Sound-output-control device, sound-output-control method, and sound-output-control program

• US 20070060446A1
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sano, Akane, Inoue, Makoto, Shirai, Katsuya, Asukai, Masamichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,858,453 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 482/8
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0025 Tracking the path or location of one or more users, e.g. players of a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/00 Exercising apparatus specially adapted for conditioning the cardio-vascular system, for training agility or co-ordination of movements force-resisting aspects A63B21/00; for particular parts of the body, e.g. to strengthen particular limbs or muscles A63B23/00; electric or electronic controls therefor A63B24/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/34 Angular speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/06 heartbeat rate only
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/40 respiratory characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0075 Means for generating exercise programs or schemes, e.g. computerized virtual trainer, e.g. using expert databases
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0686 Timers, rhythm indicators or pacing apparatus using electric or electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/20 Automatic control H03G3/005 takes precedence; combined with volume compression or expansion H03G7/00

Abstract

A sound-output-control device including an acquisition unit which acquires an anaerobic threshold, a reception unit which receives an input about exercise intensity, a calculation unit which calculates a value indicating a target heart rate of a user on the basis of the acquired anaerobic threshold and the received exercise-intensity input, a detection unit which detects a value indicating the current tempo of a physical exercise done by the user, and a control unit that controls a sound output on the basis of a result of a comparison of the target heart-rate value calculated by the calculation unit and the current physical-exercise-tempo value detected by the detection unit, so as to lead a heart rate of the user so that the heart rate of the user attains the target heart rate is provided.

Claims

1. A sound-output-control device comprising:

acquisition means to acquire an anaerobic threshold;

reception means to receive an input about exercise intensity;

calculation means to calculate a target heart rate of a user on the basis of the acquired anaerobic threshold and the received exercise-intensity input;

detection means to detect a current tempo of a physical exercise done by the user; and

control means to control a sound output on the basis of a result of a comparison of the target heart-rate calculated by the calculation means and the current physical-exercise-tempo detected by the detection means, so as to lead a heart rate of the user so that the heart rate of the user attains the target heart rate.

2. The sound-output-control device according to claim 1, wherein, upon receiving information about a change in a value indicating the heart rate of the user who does the physical exercise while increasing an exercise load, the acquisition means acquires a value as the anaerobic threshold, the value indicating the heart rate corresponding to an inflection point which occurs due to the change in the heart-rate value.

3. The sound-output-control device according to claim 1, wherein, upon receiving information about a change in a value indicating the heart rate of the user who does the physical exercise while increasing an exercise load, the acquisition means acquires a value as the anaerobic threshold, the value indicating the heart rate obtained when the change in the heart-rate value becomes larger than a predetermined value.

4. The sound-output-control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

rhythm-detection means which detects a rhythm of the physical exercise done by the user; and

determination means which determines whether or not the user does the physical exercise on the basis of the detected physical-exercise rhythm.

5. The sound-output-control means according to claim 1, further comprising rhythm-detection means which detects a rhythm of the physical exercise done by the user, and

wherein the control means performs control based at least in part on a detection output transmitted from the rhythm-detection means,

at least one sound signal is output at a tempo synchronized with the detected physical-exercise rhythm over a predetermined time period,

the tempo of the sound signal is changed by as much as a predetermined value and the changed sound signal is output over another predetermined time period, and

the sound signal is output at the tempo synchronized with the detected physical-exercise rhythm over still another predetermined time period.

6. The sound-output-control means according to claim 1, further comprising rhythm-detection means which detects a rhythm of the physical exercise done by the user, and

wherein the control means performs control based at least in part on a detection output transmitted from the rhythm-detection means,

a sound signal is output at a first tempo synchronized with the detected physical-exercise rhythm over a predetermined time period,

a sound signal is output at a second tempo different from the first tempo over another predetermined time period, and

a sound signal is output at the first tempo synchronized with the detected physical-exercise rhythm over still another predetermined time period.

7. A sound-output-control method comprising the steps of:

acquiring an anaerobic threshold;

receiving an input about exercise intensity;

calculating a target heart rate of a user on the basis of the acquired anaerobic threshold and the received exercise-intensity input;

detecting a current tempo of a physical exercise done by the user; and

controlling a sound output on the basis of a result of a comparison of the target heart-rate calculated at the calculation step and the current physical-exercise-tempo detected at the detection step, so as to lead the physical exercise done by the user so that the heart rate of the user attains the target heart rate.

8. The sound-output-control method according to claim 7, wherein, at the acquisition step, upon receiving information about a change in a value indicating the heart rate of the user who does the physical exercise while increasing an exercise load, a value indicating the heart rate corresponding to an inflection point which occurs due to the change in the heart-rate value is acquired as the anaerobic threshold.

