Abstract:
A tactile rhythm generator for use by an athlete in training generally includes a signal generator for producing an electrical signal according to a desired timing scheme and a tactile transducer in electrical communication with the signal generator. The tactile transducer, which may take the form of a piezoelectric device, a buzzer, electrodes or any substantial equivalent, is adapted to impart a tactile sensation to the athlete in response to the generated electrical signal. A strap, which may be formed from an elastic material or a soft cloth material with hook and loop fasteners, is provided to secure the tactile transducer in place on the musician&#39;s body.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 120 as a continuation-in-part, to P.C.T. international application Serial No. PCT/US03/23634 filed Jul. 29, 2003 and designating the United States, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/306,262 filed Nov. 27, 2002. By this reference the full disclosures, including the drawings, of P.C.T international application Ser. No. PCT/US03/23634 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/306,262 are incorporated herein as though now set forth in their respective entireties. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for rhythmic conditioning. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for generating user determinable rhythmic patterns and, thereafter, imparting the patterns to an athlete or medical patient through a tactile transducer.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Metronome-like technology has recently been shown to help children with attention problems improve their attention, learning, motor planning and sequencing capabilities. Likewise, metronome-like technology has recently been shown to facilitate athletic training, the technology being useful in helping athletes develop pacing for track and field type events and rhythm for swinging of golf clubs and the like. Unfortunately, the foregoing uses have heretofore relied upon traditional type metronomes, which are limited to providing an audio or visual output signal. As a result, because in many athletic or therapy environments audio cannot be heard and visual attention may not be diverted, the athlete or patient has been required to essentially study a pattern and, thereafter, attempt to mimic the pattern absent direct input from the metronome. Furthermore, in sporting and other venues auditory outputs may be wholly inappropriate due to the distraction caused to others.  
         [0004]     It is therefore an overriding object of the present invention to improve over the prior art by providing a programmable metronome with a tactile output that is compact and rugged in implementation such that an athlete or patient may readily wear and utilize the metronome during actual practice for an athletic event or actual conduct of a physical therapy. Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a tactile metronome that is provided with a compact transducer for easy affixation to an athlete in training. It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a transducer that is highly effective in producing tactile stimulations, such that even an athlete undergoing strenuous physical activity may readily perceive and differentiate tactile stimuli produced by the metronome of the present invention. Still further, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a tactile metronome that is economical to manufacture, easy to use and widely programmable to a variety of complex output rhythms and/or patterns.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     In accordance with the foregoing objects, the present invention—a tactile rhythm generator—generally comprises a signal generator for producing an electrical signal according to a rhythmic pattern; a tactile transducer in electrical communication with the signal generator, the tactile transducer being adapted to produce tactile stimuli according to the rhythmic pattern; and a fastener associated with the tactile transducer and adapted to securely affix the tactile transducer to a portion of the person&#39;s body.  
         [0006]     The tactile transducer, which may comprise a piezoelectric device, a buzzer, electrodes, a bone density resonator, an electrical stimulation device, a mechanical transducer, an eccentric motion generator or any substantial equivalent, is adapted to impart a tactile sensation to the person in response to the generated electrical signal. A strap, which may comprise an elastic material or a soft cloth material with hook and loop fasteners, is preferably provided to secure the tactile transducer in place on the person&#39;s body.  
         [0007]     A programming interface, such as a personal computer or keypad and display combination, is preferably provided for specifying the rhythmic pattern.  
         [0008]     In at least one embodiment, the signal generator is adapted to produce complex rhythms and may be programmable such that the user of the tactile rhythm generator may define the complex rhythm. In this embodiment, the signal generator preferably further comprises a micro-controller.  
         [0009]     In at least one embodiment of the present invention, a vibrating transducer for producing multiple, readily differentiable tactile stimulations is provided. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vibrating transducer generally comprises a rigid housing; an electric motor enclosed within the rigid housing and having attached thereto an eccentric weight; and wherein the electric motor is supported within the rigid housing by a flexible motor mount. The rigid housing comprises a generally cylindrically shaped tube.  
         [0010]     The flexible motor mount may be formed of a cushion, which may be made from foam material or the like. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the cushion is wrapped substantially about the electric motor, centering the electric motor within the cylindrically shaped tube forming the rigid housing. In order to facilitate manufacture of the vibrating transducer of the present invention, the cushion may be wrapped by a securing sheet such as, for example, a thin paper wrapping, a length of adhesive tape or the like.  
         [0011]     In a further embodiment of the vibrating transducer of the present invention, a driver circuit may be provided for facilitating operation of the electric motor. The driver circuit may include a current amplifier.  
         [0012]     A display, such as a liquid crystal display or a light emitting diode display, is provided to facilitate selection of the desired output frequency or rhythmic pattern. Likewise, a user interface is provided for input of rhythmic patterns, operational control and the like.  
