JP2004125551A - Wrist watch type pedometer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wrist watch type pedometer having the small number of components, capable of simplifying, thinning and miniaturizing a structure, and measuring accurately the number of steps during walking in spite of a uniaxial system. <P>SOLUTION: This pedometer is equipped with a pendulum type detector 14 for detecting the number of times of vibration of a pendulum 21, and the pendulum type detector 14 is stored in a case with a band. When being stored, the detector is stored so that the pendulum 21 is in the primary position state capable of measuring the number of steps during walking. Namely, the pendulum 21 is tilted so that a virtual line LA connecting a rotation fulcrum O of the pendulum 21 to the center of gravity G of a pendulum body 21C forms an angle θ with a virtual line LB connecting the six o'clock point to the twelve o'clock point on the dial of a watch and that the rotation fulcrum O is positioned on the six o'clock side and the pendulum body 21C is positioned on the twelve o'clock side. The tilt angle θ is an angle in the range of 8-25°. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

【００６０】
表１から明らかなように、振子２１の傾斜角度θが８°〜２５°の範囲内であれば実用上何ら支障がなく、特にθ＝１５°に設定すると従来の腰部装着型歩数計と略同程度以上の測定精度が得られることが実証された。
【００６１】
また、３５°傾斜させた場合は、ジョギング時の歩数測定にも十分に使用できることが判明した。
【００６２】
なお、歩数検出手段として図１に示した実施の形態では、マグネット３３とリードスイッチ４８を用い、図４に示した実施の形態では接触部７５Ａと接片８５とを用いたが、本発明はこれに何ら限定されるものではなく、圧電素子を用い、この圧電素子を接触部７５Ａが叩いたときに圧電素子に発生するパルス状の電圧を歩数として計数するようにしてもよい。その場合は、電力消費が軽減され、リチウム電池１７の長寿命化を図ることができ、またリング７５を絶縁材料で形成することができる利点がある。
【００６３】
【発明の効果】
以上説明したように本発明に係る腕時計型歩数計によれば、振子の回動支点と振子本体を結ぶ仮想線が時計における文字板の６時と１２時を結ぶ仮想線に対して８〜２５°の角度をもって傾斜するように、振子式検出器をケース内に固定したので、歩行時に振子を測定可能な初期位置状態に保持することができ、腰部に装着して使用する場合と同様に歩数を正確に計測することができる。したがって、従来の腰部装着型歩数計に用いている振子式検出器の基板を回転板に変更するだけで、そのまま使用することができる。また、腕時計式であるため、時刻、歩数の確認が容易で、紛失したりすることが少なく、利便性に優れた歩数計を提供することができる。
さらに、振子式検出器をケース内に固定しているので、振子式検出器をケース内に回転自在または回動自在に配設した従来の２軸式歩数計と異なり電気的な摺動部分を設ける必要がなく、構造が簡単で故障、接触不良等が少なく、長寿命化、薄型小型化を達成することができる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】本発明に係る腕時計型歩数計の一実施の形態を示す正面図である。
【図２】腕を略垂直に下げた状態における振子の初期位置状態を示す図である。
【図３】同歩数計の断面図である。
【図４】本発明の他の実施の形態を示す振子式検出器の測定可能な初期位置状態の正面図である。
【図５】配線板の平面図である。
【符号の説明】
１…腕時計型歩数計、２…バンド付きケース、１４…振子式検出器、１５…液晶表示装置、１６…配線板、２０…基板、２１…振子、２１Ｃ…振子本体、４０…線ばね、３３…マグネット、３４…重り、４８…リードスイッチ、７５Ａ…接点部、８５…接片。[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a wristwatch-type pedometer used by being worn on an arm.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a pedometer for measuring the number of steps during walking (running) by mechanical vibration of a pendulum is most commonly used as a uniaxial type which is used by being attached to a waist, and a pendulum type detector including a pendulum is used as a case. The pendulum is held in an initial position that can be measured by returning the pendulum upward against the gravity by a spring (see, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3).
[0003]
The optimal initial position of the pendulum is such that the imaginary line connecting the pivot point of the pendulum and the pendulum body is arranged at a required angle (about 7 to 10 °) with respect to the horizontal line, and the operating angle of the pendulum is directly contacted. The angle is set to about 14 ° when the (contact between contacts) method is adopted, and to about 14 ° 30 ′ when the non-contact switch (magnet and reed switch) method is adopted. In this case, if the angle of inclination of the pendulum with respect to the horizontal line in the initial position state is small, the pendulum vibrates in response to even a slight gravitational acceleration, so that a stable operation cannot be obtained. Is referred to as a chattering phenomenon), and the measurement accuracy decreases. Conversely, when the inclination angle is increased, a large gravitational acceleration is required, and the detection sensitivity is reduced.
