Body movement detecting apparatus and body movement detecting method

• US 8,671,784 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tanita Corporation (Tanita)
• Original Assignee: Tanita Corporation (Tanita)
• Inventors: Nishibayashi, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Hindenburg, Max
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pani, John
• Application Number:
  US12/748,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20100256532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/595, 702/19, 738/654
• US Class Current: 73/865.4
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence

Abstract

There is provided a body movement detecting apparatus including: a body movement data acquiring unit configured to detect a body movement of a user and acquire body movement data relating to the body movement; a memory unit configured to memorize the body movement data corresponding to the type of an activity of the user as registered body movement data; a body movement determining unit configured to compare the body movement data acquired by the body movement data acquiring unit with the registered body movement data and determine the type of the activity of the user; and a computing unit configured to be able to calculate consumed energy by the body movement corresponding to the type of the activity determined by the body movement determining unit.

Claims

1. A body movement detecting apparatus comprising:

a body movement data acquiring sensor configured to detect a body movement of a user and acquire body movement data relating to the body movement of the user and including an acceleration value relating to the body movement of the user;

a memory coupled with the body movement data acquiring sensor;

a controller configured to;

(i) determine, if registered body movement data is memorized in the memory, which has been acquired in advance using the body movement data acquiring sensor, whether any of the registered body movement data memorized in the memory corresponds in type to a just passed activity of user; and

(ii) upon determining that one of the registered body movement data memorized in the memory corresponds in type to the just passed activity of user in (i), determine a type of the just passed activity by comparing body movement data of the just passed activity with the one of the registered body movement data; and

a computer configured to;

if the type of the just passed activity is determined in (ii), calculate consumed energy resulting from the body movement based on the determined type of the just passed activity determined by the controller; and

if the controller determines that no body movement data are registered in the memory or none of the registered body movement data corresponds in type to the just passed activity in (i), calculate the consumed energy resulting from the body movement of the just passed activity based on at least an acceleration value in the body movement data of the just passed activity, without comparing the body movement data of the just passed activity with the registered body movement data.

2. The body movement detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the computer is further configured to calculate the consumed energy using a body activity strength corresponding to the determined type of the just passed activity determined by the controller.

3. The body movement detecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the computer is configured to calculate the consumed energy based on the body activity strength corresponding to the determined type of the just passed activity, when the controller determines that the one of the registered body movement data are memorized in the memory in (i), and to calculate the consumed energy on the basis of a body activity strength calculated based on a body movement strength of the body movement data, when the controller determines that no body movement data are registered in the memory or none of the registered body movement data corresponds in type to the just passed activity in (i).

4. The body movement detecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the controller is further configured, if the controller determines that no body movement data are registered in the memory or none of the registered body movement data corresponds in type to the just passed activity in (i), to determine the type of the just passed activity by comparing the acceleration value with a threshold value.

5. The body movement detecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, if the controller determines that no body movement data are registered in the memory or none of the registered body movement data corresponds in type to the just passed activity in (i):

the controller is configured to determine, without using the registered body movement data, whether or not the user is in a moving state or in a non-moving state by using a threshold value,

if the controller determines that the user is in the non-moving state, the computer is configured to calculate the consumed energy based on a body activity strength in the resting state, and

if the controller determines that the user is in the moving state, the computer is configured to calculate the consumed energy based on at least the acceleration value in the body movement data of the just passed activity.

6. The body movement detecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to determine, if the controller determines that no body movement data are registered in the memory or none of the registered body movement data corresponds in type to the just passed activity in (i), that the user is not moving, is in a resting state or is sleeping if the acceleration value does not exceed the threshold value.

7. The body movement detecting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to determine, if the controller determines that no body movement data are registered in the memory or none of the registered body movement data corresponds in type to the just passed activity in (i), that the user is walking if the acceleration value exceeds the threshold value and a variance of the acceleration value does not exceed a predetermined value.

8. The body movement detecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an input device configured to input a first type of activity,

wherein the memory is configured to memorize the registered body movement data in correspondence with the first type of activity input by the input device.

9. The body movement detecting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the memory is configured to memorize one or more types of activities together with body activity strengths for the respective one or more types of the activities, and

the input device is configured to allow the user to select a desired type of activity from the one or more types of the activities memorized in the memory, and to cause the registered body movement data to be memorized in the memory in correspondence with the selected type of activity.

10. The body movement detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the type of the just passed activity determined by the computer is walking or running.

11. The body movement detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the registered body movement data are acquired by the body movement data acquiring sensor and memorized in the memory.

12. The body movement detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller and the computer are integrated into an integrated circuit.

13. A body movement detecting method comprising:

a body movement acquiring step of detecting, by using a sensor, a body movement of a user and acquiring body movement data relating to the body movement of the user and including an acceleration value relating to the body movement of the user;

a body movement determining step of;

(i) determining, by a controller, if registered body movement data is memorized in the memory, which has been acquired in advance using the body movement data acquiring sensor, whether any of the registered body movement data memorized in the memory corresponds in type to a just passed activity of user; and

(ii) upon determining that one of the registered body movement data memorized in the memory corresponds in type to the just passed activity of user in (i), determining, by the controller, a type of the just passed activity by comparing body movement data of the just passed activity with the one of the registered body movement data; and

an energy computing step of;

if the type of the just passed activity is determined in (ii), calculating, by a computer, consumed energy resulting from the body movement based on the determined type of the just passed activity; and

if it is determined that that no body movement data are registered in the memory or none of the registered body movement data corresponds in type to the just passed activity in (i), calculating, by the computer, the consumed energy resulting from the body movement of the just passed activity based on at least an acceleration value in the body movement data of the just passed activity, without comparing the body movement data of the just passed activity with the registered body movement data.

14. The body movement detecting method according to claim 13, wherein:

if it is determined that that no body movement data are registered in the memory or none of the registered body movement data corresponds in type to the just passed activity in (i), the type of the just passed activity is determined by comparing the acceleration value with a threshold value.

15. The body movement detecting method according to claim 14, wherein, if it is determined that that no body movement data are registered in the memory or none of the registered body movement data corresponds in type to the just passed activity in (i), it is determined in the body movement determining step that the user is not moving, is in a resting state or is sleeping if the acceleration value does not exceed the threshold value.

16. The body movement detecting method according to claim 15, wherein, if it is determined that that no body movement data are registered in the memory or none of the registered body movement data corresponds in type to the just passed activity in (i), it is determined in the body movement determining step that the user is walking if the acceleration value exceeds the threshold value and a variance of the acceleration value does not exceed a predetermined value.

17. The body movement detecting method according to claim 13, further comprising a registered body movement data acquiring step of acquiring, by the sensor, the registered body movement data and storing the registered body movement data in relation with a type of activity in the memory.

18. The body movement detecting method according to claim 13, wherein the controller and the computer are integrated into an integrated circuit.