JP2009066168A - Walking measuring system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a walking measuring system capable of automatically and precisely obtaining a starting time point and a finishing time point of walking moving from a certain point to another certain point as a practical matter. <P>SOLUTION: A first pointing device 40 is a mouse device or the like by which an operator carries out operations such as moving and pushing buttons by his hand. An acceleration measuring device 30 measures the waking exercise of a walker and obtains the walking exercise data. A second pointing device 50 has a sensor 51 for detecting that the foot of the walker lands in a predetermined area arranged on a walking passage and a transmitting function 52 for transmitting detected signals by the sensor 51 to a computer system 10. The computer system 10 deals the detected signals transmitted from the second pointing device 50 as button information by the first pointing device 40 and determines the starting time point and the finishing time point for obtaining the data of the acceleration measuring device 30 by detecting the landing time point of the foot of the walker in the set area. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a walking measurement system that measures a walking motion of a pedestrian who is a subject and assists in obtaining an appropriate walking state and walking balance.

Computer systems have been developed for various uses. For example, walking measurement systems that evaluate the walking state by detecting the walking state of pedestrians with various sensors and acquiring data and analyzing the data. Development is also aimed at.
As an example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-358229, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-113256, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-283134, and the like are known. The basic configuration is an acceleration including an acceleration sensor in a general-purpose personal computer system. A combination of measuring devices.
In these conventional systems, as a GUI (graphical user interface), an instruction input to the system is generally performed by a pointing device such as a mouse.

  In general, a conventional pointing device represented by a mouse for transmitting movement information, position information, button information, and the like as output to a computer device is such that an operator sits beside the computer and performs mouse movement, button operation, etc. with one hand. I was doing it.

  For this reason, a keyboard operator who performs an input operation to the computer or the like cannot leave while sitting beside the computer because of the mouse operation. Although it was possible to release the mouse without performing the mouse operation, the mouse could not be operated immediately unless it was always beside the mouse.

  In order to solve such problems, a pointing device such as a mouse that operates with a foot without using a hand in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 62-37731, 3-220618, and 4-242818. Many have been proposed.

  However, since the pointing devices described in each of these publications all have the same configuration as a conventional mouse, they are simply operated with the foot at the operator's foot. Since the mouse is moved by moving the mouse, it is impossible to move away from the side of the computer for the mouse operation, and the mouse cannot be operated immediately unless the mouse is always at the side.

JP-A-62-37731 JP-A-3-220618 JP-A-4-242818 JP 2004-358229 A JP 2004-113256 A JP 2001-283134 A

Some walking measurement systems measure the walking state by stepping on the spot, but it is preferable that the actual walking is not stepping, but actually measured while walking.
It is assumed that various sensors for measuring the walking state are worn on the legs and placed on the walking path, but it is necessary to obtain accurate walking data for the analysis of the walking state. It is necessary to accurately capture the time when walking measurement is started, the time when walking measurement is finished, and the walking movement distance in accordance with walking.
The measurement method most suitable for measuring the walking state is to have the pedestrian perform normal walking movements, and place the walking state from one point A to another point B on a sensor or walking path attached to the legs and waist. It is to be detected by the sensor. In other words, if the moment when a pedestrian's foot has landed at a certain point A and the moment when the pedestrian's foot has landed at a certain point B can be captured, the time when the gait measurement was started in accordance with the walking of the pedestrian and the gait measurement It is possible to accurately capture the time point when the movement is finished and the walking movement distance.

  If the walking measurement system is developed as a dedicated system having a large number of dedicated devices, the cost increases. Therefore, it is preferable to construct a walking measurement system using a general-purpose personal computer and a general-purpose pointing device.

  Here, assuming that a personal computer system equipped with a conventional pointing device captures a moment when a pedestrian's foot has landed at a certain point A and a moment when a pedestrian's foot has landed at a certain point B, the following procedure is performed. Is considered necessary.

  First, an operator who assists in the measurement is stationed, the measurement start information is measured by a button operation such as the operator clicking the pointing device at the moment when the foot of the subject pedestrian has landed at a certain point A. Next, the measurement end information is input to the walking measurement system by a button operation such as the operator clicking the pointing device at the moment when the foot of the pedestrian who is the subject has landed at a certain point B. Become.

However, the above procedure has the following problems.
The first problem is accuracy.
The operator performs button operations such as clicking the pointing device at the moment when the pedestrian's foot has landed. Can not.