[0004]
However, since the pedometer mounted on the waist is usually used by being attached to a slacks or a belt of a skirt, the pedometer is inclined more than a predetermined angle (15 to 20 °) in the front-back or left-right direction during exercise. Thus, there is a problem that the pendulum does not vibrate normally and the measurement error increases, and in the worst case, the pedometer itself falls off and is lost. Also, in the case of a pedometer incorporating a clock (usually a liquid crystal digital clock), there is a problem that it is difficult to check the time because the distance from the eyes to the pedometer is too large.
[0005]
On the other hand, the present applicant has found that when worn on the arm, the acceleration during normal walking is 3 to 5 times or more larger than when worn on the waist, and the joints of the arms also receive the impact from the ground independently. It has been found that measurement is possible even when the arm is not shaken as well as when the arm is shaken. Then, based on this knowledge, the present applicant incorporates the pendulum-type detector into the case in a rotatable (or rotatable) manner, and automatically returns the pendulum-type detector to the initial position state where the number of steps can be measured by weight. A wristwatch-type pedometer of a two-axis type was proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 4).
[0006]
According to such a wristwatch-type pedometer, even if the pedometer is tilted in the left-right direction or turned upside down, the weight automatically returns the pendulum-type detector to a measurable posture. Not limited to the belt of the skirt, it can be used while worn on the arm or in a pocket, bag, handbag, or the like.
[0007]
Further, the applicant has a pendulum-type detector that measures the number of steps, and a rotation sensor that detects a body motion of each part of the body independently of walking, for example, legs, upper body, arms, etc., wherein the pendulum-type detector Are rotatably housed in a case with a band, and the rotation sensor is disposed at equal intervals around a pendulum detector in the case, and the pendulum corresponding to these reed switches is provided. There has been proposed a wristwatch-type momentum meter constituted by one magnet arranged in a type detector (Patent Document 5).
[0008]
In such a momentum meter, not only the number of steps during walking or jogging by the pendulum type detector but also the body motion can be measured by the rotation sensor irrespective of walking or jogging. That is, when the pendulum-type detector rotates around the axis or rotates by a certain angle or more, the rotation sensor turns on the reed switch by turning the reed switch on and turns the reed switch to the ON position. To detect. The number of rotations is proportional to the number of physical movements, and the rotation angle is proportional to the magnitude of the physical movements. Therefore, the number of exercises and the amount of exercise of each part of the body can be detected even during non-walking.
[0009]
Further, as an improved type of Patent Document 5, the applicant has disclosed a rotating body (a pendulum type detector) including a pendulum, a spring for urging the pendulum in a return direction, a contact portion for detecting the vibration of the pendulum, a weight, and the like. ) Is rotatably arranged on a substrate, and the substrate, a wiring board having an arithmetic processing circuit for arithmetically processing the number of vibrations of the pendulum, and a liquid crystal display device are housed in a case with a band attached to an arm. There has been proposed a wristwatch-type pedometer provided with an impact applying means for limiting the rotation angle of the rotating body and applying an impact to the rotating body between the rotating body and the substrate (Patent Document 6).
[0010]
In such a wristwatch-type pedometer, since the rotation of the rotating body is limited to a certain angle range by the impact applying means, it is generated by the impact acceleration generated when the shoe touches the ground and the swing of the arm. The pendulum is operated at the impact acceleration that changes. In this case, if the timing of the impact acceleration from the foot is different from the timing of the impact acceleration from the arm, the pendulum operates twice and counts the number of steps “2”. Since only "1" is counted, the number of steps during walking or jogging can be reliably measured as in the inventions described in Patent Documents 4 and 5 described above.
[0011]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-59-109987
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-59-202016
[Patent Document 3]
JP-A-2-50615
[Patent Document 4]
JP 2001-133284 A
[Patent Document 5]
JP-A-2002-56372
[Patent Document 6]
Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-16247
[0012]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional wristwatch-type pedometer or exercise meter described in Patent Literatures 4 to 6 has a wrist acceleration of several times larger than that of a waist during normal walking and several tens of times larger than that of a waist, so that the wrist can rotate freely or The impact applied to the rotatable pendulum type detector is large, and there has been a problem in that if the pendulum type detector is used continuously, it breaks down due to friction or cumulative fatigue or the component is easily damaged.
