Detection apparatus, detection system, portable device, and machine readable medium

• US 7,257,517 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2005
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Konami Sports & Life Company Limited (Konami Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Konami Sports & Life Company Limited (Konami Corporation)
• Inventors: Shitan, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff; Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gutierrez; Anthony
• Application Number:
  US11/038,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20050197541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 702/187, 702/188, 702/182, 600/300, 340/573.1, 482 1- 9, 482/55, 482/56, 705/2
• US Class Current: 702/187
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0012 Comparing movements or motion sequences with a registered reference
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/12 Arrangements in swimming pools for teaching swimming or for training

Abstract

A detection apparatus that detects an exercise history of a user in a swimming pool includes: a plurality of receiving units operable to receive user identifying information for identifying the user from a portable device retained by the user; a recording unit operable to recording receiving unit identifying information for identifying one of the receiving units in association with the user identifying information when the one receiving unit receives the user identifying information; and a activity amount computing unit operable to compute a physical activity amount of the user based on a history of the receiving unit identifying information stored in association with the user identifying information.

Claims

1. A detection apparatus that detects an exercise history of a user in a swimming pool, comprising:

a plurality of receiving units operable to receive user identifying information for identifying the user from a portable device retained by the user;

a recording unit operable to recording receiving unit identifying information for identifying one of said receiving units in association with the user identifying information when the one receiving unit receives the user identifying information; and

a activity amount computing unit operable to compute a physical activity amount of the user based on a history of the receiving unit identifying information stored in association with the user identifying information.

2. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said activity amount computing unit computes the physical activity amount based on a distance between said two receiving units, which receive user identifying information in tandem, the user identifying information being stored on the history of the receiving unit identifying information corresponding to the user identifying information.

3. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said recording unit further records time information indicating the time when receiving the corresponding user identifying information in association with the receiving unit identifying information, and

said activity amount computing unit computes the physical activity amount based on the receiving unit identifying information and the time information.

4. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a user information holding unit operable to hold user information including the weight of the user; and

a calorie computing unit operable to compute consumption calories of the user based on the held weight and the physical activity amount.

5. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said recording unit further records time information indicating the time when receiving the corresponding user identifying information in association with the receiving unit identifying information,

said activity amount computing unit computes a moving distance and a moving speed included in the physical activity amount of the user based on the receiving unit identifying information and the time information, and

said calorie computing unit computes the consumption calories based on the moving distance, the moving speed, and the user information.

6. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said recording unit further records time information indicating the time when receiving the corresponding user identifying information from the portable device as the receiving unit identifying information,

the detection apparatus further comprises:

a staying time computing unit operable to compute a staying time for which the user was staying in the swimming pool; and

a calorie computing unit operable to compute consumption calories of the user based on the physical activity amount and the staying time.

7. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the portable device sends the user identifying information at predetermined times.

8. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of activity amount sending units operable to send the physical activity amount to the portable device retained by the user.

9. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said activity amount sending units are respectively provided in the vicinity of said receiving units in correspondence with said receiving units for sending the physical activity amount from said activity amount sending unit corresponding to the one receiving unit to the portable device of the user when the one receiving unit receives the user identifying information.

10. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a pool status acquiring unit operable to acquire a pool status that is an internal status of the swimming pool; and

a calorie computing unit operable to compute consumption calories of the user based on the physical activity amount and the pool status.

11. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said pool status acquiring unit includes a water temperature acquiring unit that acquires a water temperature of the swimming pool as a pool status, and

said calorie computing unit computes the consumption calories of the user based on the physical activity amount and the water temperature.

12. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the user information further includes a user'"'"'s temperature measured beforehand,

said calorie computing unit computes the consumption calories of the user based on the physical activity amount and a difference between the user'"'"'s temperature and the water temperature.

13. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said pool status acquiring unit includes a flow information acquiring unit that acquires flow information including an intensity of a flow of the swimming pool as a pool status, and

said calorie computing unit computes the consumption calories of the user based on the physical activity amount and the flow information.

14. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the swimming pool includes a flow generating apparatus that generates a flow, and

the flow information acquiring unit acquires flow information including an intensity of a flow generated from the flow generating apparatus as a pool status.

15. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said pool status acquiring unit includes a density computing unit that computes density information indicating density of the plurality of users in the swimming pool as a pool status based on the history of the receiving unit identifying information that said plurality of receiving units receives from the plurality of portable devices carried by the plurality of users, and

said calorie computing unit computes the consumption calories of the user based on the physical activity amount and the density information.

16. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said pool status acquiring unit includes a flow computing unit that computes flow information indicating a flow in the swimming pool generated by a movement of the plurality of users as a pool status based on the history of the receiving unit identifying information that said plurality of receiving units receives from the plurality of portable devices carried by the plurality of users, and

said calorie computing unit computes the consumption calories of the user based on the physical activity amount and the flow information.

17. A detection system that detects an exercise history of a user in a swimming pool, comprising:

a portable device operable to send user identifying information for identifying the user, said portable device is retained by the user; and

a detection apparatus operable to receive the user identifying information from said portable device and compute a physical activity amount of the user, wherein

said detection apparatus comprises;

a plurality of receiving units operable to receive user identifying information for identifying the user from said portable device retained by the user;

a recording unit operable to recording receiving unit identifying information for identifying one of said receiving units in association with the user identifying information when the one receiving unit receives the user identifying information; and

a activity amount computing unit operable to compute a physical activity amount of the user based on a history of the receiving unit identifying information stored in association with the user identifying information.

18. A machine readable medium storing a program for a detection apparatus that detects an exercise history of a user in a swimming pool, the program causes the detection apparatus to act as:

a plurality of receiving units operable to receive user identifying information for identifying the user from a portable device retained by the user;

a recording unit operable to recording receiving unit identifying information for identifying one of said receiving units in association with the user identifying information when the one receiving unit receives the user identifying information; and

a activity amount computing unit operable to compute a physical activity amount of the user based on a history of the receiving unit identifying information stored in association with the user identifying information.

19. A detection apparatus that detects an exercise history of a user in a swimming pool, comprising:

an acquiring unit operable to acquire a plurality of sending unit identifying information, which is received and stored by a portable device from a plurality of sending units that sends sending unit identifying information different from each other to the portable device retained by the user, from the portable device as an exercise history of the user; and

a activity amount computing unit operable to compute a physical activity amount of the user based on the plurality of sending unit identifying information acquired by said acquiring unit.

20. A detection apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein said activity amount computing unit computes the physical activity amount with respect to each of the plurality of sending unit identifying information acquired by said acquiring unit based on a distance between said two sending units, which receive sending unit identifying information in tandem.

21. A portable device that detects an exercise history of a user in a swimming pool, comprising:

a receiving unit operable to receive sending unit identifying information from a plurality of sending units that is provided in the swimming pool and sends sending unit identifying information different from each other;

a storing unit operable to store the received sending unit identifying information; and

a transmitting unit operable to transmit the sending unit identifying information stored on said storing unit as an exercise history of the user.

22. A detection system that detects an exercise history of a user in a swimming pool, comprising:

a plurality of sending units operable to send sending unit identifying information different from each other;

a portable device operable to receive and store the plurality of sending unit identifying information, said portable device is retained by the user; and

a detection apparatus operable to compute a physical activity amount of the user based on the plurality of sending unit identifying information stored on said portable device, wherein

said portable device includes;

a receiving unit that receives the sending unit identifying information from either of the sending units;

a storing unit that stores the received sending unit identifying information; and

a transmitting unit that transmits the plurality of sending unit identifying information stored on the storing unit to said detection apparatus, and

said detection apparatus includes;

an acquiring unit that acquires the plurality of sending unit identifying information stored on the storing unit from the transmitting unit; and

a activity amount computing unit that computes a physical activity amount of the user based on the plurality of sending unit identifying information acquired by the acquiring unit.

23. A machine readable medium storing a program for a detection apparatus that detects an exercise history of a user in a swimming pool, the program causes the detection apparatus to operate by way of:

an acquiring unit operable to acquire a plurality of sending unit identifying information, which is received and stored by a portable device from a plurality of sending units that sends sending unit identifying information different from each other to the portable device retained by the user, from the portable device as an exercise history of the user; and

a activity amount computing unit operable to compute a physical activity amount of the user based on the plurality of sending unit identifying information acquired by said acquiring unit.