experiment showed that there was a
high correlation between the force placed upon the system and the
voltage reading being obtained from the measuring devices. However,
there are certain conditions for which these sensors work great,
but for a punching bag this is not true.
[0011] Accordingly, it is desirable to develop a product that
overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] A rigid pipe, has a first housing at one end and a second
housing at the opposed end of the pipe. A first accelerometer is
disposed within the first housing. A second accelerometer is
disposed within the second housing. A processor receives input from
each accelerometer and determines the force applied to the bag and
the time at which the impact occurred as a function of acceleration
sensed at each accelerometer. The processor may also include a
clock for determining a time interval turn in which the
accelerometers will detect all impacts to the bag or the elapsed
time between successive impacts. A display is provided for
displaying at least the force of the at least one impact.
[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the first housing is disposed at
a rotational angle about the pipe relative to the second housing.
In a preferred embodiment, each impact, as sensed by the
accelerometers is time stamped by the processor during the
interval. The processor calculates the force of each individual
impact, the number of impacts sensed during the time interval, the
spacing in time between respective impacts during the interval and
an overall force amount equal to the sum of the force of each
impact during the interval.
[0014] Specifically, the accelerometers found in this system
provide a voltage signal as a function of acceleration to the
controller which determines how much acceleration the
accelerometers are subjected to. This can be used to measure the
force being applied on the system. The signal provided however, is
simply a voltage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The invention will now be described by way of example, with
reference to the accompanying drawings, where like numerals are
used to denote like elements and in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a side view of a sensor system for a boxing
training device constructed in accordance with the invention;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a graphical representation of the sensor operation
for a boxing training device constructed in accordance with the
invention;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a housing holding a sensor in
accordance with the invention;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a punching bag utilizing the
boxing training device in accordance with the invention;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the boxing training device
constructed in accordance with the invention; and
[0021] FIG. 6 a front plan view of a display operating in
accordance with the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0022] Reference is made to FIG. 1 wherein a system, generally
indicated as 10, is designed to be inserted inside a punching bag.
This means that system 10 must have the ability to push through the
punching bag's filling. For this reason, the system is preferably
as small as possible, in order to allow the user to insert it into
the punching bag with minimum effort, because the sand or rags that
fill the punching bag provide a large resistance. Also, system 10
should not materially affect the structure or operation of the
punching bag.
[0023] System 10 includes a pipe 12. A first housing 14 is affixed
at a first end of pipe 12. A second housing 16 is affixed at an
opposed end of pipe 12 so as to be spaced from housing 14. A first
accelerometer 18 is mounted within housing 14 and a second
accelerometer 20 is mounted within second housing 16. See FIG. 3. A
second pipe 22 may be used in a preferred, but nonlimiting
embodiment, and is affixed to either one of housing 16, 18 to act
as a handle to place the system 10 sufficiently within the bag.
Pipes are preferred to provide housing for any necessary wiring
within system 10, but rods which are resistant to impact may also
be used.
[0024] It is important to note that the two housings 16, 18 are
rotated (rotationally offset about the axis of pipe 12) at an angle
relative to each other. In a preferred nonlimiting example, the
angle is about forty five degrees. The reason for this, is that it
allows the sensors (accelerometers 20) to produce a better reading.
The accelerometers 20 measure accelerations in the X and Y
directions, therefore, if the two sensors 20 are offset at about
forty five degrees relative to each other, then they can measure in
four directions. Each accelerometer 20 (Analog Devices ADXL 321 EB
are used in a preferred embodiment) can measure in two directions
orthogonal to each other. Placing them at the specified angle,
successfully changes this to four directions. Were they placed in
the same orientation to each other, the measurement would be
redundant. In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 2, the system
can measure in a total of eight planer directions.
[0025] In spite of the fact that these accelerometers can only
measure accelerations on a two dimensional plane, when arranged
carefully, they can account for forces in almost any direction, as
shown in FIG. 2. This positioning increases the signal to noise
ratio of system 10 by allowing the accelerometers 18, 20 to have a
better probability of measuring the forces through the line of
action. This results in better accuracy. The sensors 18, 20 are
capable of each measuring an F.sub.x and F.sub.y which may be
normalized by:
F.sub.1= (F.sup.2.sub.x1+F.sup.2y.sub.1) (1)
F.sub.2= (F.sup.2.sub.x2+F.sup.2y.sub.2) (2)
Then in a preferred nonlimiting embodiment, the average between
F.sub.1 and F.sub.2 is taken to be the measurement.
