JP2007307218A - Body movement detector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small pedometer where the number of steps is not viewed by a third person except for a user while the pedometer is mounted. <P>SOLUTION: The pedometer 100A is provided with: a body movement detection sensor where a main body part 110 is connected with a base part 120 in a freely rotatable manner and which is for detecting body movement; a display part 116 provided to the exposed surface of the main body part 110 for displaying the number of steps detected by the body movement detection sensor; and a microswitch 166a as a positional change detection means for detecting the relative positional change of the main body part 110 with respect to the base part 120. Linked with the on/off operation of the microswitch 166a, switching from displayed to nondisplayed of the number of steps on the display part 116 is operated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a body motion detection device that detects body motion by being worn on clothes or the like, and more specifically, a pedometer capable of counting the number of steps by detecting body motion. About.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, pedometers are known that detect body movements by wearing them on clothes or the like and thereby measure the number of steps. In this pedometer, a body motion detection sensor is used as a body motion detection means for detecting body motion of the body. Known body motion detection sensors include those using piezoelectric elements and those using a pendulum.

  Usually, a pedometer is provided with a display unit for displaying the measured number of steps. In recent pedometers, not only the number of steps is simply displayed, but also various information calculated from the number of steps, such as walking distance and calorie consumption, are often displayed on the display unit. Furthermore, there is also a pedometer that displays information other than the number of steps and other information calculated from the number of steps as described above, such as time information, on the display unit.

  In Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-130862 (Patent Document 1), a hook part for attaching to clothes (especially a belt) is provided on the back surface of the main body part, and a display part is provided on the exposed surface of the front surface of the main body part. Disclosed pedometers are disclosed. In the pedometer, a hinge mechanism is provided so that the main body portion rotates with respect to the hook portion, and the main body portion is rotated so that the front surface provided with the display portion faces upward. The display unit can be easily visually recognized without removing the meter from the clothes.

However, the number of steps described above and other information calculated from the number of steps (hereinafter referred to as body movement information) are personal information and can be seen by others (a third party other than the user). Many users dislike it. Therefore, there are many cases that hesitates to use a pedometer when going out. Therefore, a pedometer has been devised that employs a configuration in which the display unit is covered with a lid or the like in order to prevent the display unit from being visually recognized by another person in a state where the pedometer is mounted on the clothes. Documents disclosing such a pedometer include, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-88082 (Patent Document 2) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-57068 (Patent Document 3). If such a configuration is adopted, as long as the display unit is covered with the lid, there is no concern that various information is visually recognized by others, and the pedometer can be used with confidence.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-130862 JP-A-62-88082 JP 2003-57068 A

  However, when the lid that covers the display unit is provided in the main body as described above, there is a problem that the thickness of the main body is increased by the amount of the lid and the apparatus is enlarged. Since the pedometer is a device that is used by being worn on clothes, an increase in the size of the device is a major disadvantage.

  In addition, information that is not related to the number of steps represented by time information among the information displayed on the display unit is not hindered by others. Furthermore, there are cases where the user wants to view only the time information in a non-wearing state. However, when the lid that covers the display unit is provided on the main body as described above, it is necessary for the user to expose the display unit by operating the lid even when checking only the time not related to the number of steps. There is also a problem that the usability becomes very bad.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a small body motion detection device in which body motion information is not visually recognized by a third party other than the user in the mounted state. For the purpose.

  A body motion detection device according to the present invention is configured such that a body portion and a mounting portion are rotatably connected to each other, and body motion detection means for detecting body motion and an exposed surface of the body portion. A display means for displaying body movement information detected by the body movement detection means, a position change detection means for detecting a relative position change of the main body part with respect to the mounting part, and the position And switching means for switching between display and non-display of the body movement information by the display means based on information detected by the change detection means.

  With this configuration, it is possible to switch the presence / absence of the display of body motion information on the display means provided in the main body based on the information detected by the position change detection means. Therefore, when the user does not visually recognize the display means, the body motion information is not displayed, and the body motion information is only displayed in a state where the user rotates the main body with respect to the mounting portion so as to visually recognize the display means. Since it can be configured to be displayed, it is possible to provide a body motion detection device in which body motion information is not visually recognized by a third party other than the user in the mounted state. In addition, it is not necessary to separately provide a lid that covers the display means, and the body motion detection device can be made small and thin.