[0013]
In addition, since the pendulum-type detector is rotatably or rotatably disposed, the contact portion on the pendulum side and the contact portion (or reed switch) on the board side cannot be directly connected by a lead wire. (Because there is a risk that the lead wire may be broken due to movement), it was necessary to employ a sliding contact. However, the sliding contact not only has a problem that the structure becomes complicated and causes a large increase in cost, but also a continuity failure is apt to occur when the contact portion is worn out or foreign matter is attached due to sliding friction.
[0014]
Further, when the pendulum type detector is rotatably or rotatably disposed in the case, it becomes larger and thicker than the waist-mounted pedometer, and thus there is a great restriction on the reduction in thickness and size.
[0015]
In addition, the pendulum and weight are balanced to automatically return the pendulum detector to the initial position that can always be measured.However, if a shock exceeding the specified structure is applied, the balance between the pendulum and the weight will be lost. There is a problem that the pendulum does not operate normally and causes a measurement error.
[0016]
Unlike conventional pedometers worn on the waist, such problems are compatible with normal walking with arms swinging, walking without swinging arms, walking fast, jogging, climbing up and down stairs, etc. This is because the pendulum-type detector is rotatably or rotatably incorporated in the case so as to be able to do so.
[0017]
Thus, the inventor performed various experiments with the pendulum-type detector fixed in the case as in the case of the waist-mounted type, despite the fact that the wristwatch-type pedometer was used. There is a correlation between the built-in angle of the pendulum and the measurement accuracy, and the pendulum-type detector is tilted by a certain angle with respect to an imaginary line connecting 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock on the dial of the watch so that the pendulum-type detector is tilted by a certain angle It has been found that when fixedly arranged inside, the number of steps during walking can be reliably measured as in the case of a waist-mounted pedometer.
[0018]
The optimum tilt angle of the pendulum with respect to the imaginary line connecting 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock on the dial of the watch is around 15 °, but it is adjusted within the angle range of 8 ° to 25 ° due to individual differences between young and old. It was found that the desired measurement accuracy could be obtained. If the inclination angle is 8 ° or less, the pendulum operates even with a small gravitational acceleration, and the chattering phenomenon easily occurs, which is not preferable. When the angle is 25 ° or more, a large impact acceleration is required, and the detection sensitivity is undesirably reduced. In the case of a pedometer mounted on the left arm, the pendulum is incorporated so that the pivot point is at 6 o'clock and the pendulum body (rotating end) is at 12 o'clock.
[0019]
The present invention has been found through a number of experiments and trials and errors in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems. The object of the present invention is to reduce the number of parts, simplify the structure, and reduce the size and thickness. Another object of the present invention is to provide a wristwatch-type pedometer capable of accurately measuring the number of steps when walking in spite of the uniaxial method.
[0020]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pendulum type detector for detecting the number of vibrations of a pendulum, a case with a band for accommodating the pendulum type detector, and a display for digitally displaying at least the number of steps and time. Means, wherein in the initial position state where the number of steps during walking can be measured, the imaginary line connecting the rotation fulcrum and the pendulum main body is shifted by 8 with respect to the imaginary line connecting 6:00 and 12:00 of the dial of the timepiece. It is inclined at an angle of about 25 ° so that the pivot point is at 6 o'clock and the pendulum body is at 12 o'clock.
[0021]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the pendulum is inclined by about 8 to 25 degrees with respect to an imaginary line connecting 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock on the dial of the timepiece, so that the arm is naturally lowered and stands up. In the above, the imaginary line becomes substantially horizontal, and the pendulum is held at an initial position that can be measured. Therefore, the number of steps during walking (slow walking, normal walking, fast walking, going up and down stairs, etc.) can be accurately measured.
[0022]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the pendulum-type detector is configured to be adjustable in angle within the range of 8 to 25 degrees from outside the case with the band.
[0023]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the inclination angle of the pendulum is adjusted within an angle range of 8 to 25 °, a measurement error due to a difference in gender between young and old can be reduced. If the inclination angle is less than 8 °, the pendulum operates even with a small gravitational acceleration, so that the chattering phenomenon easily occurs, which is not preferable. When the angle is 25 ° or more, a large impact acceleration is required, and the detection sensitivity is undesirably reduced.
