CA3033415A1 - Exercise equipment physical game controller and software interface - Google Patents

Abstract

Embedded sensors in exercise equipment pedals and hand grips measure force, speed and direction in order to convert movement and effort into video game input.

Description

, Cycleverse Patent Application February 10, 2019 Description Cycleverse hardware and software turns cardio exercise equipment (exercise bikes, ellipticals, stepping and rowing machines) into video game controllers.
Physical effort, speed and balance are translated into in-game actions (claim 1).
The hardware includes a battery and a circuit board that collects sensor data at least eight times per second and transmits it wirelessly to our software running on a mobile device or game system (claims 1.2, 1.3). See attached drawing for a list of components and their interactions.
The pedals and hand grips (hardware) are embedded with sensors that measure force, speed and direction. Hardware is comprised of a solid supporting surface to support a pressure sensor, which measures force applied by the user. A pliable cover is mounted on top of the solid support and sensor, providing grip and allowing force applied to the hardware to pass to the pressure sensor. A circuit board includes a radio antenna, motion collecting sensors (which can include a gyroscope, accelerometer and pedometer), a wired connection to the pressure sensor and a battery.
No control of the exercise equipment by the hardware is performed. The hardware does not read or change the equipment's resistance level. The user can adjust the resistance manually on their own equipment to optimize their performance in the game. The hardware read the effort generated by the user (force, speed, direction, balance) being generated by the user and converts it into input for a game. For example, a user can be biking slowly in a low gear or rapidly in a high gear and produce a similar amount of effort.
In game physics will apply the user's effort and account for gravity and momentum, requiring users to increase speed and their equipment's resistance to go faster.
Cycleverse Patent Application The force sensor readings are based on direct contact with the sensor. The size and material of pedals, how the sensor is supported, and the type of equipment (example, large elliptical pedal vs small bicycle pedal) alter the force readings.
Testing each model of hardware with various levels of force allows a software algorithm to adjust force readings to account for hardware characteristics. The results are accurate sensor readings allowing for competitive play across various models of hardware and equipment.
The hardware data transmission includes make and model information that will allow the applicable force algorithm to be used (claim 2).
Racing games use primarily speed and effort input, where the strongest athlete will have the best performance. For team sports and first person action games the software adjusts the game input to account for the user's equipment and physical characteristics, allowing all users to compete fairly (claim 6). This is performed by taking the user through a configuration process where they ride their equipment through a configuration game, which records their effort at different speeds and resistance levels, as well as at different points in the pedals rotation. The software builds a biometric gait profile that allows algorithms to take into account the players strength, the circumference of the pedals rotation, physical weaknesses on either side of their body or at points throughout the pedals rotation (claim 3). The result is a biometric gait analysis which is used to modify the sensor readings to account for weaknesses and to increase or decrease the effort produced to account for equipment quality, age, weight and gender.
Players shifting weight between pedals is interpreted by the system as leaning, allowing physical leaning to be translated into in-game horizontal turning (claim 5).
Pressing on both pedals is interpreted as braking. Both of these actions also rely on biometric gait analysis to ensure that weight shifting between pedals is actual leaning and not caused by a physical condition of the player. For example, a player with arthritis in one hip may have a weak point in the pedal rotation that could be misread as a leaning action without gait analysis.
Cycleverse Patent Application Various games and game systems have predefined inputs to control the player's motion.
For example, pressing a button repeatedly may initiate forward movement of the game character. The faster the button is pushed the faster the character moves. Our software translates the player's physical actions into game controller input of a type and quantity to match the player's effort. The game controller output can be adapted to existing games and game systems (claims 1.5, 4). Cycleverse also develops games that include competitive racing, team sports and first person action games, ensuring that users of all ages can experience an immersive environment where exercise is fun.
Cycleverse Patent Application

Claims (6)

Cycleverse Claims 1) Converting physical effort into game controller input 1.1) Effort input game controller The effort input game controller ("hardware") is comprised of a pedal or hand grip with embedded sensors that can collectively provide the data required to determine force being applied, speed and the current location of the controller within its range of motion. Collectively the sensors allow the software to calculate effort through one cycle, to identify changes in effort between pedals and previous rotations and direction (forward and backward rotation). The primary sensors are a force sensor that allows the force being applied by the user to be calculated in newtons, and a three dimensional gyroscope that allows the circumference of the pedals path and the current location to be calculated. Depending on the design of the hardware (for example an elliptical machine does not follow a circular path) and accuracy of the sensors two additional sensors are embedded in the hardware; accelerometer and pedometer.
1.2) Accuracy utilizing high sensor sampling rate Cyclists are capable of reaching 50 revolutions per minute. Calculating force applied at multiple points through of one revolution is required to apply gait analysis (claim 3), cycle pattern recognition (claim 4) and shifting weight between pedals to indicate turning in the game (claim 5). Therefore, sensor readings are read and transmitted eight or more times per second. This rate also helps overcome missed transmissions, signal interference or anomalies in sensor readings.

