Step number measuring apparatus

• US 7,805,277 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2007
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Tsubata, Keisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Kundu; Sujoy K
• Application Number:
  US11/703,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20070202997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 702/155, 702/158, 702/160, 702/190, 702/127, 377/24.2, 482/54, 482900-902
• US Class Current: 702/160
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 482/901 having computer circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 482/902 Employing specific graphic or video display

Abstract

To provide a step number measuring apparatus in which a reduction in electric power is intended by a simple constitution, and which can correspond to plural movements. A CPU calculates a moving motion pitch on the basis of a detection signal from sensors that a switching circuit has selected, calculates the moving motion pitch by performing a processing having been selected from among plural kinds of processings, which have been stored in a memory, on the basis of the detection signal from the sensors that the switching circuit has selected, calculates the moving motion pitch by selecting the other processing among the plural kinds of processings when both the moving motion pitches differ, and performs a step number measurement by the selected processing when both the moving motion pitches become the same.

Claims

1. A step number measuring apparatus comprising:

plural sensors which detect a moving motion and output a corresponding detection signal and whose sensitivity axes mutually differ;

sensor selecting means for selecting any one of the sensors;

amplifying means for amplifying and outputting the detection signal from the sensor selected by the sensor selecting means;

first calculation means for calculating a moving motion pitch on the basis of the amplified detection signal from the sensor selected by the sensor selecting means;

second calculation means for calculating a moving motion pitch by performing a selected processing on the basis of the amplified detection signal from the sensor selected by the sensor selecting means;

control means for selecting any one processing from among plural kinds of processings, selecting another processing from among the plural kinds of processings when the moving motion pitch calculated by the first calculation means differs from the moving motion pitch calculated by the second calculation means, and altering a gain of the amplifying means to a gain complying with the selected processing; and

step number measuring means for performing a step number measurement by the processing selected by the control means.

2. A step number measuring apparatus according to claim 1;

wherein when a predetermined detection signal is not outputted from the sensor selected by the sensor selecting means, the control means controls the sensor selecting means so as to select the other sensor.

3. A step number measuring apparatus according to claim 1;

wherein a sensor for walking, which has a sensitivity axis suitable for a walking detection, and a sensor for running, which has a sensitivity axis suitable for a running detection, are included in the plural sensors, and a processing for walking and a processing for running are included in the plural processings,

the control means selects the sensor for walking and the processing for walking when performing the step number measurement at a walking time, selects the sensor for running and the processing for walking when performing the step number measurement at an excise walking time, and selects the sensor for running and the processing for running when performing the step number measurement at a running time, and

the step number measuring means performs the step number measurement by using the sensor and the processing, that the control means has selected.

4. A step number measuring apparatus according to claim 1;

wherein when the control means has judged that, under a state in which the processing is set to the processing for running, the moving motion pitch calculated by the second calculation means is not a pitch corresponding to the running, it switches the processing to the processing for walking.

5. A step number measuring apparatus according to claim 1;

wherein when the control means has judged that, under a state in which the processing is set to the processing for walking, the moving motion pitches calculated by the first calculation means and the second calculation mutually differ, it switches the processing to the processing for running.