Electronic device, control program, control method, and system

• US 10,130,843 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2014
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Tanabe, Shigeki, Morita, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/891,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20160101319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• Field of Search: 434255
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/74 Atmospheric pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0062 Monitoring athletic performances, e.g. for determining the work of a user on an exercise apparatus, the completed jogging or cycling distance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers

Abstract

An electronic device includes an acceleration sensor configured to detect an acceleration value, an atmospheric pressure sensor configured to detect an atmospheric pressure value, and a controller. The controller is configured to calculate the amount of activity or the number of steps based on the acceleration value detected by the acceleration sensor and the atmospheric pressure value detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

an acceleration sensor configured to detect an acceleration value;

an atmospheric pressure sensor configured to detect an atmospheric pressure value; and

a controller configured to calculate an amount of activity or a number of steps based on the acceleration value detected by the acceleration sensor and the atmospheric pressure value detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor, wherein

based on an acceleration signal detected by the acceleration sensor, the controller is configured to determine whether a change in an atmospheric pressure signal detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor results from an altitudinal change or an atmospheric pressure change,

when it is determined that the acceleration sensor is detecting an acceleration signal having a vibration amplitude larger than a second value,

the controller is configured to determine that the change in the atmospheric pressure signal detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor results from an altitudinal change, and

when it is determined that the acceleration sensor is detecting an acceleration signal having a vibration amplitude smaller than the second value but larger than a first value during a first period since the determination that the vibration amplitude of the acceleration signal is larger than the first value,

the controller is configured to determine that the change in the atmospheric pressure signal detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor results from an altitudinal change.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to obtain the amount of activity based on the acceleration value and a difference in the atmospheric pressure values at a start and an end of movement.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein

the controller is configured to obtain the amount of activity without based on the atmospheric pressure value when it is determined based on the acceleration value that a user of the electronic device moves by a bicycle and a type of the bicycle is set to a power-assisted bicycle.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to:

determine an acceleration state based on the acceleration signal detected by the acceleration sensor, and

determine whether the change in the atmospheric pressure signal results from an altitudinal change or an atmospheric pressure change based on the determined acceleration state.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to change a period in which the controller determines that the change in the atmospheric pressure signal detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor results from an altitudinal change based on an amplitude of the acceleration signal detected by the acceleration sensor.

6. A control method, comprising:

detecting an acceleration value using an acceleration sensor;

detecting an atmospheric pressure value using an atmospheric pressure sensor;

based on an acceleration signal detected by the acceleration sensor, determining whether a change in an atmospheric pressure signal detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor results from an altitudinal change or an atmospheric pressure change; and

calculating an amount of activity or a number of steps based on the detected acceleration value and the detected atmospheric pressure value, wherein

said determining comprises

when it is determined that the acceleration sensor is detecting an acceleration signal having a vibration amplitude larger than a second value,

determining that the change in the atmospheric pressure signal detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor results from an altitudinal change, and

when it is determined that the acceleration sensor is detecting an acceleration signal having a vibration amplitude smaller than the second value but larger than a first value during a first period since the determination that the vibration amplitude of the acceleration signal is larger than the first value,

determining that the change in the atmospheric pressure signal detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor results from an altitudinal change.

7. A computer program product having computer instructions, stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, for enabling an electronic device executing the computer instructions to perform operations comprising:

detecting an acceleration value using an acceleration sensor;

detecting an atmospheric pressure value using an atmospheric pressure sensor;

based on an acceleration signal detected by the acceleration sensor, determining whether a change in an atmospheric pressure signal detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor results from an altitudinal change or an atmospheric pressure change; and

calculating an amount of activity or a number of steps based on the detected acceleration value and the detected atmospheric pressure value, wherein

said determining comprises

when it is determined that the acceleration sensor is detecting an acceleration signal having a vibration amplitude larger than a second value,

determining that the change in the atmospheric pressure signal detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor results from an altitudinal change, and

when it is determined that the acceleration sensor is detecting an acceleration signal having a vibration amplitude smaller than the second value but larger than a first value during a first period since the determination that the vibration amplitude of the acceleration signal is larger than the first value,

determining that the change in the atmospheric pressure signal detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor results from an altitudinal change.