         [0013]     Finally, many other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the relevant arts, especially in light of the foregoing discussions and the following drawings, exemplary detailed description and appended claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     Although the scope of the present invention is much broader than any particular embodiment, a detailed description of the preferred embodiment follows together with illustrative figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like components, and wherein:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  shows, in a functional block diagram, the preferred embodiment of the tactile rhythm generator of the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  shows, in a perspective view, one embodiment of the tactile rhythm generator of  FIG. 1  as utilized by a golfer in perfection of his golf swing;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  shows, in an exploded perspective view, the preferred embodiment of a vibrating transducer as has been found to be optimum for use with the tactile rhythm generator of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  shows, in a cross sectional side view, details of the arrangement of the internal components of the vibrating transducer of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  shows, in a cross sectional end view taken through cut line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4 , additional details of the arrangement of the internal components of the vibrating transducer of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 6  shows, in a partially cut away perspective view, a representation of the forces produced in the operation of the vibrating transducer of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0021]      FIGS. 7A through 7F  show, in schematic representations generally corresponding to the view of  FIG. 5 , changes in the relative positions of various internal components of the vibrating transducer of  FIG. 3 , which changes occur as a result of the operational forces represented in  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 8  shows, in a schematic diagram, details of one embodiment of a driver circuit, as depicted in  FIG. 2 , appropriate for operation of the vibrating transducer of  FIG. 3 ; 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0023]     Although those of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize many alternative embodiments, especially in light of the illustrations provided herein, this detailed description is exemplary of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the scope of which is limited only by the claims appended hereto.  
         [0024]     Referring now to the figures, the tactile rhythm generator  20  of the present invention is shown to generally comprise a signal generator  42  in electrical communication with a tactile transducer  23 . As will be better understood further herein, the signal generator  42  is adapted to produce various rhythms and/or complex patterns. The signal generator  42  then communicates a generated rhythm and/or pattern through the tactile transducer  23  to a user. In this manner, as will also be better understood further herein, the tactile rhythm generator  20  may be utilized by a user, such as an athlete  48 , to enhance sports acuity and/or accuracy and/or the like. Additionally, the tactile rhythm generator  20  of the present invention may also be utilized for therapeutic purposes such as, for example, assisting patients with neurological, muscular and/or neuromuscular disorders and/or physical injuries in their treatment and/or rehabilitation.  
         [0025]     Likewise, the tactile rhythm generator  20  is particularly suited for applications such as speech therapy wherein a user may be required to speak in cadence with a signal source. Traditionally such therapy involves listening for audible tones generated by a signal source and attempting to speak in cadence with the tones while also listening to one&#39;s own speech for feedback. Unfortunately, the traditional technique suffers greatly through the overload placed upon the patient&#39;s auditory neural pathway. The present invention  20 , however, may be utilized to relieve this load by replacing the audible tones with tactile stimuli, thereby freeing the patient&#39;s auditory senses for concentration on his or her own speech.  
         [0026]     As particularly shown in  FIG. 1 , the signal generator  42  generally comprises a controller  47  with associated read only memory  13 , non-volatile random access memory  14  and various additional implementation components as are readily within the grasp of those of ordinary skill in the art. As will be better understood further herein, the non-volatile random access memory  14  is utilized to store data defining the rhythm or pattern desired for a particular application of the tactile rhythm generator  20 . In use, program instruction stored in the read only memory  13  is utilized by the controller  47  to generate an electrical output according to the data stored in the non-volatile random access memory  14 . This output, in turn, is utilized by the tactile transducer  23 , which may comprise a piezoelectric device, buzzer, set of electrodes or any other substantially equivalent device, to produce a tactile sensation corresponding to the rhythm or pattern.  
         [0027]     As also shown in  FIG. 1 , a programming interface  19  is provided for initially communicating the desired rhythm or pattern to the signal generator  42 . In particular, the user utilizes the programming interface  19 , which may comprise a desktop or laptop computer, a keypad and display system, a USB port, a wireless interface, a PDA, buttons or dials or any other substantially equivalent system, to input the details of the timing of the desired rhythm or pattern into the non-volatile random access memory  14  of the signal generator  42 . Preferably, the programming input  19  interfaces with the signal generator  42  through a bus cable connection, which is only connected during programming of the signal generator  42 .  
         [0028]     In use, an athlete  20  or other user, as depicted in  FIG. 2 , attaches the tactile transducer  16  to his or her ankle, wrist, chest or other area of the body as dictated by the physical activity in which the user will participate, utilizing an elastic or cloth material strap  17  integrally affixed thereto. The tactile transducer  16  is then electrically connected to the signal generator  42  through an electric cable  18 . Control inputs  15  provided on the signal generator  42  are then utilized to commence generation of the desired rhythm or pattern. For example, a golfer may utilize the tactile rhythm generator  20  of the present invention to generate a simple, repeating “one-two” stimulation that the golfer may follow in perfecting his or her swing. Likewise, a high jumper might use a more complex pattern to time his or her accelerating footsteps on approach to the highjump.  