The second problem is a problem that requires an operator.
It is preferable to perform an operation for walking measurement with as little human intervention as possible. Arranging the operator only to capture the measurement start point and the measurement end point causes an increase in cost. Therefore, it is preferable that the measurement start time and the measurement end time can be automatically input. However, the above-described conventional pointing device using a general-purpose personal computer cannot accurately and automatically input the measurement start point and the measurement end point.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and automatically uses the general-purpose personal computer and the general-purpose pointing device as a base to automatically and automatically determine the start and end points of walking movement from a certain point to a certain point. The object is to provide a walking measurement system that can be accurately captured.

In order to achieve the above object, the walking measurement system of the present invention includes:
An acceleration measuring device for measuring walking motion of a pedestrian and acquiring walking motion data;
Operation information such as movement information, position information, and button information for the pointer displayed on the display is detected by performing operations such as movement and button pressing by the operator's hand and detecting the operation amount and operation content. A first pointing device that provides input information to
A sensor that detects that the pedestrian's foot has landed on a setting area provided on a walking path where the pedestrian walks, and a transmission function that transmits a detection signal from the sensor to the computer system. 2 pointing devices,
The computer system treats the detection signal transmitted from the second pointing device as button information for the pointer by the first pointing device, and sets a start time and an end time of data acquisition of the acceleration measuring device as the walking It is determined by detecting the landing of the pedestrian's foot on the set area provided on the passage.

  In the above configuration, it is preferable that the second pointing device has a pad-like planar shape, and the sensor is a push switch that is pressed by pressure that is stepped on by the pedestrian's foot.

In addition, a configuration including a foot pressure measuring device that acquires pressure data on the sole by measuring the pressure distribution of the body weight on the sole of the pedestrian is also possible, and the start point of data acquisition of the foot pressure measuring device And the end point is determined by detecting the landing of the pedestrian's foot on the set area by the second pointing device.
With the above configuration, it is possible to accurately grasp the start point and the end point of movement from a certain point to a certain point in the course of the actual walking motion of the pedestrian while using a general-purpose personal computer and a general-purpose pointing device as a base.

Next, the walking measurement system of the present invention may be configured to include a plurality of the second pointing devices.
In the case of a configuration including a plurality of the second pointing devices, a button for the pointer detected by the button pressing operation in the first pointing device with a detection signal transmitted by one second pointing device. After processing as information, with the detection signal transmitted by the other one of the second pointing devices, treating it as button information for the pointer detected by the next button pressing operation in the first pointing device; Become.

Further, in the case of a configuration including a plurality of the second pointing devices, each detection signal can be handled as button information for different positions on the display by using the following configuration.
That is, the first pointer state storage for storing the first pointer state for accepting the operation of pressing the button of the first pointing device by moving the pointer on the display by the first pointing device to adjust the position. Means,
After the first pointer state is stored by the first pointer state storage means, the pointer on the display is moved and aligned by the first pointing device, and the button of the first pointing device is set. A second pointer state storage means for storing a second pointer state for accepting a pressing operation;
A detection signal transmitted by one of the second pointing devices is processed as button information for the pointer in the first pointer state, and a detection signal transmitted by the other second pointing device is used. This is made possible by processing as button information for the pointer in the second pointer state.

  According to the walking measurement system of the present invention, the start time and the end time of walking movement from a certain point to a certain point are improved while using an acceleration sensor as a base and a general-purpose personal computer and a general-purpose pointing device as a base. It can be accurately captured.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be specifically described by way of examples.
The following is an example of a walking measurement system. The walking measurement system of the present invention can be applied to various sizes and shapes, and is not limited to these examples.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the walking measurement system 100 of the present invention.

  The computer system 10 is an ordinary general-purpose personal computer system, and may include a basic configuration provided in a general-purpose personal computer system such as a control device and a storage device.

  The display 20 is one of output devices of the computer system 10 and provides various display screens of the walking measurement system of the present invention. One of them is a graphical user interface that is an operation input screen. A pointer 21 is displayed on the graphical user interface constructed on the display 20.

  The acceleration measuring device 30 is a device that measures walking motion of a pedestrian and acquires walking motion data. For example, the acceleration measuring device 30 includes an acceleration sensor, and measures the walking motion of the subject by being attached to a part of the subject's body. . The acceleration sensor is preferably one that can measure acceleration in three dimensions. This is because a human's actual walking motion is not a linear motion, but a three-dimensional motion with vertical and horizontal shaking. A commercially available general-purpose sensor can be used as the three-dimensional acceleration sensor.

  The first pointing device 40 is a pointing device provided in a general-purpose personal computer system, for example, a mouse. The first pointing device 40 performs operations such as movement and button pressing by the operator's hand, and detects movement amount and operation content, movement information, position information, and buttons for the pointer 21 displayed on the display 20. Although operation information such as information is given as input information to the computer system 10, data can be exchanged with a second pointing device 50 described later.