1.3) Communication The hardware (each pedal and hand grip individually) includes a circuit board and timer to collect and package sensor readings at set intervals. Each data transmission includes the controller's unique identification number, model, version and right/left positioning, which provides hardware details required for the effort algorithms (claim 2). A radio antenna (such as Bluetooth) is used to transmit the package of sensor data to a gaming system or mobile device running our software.
1.4) Effort Algorithm Someone pedaling slowly in low gear (high resistance) will generate effort comparable to someone pedalling quickly in high gear (low resistance). The effort algorithm converts force applied to the pedals at multiple points in the pedal cycle with the pedal speed to calculate effort being generated.
Multiple sensor packages are being received by the software every second.
The software analysis each sensor package to determine the hardware's point in its rotation and the force being applied. Total effort during the down stroke and speed of rotation is used to calculate forward movement effort.
Effort throughout the pedals rotation is analysed to take into account the controller's configuration (claim 2), users physical characteristics (claim 3) and shifting weight between controllers to indicate turning or breaking (claim 5).

1.5) Game input Game controllers allow users to use stick movements, trigger pulls or button pushes of varying frequencies to communicate movement to a game. Our software translates the physical input in the pedals and hand grips (effort, speed, direction, breaking) into the input required by various games and game systems.
Cycle pattern recognition (claim 4) is used to identify patterns in effort output from the hardware and convert it into patterns of inputs that the game associates to a comparable speed and direction. Pattern recognition provides smooth game play and the ability to configure input to match the requirements of different games and game systems.
2) Effort calculation algorithm configuration for pedal size and structure 2.1) Multi zone force sensor Depending on the pedal or handgrip size of the exercise equipment the force/weight sensors may need to cover areas greater than the size of a foot or hand. For example, an elliptical pedal is significantly larger than a person's foot. Force readings from multiple sensors, or one force sensor comprised of multiple sensor zones are read and included in data transmission to the software effort algorithm.

2.2) Effort algorithm configuration to adjust for case materials The force sensor is mounted in the pedal or hand grip (the "case"). The case is comprised of a solid supporting material (which includes for example the pedal structure, pin and bearings) and acts as a solid support for the force censor. The case includes a softer cover material to provide cushioning and traction. The support material may allow for some deflection and the softer cover material may disperse energy beyond the sensor pad. Testing with precise weights under varying conditions of use will result in sensor readings that can be accurately associated to force being applied. The test results are built into the force algorithm to provide constant and accurate force calculations across pedal and hand grip designs and changes in case materials.

3) Biometric gait analysis With a standard game controller all players are equal, with finger speed being the only physical differentiator. Our effort based controllers (pedals and hand grips) would put players with an injury, or are lighter or younger at a disadvantage.
Users with uneven strides (such as having arthritis in one hip) would result in uneven effort between pedals, which would negatively affect the system's ability to read when a person is leaning (turning in game) or braking. Biometric gait analysis adjusts the effort input to compensate for disadvantages.
A software configuration interface guides a user through an in-game obstacle course that takes the user through varying speeds, resistance levels of their equipment, turns and stops. The resulting force at different speeds and at different points in the hardware's rotation is used to compile a biometric gait profile of the person. The effort algorithm uses the gait profile to adjust effort readings to balance differences between left and right sides at varying levels through the hardware rotation and at different levels of effort.
The result is users with injuries and different abilities to be able to compete equally in games and for the software to accurately interpret leaning and breaking actions.

4) Cycle pattern recognition and conversion to game controller output The effort calculation algorithm receives multiple sensor readings per second from two pedals and/or hand grips. Gait analysis is applied to augment the resulting effort readings.
The effort readings are applied to a pattern recognition algorithm that compares the current position within the hardware's rotation and force with previous readings to determine if the player is adjusting speed, direction, breaking or reversing and at what rate. Pattern recognition minimizing the effects of missed transmissions or out-of-range readings from sensors.
The software compares the player actions with signal patterns required by the currently running game and game system and submits the appropriate signal pattern at the maximum rate allowed by the game system. The result is the highest controller response allowable by the game or game system and smooth transitions between player actions.
5) Interpreting a user's weight shift between pedals as a leaning action and translate it into horizontal movement game input 5.1) Identifying leaning as a turning action Utilizing claims 1 through 4 the software understands force being applied to the hardware and translates it into forward and backward movement within a game. When a rider leans they apply a varying force between the pedals at different points in a pedals rotation. Based on the different levels of force between the pedals, and applying the users biometric gait profile, algorithms determine the amount of lean and translate that into horizontal game input of varying degrees.
5.2) Turning vs bike pendulum A bike rider going up a steep incline in low gear at a slow cycle rate can apply excessive force to one pedal at a time for several seconds. The result is the rider remaining centred while the bike itself pivots side to side. The algorithm takes into account rotations per second and effort at slow speeds to determine if a user is leaning and to what degree.

5.3) Identifying a braking action Pressing down on both pedals is interpreted as a breaking action. One foot can be at the top of the pedal cycle while the other is at the bottom, resulting in an uneven force distribution. A percentage of force based on the users biometric gait analysis (claim 3) and current point in the hardware's rotation is used to determine if the user is indicating a breaking action. The user could also be leaning and breaking at the same time, with the algorithm utilizing work in claims 3, 5.1 and 5.2 to determine game input for the amount of lean and breaking.

6) Adjust effort output to enable competitive play There is a wide variety of cardio exercise equipment. Even within the bike category there are road bikes with resistance wheels, recumbent bikes and upright bikes with varying features. Configuration settings for equipment type and the player's age, gender and weight are used to adjust the output from the effort algorithms in order to deliver competitive play.