Electronic pedometer

• US 7,297,088 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2005
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Richman; Glenn E.
• Application Number:
  US11/109,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20050238132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 482 1- 9, 482/54, 482900-902, 235/105, 342/357.06, 361/32, 361/36, 377/24, 377/24.2, 702/160
• US Class Current: 482/3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 482/90 Ergometer with feedback to load or with feedback comparison

Abstract

To enhance precision in measurement of the number of steps even when a walk cycle changes. An acceleration detecting portion outputs a walk signal corresponding to a walk of a user detected by a walk sensor. A step number counting portion of a counting portion counts each signal which is judged to be beyond a first reference cycle range by a walk cycle comparing portion among signals from the acceleration detecting portion as the number of steps for one step, and when an extra-regulation step number processing portion judges that a predetermined number of signals each within a second reference cycle range among the signals each beyond the first reference cycle range is continuously outputted, counts the predetermined number of signals as the predetermined number of steps.

Claims

1. An electronic pedometer comprising:

walk detecting means having a walk sensor mountable on a user'"'"'s body for outputting a walk signal corresponding to a walk of a user detected by the walk sensor; and

counting means for counting the number of steps based on the walk signal from the walk detecting means by counting each signal within a first reference cycle range of signals from the walk detecting means as the number of steps for one step, and counting a predetermined number of signals as a predetermined number of steps when the predetermined number of signals each within a second reference cycle range of the signals each beyond the first reference cycle range are continuously outputted from the walk detecting means, the counting means comprising first cycle judging means for judging whether or not each signal from the walk detecting means is a signal within the first reference cycle range, second cycle judging means for judging whether or not each signal judged to be beyond the first reference cycle by the first cycle judging means among the signals from the walk detecting means is a signal within the second reference cycle range, 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 among the signals from the walk detecting means as the number of steps for one step, and for, when the second reference cycle judging means judges that a predetermined number of signals each within the second reference cycle range are continuously outputted from the walk detecting means, counting the predetermined number of signals thus continuously outputted as the predetermined number of steps.

2. An electronic pedometer according to claim 1;

wherein the second cycle judging means includes first cycle storing means for successively storing data on cycles of the predetermined number of signals each judged to be a signal within the second reference cycle range;

wherein when the signal judged to be beyond the first reference cycle range by the first cycle judging means is a signal within a predetermined cycle range with a cycle of a newest signal data on which is stored in the first cycle storing means as a reference, the second cycle judging means judges that the signal thus judged is a signal within the second reference cycle range and stores the signal thus judged in the first cycle storing means;

wherein when the first cycle storing means stores therein data on the cycles of the predetermined number of signals, the predetermined number of signals are outputted as the predetermined number of steps; and

wherein the counting means counts the predetermined number of steps.

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 newest signals each judged to be within the first reference cycle range by the first cycle judging means among signals from the walk detecting means; and

wherein 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 3;

wherein the reference cycle calculating means includes second cycle storing means for successively storing therein data on cycles of a predetermined number of newest signals each judged to be within the first reference cycle range by the first cycle judging means; and

wherein the reference cycle calculating means obtains a moving average of the cycles of the predetermined number of signals using the data stored in the second cycle storing means.

5. An electronic pedometer according to claim 4;

wherein when the reference cycle calculating means receives data on the cycles of the predetermined number of signals from the first cycle storing means, the reference cycle calculating means stores the data on the cycles of the predetermined number of signals in the second cycle storing means and obtains a moving average using the cycles of the signals stored in the second cycle storing means.

6. An electronic pedometer according to claim 1;

wherein the walk sensor is used by being mounted on an arm of a the user.

7. An electronic pedometer according to claim 6;

wherein the counting means performs a timing function.

8. An electronic pedometer according to claim 1;

further comprising a display portion for displaying data corresponding to the number of steps counted by the counting means.

9. An electronic pedometer according to claim 8;

wherein the display portion comprises a liquid crystal display device.

10. An electronic pedometer according to claim 8;

further comprising means for starting a counting operation of the counting means, stopping the counting operation, and resetting a count value of the counting operation.

11. An electronic pedometer comprising:

a walk sensor that detects a walk of a user;

an acceleration detection portion that outputs a walk signal corresponding to a walk of the user detected by the walk sensor; and

a counting portion that counts the number of steps of the user in accordance with the walk signal from the acceleration detection portion, the counting portion comprising a filter portion that outputs a signal having a cycle within an allowable change range among signals outputted from the acceleration detecting portion, a walk cycle calculating portion that calculates a reference walk cycle, a walk cycle comparing portion that compares a cycle of a signal from the filter portion with a first reference cycle range in accordance with the reference walk cycle to output a signal having a cycle within the first reference cycle range among signals outputted from the filter portion as the number of steps for one step and to output a signal beyond the first reference cycle range among signals from the filter portion, an extraregulation step number temporarily holding portion that stores cycles of signal data, an extraregulation step number processing portion that compares a cycle of a signal from the walk cycle comparing portion with a second reference cycle range corresponding to a cycle of a newest signal among the cycles of signal data stored in an extra-regulation step number temporarily holding portion to store a signal having a cycle within the second reference cycle range among the signals from the walk cycle comparing portion and that outputs the data of the number of cycles of signals stored in the extra-regulation step number temporarily holding portion and resets and erases the signal data stored in the extra-regulation step number temporarily holding portion when the number of cycles of signal data stored in the extra-regulation step number temporarily holding portion becomes a predetermined number, and a step number counting portion for counting the current number of steps by adding the number of steps obtained from the walk cycle comparing portion and the extraregulation step number processing portion to a step number count value.

12. An electronic pedometer according to claim 11;

wherein the walk sensor is mountable on the user'"'"'s body.

13. An electronic pedometer according to claim 11;

wherein the walk sensor is used by being mounted on an arm of the user.

14. An electronic pedometer according to claim 11;

wherein the counting portion performs a timing function.

15. An electronic pedometer according to claim 11;

further comprising a display portion for displaying data corresponding to the number of steps counted by the counting portion.

16. An electronic pedometer according to claim 15;

wherein the display portion comprises a liquid crystal display device.

17. An electronic pedometer according to claim 11;

further comprising a switch that is adapted for manipulation to start a counting operation of the counting portion, stop the counting operation, and reset a count value of the counting operation.

18. An electronic pedometer according to claim 11;

wherein the walk sensor is mountable on the user'"'"'s body; and

wherein at least one of the acceleration detection portion and the counting portion is not mountable on the user'"'"'s body and communicates with the walk sensor by wireless communication.