JP4425361B2 - Control system and control method by number of steps - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a control system and a control method suitable for controlling a non-portable or semi-portable device except for personal computers and other electrical appliances that are always carried.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a personal computer (personal computer), when there is no input for a predetermined time, the display screen is switched to a screen saver screen, and when input such as a key touch is resumed, the screen is switched to a work screen. An automatic door or the like automatically opens and closes when a user is detected.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
When you sit in front of your computer, the screen saver screen automatically switches to the work screen, when you return from the meeting, the message “Thank you very much” appears automatically, or you receive an email while you are away There is a convenient process to start automatically without any operation when facing the computer, such as automatically displayed. The same applies to televisions and other electrical appliances as well as personal computers.
[0004]
As a method for automatically identifying the presence of a user, there is an automatic door that uses a known infrared sensor. However, since the area that can be detected by the sensor is limited, even if the posture is changed or the chair is moved, the same processing as when returning from absence may be started. Of course, a control system should be constructed that expands the detection range of the sensor, determines the user using radio waves with less directivity, and eliminates problems by combining several conditions such as the time when detection is impossible. Would be possible. However, such a control system requires an installation space for the sensor, and it is difficult to judge the conditions. For this reason, since it becomes a complicated control system, there are many problems such as high cost.
[0005]
Further, when the personal computer is turned off while the user is absent, or when the personal computer is turned on or off while in the room, it is impossible for the personal computer side to determine whether or not the user was in the vicinity of the personal computer during the off time. Therefore, no matter how the personal computer is placed, a function for displaying an appropriate greeting when the user sits in front of the personal computer cannot be easily realized.
[0006]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a control system and a control method that can accurately determine the presence / absence of a user with a simple system. And it aims at making it possible to provide a control system and a control method capable of automatically performing an appropriate process automatically when the user returns from absence.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
For this reason, in the control system and the control method of the present invention, a portable unit that counts the number of steps is attached to the user, the count value of the number of steps is received with a weak radio wave, and the state of the user is determined by the increase in the count value I am doing so. That is, the control system of the present invention is a control system based on the number of steps, and when the portable unit that counts the number of steps and can periodically transmit the count value with a weak radio wave and the weak radio wave from the portable unit can be received. And a control unit that performs a predetermined operation when the received first count value is increased with respect to the previously received second count value. The control method of the present invention is a control method based on the number of steps, which is received when a weak radio wave is received from a portable unit capable of counting the number of steps and periodically transmitting the count value with the weak radio wave. The first count value is increased with respect to the previously received second count value, and has a control step for performing a predetermined operation.
[0008]
In the control system and the control method of the present invention, when the user carries the portable unit and walks away from the place where the control unit is installed, the count value of the portable unit increases. Thus, by comparing the first count value received when the user returns to the control unit location with the second count value previously received and stored in the control unit, the first count value is When it is received, it can be easily determined that the user has gone away from the place where the control unit is installed and has returned. Further, even if the control unit is turned off when the user is absent or present, the presence / absence of the user can be determined by holding the count value in a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk. In addition, if the mobile unit is not near the control unit if it is a weak radio wave with a short reach, for example, a radio wave having an intensity of about 10 mW or less, it is determined whether or not the user is near the control unit. Can be done easily. Furthermore, since radio waves can be transmitted and received without directionality, the count value can be given to the control unit without being affected by the user's posture, sitting position, obstacles between the portable unit and the control unit, and the like. . Therefore, it is possible to provide a highly reliable control system or control method that can reliably determine that the user has returned with a simple configuration.
[0009]
For this reason, the control unit of the present invention is used to display a greeting such as “Good morning” or “Good morning” in combination with time information on a device such as a personal computer, or display new information when absent Various processes desirable to be performed when the user returns from the absence can be automatically performed. Further, since the difference between the first and second count values is the number of steps the user walked in the absence, a display as a pedometer or a greeting displayed as information related to the number of steps is performed. It is also possible to change according to the number of steps. Furthermore, as information related to the number of steps, the user's recommended number of steps has been reached, how much should be walked within the remaining time, the number of steps displayed by the user in one day or one week, etc. It can also be used for health management.
[0010]
Further, since the portable unit only needs to have a function of counting the number of steps and periodically transmitting it with a weak radio wave, it can be realized with a very small size and low cost. In particular, by periodically transmitting the count value using weak radio waves, the power consumption of the portable unit becomes very small and can be operated continuously for a long time with a small battery. Therefore, the portable unit can be inserted into a pocket, or incorporated in an ID card or mounted on a watch or other electronic device, or in a variety of forms such as a form close to a decoration such as a batch or tie pin. realizable.
[0011]
In an environment where there are multiple users in a small space such as in an office, the mobile unit has a function to transmit identification information together with the count value, and the received identification information is already set in the control unit or control process. The user can be discriminated by comparing the first count value with the second count value when the identification information is matched.
[0012]
Further, the first and second count values are set so that a predetermined operation such as greeting is not started when the user moves a few steps for a little errand or when the count value is changed when the user changes posture. It is desirable to perform a predetermined operation only when the difference between the two is larger than a predetermined value.