  In the body movement detecting device according to the present invention, the position change detecting means detects a rotation angle of the main body with respect to the mounting portion, thereby changing a relative position of the main body with respect to the mounting portion. And detecting the relative position of the main body with respect to the mounting portion by detecting whether or not the main body has rotated more than a predetermined angle with respect to the mounting portion. It may be a means for detecting a typical position change. If comprised in this way, the positional change by rotation of the main-body part with respect to a mounting part can be detected reliably.

  Further, in the body motion detection device according to the present invention, the display means may be capable of displaying non-body motion information that is information other than the body motion information. It is preferable that the display means is configured to always display the non-body movement information regardless of whether or not the relative position change of the main body with respect to the mounting portion. If comprised in this way, since it becomes possible to always display non-body motion information on a display part, it can be set as a user-friendly body motion detection apparatus.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can be set as the small body motion detection apparatus by which a body motion information is not visually recognized by third parties other than a user in a mounting state.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiment, a pedometer that is intended to be worn on the user's lower back will be described as an example of the body motion detection device.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a user wears the pedometer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Pedometer 100A in the present embodiment is intended to be worn on clothing, and specifically, attached to belt 210 wound around waist 201 of user 200 as shown in FIG. Or a pedometer that is intended to be attached to clothes such as pants or skirts. The pedometer 100A has a flat outer shape, that is, a thin shape so that the pedometer 100A protrudes more than necessary from the waist 201 of the user 200 and does not interfere with the user when worn. Note that the body motion detection sensor 150 (see FIG. 6) as body motion detection means provided in the pedometer 100A in the mounted state is disposed such that the detection axis direction thereof substantially matches the vertical direction. Here, the detection axis direction of the body motion detection sensor 150 means a direction in which body motion can be detected by the body motion detection sensor 150 with maximum sensitivity.

  2 to 5 are views showing the external structure of the pedometer in the present embodiment. Here, FIG. 2 is a perspective view when the pedometer according to the present embodiment is viewed obliquely from the upper front right, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view when viewed from obliquely upward the rear right. FIG. 4 is a side view when the pedometer according to the present embodiment is viewed from the right side, and FIG. 5 is a plan view when viewed from above. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the pedometer 100A according to the present embodiment mainly includes a main body portion 110, a base portion 120 as a mounting portion, and a clip portion 130.

  The main body 110 has a flat outer shape that is circular when viewed from the front, and is provided with a display unit 116 on the front surface and various buttons 117a to 117c on the peripheral surface. The display unit 116 is a display unit for displaying body movement information detected by the body movement detection sensor 150, and is preferably configured by a liquid crystal display panel (LCD). The various operation buttons 117a to 117c are typified by a power button for turning on the power, a reset button for resetting the counter, a setting button for performing various settings, and the like, and accepting a user's operation. Constitutes an operation unit 117 (see FIG. 6) for executing various processing operations.

  Inside the main body 110, a circuit board provided with the above-described body movement detection sensor 150 and processing circuits for performing various processing operations based on signals output from the body movement detection sensor 150, and a power source for these processing circuits A battery 164 (see FIG. 6) and the like are supplied. In addition, a concave portion for accommodating the base portion 120 is provided on the back surface of the main body portion 110.

  The base portion 120 is configured by a substantially disk-shaped member having an opening at the center portion, and has a pair of connecting portions 121 protruding rearward at a predetermined position on the back surface thereof. The connecting part 121 is a part connected to a connecting part 131 provided in a clip part 130 described later, and has a rotating shaft 124 at a predetermined position. In addition, a tongue-like portion 122 that protrudes upward is provided on the upper portion of the base portion 120. The main body part 110 and the base part 120 are rotatably connected by a rotation shaft 123 provided on the tongue-like part 122. As a result, the main body 110 has a non-rotating state in which the base portion 120 is housed in a recess provided on the back surface of the main body portion 110 and a rotating state in which the base portion 120 rotates in a direction away from the base portion 120. I will take it. In the non-rotating state, the front surface of the base portion 120 and the front surface of the main body portion 110 are arranged substantially in parallel, and the display portion 116 provided on the front surface of the main body portion 110 is viewed from the user. It will be exposed to the front.