[0026] A known force must be applied in order to know what voltage
the accelerometers are seeing. An example of this would be the
following, when the system is struck by a user, a processor
operating on the accelerometer signals may display a number based
on the accelerometer's data. Example, it may display .about.523.
This however, is a meaningless number because it has no units. In
order to correct this, a calibration process is required. Because
it is known that the change in momentum over the change in time is
the definition of force, it becomes possible to calculate how much
force was input to the system based on how quickly the momentum of
the punching bag changed. After repeating this procedure various
times, the calibration can be completed.
[0027] As seen in FIG. 3, housing 16 (housing 14 being identical in
structure so like numbers are utilized to indicate like structures)
in which the accelerometers will sit, formed in a nonlimiting
embodiment, has slots 30 to receive a plate 32. This allows
accelerometer 20 to be in a natural position. Because the
accelerometers 20 used in the preferred embodiment are bi-axial, it
is important to have them in their correct position. In one
embodiment, Tri-axial, may be used and may be placed in practically
any position, however, this would require processing six signals
instead of four, which would have in turn caused the system to run
slower.
[0028] The Housing 16 is then placed inside the punching bag (see
FIG. 4), the sand, and/or rags inside the bag, would then sustain
the system in place. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a sensor
construction in accordance with the invention. Housing 16 is shown
by way of example, the internal structure of housing 18 being
substantially identical. The second accelerometer 20 will be
separated from the first accelerometer 20 by pipe 12, which in one
exemplary nonlimiting example, is about ten inches long and half an
inch in diameter. In one embodiment, the pipe is made of galvanized
steel and has a threaded terminal at the end, this allows it to
connect to another thread on a unit similar to housing 16.
[0029] A boxer may often create punching forces in excess of half a
ton (1,000 lbf). Therefore, system 10 is designed to be placed
within the bag so that the sand (or rags sometimes) that fill the
punching bag will act as a damper for the punches that a user could
exert. However, there is no complete way to calculate the damping
that is created by the rags and the sand inside the bag. A
mathematical model was created to account for the damping effect of
the filling of the bag.
[0030] In one exemplary, but nonlimiting embodiment, galvanized
steel was used to hold accelerometer 20 in place, as well as to
connect to the pipes 12, 22. Aluminum may also be used to reduce
cost. Furthermore, aluminum is easier to machine than steel, as it
can be machined at a much higher rate. Because aluminum is much
softer than steel, it can easily be machined with high speed steel
end mills (which are the most readily available and lowest
priced).
[0031] There is no way to know exactly what magnitude or direction
the force will be applied to system 10, as people with many
different body heights, strengths and/or techniques, are expected
to hit system 10 from many different directions. For this reason,
the calculations were carried out assuming a worst case scenario,
meaning that there was no damping present to absorb the blows of
the user, and that the user was striking the punching bag with a
force of 1,000 lbf. If the entire force of the boxer were
concentrated on just one spot, in this case the housing, then the
stress would be as follows.
.sigma. = F A = 1 , 000 0.0195 = 51 , 287 lbf ft 2 ##EQU00002##
[0032] In this embodiment, the yield strength of 6061 aluminum is
57,600 lbf/ft2, therefore, system 10 is well within the yield
point, even when no damping effects are considered. This means that
even if the absolute worst situation is considered, the factor of
safety is still 1.12. In this embodiment, the pipes 12, 22 are made
of aluminum, and therefore, the weakest structurally as the other
components are preferably made of steel.
[0033] While this approach is only an approximation, and not
directly applicable to this system, the system can be closely
approximated by treating it as a simply supported beam. The pipes
12, 22 and housings 14, 16 for this case are ignored, and the
entire system 10 is treated as an entire beam. The reason for this
is that there is no specific equation available to treat the
junction of a pipe and a pressure fitting under transverse loading.
The equation used when this omission is made is the following.
.delta. = PL 3 48 EI ##EQU00003##
Where
E=Modulus of Elasticity
I=Moment of Inertia
[0034] This equation gives the maximum deflection of the pipe 12,
which in this case would be at the center. The deflection at any
arbitrary point however, is given by the following equation.
y = Px 12 EI .times. ( 3 l 2 4 - x 2 ) ##EQU00004## for 0 < x
< 1 / 2 ##EQU00004.2##
[0035] Finally, the slope at the end of the pipe is given by the
following equation.
