System and process for determining pressure settings for a percussive massage applicator

1. A method for determining a pressure level of a massage applicator, the method comprising:

obtaining a first value for a parameter of a motor of the applicator when the applicator has no load;

obtaining a second value for the parameter of the motor when the applicator has a load;

determining a difference value between the first value and the second value;

comparing the difference value to two or more predetermined ranges of values that correspond to a pressure level of the applicator; and

selecting the predetermined range that comprises the difference value, thereby determining the pressure level of the applicator.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the first value of the parameter comprises obtaining the first value of the parameter at each of a plurality of vibration levels, the vibration levels related to a speed of the motor.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the first value of the parameter comprises:

obtaining at least 40 first values of the parameter; and

averaging the at least 40 first values to determine the average first value of the parameter.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parameter is a current magnitude.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parameter is a rotation speed.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parameter is a reading of variations in a rotation pulse.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parameter is a duty cycle of a control signal.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing the determined pressure level of the applicator in a user interface.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the user interface is at least one of: (i) a plurality of LEDs; (ii) a plurality of auditory signals; or (iii) a plurality of vibratory signal.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the applicator has a load when applied to a body.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

storing the obtained first value for the parameter in memory.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein obtaining the first value for the parameter of the motor comprises retrieving the stored first value for the parameter from the memory.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first value of the parameter is obtained following assembly of the massage applicator and before regular use.

14. The massage applicator of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is further configured to:

provide the determined pressure level of the applicator in a user interface.

15. A massage applicator comprising:

a motor; and

a processor coupled to the motor and configured to:

obtain a first value for a parameter of the motor when the applicator has no load;

obtain a second value for the parameter of the motor when the applicator has a load;

determine a difference value between the first value and the second value;

compare the difference value to two or more predetermined ranges of values that correspond to a pressure level of the applicator; and

select the predetermined range that comprises the difference value, thereby determining the pressure level of the applicator.

16. The massage applicator of claim 15 , wherein the processor is further configured to obtain the first value of the parameter at each of a plurality of vibration levels, the vibration levels related to a speed of the motor.

17. The massage applicator of claim 15 , wherein the parameter is a current magnitude.

18. The massage applicator of claim 15 , wherein the parameter is a rotation speed.

19. The massage applicator of claim 15 , wherein the parameter is a reading of variations in a rotation pulse.

20. The massage applicator of claim 15 , wherein the parameter is a duty cycle of a control signal.