  The clip part 130 is comprised by the substantially disc shaped member which has an opening in the center part, and has a pair of connection part 131 which protrudes toward the front in the predetermined position of the front surface. A hole 134 for receiving the rotation shaft 124 provided in the connection portion 121 of the base portion 120 described above is provided at a predetermined position of the connection portion 131. By inserting the rotation shaft 124 into the hole 134, The base part 120 and the clip part 130 are rotatably connected. A coil spring (not shown) is provided between the base portion 120 and the clip portion 130 to urge the base portion 120 and the clip portion 130 in a direction in which the base portion 120 and the clip portion 130 approach each other. Is sandwiched and held between the base portion 120 and the clip portion 130.

  Pedometer 100A in the present embodiment has a position change detection unit 166 (see FIG. 6) for detecting a change in position of main body 110 with respect to base 120. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a micro switch 166a provided on the front surface of the base portion 120 is used as a position change detection means. The micro switch 166a is configured to be pushed in the direction of arrow A in the figure by the back surface of the main body 110 when the main body 110 is in a non-rotating state.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing functional blocks of the pedometer in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the pedometer 100A according to the present embodiment includes an amplifier unit 160, a filter, in addition to the body movement detection sensor 150, the display unit 116, the operation unit 117, the battery 164, and the position change detection unit 166 described above. A unit 161, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 162, a memory unit 163, and a constant voltage circuit 165.

  The amplifier unit 160 includes a circuit for amplifying the electric signal output from the body motion detection sensor 150. The filter unit 161 includes a circuit for removing noise included in the amplified electric signal output from the amplifier unit 160. The CPU 162 uses the electric signal output from the filter unit 161 to perform various calculations and counts the number of steps, and the electric signal output from the position change detection unit 166 uses the electric signal output from the position change detection unit 166 to perform body movement. It includes a switching circuit 162b as switching means for determining whether information should be displayed or not displayed and switching display / non-display of body movement information on the display unit 116 based on the determination result. Further, the CPU 162 issues a command for displaying various information such as measurement results on the display unit 116 or executes a command input from the operation unit 117. The memory unit 163 stores programs for performing various arithmetic processes. The battery 164 is a power source for supplying power to the CPU 162. The constant voltage circuit 165 is a circuit for stabilizing the power supply voltage supplied from the battery 164.

  7 and 8 are views showing a state in which the main body portion is turned away from the base portion in the pedometer according to the present embodiment, FIG. 7 is a side view in this state, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view. FIG. Hereinafter, the display operation of display unit 116 in pedometer 100A in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to these drawings.

  As described above, pedometer 100A in the present embodiment has micro switch 166a that detects a change in position of main body 110 that occurs when main body 110 rotates with respect to base 120. As shown in FIG. 7, the micro switch 166a protrudes forward (in the direction of arrow B in the drawing) by a predetermined distance in the non-pressed state, and in this state, the micro switch 166a is in the off state. On the other hand, as described above, the micro switch 166a is pushed into the base portion 120 in the depressed state, and in this state, the micro switch 166a is in the on state (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the micro switch 166a is in a non-depressed state, the front surface of the main body 110 faces upward due to the rotation of the main body 110 with respect to the base 120. The display unit 116 provided on the front surface of 110 is exposed upward. Therefore, the user can visually recognize the display unit 116. If the body movement information is displayed on the display unit 116, the user can visually recognize the body movement information without removing the pedometer 100A from the clothes.

  A signal output from the microswitch 166a is input to the CPU 162 shown in FIG. 6, and the presence or absence of display of body movement information on the display unit 116 is determined in the switching circuit 162b provided in the CPU 162 based on this signal. Then, the CPU 162 generates a command signal related to whether or not body movement information is displayed on the display unit 116, and outputs the command signal to the display unit 116, thereby switching whether or not the body movement information is displayed on the display unit 116.