[0024]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on an embodiment shown in the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a wristwatch-type pedometer according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an initial position state of a pendulum in a state where an arm is lowered substantially vertically, and FIG. FIG.
[0025]
In these figures, a wristwatch-type pedometer indicated generally by reference numeral 1 can display the number of steps during walking, the measurement of calorie consumption at that time, and the time, and an arm (usually a left wrist) like a general wristwatch. It is used by being attached to. For this reason, the case 2 is provided with a wristwatch-type band-equipped case 2 having an outer shape substantially the same as that of a wristwatch case.
[0026]
The case 2 has a circular opening 4 formed at the center of the front surface, and the opening 4 is hermetically closed by a transparent plastic plate 5. The plastic plate 5 is fixed to the front surface of the case 2 by ultrasonic welding or the like. A ring 6 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface on the front side of the case 2 and is fixed by ultrasonic welding or the like. Further, mounting portions 8 of the band 7 are integrally extended on the upper and lower surfaces of the case 2, respectively, a button type mode switching means 11A and a setting means 11B are incorporated on the front surface side, and a back cover is provided on the back side opening. Reference numeral 12 is attached via a seal member 13.
[0027]
The mode switching means 11A switches the use mode of the pedometer 1. The use modes are (1) a walking mode and (2) a clock mode. However, as another mode, for example, a calorie consumption mode can be incorporated. The walking mode displays the number of steps when walking, and the clock mode displays the time. The setting unit 11B calculates and displays the walking distance from the number of steps and the step length. The time is corrected in the clock mode.
[0028]
Inside the case 2, a pendulum detector 14, a liquid crystal display (hereinafter, referred to as LCD) 15 as a display means, a wiring board 16, a lithium battery 17 as a power supply, and the like are incorporated.
[0029]
The pendulum type detector 14 includes a board 20 and a pendulum 21 which constitutes an acceleration sensor disposed on the surface side of the board 20 and the like, and is incorporated in the case 2 so as to be adjustable in angle.
[0030]
The substrate 20 is formed in a disk shape as shown in FIG. 2, and a knob 20A for angle adjustment is integrally protruded from a part of the outer periphery. The knob 20A projects outside through a circumferentially long groove 23 formed on the left side surface of the case 2, and the knob 20A is moved in the longitudinal direction of the long groove 23 with a finger to rotate the substrate 20. Then, the angle at which the pendulum type detector 14 is incorporated into the case 2 is adjusted. The maximum adjustment angle of the pendulum type detector 14 is about 25 °. The angle adjusting mechanism of the pendulum detector 14 is not limited to the knob 20A. For example, teeth are formed on the outer periphery of the substrate 20, a pinion is meshed with the teeth, and the shaft of the pinion is protruded outside the case 2; A knob may be provided at the protruding end.
[0031]
The pendulum 21 has a plate-like arm portion 21A that is long in the left-right direction, a cylindrical bearing portion 21B having a shaft hole 31 provided at a base end portion of the arm portion 21A, and a rotating end side of the arm portion 21A. The bearing 21 </ b> B is supported by a shaft 32 so as to be rotatable vertically. The shaft 32 protrudes vertically near the outer periphery of the substrate 20.
[0032]
A magnet 33 and a weight 34 are incorporated in the pendulum main body 21C of the pendulum 21. The magnet 33 and the weight 34 are stacked so as to overlap in the operation direction (vertical direction) of the pendulum 21 and the magnet 33 is positioned below the weight 34. The magnet 33 is magnetized in a vertical direction, for example, the upper surface is magnetized to the N pole, and the lower surface is magnetized to the S pole. The weight 34 is formed of a non-magnetic material such as brass.
[0033]
The pendulum 21 having such a structure is urged upward against the gravity by the wire spring 40, so that the top surface of the distal end of the pendulum main body 21C normally comes into contact with the upper limit stopper 38A and the initial position at which measurement is possible. It is configured so that when it rotates by a certain angle in the direction of gravity, it contacts the lower limit stopper 38B to prevent further rotation. The maximum operation angle α of the pendulum 21 is 14 °. It is about 30 '.
[0034]
The wire spring 40 has an elastic force in a radially expanding direction by being formed in an arc shape by a thin spring steel material or the like, and has one end of a spring mounting portion 43 protruding from an upper surface of the pendulum main body 21C. The other end is locked by a locking hole 47 of a spring mounting member 46 mounted on the substrate 20. The spring mounting member 46 is located below the pendulum 21.
