Exercise assisting method, exercise appliance, and information processor

• US 8,128,533 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2006
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SSD Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SSD Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Katsuya, Ueshima, Hiromu, Aimoto, Hiroyuki, Yasumura, Keiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Thanh, Loan
• Assistant Examiner(s): GANESAN, SUNDHARA M
• Application Number:
  US12/096,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20100048357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,912 Days
• Field of Search: 482/1, 482/8, 482/9, 482/901, 482/902, 463/1, 600/595, 434/247, 434/250, 434/255, 434/257, 738/654, 734/88, 348/77, 348/154, 348/155
• US Class Current: 482/8
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0058 the vertical plane being the frontal body-plane
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0312 for tracking the rotation of a spherical or circular member, e.g. optical rotary encoders used in mice or trackballs using a tracking ball or in mouse scroll wheels tracking relative movement in co-operation with a regularly or irregularly patterned surface, e.g. as in optical mice G06F3/0317; constructional details of scroll or thumb-wheels G06F3/0362; optical rotary encoders G01D5/3473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0334 Foot operated pointing devices

Abstract

Each time stepping motion of a player by a stepper 1 is detected, one firework object 214 appears on a television monitor 100 and then disappears. Each a predetermined number of times of the stepping motion of the player is detected, a more spectacular firework object than that of one step is displayed. If the player performs the stepping motion by frequency as a quota shown in a quota display section 212, this screen is finished.

Claims

1. A movement detecting apparatus configured to detect movement of an exercise machine including a first pedal on which one foot of a player is placed, and a second pedal on which the other foot is placed, the exercise machine being configured to make the player press down on the first pedal and the second pedal in a right-left alternate manner under a load, the movement detecting apparatus comprising:

an imaging unit configured to photograph the first pedal; and

a determining unit configured to determine that the first pedal is pressed down in response to an image of the first pedal in a picture obtained by the imaging unit moving vertically downward, and determine that the second pedal is pressed down in response to the image of the first pedal moving vertically upward.

2. The movement detecting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determining unit performs a first determining process where it is determined that the first pedal is pressed down in response to the image of the first pedal moving vertically downward by a predetermined number of times, and a second determining process where it is determined that the second pedal is pressed down in response to the image of the first pedal moving vertically upward by the predetermined number of times.

3. The movement detecting apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein in response to the image of the first pedal moving vertically upward before moving vertically downward by the predetermined number of times, the determining unit ends the first determining process and starts the second determining process, and

wherein in response to the image of the first pedal moving vertically downward before moving vertically upward by the predetermined number of times, the determining unit ends the second determining process and starts the first determining process.

4. The movement detecting apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein in response to the determining unit determining that the first pedal is pressed down, the determining unit ends the first determining process even if motion of pressing down on the first pedal is not finished, and

wherein in response to the determining unit determining that the second pedal is pressed down, the determining unit ends the second determining process even if motion of pressing down on the second pedal is not finished.

5. The movement detecting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a retroreflective member being attached to the first pedal; and

a light emitting unit configured to intermittently emit light,

wherein the imaging unit photographs the retroreflective member when the light emitting unit emits the light, and photographs the retroreflective member in response to the light emitting unit does not emit the light, and

wherein the determining unit determines whether or not the first pedal is pressed down and whether or not the second pedal is pressed down on the basis of a differential picture between a picture obtained by the imaging unit when the light emitting unit emits the light and a picture obtained by the imaging unit in response to the light emitting unit does not emit the light.

6. The movement detecting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a display controlling unit configured to display a video image on a display device in accordance with a result of determining whether or not the first pedal is pressed down and whether or not the second pedal is pressed down.

7. The movement detecting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a memory;

a detection unit configured to detect periodic movement in accordance with a result of determining whether or not the first pedal is pressed down and whether or not the second pedal is pressed down;

a processing unit configured to

detect when the periodic movement occurs a predetermined number of times,

display a first representation when the predetermined number of times of the periodic movement is detected,

store, into the memory, state information, corresponding to the first representation, in association with a date,

end display of the first representation, and

responsive to the date stored in the memory, conditionally display a second representation depending on whether the periodic movement of the exercise machine is not detected within a predetermined time.

8. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the predetermined time period is 3 days.

9. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the first representation includes N objects, and the second representation includes less than N objects.

10. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein each object is a depiction of a fish.

11. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the state information includes N.

12. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the state information includes a detected number of times of occurrence of the periodic movement.

13. A movement detecting method for detecting movement of an exercise machine including a first pedal on which one foot of a player is placed, and a second pedal on which the other foot is placed, the exercise machine being configured to make the player press down on the first pedal and the second pedal in a right-left alternate manner under a load, the movement detecting method comprising the steps of:

photographing the first pedal by an imaging device;

determining by a computer that the first pedal is pressed down in response to an image of the first pedal in a picture obtained by the imaging device moving vertically downward; and

determining by the computer that the second pedal is pressed down in response to the image of the first pedal moving vertically upward.

