SENSOR UNIT AND MOTION ANALYSIS DEVICE

• US 20130298668A1
• Filed: 05/03/2013
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: SATO, Masatoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,164,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/493
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6895 Sport equipment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/721 using a separate sensor to detect motion or using motion information derived from signals other than the physiological signal to be measured
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/18 using properties of piezo-resistive materials, i.e. materials of which the ohmic resistance varies according to changes in magnitude or direction of force applied to the material
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/10 using electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/02 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00

Abstract

A sensor unit includes a motion sensor which detects a motion of an object, outputs a detection value, and is mounted on the object through an attachment, a filter which receives the detection value, passes a given frequency band, and is able to change a cutoff frequency of the frequency band, and a control unit which controls the cutoff frequency, wherein the control unit determines the cutoff frequency in accordance with hardness of the attachment.

Claims

1. A sensor unit comprising:

a motion sensor which is mounted on an object through an attachment;

a filter which receives a detection value from the motion sensor, passes a given frequency band, and is able to change a cutoff frequency of the frequency band; and

a control unit which controls the cutoff frequency,

wherein the control unit determines the cutoff frequency in accordance with hardness of the attachment.

2. The sensor unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit which stores table information, in which the cutoff frequency is determined in accordance with hardness of the attachment,

wherein the control unit controls the cutoff frequency using the table information.

3. The sensor unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a pressure sensor,

wherein the pressure sensor measures a pressure value when the sensor unit is attached to the attachment, and outputs the pressure value to the control unit.

4. The sensor unit according to claim 3,

wherein the pressure sensor is a piezoresistive pressure sensor.

5. The sensor unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operating unit which receives information regarding hardness of the attachment from the outside of the sensor unit and outputs the information regarding hardness to the control unit.

6. The sensor unit according to claim 1,

wherein, when it is determined that the attachment is harder than predetermined hardness, the control unit generates a control signal such that the cutoff frequency of the high-frequency band is lowered.

7. The sensor unit according to claim 1,

wherein, when it is determined that the attachment is softer than predetermined hardness, the control unit generates a control signal such that the cutoff frequency of the low-frequency band is lowered.

8. A motion analysis device comprising:

the sensor unit according to claim 1.