[0035]
A reed switch 48 is provided on the substrate 20 so as to correspond to the magnet 33 of the pendulum 21. The reed switch 48 is disposed slightly below the lowest point of the pendulum 21, and the pendulum 21 is rotated by the maximum operating angle (α) so that the pendulum main body 21C contacts the lower limit stopper 38B. When they come into contact with each other, two contact pieces (not shown) that are close to and opposed to each other and enclosed in the glass tube are turned on by being brought into contact by the magnetic field of the magnet 33. Therefore, when the pulse signal at the time of ON is measured, the number of vibrations of the pendulum 21, in other words, the number of steps can be measured.
[0036]
As shown in FIG. 2, the pendulum type detector 14 having such a structure has a virtual line LA connecting the rotation fulcrum O (FIG. 2) of the pendulum 21 and the center of gravity G of the pendulum main body 21C. In the measurable initial position state, the pendulum 21 is measured by being incorporated in the case 2 so as to be inclined at an angle θ with respect to an imaginary line LB connecting 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock of the dial of the timepiece (analog timepiece). It is held in a possible initial position. In this case, in the pedometer 1 mounted on the left arm, the rotation fulcrum O is located on the 6 o'clock side of the dial of the timepiece, and the pendulum main body 21C is located on the 12 o'clock side. Further, in the initial position state, the rotation fulcrum O is located below the center of gravity position G.
[0037]
The optimum tilt angle θ of the pendulum 21 is about 8 °, but an angle range of about θ = 8 to 25 ° is allowable in consideration of measurement error due to the difference between young and old. The optimum tilt angle is about 15 °, and if the tilt angle θ is 8 ° or less, the pendulum 21 approaches a horizontal state and operates even at a small gravitational acceleration, which is not preferable because chattering occurs. If the angle is 25 ° or more, a large gravitational acceleration is required to operate the pendulum 21, and the detection sensitivity is lowered, which is not preferable. In the present embodiment, θ = 24 ° 11 ′. In this initial position, the knob 20A of the substrate 20 is located on a virtual line LC connecting 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock. A friction plate 50 is interposed between the long groove 23 and the knob 20A to prevent the substrate 20 from easily rotating due to vibration or the like.
[0038]
In FIG. 1, the LCD 15 has a display unit 60 including first to third display units 60 </ b> A to 60 </ b> C, and is fixed inside the front opening 4 of the case 2. It is electrically connected via the omitted zebra connector. The upper first display unit 60A displays the number of steps during walking, the middle second display unit 60B displays time, and the lower third display unit 60C displays the number of days used. Each of these displays is performed by seven day-shaped segments. The second display unit 60B in the middle is more frequently used than the first and third display units 60A and 60C, and is therefore composed of large segments.
[0039]
The wiring board 16 is located on the back side of the LCD 15 and is fixed in the case 2 by a set screw 61. A microcomputer is mounted on the wiring board 16 and an arithmetic processing circuit necessary for measuring the number of steps is formed. Further, a memory (E) not shown in the drawing is used to prevent erasure of measured data due to consumption of the battery 17 or the like. ² A PROM) or super capacitor is also implemented.
[0040]
The lithium battery 17 is removably fitted and disposed in a concave portion 62 formed on the back surface side of the substrate 20, and the wiring board 16 is electrically connected to a lead wire 63. It is desirable that the lead wire 63 has a surplus portion in order to prevent disconnection when the substrate 20 rotates.
[0041]
The pedometer 1 having such a structure is used by being worn on a user's arm (usually a left arm wrist) by a band 7 like a wristwatch. In a state in which the arm is naturally lowered directly below, as shown in FIG. 2, the positions of 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock on the display plate of the analog timepiece are oriented vertically, and the position of 3 o'clock is oriented almost vertically downward, and at 6 o'clock. At 12:00, the pendulum 14 is oriented substantially in the horizontal direction, the pendulum 14 is pushed upward against the gravity by the wire spring 40, and the pendulum main body 21C is pressed against the upper limit stopper 38A to maintain the initial position in which the number of steps can be measured. Have been. In this state, the imaginary line LB connecting 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock is not horizontal but inclined at a small angle so that the 6 o'clock side is slightly higher than 12:00. This is due to the fact that the elbow joint bends slightly forward when the person is standing in a very natural state with his arms down.