9. The sound-output-control method according to claim 7, wherein, at the acquisition step, upon receiving information about a change in a value indicating the heart rate of the user who does the physical exercise while increasing an exercise load, a value indicating the heart rate obtained when the change in the heart-rate value becomes larger than a predetermined value is acquired as the anaerobic threshold.

10. The sound-output-control method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a rhythm of the physical exercise done by the user; and

determining whether or not the user does the physical exercise on the basis of the detected physical-exercise rhythm.

11. The sound-output-control method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of detecting a rhythm of the physical exercise done by the user,

wherein, at the control step, control is performed so that a result of the detection performed at the rhythm-detection step is referred to, at least one sound signal is output at a tempo synchronized with the detected physical-exercise rhythm over a predetermined time period, the tempo of the sound signal is changed by as much as a predetermined value and the changed sound signal is output over another predetermined time period, and the sound signal is output at the tempo synchronized with the detected physical-exercise rhythm over still another predetermined time period.

12. The sound-output-control method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of detecting a rhythm of the physical exercise done by the user,

wherein, at the control step, control is performed so that a result of the detection performed at the rhythm-detection step is referred to, a first sound signal is output at a first tempo synchronized with the detected physical-exercise rhythm over a predetermined time period, a second sound signal is output at a second tempo different from the first tempo over another predetermined time period, and the first sound signal is output at the first tempo synchronized with the detected physical-exercise rhythm over still another predetermined time period.

13. At least one computer-readable medium having encoded thereon computer-executable instructions to cause a computer to execute a method, the method comprising a sound-output-control program which makes a computer mounted onto a sound-output-control device reproducing and outputting sound perform the steps of:

acquiring an anaerobic threshold;

receiving an input about exercise intensity;

calculating a target heart rate of a user on the basis of the acquired anaerobic threshold and the received exercise-intensity input;

detecting a current tempo of a physical exercise done by the user; and

controlling a sound output on the basis of a result of a comparison of the target heart-rate and the current physical-exercise-tempo detected at the detection step, so as to lead the physical exercise done by the user so that the heart rate of the user attains the target heart rate.

14. The recording medium storing the sound-output-control program according to claim 13, wherein, at the acquisition step, upon receiving information about a change in a value indicating the physical state of the user who does the physical exercise while increasing an exercise load, a value indicating the physical state corresponding to an inflection point which occurs due to the change in the physical-state value is acquired as the anaerobic threshold.

15. The recording medium storing the sound-output-control program according to claim 13, wherein, at the acquisition step, upon receiving information about a change in a value indicating the heart rate of the user who does the physical exercise while increasing an exercise load, a value indicating the heart rate obtained when the change in the heart-rate value becomes larger than a predetermined value is acquired as the anaerobic threshold.

16. The recording medium storing the sound-output-control program according to claim 13, wherein the sound-output-control program further makes the computer perform the steps of:

detecting a rhythm of the physical exercise done by the user; and

determining whether or not the user does the physical exercise on the basis of the detected physical-exercise rhythm.

17. The recording medium storing the sound-output-control program according to claim 13, further comprising the step of detecting a rhythm of the physical exercise done by the user, and

wherein, at the control step, control is performed based at least in part on a result of the detection performed at the rhythm-detection step,

at least one sound signal is output at a tempo synchronized with the detected physical-exercise rhythm over a predetermined time period,

the tempo of the sound signal is changed by as much as a predetermined value and the changed sound signal is output over another predetermined time period, and

the sound signal is output at the tempo synchronized with the detected physical-exercise rhythm over still another predetermined time period.

18. The recording medium storing the sound-output-control program according to claim 13, further comprising the step of detecting a rhythm of the physical exercise done by the user, and

wherein, at the control step, control is performed based at least in part on a result of the detection performed at the rhythm-detection step,

a first sound signal is output at a first tempo synchronized with the detected physical-exercise rhythm over a predetermined time period,

a second sound signal is output at a second tempo different from the first tempo over another predetermined time period, and

the first sound signal is output at the first tempo synchronized with the detected physical-exercise rhythm over still another predetermined time period.

19. A sound-output-control device comprising:

an acquisition unit to acquire an anaerobic threshold;

a reception unit to receive an input about exercise intensity;

a calculation unit to calculate a target heart rate of a user on the basis of the acquired anaerobic threshold and the received exercise-intensity input;

a detection unit to detect a current tempo of a physical exercise done by the user; and

a control unit to control a sound output on the basis of a result of a comparison of the target heart-rate calculated by the calculation unit and the current physical-exercise-tempo detected by the detection unit, so as to lead a heart rate of the user so that the heart rate of the user attains the target heart rate.