ACTIVITY METER, CONTROL METHOD THEREOF, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20120291544A1
• Filed: 08/02/2012
• Published: 11/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Inventors: KAWABE, Yusuke
• Application Number:
  US13/565,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20120291544A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/488
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6838 Clamps or clips
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers

Abstract

An activity meter includes an accelerometer for detecting movement of a body and a control unit connected to the accelerometer. The control unit determines segments corresponding to single cycles of body movement based on a detection output from the accelerometer, and based on a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value in the detection output from the accelerometer that correspond to the determined segments of the single cycles, specifies a type of activity performed in a predetermined period that includes the segments.

Claims

1. An activity meter comprising:

an accelerometer for detecting movement of a body; and

a control unit connected to the accelerometer,

wherein the control unit;

determines segments corresponding to single cycles of body movement based on a detection output from the accelerometer;

based on a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value in the detection output from the accelerometer that correspond to the determined segments of the single cycles, specifies a type of activity performed in a predetermined period that includes the segments;

tentatively determines the type of activity performed in the segments; and

determines that the type of activity that has been tentatively determined most often in the segments in the predetermined period is the type of activity in all the segments in the predetermined period.

2. The activity meter according to claim 1,

wherein when tentatively determining the type of activity, the control unit tentatively determines the type of activity in the segments to be walking or running using a threshold for the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value.

3. An activity meter comprising:

an accelerometer for detecting movement of a body; and

a control unit connected to the accelerometer,

wherein the control unit;

determines segments corresponding to single cycles of body movement based on a detection output from the accelerometer;

based on a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value in the detection output from the accelerometer that correspond to the determined segments of the single cycles, specifies a type of activity performed in a predetermined period that includes the segments;

calculates a frequency regarding the body movement by calculating the inverse number of the number of segments per unit of time; and

specifies the type of activity based on the difference between the maximum value and minimum value and the frequency.

4. The activity meter according to claim 3, further comprising:

a storage unit that stores a relational expression for distinguishing the type of activity based on the difference between the maximum value and minimum value and the frequency,

wherein the control unit specifies the type of activity using the actual values of the difference between the maximum value and minimum value and the frequency, and the relational expression.

5. The activity meter according to claim 3, further comprising:

a storage unit that stores a reference value for the difference between the maximum value and minimum value, the reference value being associated with the frequency,

wherein the control unit specifies the activity type based on whether or not the difference between the maximum value and minimum value in the determined segments of the single cycles fulfills a specific condition relative to the reference value, stored in the storage unit, for the difference between the maximum value and minimum value associated with the calculated frequency.

6. A control method for an activity meter including an accelerometer for detecting movement of a body, the method comprising:

a step of the activity meter determining segments corresponding to single cycles of body movement based on a detection output from the accelerometer; and

a step of the activity meter specifying, based on a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value in the detection output from the accelerometer that correspond to the determined segments of the single cycles, a type of activity performed in a predetermined period that includes the segments,

wherein the step of specifying the type of activity performed in the predetermined period includes;

a step of tentatively determining the type of activity performed in the segments; and

a step of determining that the type of activity that has been tentatively determined most often in the segments in the predetermined period is the type of activity in all the segments in the predetermined period.

7. A storage medium in which is stored a control program executed by a computer of an activity meter including an accelerometer for detecting movement of a body, the control program causing the computer of the activity meter to execute:

a step of determining segments corresponding to single cycles of body movement based on a detection output from the accelerometer; and

a step of specifying, based on a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value in the detection output from the accelerometer that correspond to the determined segments of the single cycles, a type of activity performed in a predetermined period that includes the segments,

wherein the step of specifying the type of activity performed in the predetermined period includes;

a step of tentatively determining the type of activity performed in the segments; and

a step of determining that the type of activity that has been tentatively determined most often in the segments in the predetermined period is the type of activity in all the segments in the predetermined period.