[0042]
When the user walks with the pedometer 1 attached to the left arm while alternately swinging both arms in the traveling direction (back and forth) at a fixed angle (for example, 45 °) with the base of the arm as a fulcrum, the swinging direction of the arm changes momentarily. Then, the movement of the arm stops, and at this time, an impact force is generated, and the pendulum 21 is vibrated. As a result, the pendulum 21 operates once each time one step is advanced to bring the magnet 33 close to the reed switch 48, and the reed switch 48 is turned on by the magnetic field. When the reed switch 48 is turned on, a pulse signal is generated and input to the arithmetic processing circuit of the wiring board 16, and this pulse signal is measured as the number of vibrations “1” of the pendulum 21, in other words, the number of steps “1”, and displayed on the LCD 15. .
[0043]
When the shoe touches the ground during walking, the impact is transmitted to the arm through the body, and the pendulum 21 operates also by the impact acceleration at this time. That is, the pendulum 21 operates by both the impact acceleration when the shoe touches the ground and the impact acceleration due to the swing of the arm. However, the impact acceleration during the normal arm swing walking is smaller than the impact acceleration due to the swing of the arm. Therefore, the pendulum 21 is operated by the reciprocating motion of the arm. In addition, since the impact acceleration when the shoe touches the ground and the impact acceleration due to the swing of the arm are generally substantially synchronized, the pendulum 21 is operated only once. The pendulum 21 is operated twice in a short time and the reed switch 48 is continuously turned on twice to generate two pulse signals. If the interval is within a predetermined time, the arithmetic processing circuit counts as one. I do. Therefore, the number of steps can be accurately measured.
[0044]
Next, when walking without swinging the arm, the impact acceleration from the arm is almost zero, and the impact acceleration when the shoe is in contact with the ground is transmitted to the arm through the body, thereby operating the pendulum 21. Let it. Therefore, even at this time, the operation can be performed accurately, and the number of steps can be accurately measured.
[0045]
Even when going up and down stairs, the number of steps can be reliably measured as compared with a conventional waist-mounted pedometer. In other words, when climbing the stairs in the case of wearing the waist, the impact acceleration from the feet may be lower than the threshold, and accurate measurement of the number of steps may not be possible. The pendulum operates with acceleration from the arm instead of acceleration from the foot, and the number of steps can be accurately measured. When descending the stairs, the impact acceleration transmitted to the waist and the wrist becomes an acceleration value equal to or higher than walking on flat ground, so that the number of steps can be accurately measured.
[0046]
FIG. 4 is a front view showing a measurable initial position of a pendulum type detector according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of a wiring board. This embodiment employs a direct contact system. The same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.
[0047]
In these figures, a pendulum-type detector 70 includes a substrate 20, a pendulum 71 disposed on the surface of the substrate 20, a wire spring 40 that gives the pendulum 71 a turning behavior in a return direction, and a It is composed of a wiring board 72 and the like provided.
[0048]
The pendulum 71 includes a plate-shaped arm portion 71A, a bearing portion 71B provided at a base end of the arm portion 71A, and a pendulum body 71C provided at a rotating end side of the arm portion 71A. The portion 71 </ b> B is rotatably supported by the shaft 32. Note that the maximum operation angle α of the pendulum 71 is about 14 °.
[0049]
The pendulum main body 21C is formed in a cylindrical shape whose front side is open, and has a circular concave portion 74 in the center of the entire surface, and the weight 34 is fitted into the concave portion 74.
[0050]
A ring 75 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the pendulum main body 71C. The ring 75 is formed of a conductive elastic material such as conductive rubber into a ring shape having an outer diameter of 10.8 mmφ, an inner diameter of 9.2 mmφ, and a width of about 1.4 mm. An anti-rotation portion 75B is integrally provided to protrude. The contact portion 75A is provided at a lower portion of the outer peripheral surface of the ring 75, and forms a contact portion (direct contact) that comes into contact with and separates from a contact piece 85 described later. The projecting dimension of the contact portion 75A is 0.8 mm, the length in the circumferential direction is about 1.7 mm, and the contact surface 78 that contacts the contact piece 85 is formed as a flat surface.
[0051]
The rotation preventing portion 75B is provided at a position displaced by about 90 ° in the circumferential direction from the contact portion 75A. Such a ring 75 is fitted to the outer periphery of the pendulum body 21C by elastic deformation radially outward such that the contact portion 75A is located below, and the rotation preventing portion 75B is provided with a concave portion 79 provided in the arm portion 71A. Is prevented from rotating.
