JP2004261555A - Shoe with function recording exercise information - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To confirm, for example, how far or how long a wearer walk for a commute by recording a walking or traveling time for every pace by a control mechanism, transmitting exercise information to a processor such as a personal computer by an infrared communication means or the like and displaying the history of the exercise on the personal computer or the like. <P>SOLUTION: A means for recording a time is attached to a shoe to allow the control mechanism to record the walking or traveling time for every pace. The exercise information is transmitted to the processor such as the personal computer or the like by the communication means, and the history of the exercise is displayed on the personal computer or the like to confirm, for example, how far or how long the wearer walks for the commute. A means for measuring a step for every pace is provided in the shoe so as to grasp the actually exercising time and distance and precisely grasp the amount of exercise. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a shoe having a function of recording walking or running, such as a pedometer, and a processing device capable of extracting exercise records from the shoes and displaying exercise information.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A technique for integrating a pedometer and a shoe is known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-215915.
A conventional technique for measuring a pedestrian is known from Patent Publication 2000-513448. The stride measurement technique of the present invention is different from this conventional technique.
A conventional technique for recording the motion of a shoe using a pressure sensor is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 6-14803. However, this prior art does not describe the details of the operation of the control mechanism. Differs from the prior art in that the detailed operation of the control mechanism and the like are specified.
A conventional technique for detecting shoe motion using an acceleration sensor is described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-500768. In this conventional technique, shoe motion is detected by an acceleration sensor and the information is wirelessly transmitted to a display device. This is a technique that is different from the present invention in transmitting.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the conventional pedometer, since only the number of steps walked is known, there is a problem that in order to obtain the distance walked, the stride of one step must be measured and calculated.
In addition, since the time at which the person exercised is not known, the relationship with his / her own behavior pattern is not clear.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A means for recording the time on the shoe is provided so that the time of walking or running can be recorded for each step by the control mechanism of the present invention. By transferring this exercise information to a processing device such as a personal computer by means of infrared communication or the like, and displaying the exercise history on the personal computer or the like, it is possible to check how much distance or time the user is walking when commuting, for example. it can.
[0005]
In addition, by providing means for measuring the stride of each step on the shoe, the actual time and distance of walking can be known, and the amount of exercise can be known more accurately.
In a normal case, the stride of the right foot and the left foot are considered to be almost the same, so that the accurate distance and time can be obtained by incorporating the mechanism of the present invention into one foot shoe instead of both feet. It is also possible to incorporate the mechanism of the present invention into the shoes of both feet in order to cope with the case where the stride is different between the right and left.
[0006]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows a shoe according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a control mechanism of the present invention, which comprises a microcomputer, a clock, a memory, a communication mechanism, and the like. 20 is an acceleration sensor for detecting the movement of the foot, 30 is a distance sensor for measuring the stride length, 40 is a reflector for the distance sensor, 50 is the display of the history by receiving the exercise information from the shoes of the present invention. It is a processing device such as a personal computer for performing.
The 20 acceleration sensors may be integrated with the 10 control mechanisms.
[0007]
FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the control mechanism of the present invention. In the figure, 100 is a microcomputer or the like, 101 is a memory for recording walking information, and 102 is a clock for holding time. Reference numeral 103 denotes a communication mechanism such as infrared rays for communicating with a personal computer or the like.
Information from 20 acceleration sensors and 30 distance sensors is input to 100 microcomputers.
[0008]
When a change in acceleration is sensed due to a person's stepping down during exercise, the microcomputer 100 of the control mechanism records the time at which the shoe lands on recording means 101 such as a memory. The recorded information is as shown in the example of FIG. By reading the record from outside using the communication means, the time and the number of steps for each step can be known. The distance traveled can be obtained by calculating the set value (63 cm in this example) obtained by actually measuring the stride of one step. In addition, it is possible to easily calculate the calories consumed and display the calories on a personal computer or the like based on the setting data such as the walking distance and the weight.
[0009]
In the case of the configuration of claim 2, the setting of the stride is unnecessary, and an accurate distance can be calculated directly from the actually measured stride for each step.
In the case of the configuration of claim 2, the fact that the shoe has landed on the ground is detected by the acceleration sensor, and the time at that time and the information of the stride by the distance sensor are recorded in the recording means.
The recorded information is as shown in the example of FIG.
[0010]
FIG. 4 shows an operation flow of the microcomputer 100 of the control mechanism 10 of the present invention. The microcomputer 100 of the control mechanism determines whether there is data received from the communication mechanism 103, and if there is data received, performs a command determination process. If the received data is a data request command, the information recorded in the memory is transmitted as data. If the received data is a record clear command, a response is sent to clear information in the memory and notify that the command has been processed.
If the received data is a download command, it receives the information for rewriting the program and rewrites its own program.
[0011]
If there is no received data, it is determined whether or not the shoe has landed based on the input from the acceleration sensor 20. If not, the process returns to the beginning. When the touch panel lands, it is determined whether or not there is an empty area for the record information in the memory. Thereafter, a time waiting process is performed and the process returns to the beginning.
This time waiting process is performed in a low power consumption mode in order to reduce power consumption. In addition, the time waiting process can prevent frequent recording of time information due to a malfunction of the sensor.
[0012]
FIG. 5 shows a display example of the processing device 50 such as a personal computer of the present invention. In the figure, the moving distance for each day is indicated by a horizontal bar graph on the left side of the screen. In addition, on the right side of the screen, the moving distance per minute on a certain day is shown by a vertical bar graph.
In this display example, the moving distance is indicated, but by calculating the consumed energy from the moving distance and the weight, it is possible to easily display not the distance but the consumed calories.
[0013]
The above description has been made on the assumption that the control mechanism 10 is incorporated in the shoe. However, in the case where the control mechanism portion, the sensor, the communication portion, and the like of the present invention are configured as a unit, and the unit is configured to be detachable from the shoe. Can have the same effect.
Further, even when the unit is attached to a part of a body like a pedometer and the exercise state is recorded, the technology of the present invention can be easily applied in the same manner.
[0014]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to record the time or the time and the distance of each step when walking or running, and to obtain more accurate information on exercise as compared with a conventional pedometer. . Further, by processing and displaying the recorded information with a processing device such as a personal computer, the distance traveled or the calorie consumption can be accurately calculated and displayed, and the motivation for exercise can be increased. .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a shoe of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a control mechanism of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an example of recording information of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a processing flow of a control mechanism of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an example of a display of the processing apparatus of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
10: control mechanism 100: control microcomputer 101: memory 102: clock mechanism 103: communication mechanism 20 for infrared rays or the like 20: acceleration sensor 30: distance sensor 40: reflector 50: processing device such as a personal computer

Claims (4)

Means for sensing that the foot has landed due to a change in the acceleration of the shoe due to walking or running, means for measuring the time sensed, communication means for communication with another personal computer or the like by infrared rays, and the like. Equipped with a control mechanism for controlling, it is possible to record the distance and time walked by setting the stride of one step, and transfer this exercise record to a personal computer etc. by means of external communication such as infrared rays. A shoe with an exercise recording function, wherein the history of exercise time and distance can be displayed by a program such as a personal computer. 2. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein a mechanism for measuring a stride of each step by infrared rays or the like is provided on one or both shoes. 2. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein a program of the control mechanism is configured to be rewritable by external communication means, and the program is downloadable. 2. A motion information recording unit, wherein a control part according to claim 1, that is, an acceleration sensor, a time measurement mechanism, a communication means, and a control mechanism for controlling these are integrated as a unit so as to be detachable from a shoe. . The unit may be attachable to a body part, such as a pedometer.

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