.theta. 1 = .theta. 2 = Pl 2 16 EI ##EQU00005##
[0036] A maximum deflection that the system experiences when a one
thousand pound force is applied directly on it, can be determined
utilizing software products such as CosmosWorks. The maximum
deflection was calculated as about 0.000762 inches.
[0037] The maximum deflection was again calculated using a second
software product, ANSYS work bench, which resulted in a deflection
of only about 0.00036 inches. From comparing the data between both
methods, the two calculated deflections are extremely close. The
difference between the two is about 0.0004 inches. From these
analyses it can be seen that deflection is not a critical issue for
the design since it is so small.
[0038] To mimic the bending stresses created by the punching
through a damping system, a Finite Element Analysis was carried out
to find the maximum stress factor of safety that the system would
have to withstand. In order to simulate the system it was assumed
that one side would be fixed, which is similar to the case of a
trainer holding the punching bag for the boxer. A mesh element size
of 0.11669 was used for both programs to calculate the data.
[0039] Von Mises yield criterion were used to calculate the
stresses throughout the system. Von Mises stress is determined from
the stress state as:
.sigma.v=
[1/2((.sigma..sub.x-.sigma..sub.y).sup.2+(.sigma..sub.y-.sigma..sub.z.sup-
.2)+(.sigma..sub.z-.sigma..sub.x).sup.2)+3(T.sup.2.sub.xy.sup.+T.sup.2.sub-
.yz.sup.+T.sup.2.sub.zx)]
Where
[0040] .sigma..sub.x, .sigma..sub.y, .sigma..sub.z=Principal
Stresses
T.sub.xy, T.sub.zy, T.sub.xz=Shear Stresses
[0041] The maximum stress calculated using CosmosWorks, is about
13,259.4 psi when applying 1,000 lbs of force. It is important to
note that the force sensed by the system will be much lower,
because this simulation does not account for the damping effects of
the bag construction including the internal sand and rags. As a
check, the stress distribution was also calculated using ANSYS
Workbench. The maximum stress was calculated to be about 9,916 psi.
Comparing to the data from CosmosWorks, it can be seen that the
value for CosmosWorks is 3,343.4 psi higher.
[0042] The equivalent strain (ESTRN) is calculated by the following
equation:
ESTRN = 2.0 1 + 2 3.0 ##EQU00006##
Where
[0043]
.epsilon..sub.1=0.5[(EPSX-meanstrain).sup.2+(EPSY-meanstrain).sup.-
2+(EPSZ-meanstrain).sup.2]
.epsilon..sub.2=0.25[GMXY.sup.2+GMXZ.sup.2+GMYZ.sup.2]
meanstrain=(EPSX+EPSY+EPSZ)/3
Where
[0044] EPSX=Normal strain in the X-direction EPSY=Normal strain in
the Y-direction EPSZ=Normal strain in the Z-direction GMXY=Shear
strain in the Y direction in the plane normal to X GMXZ=Shear
strain in the Z direction in the plane normal to X GMYZ=Shear
strain in the Z direction in the plane normal to Y
[0045] The strain calculated by the CosmosWorks and ANSYS work
bench applications is 0.000393 and 0.000342 respectively.
[0046] Both programs used the Von Misses failure criterion to
determine the factor of safety. The factor of safety must be equal
or greater than one, in order to be considered a safe design. The
following equation is used to calculate the factor of safety.
FOS=.sigma..sub.limit/.sigma..sub.vonMises
Where
[0047] .sigma..sub.limit=Ultimate Tensile Strength
[0048] CosmosWorks calculated the factor of safety to be 2.31 at
the most critical point, and ANSYS calculated 3.66. To be safe,
even though both succeed by being greater than one, 2.31 is used
for the design as a guideline.
[0049] Although the housing 14, 16 for this system is not a complex
mechanical system, it is by far the most complex of all the
components in the system. This housing 14, 16 must ensure a proper
fit of the system, as well as to ensure that as little material as
possible went to waste. In a preferred nonlimiting embodiment,
housing 14, 16 is created by die casting, as it is small enough
where this procedure could be used. This allows production to be
very fast, and it also saves all the material that would have to be
discarded if the part were machined from a billet piece of
aluminum. In order to die cast this component, in a nonlimiting
preferred embodiment, a volume of aluminum of 0.941 in.sup.3 is
required. The cost for this amount of aluminum (for almost any
grade) is very little.