  Here, the body motion information includes the number of steps counted based on the body motion detected by the body motion detection sensor 150 and information calculated as a function based on the number of steps. The calculated information includes walking distance, calorie consumption, and the like. Here, as shown in FIG. 8, the number of steps as body movement information is displayed as a numerical value, for example, as indicated by reference numeral 116a on the display unit 116, or as a graph as indicated by reference numeral 116b. Further, time information which is information other than body motion information is displayed by, for example, numerical values as indicated by reference numeral 116c. Information other than body movement information represented by time information or the like may be displayed constantly regardless of the position change of the main body 110 with respect to the base 120 detected by the microswitch 166a. As with the information, the presence / absence of the display may be switched according to the position change of the main body 110.

  In pedometer 100A in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, display unit 116 is switched between a non-display state and a display state depending on the amount of rotation of main body unit 110 with respect to base unit 120. That is, by adjusting in advance the amount of protrusion in the non-depressed state of the micro switch 166a, the non-display range in which the non-display state of the body motion information on the display unit 116 is maintained, and the display of the body motion information on the display unit 116 is performed. The display range in which the state is maintained is determined. That is, when the micro switch 166a is used as the position change detection unit as in the present embodiment, the display unit 116 depends on whether the main body unit 110 has rotated more than a predetermined angle with respect to the base unit 120. The display / non-display of the body movement information at is switched, and the angle serving as the threshold can be adjusted as appropriate by changing the protrusion amount when the micro switch 166a is not pushed down or the installation position of the micro switch 166a.

  With the above configuration, it is possible to detect a relative position change of the main body 110 with respect to the base part 120 by the micro switch 166a, and the display provided in the main body 110 based on the position change information. It is possible to switch the presence / absence of display of body motion information in the unit 116. Therefore, when the user does not visually recognize the display unit 116, body movement information is not displayed, and only when the user rotates the main body 110 with respect to the base unit 120 in order to visually recognize the display unit 116. Since it can be configured to display the body movement information, the pedometer can be configured such that the body movement information is not visually recognized by a third party other than the user in the wearing state.

  In addition, since it is not necessary to separately provide the main body 110 with a lid that covers the display unit 116 that has conventionally been required, the pedometer 100A can be made small and thin. Furthermore, since the lid that covers the display unit 116, which was necessary in the past, is no longer necessary, information that is not related to the number of steps represented by time information can always be visually recognized without the need to open the lid. It is. Therefore, it is possible to provide a pedometer that is very convenient to use.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 9 is a side view showing a state in which the main body is turned away from the base in the pedometer according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected in the figure about the part similar to pedometer 100A in the above-mentioned Embodiment 1, and the description shall not be repeated here.

  As shown in FIG. 9, pedometer 100 </ b> B according to the present embodiment has body portion 110 attached to base portion 120 so as to be rotatable, similarly to pedometer 100 </ b> A according to the first embodiment described above. In pedometer 100B in the present embodiment, a magnetic switch including magnet 166b1 and magnetic sensor 166b2 is used instead of microswitch 166a used as position change detection means in pedometer 100A in the first embodiment. Has been. As shown in FIG. 9, the magnet 166 b 1 is provided at the lower end position of the base portion 120, and the magnetic sensor 166 b 2 is provided at the lower end position corresponding to the magnet 166 b 1 provided in the base portion 120 of the main body portion 110. ing.

  In such a configuration, a change in the position of the main body 110 that occurs when the main body 110 rotates with respect to the base 120 is detected by a magnetic switch including the magnet 166b1 and the magnetic sensor 166b2. . That is, in the range in which the magnetic flux output from the magnet 166b1 is detected by the magnetic sensor 166b2 with a magnitude greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the main body 110 is in a non-display range where the display of body motion information on the display unit 116 is not necessary. In the range where the magnetic flux output from the magnet 166b1 is detected by the magnetic sensor 166b2 with a magnitude less than a predetermined value, the main body 110 is in the display range where the display of the body movement information is necessary on the display unit 116. It is detected that there is. Therefore, it is possible to detect a relative position change of the main body 110 with respect to the base 120 by the magnetic sensor 166b2, and based on this position change information, body movement information on the display unit 116 provided in the main body 110 is detected. It is possible to switch the presence or absence of display.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the case where a microswitch or a magnetic switch is used as the position change detection unit has been described as an example. However, various other switches can be used.