[0052]
The wire spring 40 is curved in a substantially arc shape, and the upper end is locked by a locking hole 81 of a spring mounting portion 80 protruding from the upper surface of the pendulum main body 21C, and the lower end is locked by a spring mounting member 46. It is locked in the hole 47.
[0053]
The wiring board 72 is disposed on the upper surface of the spring mounting member 46 so as to face the pendulum main body 71C. When the pendulum main body 71C rotates downward on the surface of the wiring board 72, the contact piece 85 is formed by a well-known printed wiring technique at a position where the contact portion 75A of the ring 75 comes into contact. It is electrically connected to the signal processing circuit of the plate 16 (see FIG. 2). The wiring board 72 also serves as the lower limit stopper 38B (see FIG. 2) because the contact portion 75A contacts the surface when the pendulum 71 vibrates. At this time, the contact portion 75A conducts a plus side contact piece 86 and a minus side contact piece 87 of the contact piece 85 described later.
[0054]
In FIG. 5, the contact piece 85 is composed of a plus-side contact piece 86 and a minus-side contact piece 87 each made of a copper foil or the like whose surface is plated with gold. The positive contact piece 86 has three elongated contact pieces 86a to 86c by being formed in a comb shape. Similarly, the minus contact piece 87 also has four elongated contact pieces 87a to 87d by being formed in a comb tooth shape, and is in a non-contact state so as to be alternately adjacent to the contact pieces 86a to 86c of the plus contact piece 86. Are arranged in mesh. The width of the contact pieces 86a to 86c and the contact pieces 87a to 87d and the interval between adjacent contact pieces are set to about 0.2 mm. The length X of the portion where the contact pieces 86a to 86c and the contact pieces 87a to 87d mesh in the longitudinal direction is about 2 mm.
[0055]
Here, when the length L of the contact surface 78 of the contact portion 75A (the length in the circumferential direction of the ring 75) L is increased, the number of contact points between the plus side contact piece 86 and the minus side contact piece 87 increases, and the number of steps increases. The reliability of the measurement can be further improved. In other words, when the number of contact points increases, even if one of the contact points causes a contact failure due to adhesion of a metal oxide, dust, or the like, the measurement can be performed until all the contact points cause the contact failure. Reliability is improved.
[0056]
The pendulum type detector 70 having such a structure is incorporated in the case in substantially the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. That is, the virtual line LA connecting the rotation fulcrum O of the pendulum 71 and the approximate center of gravity G of the pendulum main body 71C corresponds to 6 o'clock on the timepiece (analog timepiece) in the initial position in which the number of steps during walking can be measured. It is assembled in the case 2 so as to be inclined at an angle θ with respect to a virtual line LB connecting 12:00. In this case, in the pedometer 1 mounted on the left arm, the rotation fulcrum O is located on the 6 o'clock side of the dial of the timepiece, and the pendulum main body 21C is located on the 12 o'clock side. The optimal tilt angle θ of the pendulum 71 is about 8 °, but an angle range of about θ = 8 to 25 ° is allowable in consideration of measurement errors due to differences in age and gender. The optimum tilt angle is about 15 °, and if the tilt angle θ is 8 ° or less, the pendulum 21 approaches a horizontal state and operates even at a small gravitational acceleration, which is not preferable because chattering occurs. When the angle is 25 ° or more, a large gravitational acceleration is required to operate the pendulum 21, and the detection sensitivity is undesirably reduced.
[0057]
When a pedometer provided with the pendulum type detector 70 having such a structure is worn on the arm and walking, the pendulum 71 vibrates due to the impact acceleration at that time. For this reason, the pendulum 71 operates once each time it advances one step to bring the contact portion 75A into contact with the contact piece 85, thereby electrically connecting them. When the contact portion 75A and the contact piece 85 come into contact with each other and become electrically conductive, a pulse-like signal is generated and input to the arithmetic processing circuit of the wiring board, and the signal is measured as the number of vibrations “1” of the pendulum 71. Is displayed on the LCD. Therefore, it is clear that the number of steps can be accurately measured in such a structure as in the above-described embodiment.
