GB2503679A

GB2503679A - A programmable visual training aid for swimmers

Info

Publication number: GB2503679A
Application number: GB1211796.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Byron James Douglas Goodsir
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-07-03
Filing date: 2012-07-03
Publication date: 2014-01-08
Also published as: GB201211796D0

Abstract

A training aid comprising a control mechanism 1 and a flexible waterproof strip 3 containing light emitting diodes (LEDs) arranged as a linear array. The strip may have a translucent silicon sheath to prevent water entering and is preferably placed along the bottom of a pool in line with a swim lane. The controller is programmable and may download instructions from a computer, and the controller or the computer may run software to create a swim profile from parameters supplied by the user. The controller then causes the LED lights in the strip 3 to illuminate in such a way to indicate to the swimmer the desired position according to the swim profile. The controller may also alter the colour, intensity or blink frequency of the lights. The light strip may be weighted or attached to the bottom or side of the pool with suckers or vacuum cups.

Description

1 TITLE 1.1 A Programmable visual training aid for athletes

2 FIELD OF THE INVENTION

3.1 The present invention is in the technical field of sports training aids and more particularly to training aids suitable for use by swimmers.

3 BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

4.1 Figure I is a schematic diagram demonstrates the possibk environment and deployment of the sports training aid.

4.2 Figure 2 is diagram demonstrating the movement of the light-emitting device, providing a marker for pace.

4 DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

4.1 Because swimmers perform their sport in a high-density medium, water, it is much more difficult for them to gain information about their spatial position in their environment and the current time than it is for other athletes. This means that swimmers wishing to optimise or improve performance have no efficient way of determining moment-to-moment (real-time) performance and receive feedback whilst actually swimming.

4.2 Currently a swimmer can only determine performance accurately after the event by examining lap times and comparing these with a required lap time. Some coaches or instructors provide lap by lap feedback by holding coloured cards up at the end of a lap to indicated over or under performance but this is difficult both for the swimmer and the coach and not useftil in the ease of short or one lap events. It is possible for the swimmer to be paced -that is helped to maintain a required speed profile -by a poolside assistant but the assistant then has the problem of maintaining the appropriate speed along the side of the pooi.

4.3 Pacing devices exist which provide information using audible or light signals (a beat) to a swimmer about when the swimmer should move his body. These are the equivalent of a metronome in that they do not provide information about required position, only about how often the swimner should exert effort. The timing of exertion of effort may and probably is not directly connected to the swimmers required position at a particular time but the actual achieved position of the swimmer, as a result of the effort, is what makes the difference between winning a race and not.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS

5.1 To overcome this, the present invention proposes a visible light source present within the field of view of the swimmer, which apparently moves according to programmed instructions provided by an electronic controller or processor so as to provide a pacing object and marker for the swimmer. There is therefore an obvious indication of pace by comparing the difference between where the swimmer is positioned in correlation to the visible light source. The swimmer can then provide the appropriate effort to minimise this error distance.

5.2 The present invention comprises two essential functional elements, which may or may not be physically separated. These are (I) an electronic programmable controller or processor and (2) a method of indicating a required performance to the swimmer. The controller contains a computing element capable of accepting information from an external source and delivering information to the performance indicator.

5.3 If a swimmer swims from one end of a pooi (the start) to the other end of the pool (the finish) and does so having taken a particular time, which is less than that of a competitor, the swimmer has performed better than the competitor. If the swimmer takes a time longer than that of a competitor to arrive at the finish, the swimmer is usually considered to have performed worse than the competitor. Performance in the sense used here is an embodiment of the state of being at a particular spacial position at a particular time after starting. A performance profile, in the sense used here, is a list of times at which the swimmer is required to be at a particular physical position. For example, in a four-lap practice, the swimmer may need to be at the far end of the pooi after 1 minute and 3 minutes and at the near end of the pooi at the start and after 2 minutes and 4 minutes. This is a simple example of a performance profile, which assumes that the swimmer is swimming at the same speed throughout the practice. In a more complicated performance profile the swimmer may need to be at the far end of the pool after 1 minute and 2.75 minutes and at the near end at the start and at 2 minutes and 3.5 minutes. This performance profile implies that the swimmer is required to speed up in the third and fourth laps. As can easily be imagined, it would be impossible to communicate this information to the swimmer using coloured cards or for a poolside pacer to maintain any such performance profile.

