Electronic pedometer

• US 20050232388A1
• Filed: 04/19/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Tsuji, Tomoharu
• Granted Patent: US 7,169,084 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 377/24.200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers

Abstract

To carry out step number measurement more precisely even when a walk signal enough to be detected is not obtained. After a fixed noise of a signal detected by an acceleration detecting portion having an acceleration sensor is removed by a filter portion of a counting portion, a walk cycle comparing portion compares a cycle of the resultant signal with a moving average value calculated by a walk cycle calculating portion, and each signal within a predetermined cycle range is counted as the number of steps for one step by a step number counting portion. A signal within a range similar to a cycle n times as large as a predetermined cycle of the signals each beyond the predetermined cycle range is judged as the number of steps for n steps by an extra-regulation step number processing portion and is counted as the number of steps for n steps by the step number counting portion. Data on the number of steps obtained through the counting in the step number counting portion is displayed on a display portion.

Claims

1. An electronic pedometer comprising:

walk detecting means having a walk sensor, for outputting a walk signal corresponding to a walk of a user detected by the walk sensor;

wherein the walk sensor being used at least by being mounted on a body of the user; and

counting means for counting the number of steps based on the walk signal from the walk detecting means;

wherein the counting means counts each signal within a first reference cycle range of signals from the walk detecting means as one step, and counts as n steps a signal within a predetermined range, which takes a range n (positive integral number) times as large as a second reference cycle range as a reference, among signals each beyond the first cycle range.

2. An electronic pedometer according to claim 1, wherein the counting means comprises first cycle judging means for judging whether or not a signal from the walk detecting means is a signal within the first reference cycle range, second cycle judging means for judging whether or not a signal judged to be beyond the first reference cycle by the first cycle judging means among signals from the walk detecting means is a signal within a predetermined cycle range, which takes a range n times as large as the second reference cycle range as a reference, and step number counting means for counting each signal judged to be a signal within the first reference cycle range by the first reference cycle judging means of signals from the walk detecting means as one step, and for counting as n steps a signal judged to be a signal within a predetermined cycle range, which takes a range n times as large as the second reference cycle range as a reference, by the second reference cycle judging means.

3. An electronic pedometer according to claim 2, wherein the counting means comprises reference cycle calculating means for movement-averaging cycles of a predetermined number of signals from the walk detecting means;

and the first cycle judging means judges whether or not a signal from the walk detecting means is a signal within the first reference cycle range using as the first reference cycle range a predetermined range having as a reference the moving average calculated by the reference cycle calculating means.

4. An electronic pedometer according to claim 2, further comprising reference value storing means for storing therein data on the first reference cycle range, wherein the cycle detecting means judges whether or not a signal from the walk detecting means is a signal within the first reference cycle range using the first reference cycle range the data on which is stored in the reference value storing means.

5. An electronic pedometer according to claim 4, further comprising manipulation means for storing the data on the first reference cycle range in the reference value storing means.

6. An electronic pedometer according to claim 1, wherein the first reference cycle range and the second reference cycle range are identical to each other.

7. An electronic pedometer according to claim 1, wherein the walk sensor is used by being mounted on an arm of a user.