  The second pointing device 50 detects to the computer system 10 a pressure sensor 51 that detects that a pedestrian's foot has landed in a set area provided on a walking path where the pedestrian walks, and a detection signal from the pressure sensor 51. And a transmission function 52 for transmission. For example, a wireless transmission function is used.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration example of the second pointing device 50.
As an example of the shape of the second pointing device 50, it is a pad-like planar shape, and the pressure sensor 51 is incorporated, and if the pedestrian steps on the pad-like second pointing device with his / her foot, it is stepped on. The pressure sensor 51 is pressed by pressure.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a method for accurately measuring the time of landing of the pedestrian by placing the second pointing device 50 on the walking path.

Now, the second pointing device 50 is placed near the center of a certain point on the walking path 200. The pedestrian is instructed to walk on the walking path 200 and proceed to step on the pad-shaped second pointing device 50, and the pedestrian actually steps on the second pointing device 50 and passes through. .
In this way, the pedestrian steps on the pressure sensor 51 placed in the set area provided on the walking path at his / her own pace while performing normal walking, so that the second pointing device 50 has the “button” It is possible to detect the “pressing” information and transmit the detection signal, that is, the “button pressing” information to the computer system 10 via the transmission function 52, and to the place where the second pointing device 50 is placed. It is possible to accurately notify the computer system 10 when the pedestrian's foot has landed.

  Here, in the computer system 10, the detection signal transmitted from the second pointing device 50, that is, “button press” information is sent to the pointer detected by the normal button press operation in the first pointing device 40. It is treated the same as “button information”, and is used as input information to the computer system 10. That is, it is treated as if the button of the first pointing device 40 was pressed with respect to the pointer 21 controlled on the display 20 by the operation of the first pointing device 40, for example, the button was clicked. .

  If the operation of the computer system 10 is a processing flow for determining the start point of data acquisition of the acceleration measuring device via the pointer 21 controlled on the display 20, it is transmitted from the second pointing device 50. The detection signal is determined by the computer system 10 as if the first pointing device 40 gave the button pressing information for the pointer 21 to determine the start point of data acquisition of the acceleration measuring device 30. it can. Similarly, if the operation of the computer system 10 is a processing flow for determining the end point of data acquisition of the acceleration measuring device 30 via the pointer 21 controlled on the display 20, the data of the acceleration measuring device 30 is similarly used. The end point of acquisition can be determined. As described above, the start time and the end time of data acquisition of the acceleration measuring device 30 can be determined by detecting the landing of the foot of the pedestrian on the set area on the walking path.

  In addition, in one linear walking motion, there may be a configuration in which the second pointing device 50 is provided at both points in order to measure the walking start time and end time from one point to another point.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a method of accurately measuring the passing point of a pedestrian and a passing point of another point by laying the second pointing device 50 at two points on the walking path. is there.

  The second pointing device 50a is installed at the point A, and the second pointing device 50b is installed at the point B. As shown in FIG. 3, the pedestrian walks along the walking path and transmits a detection signal to the computer system 10 at the point when the second pointing device 50a is stepped on at the point A. When the pointing device 50b is stepped on, a detection signal is transmitted to the computer system 10.

  The computer system 10 processes the button information for the pointer 21 with the detection signal transmitted by the second pointing device 50a, and then the next button information for the pointer 21 with the detection signal transmitted by the second pointing device 50b. And handle. The start time and end time of walking from a certain point A to another point B can be accurately measured.

  Next, the second pointing device 50a and the second pointing device 50b are laid in two places on the walking path, and the passing time of the pedestrian's second pointing device 50a is set as the walking measurement start time, and the second pointing device is set. In the configuration in which the passing time of the device 50b is set as the end time of walking measurement, a device for automatically switching the pointer position on the graphical user interface can be applied.

  The position of the pointer 21 is controlled by the operation of the first pointing device 40 and is grasped by the computer system 10. In advance, the position of the pointer 21 is stored in two places as the first pointer state and the second pointer state. First, it is assumed that the pointer 21 is in the first pointer state, and when the passage of the second pointing device 50a is detected, the pointer 21 is pressed in the first pointer state on the graphical user interface. deal with. Next, it is assumed that the pointer 21 is in the second pointer state, and when the passage of the second pointing device 50b is detected, it is handled that the pointer 21 is pressed in the second pointer state on the graphical user interface. .

