Electronic pedometer

• US 4,651,446 A
• Filed: 12/24/1984
• Issued: 03/24/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamura, Yukio, Tasaka, Isao, Yukawa, Kazuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Schroeder, Werner H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ellis, Mary A.
• Application Number:
  US06/685,519
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: 36/132, 36/136, 36/137, 377/3, 235/105, 235/99 R, 235/1 R
• US Class Current: 36/132
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/00 Footwear characterised by the shape or the use
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers

Abstract

An electronic pedometer for use on a footwear is disclosed. The pedometer comprises a step sensor and an electric counter connected thereto, both mounted on the instep of the footwear. The step sensor senses a flexing motion that the instep of the footwear undergoes each time of the user just kicks the ground with the footwear and provides upon sensing such motion an output indicative of each step taken by the user. An electronic counter has therein electric components forming a computing circuit which receives the outputs from the sensor to compute based thereupon the number of steps taken and the distance covered, the resulting measurements being visually indicated on a display section of the counter. The sensor and the counter is connected by means of a resilient band by the utilization of which they are secured or mounted on the instep of the footwear. The provision of the sensor sensing the flexing motion of the instep for counting the steps makes it possible to assemble the sensor and the counter into a compact unit, which can be unobtrusively mounted on the instep of a normal footwear without resorting to any modification thereof and can be readily handled as a single unit.

Claims

1. An electronic pedometer adapted to be fitted on a footwear having an instep which comprises:

a step sensor removably mountable on the instep of the footwear for sensing the flexing motion of the instep associated with each step that the user takes with his foot wearing the footwear during the walking or running motion so as to provide an output indicative of each step;

support means which carries said step sensor and by which the sensor is removably mounted on the instep of the footwear, and

an electronic counter held by said support means to be mounted on the instep together with said sensor as a single removable unit, said counter including electric components forming a computing circuit which is electrically connected to the sensor for receiving the outputs therefrom so as to compute based upon the outputs the number of steps taken and the distance covered, and said counter including a display section indicating the resulting measurements.

2. The electronic pedometer as set forth in claim 1, wherein said step sensor is in the form of a normally open switch comprising a spring contact movably held in relation to a fixed contact, said spring contact being arranged to move against its biasing force into contacting or closed relation to the fixed contact when subjected to such a force as applied thereto at each time of said flexing motion of the instep.

3. The electronic pedometer as set forth in claim 1, wherein said support means is a resilient band within which said step sensor is mounted and which extends along the lengthwise direction of the instep, said resilient band capable of being deformed in conformity to the flexing motion of the instep such that the step sensor senses the flexing motion of the instep to provide the output indicative of each step.