IP Library Granted Patent US 11,653,711
Granted Patent B2
US 11,653,711 · App. 16/862,847 · Granted May 23, 2023

System and method for generating route data

Inventors: Jeffrey Allen (Baltimore, MD); F. Grant Kovach (Baltimore, MD); Michael Mazzoleni (Baltimore, MD)
Assignee: Under Armour, Inc.
A43B7/00A63B24/0062G01C21/1654G01P15/18G01R33/0206A63B2024/0065
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,653,711
App. No.
16/862,847
Granted
May 23, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A fitness tracking system includes a shoe, a magnetometer, and a controller. The magnetometer is mounted on the shoe and is configured to generate three-axis direction data in response to movement of the shoe during a predetermined time period. The controller is operably connected to the magnetometer and is configured to generate two-axis calibrated direction data based on the three-axis direction data after the predetermined time period. The two-axis calibrated direction data corresponds to an orientation of the shoe during the predetermined time period.

Claims (53)

1. A method of generating route data corresponding to a route traversed by a user wearing a shoe, the method comprising:

generating three-axis direction data in response to movement of the shoe as the user traverses the route with a magnetometer mounted on the shoe;

determining two-axis calibrated direction data based on the three-axis direction data after the user traverses the route with a controller operably connected to the magnetometer, the two-axis calibrated direction data corresponding to an orientation of the shoe;

generating acceleration data with an accelerometer mounted on the shoe as the user traverses the route; and

determining route data corresponding to the route by processing the acceleration data and the two-axis calibrated direction data with the controller.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

generating beacon data as the user traverses the route, the beacon data corresponding to a location of at least one beacon; and

determining the route data by processing the beacon data, the acceleration data, and the two-axis calibrated direction data.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

generating satellite-based location data as the user traverses the route; and

determining the route data by processing the satellite-based location data, the beacon data, the acceleration data, and the two-axis calibrated direction data.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

displaying the route data on a user interface of a personal electronic device operably connected to the controller.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the three-axis direction data are a measure of magnetic flux density.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining two-axis calibrated direction data includes determining two-axis uncalibrated direction data and subsequently changing a position of the two-axis uncalibrated direction data by converting the fitted ellipse to a circle and positioning the circle at an origin of a coordinate system.

7. A fitness tracking system comprising:

a shoe;

a magnetometer mounted on the shoe and configured to generate three-axis direction data in response to movement of the shoe during a predetermined time period;

an accelerometer mounted on the shoe, the accelerometer configured to generate acceleration data corresponding to acceleration of the shoe during the predetermined time period; and

a controller operably connected to the magnetometer and the accelerometer, the controller configured to (i) generate two-axis direction data based on the three-axis direction data after the predetermined time period, the two-axis direction data corresponding to an orientation of the shoe during the predetermined time period, and (ii) process the two-axis direction data and the acceleration data to generate route data corresponding to traversal of a route by a user of the shoe during the predetermined time period.

8. The fitness tracking system of claim 7 , further comprising:

a user interface operably connected to the controller and configured to display the route data.

9. The fitness tracking system of claim 7 , wherein the controller is mounted on the shoe.

10. The fitness tracking system of claim 7 , further comprising:

a transceiver configured to generate satellite-based location data corresponding to a location of the shoe during the predetermined time period, wherein generation of the route data by the controller is based at least in part on the two-axis direction data, the acceleration data, and the satellite-based location data.

11. The fitness tracking system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a transceiver operably connected to the controller and to a remote server, the transceiver configured to receive beacon data from beacon devices during the predetermined time period, wherein generation of the route data by the controller is based at least in part on the two-axis direction data, the acceleration data, and the beacon data.

12. A method of determining route data corresponding to a route traversed by a user with a magnetometer mounted on a shoe, the method comprising:

receiving three-axis direction data generated by the magnetometer during a predetermined time period during which the shoe is in motion;

generating, with a controller operably connected to the magnetometer, two-axis direction data based on the three-axis direction data after the predetermined time period, the two-axis direction data corresponding to the orientation of the shoe during the predetermined time period;

generating, with the controller, route data corresponding to a route traversed by a user wearing a shoe, wherein the route data is based at least in part on the two-axis direction data.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising receiving acceleration data generated by an accelerometer mounted on the shoe, wherein the route data is further based at least in part on the received acceleration data.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

fitting a plane to the three-axis direction data; and

converting the three-axis direction data to two-axis uncalibrated direction data located in the plane.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

fitting an ellipse to the two-axis uncalibrated direction data; and

changing a position of the two-axis uncalibrated direction data by converting the fitted ellipse to a circle and positioning the circle at an origin of a coordinate system to generate the two-axis calibrated direction data.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

identifying outlier data points of the two-axis uncalibrated direction data; and

deleting the outlier data points from the two-axis uncalibrated direction data.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

fitting a confidence band to the two-axis uncalibrated direction data; and

identifying the outlier data points as the two-axis uncalibrated direction data located outside of the confidence band.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

fitting data points of the two-axis uncalibrated direction data into a plurality of bins; and

deleting the data points of the two-axis uncalibrated direction data that are fitted into a bin of the plurality of bins having fewer than a predetermined number of data points.

19. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

detecting when the shoe is in contact with the ground using an accelerometer mounted on the shoe; and

generating the three-axis direction data only when the shoe is in contact with the ground.

20. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

applying a data smoothing process to the three-axis direction data; and

generating the two-axis direction data based on the three-axis direction data after the application of the data smoothing process.

Assignments (2)
CONFIRMATORY GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN UNITED STATES PATENTS Recorded Jul 3, 2025
From: UNDER ARMOUR, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 071827/0288 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 30, 2021
From: ALLEN, JEFFREY; KOVACH, F. GRANT; MAZZOLENI, MICHAEL
To: UNDER ARMOUR, INC.
Reel/Frame 055767/0156 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 16152978 · Oct 5, 2018
Related Publication 20200253324A1 · Aug 13, 2020