[0050] The accelerometers chosen in a nonlimiting exemplary
embodiment are Analog Devices model ADXL321, manufactured by Analog
Devices. These accelerometers were chosen for various reasons. The
first reason for selecting these accelerometers is that they are
very accurate when compared to other accelerometers. These
accelerometers have an error of only ten percent, which is very
good for an accelerometer. The reason that these evaluation boards
were used as opposed to simply buying the accelerometer is that the
accelerometers come with no electronic components. These
accelerometers require various capacitors and resistors to be
connected in the circuitry in order to function properly.
[0051] The accelerometer 20 provides an output to a microcontroller
33. The processor 33 selected, by way of nonlimiting exemplary
embodiment, was the Arduino Duemilanove microcontroller, which is a
commonly available microcontroller. It was selected because it
provides all the speed and memory necessary to control system 10.
The Arduino microcontroller also has the advantage over others in
ease of programming. There are other microcontrollers 33 such as
the PICKit microcontroller which would operate in accordance with
the invention, but which are more difficult to program.
[0052] Because system 10 is very different from anything that is
currently available in the market, the housings 14, 16 for the
accelerometer 20 had to be custom designed. Each housing 14, 16 was
custom built from T5 aluminum in a nonlimiting exemplary
embodiment.
[0053] The housings 14, 16 in system 10 preferably, by way of
nonlimiting example, are connected by about a 10 inch long section
of steel pipe 12 that is 1/16 inch in thickness. Above one housing
16, there is another section of pipe 22. Pipes 12, 22 are
preferably hollow to provide a housing for wires (not shown)
interconnecting accelerometers 20 in housing 14, 16 to processor
34.
[0054] In a preferred nonlimiting embodiment, a more efficient
design allows the use of bi-axial accelerometer 20 instead of
tri-axial accelerometers, and a forty five degree offset is
provided between the two accelerometer 20. The accelerometers
measure forces at ninety degrees to each other. By placing the
accelerometers at forty five degrees to each other, these angles
would be decreased to forty live degrees (as opposed to ninety).
This small alteration makes the system redundant.
[0055] The brain of system 10 is processor 34. Microcontroller 33
provides the excitation voltage to the accelerometers 20, the
accelerometers 20 then return an analog signal to microcontroller
33. Microcontroller 33 then converts this analog signal into a
digital voltage signal corresponding to movement as a function of
outputs from both accelerometers 20. The signal is then wirelessly
transmitted to processor 34, preferably a standard laptop with an
application loaded thereon, to be recorded, processed and
displayed. In one preferred, but nonlimiting embodiment, ZigBee
protocols may be used with radio frequency (RF) transceivers such
as 35 XBee chips to provide communication between microcontroller
33 and processor 34. However, processor 34 may be wired to
microcontroller 33.
[0056] Reference is now made to FIGS. 4 and 5 in which the overall
boxing training device 30 is shown. In FIG. 4, it is understood
from the previous explanation that system 10 is the sensor system
for the overall boxing training device 30 and is inserted within a
heavy bag 60, the heavy bag 60 being constructed as known in the
art. Pipes 12, 22 extend within bag 60 substantially along the
longitudinal axis of bag 60 during use. Microcontroller 33 and
radio frequency transceiver 35 may extend outside of heavy bag 60
in a preferred embodiment. However, with a sufficiently powerful
transmitter, microcontrollers 33 and RF transceiver 35 may also be
disposed within bag 60.
[0057] As seen in FIG. 5, system 30 includes the sensor system 10
and microcontroller 33 and RF transponder 35 as discussed above
wirelessly communicates with a processor 34 through a radio
frequency transponder 37 communicating with processor 34. As seen
in FIG. 5, processor 34 includes an internal clock 38, operates on
data stored in database 36 and, as will be discussed in greater
detail below, provides an output to drive a display 40.
