Physical movement analyzer and physical movement analyzing method

• US 20040230138A1
• Filed: 04/06/2004
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Hiroshi, Tanaka, Shinji, Inoue, Shigeyuki, Shiraishi, Takako, Kawasaki, Yoshitaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,387,611 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/595
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis

Abstract

The acceleration information detecting unit (11) of an acceleration detecting apparatus (10) have an acceleration sensor with at least one-axis measures the acceleration in the back and forth direction (or the right and left direction) of a walking person and sends the acceleration data indicating this acceleration to the wireless communication control unit (12). The wireless communication control unit (12) sends the acceleration data that is measured in the acceleration information detecting unit (11) to the physical movement analyzer (20) using a short-distance wireless communication method. On the other hand, the wireless communication control unit (21) of the physical movement analyzer (20) receives the acceleration data that is sent from the acceleration detecting apparatus (10) using a short-distance wireless communication method and sends it to the walking speed detecting unit (22). The walking speed detecting unit (22) estimates the strides and a walking period based on the received acceleration data and calculates the walking speed based on the strides and the walking period.

Claims

1. A physical movement analyzer for analyzing a human walking ability comprising:

an acceleration detecting unit operable to detect an acceleration of a person moving in a certain duration;

an acceleration analyzing unit operable to extract a specified physical feature amount by performing a predetermined analysis on the detected acceleration; and

a walking ability value calculating unit operable to calculate a physical quantity concerning the human walking ability based on the extracted physical feature amount.

2. A physical movement analyzer according to claim 1,

wherein the acceleration detecting unit detects at least one acceleration in an acceleration in a back and forth direction, an acceleration in a right and left direction and an acceleration in a vertical direction of a person moving in a certain duration.

3. The physical movement analyzer according to claim 2,

wherein the acceleration analyzing unit includes:

a frequency analyzing unit operable to generate a frequency spectrum based on a temporal change in the detected acceleration; and

a frequency identifying unit operable to identify a frequency with a maximum peak value in the generated frequency spectrum, and

the walking ability value calculating unit calculates the physical quantity based on the identified frequency.

4. The physical movement analyzer according to claim 3,

wherein the physical movement analyzer further comprising:

a memory operable to memorize the calculated physical quantity in association with an analyzed person'"'"'s name and an analysis date and time; and

a display unit operable to display the physical quantity in association with a date after reading it out from the memory.

5. The physical movement analyzer according to claim 3,

wherein the spectrum identifying unit identifies frequency with a maximum peak value in the generated frequency spectrum, further, identifies a lowest frequency in the frequency spectrum except OHz.

6. The physical movement analyzer according to claim 5,

wherein the acceleration analyzing unit further includes a logarithm value calculating unit operable to calculate a common logarithm value based on the peak value of the identified frequency spectrum, and

the walking ability value calculating unit calculates a predetermined length in walking by applying the calculated common logarithm value to an approximate expression that is previously obtained.

7. The physical movement analyzer according to claim 6,

wherein the predetermined length in walking is a stride.

8. The physical movement analyzer according to claim 6,

wherein the predetermined length in walking is a stance.

9. The physical movement analyzer according to claim 3,

wherein the acceleration analyzing unit further includes:

a period calculating unit operable to calculate an integration period using the identified frequency; and

a leg identifying unit operable to identify which one of right or left leg generates the acceleration in the back and forth direction using the detected acceleration in the right and left direction, and

the walking ability value calculating unit includes;

a speed calculating unit operable to calculate a speed generated by a left leg and a speed generated by a right leg by integrating the acceleration in the back and forth direction concerning the identified leg in the calculated integration period; and

a speed ratio calculating unit operable to calculate a ratio of the speed generated by the left leg and the speed generated by the right leg based on the calculated speed.