The first pointer state and the second pointer state may be stored by storing the movement of the first pointing device 40 in the computer system 10.
The pointer 21 on the display 20 is moved and aligned by the first pointing device 40, and the first pointer state that accepts the button pressing operation of the first pointing device 40 is stored by the first pointer state storage means. After that, the pointer 21 on the display 20 is moved and aligned by the first pointing device 40, and the second pointer state that accepts the operation of pressing the button of the first pointing device 40 by the second pointer state storage means. Remember.
The detection signal transmitted by the second pointing device 50a is processed as button information for the pointer 21 in the first pointer state, and the pointer in the second pointer state is processed by the detection signal transmitted by the second pointing device 50b. 21 is processed as button information for 21.

  As described above, the second pointing device 50a and the second pointing device 50b are laid in two places on the walking path, and the time when the pedestrian passes the second pointing device 50a is set as the walking measurement start time. The passage time of 50b can be accurately measured as the end time of walking measurement.

  The walking measurement system 100a according to the second embodiment has a configuration including a foot pressure measurement device in addition to the configuration of the walking measurement system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the walking measurement system 100a of the present invention.
The configurations of the computer system 10, the display 20, the acceleration measuring device 30, the first pointing device 40, and the second pointing device 50 are the same as those in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, a foot pressure measuring device 35 is provided.

The foot pressure measuring device 35 is a device that measures the pressure distribution of the weight applied to the sole of the pedestrian and acquires the pressure data applied to the sole. Walking motion is not captured in a stationary state, and the ground contact part of the sole is obtained as data that changes with time from landing on the heel to kicking off the toe.
Similar to the first embodiment, the start time and the end time of the data acquisition of the foot pressure measuring device 35 are determined by detecting the landing of the pedestrian's foot on the set area by the second pointing device 50.

  Although the preferred embodiment of the pointing device of the present invention has been described above, it will be understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the technical scope of the present invention.

  The present invention can be applied to various systems such as a walking measurement system that measures a walking motion of a subject from one point to another point.

The block diagram which represented typically the structure of the walking measurement system 100 of this invention The figure which showed typically the example of 1 structure of the 2nd pointing device 50 The figure which showed typically the method of laying down the 2nd pointing device 50 on a walk path and measuring the pedestrian's landing time correctly. The figure which showed typically the method of laying down the 2nd pointing device 50 on two places on a walkway, and measuring the passage time of a certain point of a pedestrian, and the passage point of other points correctly. The block diagram which represented typically the structure of the walking measurement system 100a of this invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Computer system 20 Display 30 Acceleration measuring device 35 Foot pressure measuring device 40 1st pointing device 50 2nd pointing device 100, 100a, 100b Walking measurement system

Claims (5)

An acceleration measuring device for measuring walking motion of a pedestrian and acquiring walking motion data;
Operation information such as movement information, position information, and button information for the pointer displayed on the display is detected by performing operations such as movement and button pressing by the operator's hand and detecting the operation amount and operation content. A first pointing device that provides input information to
A sensor that detects that the pedestrian's foot has landed on a setting area provided on a walking path where the pedestrian walks, and a transmission function that transmits a detection signal from the sensor to the computer system. 2 pointing devices,
The computer system treats the detection signal transmitted from the second pointing device as button information for the pointer by the first pointing device, and sets a start time and an end time of data acquisition of the acceleration measuring device as the walking A walking measurement system, wherein the determination is made by detecting the landing of the pedestrian's foot on the set area provided on a passage. Equipped with a foot pressure measuring device that measures the pressure distribution of the weight on the sole of the pedestrian and acquires the pressure data on the sole,
The start time and the end time of data acquisition of the foot pressure measuring device are determined by detecting the landing of the pedestrian's foot on the setting area by the second pointing device. Walking measurement system.   The shape of the second pointing device is a pad-like planar shape, and the sensor is a push switch that is pressed by pressure that is stepped on by the pedestrian's foot. Gait measurement system. A plurality of the second pointing devices;
The detection signal transmitted by one of the second pointing devices is processed as button information for the pointer detected by the button pressing operation in the first pointing device, and then the other second second device is processed. The detection signal transmitted by the pointing device is handled as button information for the pointer detected by the next button pressing operation in the first pointing device. The walking measurement system described. First pointer state storage means for storing a first pointer state for accepting an operation of pressing a button of the first pointing device by moving the pointer on the display by the first pointing device to adjust its position; ,
After the first pointer state is stored by the first pointer state storage means, the pointer on the display is moved and aligned by the first pointing device, and the button of the first pointing device is set. A second pointer state storage means for storing a second pointer state for accepting a pressing operation;
A detection signal transmitted by one of the second pointing devices is processed as button information for the pointer in the first pointer state, and a detection signal transmitted by the other second pointing device is used. 5. The walking measurement system according to claim 4, wherein the walking measurement system is processed as button information for the pointer in the second pointer state.

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