[0058] Processor 34 converts the acceleration signal output by
microcontroller 33 into an applied force value, such as pounds,
utilizing either an algorithm or look up table stored in a database
36. The determined force is stored by processor 34 in database 36.
Processor 34 includes a clock 38. Clock 38 is a running clock and
processor 34 utilizes clock 38 to determine a start and stop
interval for an overall time as well as for the timing between each
punch sensed by sensor 32. Processor 34 stores the overall interval
information as well as the time between punch information in
database 36. Processor 34 processes the data stored in database 36,
such as the force applied with each punch, the overall force sensed
during the entire interval, counts the number of punches during an
interval, and associates an elapsed time between a previous punch
and the current punch or impact.
[0059] Processor 34 outputs a display signal to display 40 for
displaying the information determined by processor 34. Display 40
may be any display, mechanical, electrical, visual or audio capable
of communicating the information output by processor 34 to the
user.
[0060] Reference is now made to FIG. 6 in which a preferred,
non-limiting exemplary embodiment of display 40 is provided. In
this embodiment display 40 is a visual display having hit display
region 42 indicating the force of each of a successive number of
hits; up to eights hits in this example, time displays 44
displaying an elapsed time between successive hits so that there
are displays 44 of time intervals T1-T7.
[0061] Furthermore, as discussed above, processor 34 may determine
a total number of hits for a total count, which is displayed at a
total count display 46. Similarly, a total time interval as
measured by processor 34 is displayed at a total time display 48.
Processor 34, utilizing the raw data from microcontroller 33 for
hits H1-H8, calculates a total force and outputs that amount as a
total force display 50. Lastly, processor 34 utilizes an algorithm
for processing the data to determine a score which may be a
function of interval times T1-T7 and total force, total time and
total force, or individual times and force for the respective
number of hits H1-H8. For example, consistent force among punches
or increased force and shortened timing between intervals may be
the goal and processor 34 determines a score for the completed time
interval as a function of the scoring algorithm which is then
displayed at a total score display 52 within display 40.
[0062] Furthermore, display 40 may be an LCD panel, a touch screen,
a loud speaker, a mechanical display with a rotating wheel and cog
configuration, or any type of display capable of displaying
individual hits, counts and/or the recorded times.
[0063] It should be understood that given the state of technology
with microcontrollers and microprocessors, that the functionality
among microcontroller 33, radio frequency transponders 35, 37 and
processor 34 can be found almost entirely in processor 34, almost
entirely in microcontroller 33, or divided therebetween.
Furthermore, it may also be understood that the entire system may
be integrated into a heavy bag so that display 40 is provided on
the bag for convenient real time feedback to the user.
[0064] Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, display 40 is the
screen of a laptop computer. However, display 40 may also be an
input/output device such as a tablet computing device, such as a
touch screen capable of allowing the programming of processor 34 to
instruct processor 34 regarding the mode in which it is to operate
as well as to set the parameters for the number of hits to be
recorded and/or the time interval.
[0065] It should also be noted that displays 42 and 44 need not be
fixed but in fact may correspond to the scores of any number of
recorded hits and time intervals so that if a time interval is
being measured as the time needed to deliver 15 hits, the display,
if operating in this reporting mode, would show 15 hit values and
14 time interval values.
[0066] During operation, a user would input a start command by
hitting a start button 60 somewhere on the apparatus, preferably
display 40. Display 40 may then prompt the user for an overall time
interval or overall punch count interval to be monitored. An input
may be selected for a mode to select the proper algorithm for the
total score output as a function of the desired result whether it
is speed, consistency, or power, or a combination of at least two
of the three. For example, the user may enter a total accrued force
goal.
[0067] In a preferred embodiment, the clock would actually begin
with the first sensed impact after start input 60 had been
activated. A boxer punches the bag. Accelerometers 18, 20 measure
the movement and outputs voltage signal to microcontroller 33 which
sends a voltage signal as function thereof to processor 34.
Processor 34 notes the clock and uses the voltage to calculate the
force and stores both in database 36.
[0068] Processor 34 may send a real time force signal to display 40
or a delayed time and force signal to display 40 so that the user
may have real time feedback regarding each of the punches. As a
second punch is sensed, the process is repeated.
[0069] Processor 34 samples clock 38 to determine an elapsed time
interval and stores either the elapsed time interval or the raw
(gross) clock reading along with the force of the second punch in
database 36 for later calculations. This process is repeated until
either the desired number of punches, goal of accrued force, or the
desired elapsed time has occurred. The sensor is then disabled,
i.e., processor 34 no longer operates on its inputs and the
displays as discussed above such as total count, total time, total
force and/or total score along with the individual values of each
punch are provided.