5.4 The present invention communicates the required performance profile to the swimmer by illuminating some of a number of possible LEDs in a watcrproof, flexible strip, which is arranged. to lie within the field of view of the swimmer. Inmost cases, this will be along the bottom of the pool extending from the starting position to the finishing position, as noted above but other positions are not excluded. The LEDs are individually illuminated and extinguished in such a way as to provide the appearance of a light source changing its apparent position according to the required performance profile. Figure 2 shows an example of the position of the illuminated LEDs at 1 second intervals in a typical practice regime. It is clear that the differences between the illuminated light device or devices in (2a) compared to (2b) and (2c) simulate movement. The speed or pace of this movement simulation can be programmed and set by the user through the controller.

5.5 The colour (wavelength) and intensity of the LEDs can be varied instantaneously and for any duration to suit the coach, the visual requirements of the water conditions and the user and the preferences for ease of use.

The controller can have the required performance profile programmed into it in a number of ways. These include but are not limited to 1) manual control of buttons or other physical or touch sensitive methods on the controller; 2) downloading via wireless or wired connection from an external computer or other computer like device -a smartphone or tablet computer; 3) choosing by the above or other means any of a number of pre programmed performance profiles supplied with the invention or otherwise downloaded 4) other methods not currently defined.

5.6 The advantagcs of thc prcscnt invention include the ability to provide clear and real timc feedback on performance allowing training regimes to be followed. accurately. A training regime can be defined in detail allowing required changes in speed and hence swimmer effort to be communicated without confusion. In the previously mentioned performance profile examples, the profiles imply that there is a stepwisc change in speed in the sense that the swimmer is required to swim at a particular speed and then at another particular speed. There are major training advantages in encouraging the swimmer to follow accelerating performance profiles in which the swimmer's speed is increased steadily over a period rather than all at once. In addition, other information can be provided to the swimmer, including but not limited to information about the current lap being performed, the remaining time available for the current training regime and other information programmed into the controller. Because the invention does not require the full time presence of a coach or other assistant, the swimmer may make more efficient use of pool availability and the coach may share his efforts amongst multiple trainees.

5.7 An example of the invention will now be described by referring to the accompanying drawings.

6.8 Figure 1 shows an aid for swimmers to optimise or improve their performance comprising a control mechanism (I) and a flexible translucent waterproof strip (3) containing light emitting diodes (LED5) arranged as a linear array. A translucent waterproof tube, silicon, waterproofs the flexible strip but other methods arc not exempt. Means are provided for passing information between the controller (1) and the tube (3) so as to determine which of the LEDs are illuminated at any particular time. Means arc provided (2) to enable the tube (3) to be held in position. The controller or the tube or both may contain a power source (battery) to enable their operation and means to recharge the power source after use.

Claims

S6 CLAIMS 1) A device for training a swimmer comprising a programmable portable controller connected to a portable, flexible and waterproof strip of light emitting diodes or devices which can be selectively, illuminated under the command of the controller the whole being powered by means internal to the controller.
2) The device of claim I where the controller is programmed by controls on the controller.
3) The device of claim I whcrc the controller is programmed by dornloading instructions from a computer or computer like device.
4) The device of claim 1 where the controller contains software to enable the production of a performance profile from user supplied information 5) The device of claim 1 where the performance profile downloadable to the device is produced by software contained on a separate computer or computer like equipment.6) The device of claim I where the position intensity colour and blink frequency of any LED in the before mentioned tube can be programmed by the controller.7) The device of claim I whcre the instantaneous required position of the swimmer is indicated by one or a plurality of illuminated LEDs.8) The device of claim 1 where the instantaneous required position of the swimmer is indicated by one or a plurality of un-illuminated LEDs surrounded by illuminated LEDs.9) The device of claim 1 where the tube can be fixed in position at the bottom of a filled pool with but not limited too weights and vacuum pads (suction) tO) The device of claim I where the tube can be fixed on the side of a filled pool with vacuum pads (suction) 11) The device of claim 1 where the light emitting diodes or device strip is waterproofed by but not limited too, waterproof translucent tube/easing or silicon.