Inertial device with pedometer function and portable electric appliance incorporating said inertial device

• US 8,875,573 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2011
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Pasolini, Fabio, Tronconi, Michele
• Primary Examiner(s): KWOK, HELEN C
• Application Number:
  US13/176,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20110264407A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 734/93, 73489-492, 702/160, 702/176, 702/178, 702/141, 702150-154, 702/158
• US Class Current: 73/489
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up

Abstract

An inertial device that is integratable in a portable electronic device includes: an inertial sensor for generating at least one raw acceleration signal in response to accelerations caused by movements of walking and running of a user of the pedometer; and a processing unit, associated to the inertial sensor for counting a number of steps of the user of the pedometer on the basis of the raw acceleration signal. The inertial sensor and the processing unit are both encapsulated within a single package for integrated circuits, which can be coupled to a circuit board of an electronic device and is provided with at least one connection terminal for making the number of steps available to the outside world.

Claims

1. An inertial device comprising:

an inertial sensor configured to generate at least one raw acceleration signal in response to accelerations produced when a user of the inertial device walks;

a processing unit associated with said inertial sensor, said processing unit arranged to count a number of steps of the user on the basis of the raw acceleration signal; and

a single integrated circuit package encapsulating both the inertial sensor and the processing unit, said single integrated circuit package having an array of electrical conductors wherein said array of electrical conductors is configured to mount to a component having a matching array pattern.

2. The inertial device according to claim 1 wherein said array of electrical conductors is formed as one of a ball grid array or a land grid array.

3. The inertial device according to claim 1 wherein the component is a circuit board.

4. The inertial device according to claim 1 wherein at least one conductor of said array of electrical conductors is configurable to pass the number of steps.

5. The inertial device according to claim 1 wherein said processing unit comprises a conversion chain configured to extract a usable acceleration signal from said raw acceleration signal.

6. The inertial device according to claim 1 wherein said inertial sensor is a capacitive microelectromechanical sensor having at least three mutually independent axes, the inertial sensor configured to supply at least three raw acceleration signals in response to accelerations caused by movements of walking of the user.

7. The inertial device according to claim 5 wherein a detection circuit comprises:

a counter register, configured to store the number of steps;

a first comparator, configured to compare the usable acceleration signal with a threshold value, said first comparator coupled to said counter register, said first comparator configured to update the number of steps in response to the usable acceleration signal exceeding the threshold value; and

a selective-enabling circuit configured to enable updating the number of steps when the usable acceleration signal is lower than the threshold value, said selective-enabling circuit further configured to disable the updating the number of steps for a determined time interval after the usable acceleration signal has exceeded the threshold value.

8. The inertial device according to claim 7 wherein said time interval is programmable.

9. The inertial device according to claim 7 wherein said detection circuit includes a threshold-updating circuit configured to generate the threshold value based on the usable acceleration signal.

10. The inertial device according to claim 7 wherein said inertial sensor is formed in a first semiconductor chip and said processing unit is formed in a second semiconductor chip, said first semiconductor chip being separate from said second semiconductor chip.

11. The inertial device according to claim 7 wherein said inertial sensor and said processing unit are both formed on a single semiconductor chip.

12. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a printed circuit board having an array of electrically conductive pads wherein said array of electrically conductive pads is configured for connection to a package having a matching array pattern; and

an inertial device formed in a single integrated circuit package, the inertial device coupled to the printed circuit board via the array of electrically conductive pads, the inertial device encapsulating;

an inertial sensor structured to generate at least one raw acceleration signal in response to accelerations produced when a user of the portable electronic device walks; and

a processing unit, associated with said inertial sensor, said processing unit structured to count a number of steps of the user on the basis of said raw acceleration signal.

13. The portable electronic device according to claim 12 wherein said inertial device includes an array of electrical conductors formed as a ball grid array or a land grid array.

14. The portable electronic device according to claim 12 wherein at least one pad of said array of electrically conductive pads is configurable to pass the number of steps.

15. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, further comprising:

a control unit coupled to the printed circuit board, said control unit being separate from said processing unit of said inertial device, said control unit structured to receive the number of steps.

16. The portable electronic device according to claim 12 wherein a communication interface is configurable to pass the number of steps.

17. A method of operating a portable electronic appliance, comprising:

controlling operations of the portable electronic appliance with a control unit;

generating a number of steps with an inertial device, the inertial device having an inertial sensor and a processing unit encapsulated in a single integrated circuit package, said generating including;

producing, by the inertial sensor, an acceleration signal in response to accelerations caused by movements of a user; and

counting, with the processing unit, the number of steps of the user based on the acceleration signal; and

electrically passing the number of steps from the inertial device to the control unit.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the generating further includes:

comparing the acceleration signal with a threshold value;

incrementing the number of steps in response to the acceleration signal exceeding the threshold value; and

storing the number of steps in a counter register.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein the generating further includes:

selectively enabling the incrementing the number of steps when the acceleration signal is lower than the threshold value and further selectively disabling the incrementing the number of steps for a determined time interval after the acceleration signal has exceeded the threshold value.

20. The method according to claim 19 wherein the generating further includes:

setting the determined time.