[0070] In one embodiment to help achieve goals, a user may input at
display 40, a minimum force threshold which processor 34 stores in
database 36. During training, processor 34 compares the force of
each sensed impact and compares the sensed force to the minimum
force threshold. Processor 34 will ignore any impact which does not
equal or exceed the minimum force threshold when displaying hits,
computing hit intervals and/or computing an overall score.
[0071] It is well understood by a boxer that a heavier boxer will
usually be able to apply more force to a punch than a lighter
boxer. Therefore, there are often debates regarding who is the best
boxer "pound for pound". In another embodiment, processor 34
normalizes the scores of each user by multiplying the force of the
sensed impact by a nominal weight divided by the actual weight. In
an exemplary embodiment, the nominal weight is 150 so that a boxer
weighing less than 150 is given credit for impacting the bag with a
greater force than a boxer at 150 pounds or greater even if the
sensed impact is equal. Conversely, a boxer weighing more than 150
will be credited with only a fraction of the force attributed to
the same impact by a boxer weighing 150 or less. Normalization may
also be performed as a function of gender by indicating to
processor 34 the gender of the user. An adjusted or normalized
score is displayed at display 40 as an adjusted score to indicate
to the user an indication of efficiency.
[0072] By utilizing the normalization calculation, enables users to
compare scores. An input is made at display 40 to indicate to
processor 34 a first user and a second user. Processor 34 stores
the hits of a session and overall score of a first user in database
36. The identity of the second user is input at display 40 and
processor 34 stores the results of the second session associated
with a second user in database 36. Processor 34 displays both the
session associated with the first user and the session associated
with the second user by displaying any one of total score, force
for each impact, and interval between each impact for the first
user and second user as a comparison at display 40. Alternatively,
processor 34 may display a comparison on an impact by impact basis
in real time as the second user performs their session as a way to
incentivize the second user. Each user may enter their weight at
display 40 to be stored in database 36. Processor 34 calculates an
actual score or normalized score for each user as a head to head
comparison.
[0073] Similarly, processor 34 may store each session for an
individual user. Each round may be identified with a user
identification and time stamp. In this way, a user may cause
processor 34 to display the last 10 sessions in time for that
particular user. Furthermore, each round is provided with a raw
score as discussed above. Processor 34 calculates which sessions
have the highest score so that the 10 highest scores may be
displayed. Additionally, much as processor 34 displayed comparisons
between two competing users, a user may select a session from
either the chronological list or best list to be used as a
comparison to a current session as described above.
[0074] As discussed above, it is possible in one embodiment of the
invention to input a minimum threshold force to be stored in
database 36. Similarly, one can input a minimum threshold time
interval, Processor 34 compares each impact and each time interval
to the minimum threshold values as stored in database 36. As each
impact is made, the force of that impact is displayed. However, if
the impact is within 10% of the threshold level, the force level is
displayed utilizing a first color such as yellow. If the impact
force is more than 10% less than the desired level, then the force
value is displayed in a different color such as red. If the force
value is more than 10% greater than the desired value, then a third
color such as green may be utilized to indicate this fact at
display 40. Similarly, if the speed of the successive impacts, i.e.
the time interval is more than 10% less than a desired value, it is
displayed in green, if within 10% of the desired value, it is
displayed in yellow, and if more than 10% greater than the desired
value, the value is displayed in red. In this way, feedback is
provided in real time to a user regarding its target goals.
[0075] Lastly, energy is substantially directly correlated to
force. Knowing the time interval, the overall force and the weight
of a user, processor 34 calculates the calories expended by a user.
The calories burned during a session are then displayed at display
40.
[0076] It should be noted that punching the bag was used as the
most common example. However, all that is really being measured is
acceleration so that any impact such as from a foot, or any other
body part such as in a martial art's use can also be processed.
[0077] Thus, while there have been shown, described and pointed out
novel features of the present invention as applied to the preferred
embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions
and substitutions and changes in form and detail are contemplated
so that the disclosed invention may be made by those skilled in the
art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the
intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of
the claims appended hereto. It is also to be understood that the
following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and
specific features of the invention herein described and all
statements of the scope of the invention, which is a matter of
language, might be said to fall therebetween.
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