         [0029]     Referring now to the  FIGS. 3 through 7  in particular, a preferred embodiment of the tactile transducer  23  is shown to comprise a vibrating transducer  24  having the unique ability to produce multiple easily differentiated tactile stimulations. As shown in the figures, such a vibrating transducer  24  generally comprises an electric motor  28  having attached thereto an eccentric weight  33  and encased within a rigid housing  25 . As is typical with pager transducers and the like, operation of the electric motor  28  turns a shaft  34  upon which the eccentric weight  33  is mounted with, for example, a pin  35 . As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, rotation upon the shaft  34  of the eccentric weight  33  produces a vibratory effect upon the motor  28  resulting from the forward portion  32  of the motor  28  attempting to shift laterally outward from the nominal axis  36  of rotation of the shaft  34 , as depicted by the centrifugal force lines F in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0030]     In typical implementations of this principle, the electric motor is rigidly fixed to some body such as, for example, a pager or cellular telephone housing with mounting clamps, brackets or the like. In the present implementation, however, unlike the vibrating transducers of the prior art, the electric motor  28  is encased within a rigid housing  25  by the provision of a flexible motor mount  37 , which allows the forward portion  32  of the electric motor  28  to generally wobble within the rigid housing  25  as the eccentric weight  33  is rotated upon the motor shaft  34 . In this manner, the resultant forces F are the product of much greater momentum in the eccentric weight  33  than that obtained in the fixed configuration of the prior art.  
         [0031]     In the preferred implementation, as particularly detailed in  FIGS. 3 through 6 , the flexible motor mount  37  generally comprises a wrapping of preferably foam cushion material  38 , which is sized and shaped to snuggly fill the space provided between the electric motor  28  and the interior of the rigid housing  25 . To facilitate manufacture of the vibrating transducer  24 , as generally depicted in  FIG. 3 , the foam cushion  38  may be held in place about the body of the electric motor  28  with a cushion securing sheet  40 , which may comprise a thin paper glued in place about the cushion  38 , thin adhesive tape or any substantially equivalent means. To complete the manufacture of the vibrating transducer  24 , the cushioned electric motor  28 , with eccentric weight  33  attached to its shaft  34 , is inserted into the rigid housing  25  and secured in place by the application of epoxy  27  into the open, rear portion  26  of the housing  25 . As will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, the epoxy  27  also serves to stabilize the power cord  30  to the electric motor  28 , thereby preventing accidental disengagement of the power cord  30  from the electric motor  28 .  
         [0032]     Referring now to  FIGS. 5 through 7  in particular, the enhanced operation of the vibrating transducer  24  is detailed. At the outset, however, it is noted that in order to obtain maximum vibratory effect, the rigid housing  25  is provided in a generally cylindrical shape, as will be better understood further herein. In any case, as shown in the cross sectional view of  FIG. 5 , and corresponding views of  FIGS. 7A through 7F , the forward portion  32  of the electric motor  28  is encompassed by the forward portion  39  of the foam cushion  38 . At rest, i.e. without the electric motor  28  in operation, the electric motor  28  is substantially uniformly surrounded by the foam cushion  38 , as shown in  FIG. 7A .  
         [0033]     Upon actuation of the electric motor  28 , however, the centrifugal forces F generated by the outward throw of the eccentric weight  33  causes the axis of rotation  36  of the motor&#39;s shaft  34  to follow a conical pattern, as depicted in  FIG. 6 . As a result, the forward portion  32  of the electric motor  28  is thrown into the forward portion  39  of the foam cushion  38 , depressing the area of cushion adjacent the eccentric weight  33  and allowing expansion of the portion of the cushion generally opposite, as depicted in  FIGS. 7B through 7F  corresponding to various rotational positions of the eccentric weight  33 .  
         [0034]     As is evident through reference to  FIGS. 7B through 7F , the cooperative arrangement of the cushion  38  about the electric motor  28 , as also enhanced by the cylindrical shape of the rigid housing  25 , allows the eccentric weight  33  to build greater momentum than possible in embodiments where the motor is rigidly affixed to a body. As the forward portion  39  of the foam cushion  38  compresses under the centrifugal forces F of the eccentric weight  33 , however, a point is reached where the foam cushion  38  is no longer compressible against the interior wall of the rigid housing  25  and the forward portion  32  of the electric motor  28  is repelled away from the interior wall toward the opposite portion of interior wall.  
