PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20110177848A1
• Filed: 07/29/2009
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Tanabe, Shigeki
• Granted Patent: US 9,062,976 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/575.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

Provided is a portable electronic device that has a pedometer function wherein generation of counting errors has been suppressed. The portable electronic device is provided with a housing, an acceleration-detecting unit that is mounted in the housing, a counting unit that counts the number of steps based on temporal changes in acceleration detected by the acceleration-detecting unit, and a correcting unit that corrects the number of steps counted by the counting unit.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing;

an acceleration detection unit housed in the housing; and

a step counting unit including a counting unit that counts a number of steps based on temporal changes in acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit, and a correction unit that corrects the number of steps counted by the counting unit.

2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the counting unit comprises:

a timer unit housed in the housing;

a determination unit that determines whether a waveform pattern detected by the acceleration detection unit is a 1A waveform pattern or a 2A waveform pattern; and

a counting unit that counts a number of the 1A waveform patterns; and

the correction unit comprises;

a calculation unit that calculates a number of detections in a 1A detected value waveform pattern in a time period;

a measurement unit that measures a duration period of a 2A detected value waveform pattern;

a presumption unit that presumes a number of detections of the 1A detected value waveform patterns by multiplying the number of detections in a time period calculated by the calculation unit by the duration period measured by the measurement unit; and

an adder unit that adds the number of detections presumed by the presumption unit to the count number in the counting unit.

3. The portable electronic device according to claim 2 further comprising:

a vibration producing unit that is housed in the housing and vibrates the housing; and

a storage unit that stores the waveform pattern, wherein the 2A waveform pattern is a waveform pattern detected when a continuous or intermittent vibration by the vibration producing unit is produced upon a predetermined move, and the storage unit stores the 2A waveform pattern.

4. The portable electronic device according to claim 3, wherein

the determination unit compares a detected value waveform pattern that is a pattern of temporal changes in acceleration values detected by the acceleration detection unit and a waveform pattern stored in the storage unit, and

determines whether the detected value waveform pattern is the 1A waveform pattern or the 2A waveform pattern.

5. The portable electronic device according to claim 4, wherein

the storage unit stores information about a 3A waveform pattern that is a waveform pattern of temporal changes in acceleration values due to movement of the housing produced by only the vibration by the vibration producing unit,

the determination unit can determine that the detected value waveform pattern is the 3A waveform pattern, and the adder unit does not change the count number if the determination unit determined that the detected value waveform pattern is the 3A waveform pattern.

6. The portable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein

the storage unit stores amplitude information and oscillation period information in a waveform pattern.

7. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the step counting unit comprises an adder unit that determines whether a waveform pattern detected by the acceleration detection unit is a 1A waveform pattern which is a waveform pattern of a human being walking or running, or a 2A waveform pattern which is caused by an addition of other vibration to the walking motion or running motion of the human being,

counts a number of the 1A waveform patterns,

creates a virtual waveform pattern from the 2A waveform pattern, and adds a number of virtual waveform patterns having substantially identical shape to all or a part of the 1A waveform pattern in the virtual waveform pattern.

8. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the counting unit comprises:

a timer unit housed in the housing;

a storage unit that stores information about a waveform pattern of temporal changes in acceleration values, which is information of a 1A threshold information about an oscillation period of a waveform pattern and a 2A threshold information about an amplitude of a waveform pattern;

a 1A determination unit that determines whether a detected value waveform pattern that is a waveform pattern of temporal changes in acceleration values detected by the acceleration detection unit is a 1A detected value waveform pattern in which the oscillation period is greater than or equal to the 1A threshold and the amplitude is greater than or equal to the 2A threshold;

a 2A determination unit that determines whether the detected value waveform pattern is a 2A detected value waveform pattern in which the oscillation period is smaller than the 1A threshold and the amplitude is greater than or equal to the 2A threshold, and a virtual waveform pattern calculated from the detected value waveform pattern has substantially identical shape to all or a part of the 1A detected value waveform pattern; and

a 1A counting unit that counts a number of the 1A detected value waveform pattern determined by the 1A determination unit; and

the correction unit comprises;

a 2A counting unit that counts a number of the virtual waveform patterns in the 2A detected value waveform pattern determined by the 2A determination unit; and

an adder unit that adds a count number in the 2A counting unit to a count number in the 1A counting unit.

9. The portable electronic device according to claim 8 further comprising

a 3A determination unit that determines whether the detected value waveform pattern is a 3A detected value waveform pattern in which the oscillation period is smaller than the 1A threshold and the amplitude is greater than or equal to the 2A threshold, and the virtual waveform pattern has different shape from the 1A detected value waveform pattern, and

the adder unit does not change the count number if the 3A determination unit determined that the detected value waveform pattern is the 3A detected value waveform pattern.

10. The portable electronic device according to claim 8, wherein

the 1A determination unit and/or the 2A determination unit

determines whether the virtual waveform pattern is the 2A detected value waveform pattern that has substantially identical shape to all or a part of the 1A detected value waveform pattern by comparing the virtual oscillation period and the virtual amplitude of the 2A detected value waveform pattern, and peaks and troughs of waveforms of the virtual waveform pattern.

11. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the counting unit comprises:

a timer unit housed in the housing;

a positional information acquisition unit that is housed in the housing and acquires positional information of the housing;

a storage unit that stores information about a waveform pattern of temporal changes in acceleration values, which is information of a 1B threshold information about an oscillating period of the waveform pattern and 2B threshold information about an amplitude of the waveform pattern;

a 1B determination unit that determines whether the amplitude is greater than or equal to the 2B threshold in a detected value waveform pattern that is a waveform pattern of temporal changes in acceleration values detected by the acceleration detection unit;

a 2B determination unit that determines whether a current state is a moving state when the housing is moving based on the positional information in a case where the amplitude is determined as greater than or equal to the 2B threshold by the 1B determination unit;

a 3B determination unit that determines whether a oscillating period of a detected value waveform pattern is greater than or equal to the 1B threshold in a case where the 2B determination unit determined that the current state is the moving state; and

a 1B counting unit that counts a number of the 1B detected value waveform patterns determined as having the oscillation period greater than or equal to the 1B threshold by the 3B determination unit among the detected value waveform patterns; and

the correction unit comprises;

a calculation unit that calculates a number of detections in the 1B detected value waveform pattern in a time period;

a measurement unit that measures a duration period of the 2B detected value waveform pattern determined as having the oscillation period smaller than the 1B threshold by the 3B determination unit among the detected value waveform patterns;

a presumption unit that presumes a number of detections of the 1B detected value waveform patterns by multiplying the duration period measured by the measurement unit by the number of detections in a time period calculated by the calculation unit; and

an adder unit that adds the number of detections presumed by the presumption unit to the count number in the count unit.

12. The portable electronic device according to claim 11, wherein

the adder unit does not change the count number if the 2B determination unit determines that the housing is not in the moving state.

13. The portable electronic device according to claim 11 further comprising

a moving distance calculation unit that calculates a moving distance moved during a predetermined time period from the positional information acquired by the positional information acquisition unit, wherein

the 2B determination unit determines whether a current state is the moving state based on the moving distance moved during the predetermined time period calculated by the moving distance calculation unit.

14. The portable electronic device according to claim 11 further comprising

a moving velocity calculation unit that calculates a moving velocity from the positional information acquired by the positional information acquisition unit, Page:

75 wherein

the 2B determination unit determines whether a current state is the moving state based on the moving velocity calculated by the moving velocity calculation unit.

15. The portable electronic device according to claim 14, wherein

the 2B determination unit determines that the current state is not the moving state, when the moving velocity is greater than or equal to a predetermined first velocity.

16. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the counting unit comprises:

a timer unit housed in the housing;

a positional information acquisition unit that is housed in the housing and acquires positional information of the housing;

a storage unit that stores information about a waveform pattern of temporal changes in acceleration values, which is information of a 1B threshold information about an oscillation period of a waveform pattern and 2B threshold information about an amplitude of a waveform pattern;

a 1B determination unit that determines that the amplitude is greater than or equal to the 2B threshold in a detected value waveform pattern that is a waveform pattern of temporal changes in acceleration values detected by the acceleration detection unit;

a 2B determination unit that determines whether a current state is a moving state where the housing is moving based on the positional information in a case where the 1B determination unit determined that the amplitude is greater than or equal to the 2B threshold;

a 3B determination unit that determines whether an oscillation period of the detected value waveform pattern is greater than or equal to the 1B threshold in a case where the 2B determination unit determined that the current state is the moving state; and

a 1B counting unit that counts a number of the 1B detected value waveform patterns determined as having the oscillation period greater than or equal to the 1B threshold by the 3B determination unit among the detected value waveform patterns; and

the correction unit comprises;

a 2B counting unit that counts a number of virtual waveform patterns that are made by coupling adjacent top points in the 2B detected value waveform patterns determined as having the oscillation period smaller than the 1B threshold among the detected value waveform patterns; and

an adder unit that adds the count number in the 1B counting unit to the count number in the 2B counting unit.

17. A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing;

an acceleration detection unit housed in the housing;

a counting unit that counts steps based on temporal changes in acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit;

a count determination unit that determines whether the counting unit determined that a fixed number of steps is counted from a start or restart of the count;

a determination unit that determines whether a new step is counted by the counting unit during a predetermined period after the fixed number of steps has been counted if the count determination unit determined that the fixed number of steps has been counted; and

a count control unit that controls the counting unit to cancel the fixed number of steps from total number of steps counted by the counting unit if the determination unit determined that a new step has not been counted within the predetermined period.

18. The portable electronic device according to claim 17, wherein

the count control unit

controls the counting unit to not cancel the fixed number of steps and to continue counting the number of steps if the determination unit determined that a new step has been counted during the predetermined period.

19. The portable electronic device according to claim 17 further comprising:

a first housing and a second housing that constitute the housing;

a connection portion that connects the first housing and the second housing so that opening and closing thereof are possible; and

an opening and closing state detection unit that detects an opening and closing state of the first housing and the second housing, wherein

the count control unit

controls all or a part of the fixed number of steps if the opening and closing state detection unit detected a change in the opening and closing state of the first housing and the second housing during a fixed period before and after the fixed number of steps has been counted by the counting unit.