  For example, similar to the position change detection means in the first and second embodiments described above, the base portion is detected by detecting whether the main body portion has rotated more than a predetermined angle with respect to the base portion. As a device for detecting the relative position change of the main body, for example, use of a photoelectric switch can be considered. When a transmissive type photoelectric switch is used, a concave portion is provided in a portion facing the base portion of the main body portion, and a convex portion that is inserted into the concave portion in a non-rotating state in a portion facing the main body portion of the base portion. The light emitting part and the light receiving part of the photoelectric switch are provided in the main body part so that the light beam is irradiated across the recess, and the main body part is rotated by the photoelectric switch composed of the light projecting part and the light receiving part. It becomes possible to detect the presence or absence of.

  In addition to the above-described position detection means, it is also conceivable to use a device that detects a relative position change of the main body with respect to the base by detecting a rotation angle of the main body with respect to the base. As such means, for example, a rotation angle sensor using an acceleration sensor, a digital measure, or the like can be used. These rotation angle sensors and digital measures are incorporated in a hinge mechanism that connects the base portion and the main body portion, detect the rotation angle of the main body portion with respect to the base portion, and based on the magnitude of this rotation angle, Switching between displaying and hiding dynamic information.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, when the rotation angle of the main body portion with respect to the base portion is equal to or larger than a predetermined size, the display of body motion information on the display portion is switched between display and non-display. The case where it is configured has been described by way of example, but it is configured so that body movement information is displayed on the display unit in all cases where the main body part is not in a non-rotating state, that is, even when the main body part is slightly rotated. May be. In that case, it is preferable to provide a lock mechanism that can lock / unlock the main body with respect to the base in order to prevent the main body from rotating due to vibration associated with the walking motion.

  Thus, the above-described embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. The technical scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which the user mounted | wore with the pedometer in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view at the time of seeing from the front right diagonal upper direction which shows the external appearance structure of the pedometer in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view at the time of seeing from the back right diagonal upper direction which shows the external appearance structure of the pedometer in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a side view which shows the external appearance structure of the pedometer in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the external appearance structure of the pedometer in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the functional block of the pedometer in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a side view which shows the state rotated in the direction which keeps a main-body part away from a base part in the pedometer in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state rotated in the direction which keeps a main-body part away from a base part in the pedometer in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a side view which shows the state rotated in the direction which keeps a main-body part away from a base part in the pedometer in Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  100A to 100B Pedometer, 110 Main unit, 116 display unit, 116a, 116b Step display, 116c Time display, 117 operation unit, 117a to 117c Operation button, 120 base unit, 121 connecting unit, 122 tongue-shaped unit, 123, 124 Rotating shaft, 130 clip part, 131 connecting part, 134 hole, 150 body motion detection sensor, 160 amplifier part, 161 filter part, 162a arithmetic circuit, 162b switching circuit, 163 memory part, 164 battery, 165 constant voltage circuit, 166 Position change detection unit, 166a micro switch, 166b1 magnet, 166b2 magnetic sensor, 200 user, 201 waist, 210 belt.

Claims (4)

A body motion detection device in which a main body portion and a mounting portion are rotatably connected,
Body motion detection means for detecting body motion;
Display means for displaying body motion information provided on the exposed surface of the main body and detected by the body motion detection means;
Position change detecting means for detecting a relative position change of the main body with respect to the mounting portion;
A body motion detection device comprising: switching means for switching between display and non-display of the body motion information by the display means based on information detected by the position change detection means.   2. The body according to claim 1, wherein the position change detection unit is a unit that detects a relative position change of the main body portion with respect to the mounting portion by detecting a rotation angle of the main body portion with respect to the mounting portion. Motion detection device.   The position change detection means detects whether or not the main body portion has rotated relative to the mounting portion by a predetermined angle or more, thereby detecting a relative position change of the main body portion with respect to the mounting portion. The body motion detection device according to claim 1, wherein the body motion detection device is a means for detecting a motion.   The display means is capable of displaying non-body motion information that is information other than the body motion information, and the non-body motion information regardless of whether or not a relative position change of the main body with respect to the wearing portion is present. The body motion detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:

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