[0058]
【Example】
Table 1 shows the results of measurement of the number of steps when slowly walking, walking normally, walking fast, jogging, and going up and down stairs using the pedometer 1 shown in FIGS. The substrate 20 is measured such that the inclination angle θ of the pendulum 21 is 8 °, 15 °, 25 °, and 35 ° with respect to an imaginary line LB connecting 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock on the dial of the timepiece for each measurement item. Was rotated. In addition, the measurement is performed with the actual number of steps being 1000 steps while the pedometer is mounted on the left arm wrist, and the actual measured value is shown in%. The initial position state at the inclination angle θ = 8 ° is the state shown in FIG. The slow walking was measured at a speed of 70 steps / minute and 80 steps / minute. In the normal walking, the measurement was performed at a speed of 90 steps / min and 100 steps / min. The trot was measured at speeds of 120 steps / minute and 150 steps / minute. Jogging was performed at a speed of 180 steps / minute with the arm bent at approximately 45 °. The ascending and descending of the stairs is a value obtained by averaging the measured values when ascending and descending with waving and ascending and descending without shaking. In FIG. 2, O ₁ , O ₂ , O ₃ Shows the position of the rotation center of the pendulum 21 when the substrate 20 is rotated by 15 °, 25 °, and 35 ° with respect to the virtual line LB.
[0059]
[Table 1]

[0060]
As is clear from Table 1, if the inclination angle θ of the pendulum 21 is in the range of 8 ° to 25 °, there is no problem in practical use. In particular, when θ is set to 15 °, it is almost the same as the conventional waist-mounted pedometer. It was demonstrated that the same or better measurement accuracy could be obtained.
[0061]
In addition, it was found that when the inclination was 35 °, it could be used sufficiently for measuring the number of steps during jogging.
[0062]
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the magnet 33 and the reed switch 48 are used as the step number detecting means, and the contact portion 75A and the contact piece 85 are used in the embodiment shown in FIG. The present invention is not limited to this. A piezoelectric element may be used, and a pulse-like voltage generated in the piezoelectric element when the contact portion 75A hits the piezoelectric element may be counted as the number of steps. In this case, there is an advantage that power consumption can be reduced, the life of the lithium battery 17 can be extended, and the ring 75 can be formed of an insulating material.
[0063]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the wristwatch-type pedometer according to the present invention, the virtual line connecting the pivot point of the pendulum and the pendulum body is 8 to 25 with respect to the virtual line connecting the 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock of the dial of the timepiece. The pendulum-type detector is fixed in the case so that it can be tilted at an angle of °, so that the pendulum can be held in the initial position that can be measured when walking, and the number of steps is the same as when using it mounted on the waist Can be measured accurately. Therefore, it is possible to use the pendulum-type detector used in the conventional waist-mounted pedometer simply by changing the substrate to a rotating plate. In addition, since the watch is of a wristwatch type, it is easy to check the time and the number of steps, the number of steps is small, and a pedometer excellent in convenience can be provided.
Furthermore, since the pendulum-type detector is fixed in the case, unlike the conventional two-axis pedometer in which the pendulum-type detector is rotatably or rotatably arranged in the case, an electric sliding portion is provided. There is no need to provide them, the structure is simple, there are few failures, poor contact, and the like, and a long life and a thin and small size can be achieved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a wristwatch-type pedometer according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an initial position state of a pendulum in a state where an arm is lowered substantially vertically.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the pedometer.
FIG. 4 is a front view of a pendulum-type detector according to another embodiment of the present invention in an initial measurable position state.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of the wiring board.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Wristwatch type pedometer, 2 ... Case with a band, 14 ... Pendulum type detector, 15 ... Liquid crystal display device, 16 ... Wiring board, 20 ... Board, 21 ... Pendulum, 21C ... Pendulum main body, 40 ... Wire spring, 33 ... magnet, 34 ... weight, 48 ... reed switch, 75A ... contact part, 85 ... contact piece.

Claims (2)

A pendulum-type detector for detecting the number of vibrations of the pendulum, a case with a band for housing the pendulum-type detector, and display means for digitally displaying at least the number of steps and time,
In the initial position state where the number of steps can be measured during walking, the pendulum has an angle of 8 to 25 ° with respect to a virtual line connecting the turning fulcrum and the pendulum main body with 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock of the dial of the timepiece. A wristwatch-type pedometer, wherein the pivot point is inclined so that the pivot point is at 6 o'clock and the pendulum body is at 12 o'clock. The wristwatch-type pedometer according to claim 1,
A wristwatch-type pedometer, wherein the pendulum-type detector is configured to be adjustable in angle within the range of the angle of 8 to 25 degrees from outside the case with the band.

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