Method of estimating stride length, method of calculating movement trajectory, and stride length estimating device

• US 8,718,970 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2011
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Uchida, Shuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Charioui, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US13/009,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20110178759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: 702/75, 702/85, 702/141, 702/142, 702/151, 702/158, 702/160
• US Class Current: 702/141
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers

Abstract

A method of estimating a stride length includes: detecting acceleration of a user'"'"'s vertical movement; and estimating a stride length using the detected acceleration by changing the degree of correlation between the acceleration and the stride length, in which the stride length is increased as the detected acceleration increases, based on user'"'"'s speed.

Claims

1. A method of estimating a stride length, using a navigation apparatus having an acceleration sensor, the method comprising:

detecting amplitude of acceleration of a user'"'"'s vertical movement;

using the acceleration sensor; and

estimating a stride length using the detected amplitude of acceleration by changing the degree of correlation between the amplitude of acceleration and the stride length, in which the stride length is increased as the detected amplitude of acceleration increases;

wherein the degree of correlation is changed such that, as user'"'"'s speed increases, a rate of change in the stride length with respect to change in the amplitude of acceleration decreases.

2. A method of calculating a movement trajectory, the method comprising:

estimating a user'"'"'s stride length by using the method according to claim 1;

estimating a user'"'"'s walking direction by using a gyro sensor; and

calculating a user'"'"'s movement trajectory by using the estimated stride length and the estimated walking direction.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the estimating of a walking direction includes:

extracting a low frequency component from a detection result of the gyro sensor;

changing a frequency band to be extracted in accordance with user'"'"'s speed; and

estimating the walking direction using a detection result of the extracted low frequency component of the gyro sensor.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the estimating of a stride length is estimating a stride length by using a correlation modeling equation between the acceleration and the stride length using the degree of the correlation.

5. The method according to Claim 1, wherein a frequency band to be extracted is changed in accordance with the user'"'"'s speed.

6. A stride length estimating device comprising:

an acceleration detecting unit that detects amplitude of acceleration of a user'"'"'s vertical movement; and

a stride length estimating unit that estimates a stride length using the detected amplitude of acceleration by changing the degree of correlation between the acceleration and the stride length, in which, as the acceleration detected by the acceleration detecting unit increases, the stride length is increased, wherein the degree of correlation is changed such that, as user'"'"'s speed increases, a rate of change in the stride length with respect to change in the amplitude of acceleration decreases.