10. The physical movement analyzer according to claim 2,

wherein the physical movement analyzer further comprises a walking detecting unit operable to judge whether the movement is walking or not based on the detected acceleration in vertical direction, and

the acceleration analyzing unit extracts the physical feature amount and the walking ability value calculating unit calculates the physical feature amount in the case where the walking detecting unit judged that it is walking.

11. The physical movement analyzer according to claim 2,

wherein the acceleration detecting unit detects the acceleration in the waist part near a center of gravity of the person.

12. The physical movement analyzer according to claim 2,

wherein the acceleration analyzing unit calculates a stride and a walking period as the specified physical feature amount, and

the walking ability value calculating unit calculates the walking speed as the physical quantity based on the calculated stride and the calculated walking period.

13. The physical movement analyzer according to claim 12,

wherein the acceleration analyzing unit calculates the stride based on the acceleration in the back and forth direction and calculates the walking period based on the acceleration in the right and left direction.

14. The physical movement analyzer according to claim 13,

wherein the acceleration analyzing unit further includes:

a zero cross point identifying unit operable to identify a zero cross point in a curve indicating the detected acceleration in the right and left direction; and

a walking period calculating unit operable to calculate the walking period based on at least two zero cross points.

15. The physical movement analyzer according to claim 13,

wherein the acceleration analyzing unit further includes:

a spectrum generating unit operable to generate a frequency spectrum based on a curve indicating the detected acceleration in the back and forth direction;

a maximum spectrum identifying unit operable to identify the maximum spectrum component in the generated frequency spectrum;

a logarithm value calculating unit operable to calculate a common logarithm value based on a peak value of the identified maximum spectrum component; and

a stride calculating unit operable to calculate a stride by applying the calculated common logarithm value to an approximate expression that is obtained previously.

16. The physical movement analyzer according to claim 13,

wherein the acceleration analyzing unit further includes:

a zero cross point identifying unit operable to identify a zero cross point in a curve indicating the detected acceleration in the right and left direction;

a walking period calculating unit operable to calculate the specified walking period based on at least two zero cross points;

a spectrum generating unit operable to generate the frequency spectrum based on the curve indicating the detected acceleration in the back and forth direction;

a maximum spectrum identifying unit operable to identify a maximum spectrum component in the generated frequency spectrum;

a logarithm value calculating unit operable to calculate the common logarithm value based on a specified peak value of the identified maximum spectrum component; and

a stride calculating unit operable to calculate a stride by applying the calculated common logarithm value to an approximate expression obtained previously.

17. The physical movement analyzing system with an acceleration detecting apparatus and an analyzer for analyzing a human walking ability,

wherein the acceleration detecting apparatus includes:

an acceleration detecting unit operable to detect an acceleration of a person moving in a certain duration; and

an acceleration sending unit operable to transform the detected acceleration into the electric signal and send an electric signal to an analyzer, and

the analyzer includes;

an acceleration receiving unit operable to receive the electric signal from the acceleration detecting apparatus and transform the electric signal into the acceleration;

an acceleration analyzing unit operable to extract a specified physical feature amount by performing a predetermined analysis on the transformed acceleration; and

a walking ability value calculating unit operable to calculate the physical quantity concerning a human walking ability based on the extracted physical feature amount.

18. A physical movement analyzing method for analyzing a human walking ability comprising:

an acceleration detecting step of detecting an acceleration of a person moving in a certain duration,

an acceleration analyzing step of extracting a specified physical feature amount by performing a predetermined analysis on the detected acceleration; and

a walking ability value calculating step of calculating a physical quantity concerning the human walking ability based on the extracted physical feature amount.

19. A program for a physical movement analyzer for analyzing a human walking ability, the program causing a computer to execute the following steps:

an acceleration detecting step of detecting an acceleration of a person moving in a certain duration;

an acceleration analyzing step of extracting a specified physical feature amount by performing a predetermined analysis on the detected acceleration; and

a walking ability value calculating step of calculating a physical quantity concerning the human walking ability based on the extracted physical feature amount.