         [0035]     The result is a vibratory effect much more pronounced than that obtained in prior art configurations calling for the rigid affixation of an electric motor to a housing. Additionally, Applicant has found that the resulting pronounced vibratory effect is generally more perceptible to the human sense of touch than is that produced by prior art configurations. In particular, small differences on the order of tens of milliseconds or less in duration of operation of the vibrating transducer  20 , i.e. duration of powering of the electric motor  28 , are easily perceived and differentiated. As a result, this implementation of the vibrating transducer  24  is particularly adapted for implementation of the tactile rhythm generator  20  of the present invention, which preferably comprises provision for distinct tactile stimuli representing particular motions or positions within a motion to be performed by an athlete  48  as well as the generation and communication of complex rhythms, which may require very quickly perceived stimulations with very little pause therebetween.  
         [0036]     As previously discussed, the signal source  41  of the tactile rhythm generator  20  of present invention preferably comprises a driver circuit  43  for interfacing with the tactile transducer  23 . In particular, as shown in  FIG. 8 , such a driver circuit  43  preferably comprises an output amplifier  44 , which will generally be required for any implementation in which logical level signals will be expected to drive an electric motor such as is utilized in the preferred implementation of vibrating transducer  24 . As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, this requirement stems from the fact that such an electric motor  28  will generally have a current requirement beyond the capabilities of most low power solid state components. Additionally, in such implementations, the driver circuit  43  will also require implementation of a power conditioning circuit  46 , as also shown in  FIG. 8 , having the capability to prevent and/or suppress voltage spiking, such as may be expected in response to the highly inductive load typical of the type of electric motor  28  utilized in the implementation of the vibrating transducer  24 .  
         [0037]     As shown in  FIG. 8 , an exemplary output amplifier  44 , as is appropriate for use with the foregoing described vibrating transducer  24 , comprises a 2N3904 NPN BJT transistor Q 1 , configured as an emitter follower, coupled with a TIP42 high current PNP transistor Q 2  in a TO-220 heat dissipating package, for providing the necessary current for operation of the electric motor  28  of the vibrating transducer  24 . As will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, the output amplifier  44  as shown may be considered a two stage, high current emitter follower. The power conditioning circuit  46 , which is preferably provided to prevent and/or suppress voltage spiking, such as may be expected in response to the highly inductive load typical of the type of electric motor  28  utilized in the implementation of the vibrating transducer  24  may be implemented by tying a 10 μF electrolytic capacitor C 1  to ground from the 9-V power bus from, for example, a 9-V battery BAT. As will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, the electrolytic capacitor C 1  will temporarily supply additional current to the 9-V bus as may be required to compensate for transients resulting from the draw upon the output amplifier  44  caused during startup of the electric motor  28  of the vibrating transducer  24 . Additionally, the power conditioning circuit  46  preferably comprises an ON-OFF switch SW 1  and may also include a power on indicator, if desired.  
         [0038]     In order to adjust the “feel” of the tactile rhythm generator  20  of the present invention, as previously discussed, the output from the output amplifier  44  is preferably fed through an output power level selector  45  to an outputjack J 2 , into which the power cord plug  31  of the power cord  30  to the electric motor  28  of the vibrating transducer  24  may be operably inserted. As shown in  FIG. 8 , the output power level selector  45  preferably comprises a 22 Ω resistor R 2 , which is selectively placed in series with the output circuit by selecting the appropriate position of a single pole, single throw switch SW 2 . Although Applicant has found that 22 Ω is an appropriate value for the resistor R 2 , it is noted that the value is selected empirically in order to obtain the user desired tactile feel for the “low” output selection. Additionally, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the resistor R 2  may be replaced with a potentiometer, thereby providing a fully adjustable output power level.  
         [0039]     Although the driver circuit  43  has been described as being integral with the signal source  41 , it should be appreciated that the present invention contemplates that any necessary driver circuit  43  may be provided as part of the tactile transducer  23 . In this manner, the signal source  41  may be utilized with virtually any type of tactile transducer  23 , the driver circuit  43  being adapted to provide all necessary electrical compatibility between the chosen tactile transducer  23  and the signal source  41 . In such an implementation, the driver circuit  43  should be provided with an input jack J 1  for receiving signals from the signal generator  42 .  
         [0040]     While the foregoing description is exemplary of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, those of ordinary skill in the relevant arts will recognize the many variations, alterations, modifications, substitutions and the like as are readily possible, especially in light of this description, the accompanying drawings and the claims drawn hereto. For example, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, especially in light of his exemplary description, that it may be desirable to integrate the signal generator  11  and the tactile transducer  16  into a single, self-contained device integral with the strap  17 . In this manner, the tactile rhythm generator  20  may be compactly and securely affixed to an athlete&#39;s wrist, ankle or other location without worry that the generator  20  will inadvertently be dropped or that the athlete  20  will become entangled in electric cables or the like. In any case, because the scope of the present invention is much broader than any particular embodiment, the foregoing detailed description should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention, which is limited only by the claims appended hereto.