Wristband-type arm movement determination device and wristband-type activity tracker

• US 10,413,218 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2014
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TDK Corporation
• Original Assignee: TDK Corporation
• Inventors: Yamato, Kumiko, Hashimoto, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Suglo, Janet L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liang, Leonard S
• Application Number:
  US14/483,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20150198460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,832 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6824 Arm or wrist

Abstract

According to an embodiment, an activity tracker includes an acceleration sensor capable of detecting accelerations in directions of two or more axes orthogonal to each other, an arm motion determination unit configured to determine on the basis of an output from the acceleration sensor whether there is a predetermined motion within a predetermined time period, when operation of an operation button is detected, and a transmission processing unit configured to cause a lamp to glow and wirelessly transmit a piece of corresponding information corresponding to the predetermined motion and a piece of time information at a time of detecting that there is the predetermined motion, when it is determined by the arm motion determination unit that there is the predetermined motion.

Claims

1. A wristband-type activity tracker wearable on an arm of a user comprising:

an acceleration sensor capable of detecting accelerations in directions of two or more axes orthogonal to each other;

an operation button configured to output a predetermined signal when operated by the user;

a wireless transmission circuit;

a control unit including a central processing unit; and

a first memory in which data for determining a plurality of predetermined motions is registered,

wherein the control unit executes, by the central processing unit, processes of;

determining, from an acceleration signal for the directions of the two or more axes which is detected on the basis of an output from the acceleration sensor and a gravitational acceleration signal, whether an action of the user wearing the wristband-type activity tracker is walking or other than walking, and recording in a second memory, a piece of information on the determined action of the user and a piece of time information at a time when the action of the user is determined;

detecting presence or absence of the predetermined signal;

(i) determining on the basis of the data registered in the first memory and an output from the acceleration sensor whether there is any one of the plurality of predetermined motions within a predetermined time period, when it is detected that there is the predetermined signal, and not determining whether there is any one of the plurality of predetermined motions, when it is not detected that there is the predetermined signal;

(ii) performing a predetermined output for notification according to the determined motion to the user when it is determined that there is one of the plurality of predetermined motions;

(iii) wirelessly transmitting a piece of corresponding information corresponding to the determined motion and the piece of time information immediately from the wireless transmission circuit, if the determined motion is a first motion, and wirelessly transmitting the piece of corresponding information and the time information from the wireless transmission circuit at predetermined time intervals or at a predetermined time, if the determined motion is other than the first motion; and

(iv) recording the piece of corresponding information and the piece of time information in the second memory when it is determined that there is one of the plurality of predetermined motions.

2. The wristband-type activity tracker according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit executes, by the central processing unit, the process of determining whether there is any one of the plurality of predetermined motions by comparing a waveform pattern of the acceleration sensor, which is registered in advance and indicates the plurality of predetermined motions, with a waveform pattern of an output from the acceleration sensor to see whether the waveform patterns coincide with each other.

3. The wristband-type activity tracker according to claim 2, wherein

if the control unit determines that the action of the user is an action other than walking, the control unit executes, by the central processing unit, a process of estimating a type of the action other than walking on the basis of an acceleration energy intensity detected from the acceleration signal.

4. The wristband-type activity tracker according to claim 1, wherein

the operation button has a switch, and

the control unit executes, by the central processing unit, a process of detecting a signal from the switch as the predetermined signal.

5. The wristband-type activity tracker according to claim 1, wherein

the operation button has a sensor configured to detect a physical quantity, and

the control unit executes, by the central processing unit, a process of detecting an output signal from the sensor as the predetermined signal.

6. The wristband-type activity tracker according to claim 5, wherein the sensor is a temperature sensor or a carbon dioxide sensor.