Pedometer

• US 20080243432A1
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Takakura, Akira, Kato, Kazuo
• Application Number:
  US12/077,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20080243432A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/160
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers

Abstract

It is made possible to reduce electric power consumption while suppressing an occurrence of a walking detection leak. By a cycle operation section and a cycle comparison section in a CPU, if it is judged that a walking signal from a detection circuit is within a predetermined cycle, the walking signal is counted as a step number by a step number count section. In a case where the walking signal within the predetermined cycle is not detected for a predetermined time by the cycle comparison section, a walking stop detection section judges to be a walking stop, an electric source control processing section controls an electric source control circuit to thereby switch the detection circuit to an intermittent drive from a continuous drive, and thereafter gradually prolongs a pause time of the intermittent drive for a predetermined time at a time in every time the walking signal within the predetermined cycle is not detected for the predetermined time.

Claims

1. A pedometer having:

a detection means having a sensor detecting a walking and outputting a walking signal corresponding to the walking detected by the sensor,

a calculation means calculating a step number on the basis of the walking signal from the detection means, and

a control means which, in a case where the walking signal is not continuously outputted for a predetermined time from the detection means, controls an operation of the detection means so as to shift from a continuous operation continuously detecting the walking to an intermittent operation in which there are alternately repeated a pause operation pausing a walking detection in a pause time and a detection operation performing the walking detection in a detection time,

wherein the control means controls the detection means such that the pause time becomes gradually long in a case where the walking signal is not outputted from the detection means at a time of the intermittent operation.

2. A pedometer according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the detection means such that an upper limit of the pause time becomes a predetermined time.

3. A pedometer according to claim 2, wherein, in a case shifting to the intermittent operation again after returning to the continuous operation from the intermittent operation, the control means controls the detection means so as to reopen the intermittent operation by returning the pause time to a minimum value.

4. A pedometer according to claim 1, wherein, in a case shifting to the intermittent operation again after returning to the continuous operation from the intermittent operation, the control means controls the detection means so as to reopen the intermittent operation by returning the pause time to a minimum value.