14. The movement detecting method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the step of determining with regard to the first pedal including the step of:

performing a first determining process where it is determined that the first pedal is pressed down in response to the image of the first pedal moving vertically downward by a predetermined number of times, and

wherein the step of determining with regard to the second pedal including the step of;

performing a second determining process where it is determined that the second pedal is pressed down in response to the image of the first pedal moving vertically upward by the predetermined number of times.

15. The movement detecting method as claimed in claim 14 further comprising the steps of:

in response to the image of the first pedal moving vertically upward before moving vertically downward by the predetermined number of times, by the computer, ending the first determining process to start the second determining process; and

in response to the image of the first pedal moving vertically downward before moving vertically upward by the predetermined number of times, by the computer, ending the second determining process to start the first determining process.

16. The movement detecting method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the step of determining with regard to the first pedal further including the step of:

in response to determining that the first pedal is pressed down, ending the first determining process even if motion of pressing down on the first pedal is not finished, and

wherein the step of determining with regard to the second pedal further including the step of;

in response to determining that the second pedal is pressed down, ending the second determining process even if motion of pressing down on the second pedal is not finished.

17. The movement detecting method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising:

emitting light intermittently by a light emitting device,

the step of photographing by the imaging device including the steps of;

photographing a retroreflective member attached to the first pedal in response to the light emitting device emits the light; and

photographing the retroreflective member in response to the light emitting device does not emit the light,

wherein the step of determining with regard to the first pedal including the step of;

determining whether or not the first pedal is pressed down on the basis of a differential picture between a picture obtained by the imaging device when the light emitting device emits the light and a picture obtained by the imaging device when the light emitting device does not emit the light, and

wherein the step of determining with regard to the second pedal including the step of;

determining whether or not the second pedal is pressed down on the basis of the differential picture.

18. The movement detecting method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising:

displaying a video image on a display device by the computer in accordance with a result of the step of determining with regard to the first pedal and a result of the step of determining with regard to the second pedal.

19. A non-transitory tangible computer readable medium embodying a computer program for enabling a computer to perform a process, which detects movement of an exercise machine including a first pedal on that one foot of a player is placed, and a second pedal on which the other foot is placed, the exercise machine being configured to make the player press down on the first pedal and the second pedal in a right-left alternate manner under a load, the process comprising the steps of:

determining that the first pedal is pressed down in response to an image of the first pedal in a picture obtained by photographing the first pedal by an imaging device moving vertically downward; and

determining that the second pedal is pressed down in response to the image of the first pedal moving vertically upward.

20. The non-transitory tangible computer readable medium as claimed in claim 19, wherein the step of determining with regard to the first pedal including the step of:

performing a first determining process where it is determined that the first pedal is pressed down in response to the image of the first pedal moving vertically downward by a predetermined number of times, and

wherein the step of determining with regard to the second pedal including the step of;

performing a second determining process where it is determined that the second pedal is pressed down in response to the image of the first pedal moving vertically upward by the predetermined number of times.

21. The non-transitory tangible computer readable medium as claimed in claim 20, the process further comprising the steps of:

in response to the image of the first pedal moving vertically upward before moving vertically downward by the predetermined number of times, ending the first determining process to start the second determining process; and

in response to the image of the first pedal moving vertically downward before moving vertically upward by the predetermined number of times, ending the second determining process to start the first determining process.

22. The non-transitory tangible computer readable medium as claimed in claim 20, wherein the step of determining with regard to the first pedal further including the step of:

in response to determining that the first pedal is pressed down, ending the first determining process even if motion of pressing down on the first pedal is not finished, and

wherein the step of determining with regard to the second pedal further including the step of;

in response to determining that the second pedal is pressed down, ending the second determining process even if motion of pressing down on the second pedal is not finished.

23. The non-transitory tangible computer readable medium as claimed in claim 19, wherein the step of determining with regard to the first pedal including the step of:

determining whether or not the first pedal is pressed down on the basis of a differential picture between a picture obtained by photographing a retroreflective member attached to the first pedal by the imaging device when a light emitting device emits light and a picture obtained by the imaging device when the light emitting device does not emit the light, and

wherein the step of determining with regard to the second pedal including the step of;

determining whether or not the second pedal is pressed down on the basis of the differential picture.

24. The non-transitory tangible computer readable medium as claimed in claim 19 the process further comprising:

displaying a video image on a display device in accordance with a result of the step of determining with regard to the first pedal and a result of the step of determining with regard to the second pedal.