[0013]
A device to be controlled by such a control unit or control method is rarely carried by a user at all times, and a non-portable or semi-portable device that can be placed at a predetermined location is effective. For example, there are a desktop type, a notebook type personal computer, and a television.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a control system based on the number of steps according to the present invention. The control system 1 of the present example includes a portable unit 10 that is gathered to a size that a user can always wear, and a control unit 20 that is realized by a non-portable or semi-portable device such as a desktop personal computer. Yes. The mobile unit 10 includes a sensor 11 that can measure the number of steps, such as an acceleration sensor, a step number counter 12 that counts up the measured number of steps, a transmission unit 13 that transmits the value of the step number counter 12 using weak radio waves, and a transmission unit. An antenna 14 and a time counter 15 for periodically performing the operation of the transmitter 13 are provided. Moreover, the portable unit 10 incorporates a battery 16 for driving these operating units.
[0015]
The step counter 12 of the portable unit 10 is always counted up by a signal from the sensor 11, and the value of the step counter 12 is converted into an appropriate code and transmitted from the transmitter 13. The transmission unit 13 stores unique identification data φd of about several bits, and the identification data is transmitted together with the data φ1 of the step counter 12. The transmission output of the transmission unit 13 is set so that a weak radio wave of about 1 mW to 10 mW is transmitted, so that the reach range of the radio wave transmitted from the mobile unit 10 can be limited. It is also possible to change the transmission output of the transmission unit 13 by appropriate means, for example, a dip switch or a software switch operated from a personal computer.
[0016]
The time counter 15 is a counter for periodically operating the transmission unit 13, and counts a clock signal supplied from an appropriate clock source (not shown) to determine an appropriate interval set in units of seconds or minutes. It can be done. For example, when the time counter 15 is set to 10 minutes, the transmission unit 13 transmits the count value φ1 of the step counter 12 with weak radio waves together with the identification data φd every 10 minutes.
[0017]
The control unit 20 decodes the received identification data φd and the step count counter value φ1 of the antenna 21 and the reception unit 22 that can receive the weak radio waves of the mobile unit 10 and compares the identification data with preset identification data 23. It has. The determination unit 23 further has a function of comparing the received count value φ1 of the step count counter with the count value φ2 previously received and stored in the memory 24. The identification data φd received by the determination unit 23 is collated, and when the count value φ1 is larger than the stored count value φ2, a trigger signal φt is output to the application unit 25, and the application unit 25 starts operating. .
[0018]
There are various types of processing that can be performed by the application unit 25, and it can be freely changed by user settings. For example, when the trigger signal φt is input, the display of the LCD 26 in which the power saving mode or the screen saver is operating can be returned to the normal state. In addition, greetings such as “Return home”, “Thank you for your hard work”, and “Good morning” can be displayed on the LCD 26 if the time data indicates that it is morning, or audio can be output from the audio 27. Furthermore, various functions such as a function for displaying a mail received in the absence can be provided.
[0019]
Further, in the application unit 25, the value obtained by subtracting the count value (second count value) φ2 stored in the memory 24 from the received count value (first count value) φ1 is the value of the user wearing the portable unit 10. Therefore, it is possible to display the number of steps on the LCD 26 and to have a function as a pedometer. In addition, information related to the number of steps, for example, information compared with the recommended number of steps per day, statistical information such as changes in the number of daily steps, and the like can be displayed.
[0020]
Such a control unit 20 can be realized by simply connecting a simple receiving unit 29 to a personal computer 30 or another electrical appliance controller as shown in FIG. In the case of a standard personal computer 30 in which the CPU 31, ROM 32, and RAM 33 are connected by the bus 34, the receiving unit 22 and the antenna 21 are provided in the external interface 35 such as RS232C or USB similarly connected to the bus 34. It is only necessary to connect the receiving unit 29. The control unit is installed by installing software having processing functions as the determination unit 23 and the application unit 25 in a storage medium such as the hard disk unit 37 or the ROM 32 connected to the bus 35 via the hard disk interface 36. 20 can be realized. Then, based on the software loaded at an appropriate timing, the CPU 31 can control the LCD 26 or the audio 27 connected to the bus 34 via the interfaces 38 and 39 to perform the operation as described above.
[0021]
The processing of the portable unit 10 and the control unit 20 will be further described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. The portable unit 10 operates when the battery 16 is attached, and continuously performs a process of counting up a signal corresponding to the number of steps measured by the sensor 11 using the step number counter 12. When the time counter 15 determines that a predetermined time has elapsed (step 51), the identification data φd and the count value φ1 are transmitted on a weak radio wave (step 52).
[0022]
On the other hand, when the control unit 20 receives the weak radio wave from the portable unit 10 in step 61, the control unit 20 decodes the data received in step 62 and collates the identification data φd in step 63. When the identification data φd match, it is information from the mobile unit 10 held by the user who is the processing target of the control unit 20. Therefore, the count value (first count value) φ1 received in step 64 is compared with the previously received count value (second count value) φ2 stored in the memory. When the identification data φd does not match, the radio wave is received from the portable unit carried by another user, so that the processing after step 63 is not performed and the process returns to the reception system.
[0023]
In step 64, it is determined whether or not the received count value φ1 is larger than the previous count value φ2. If the received count value φ1 is greater than the previously received count value φ2, it indicates that the user has walked during that time, and it can be seen that the user was absent. Therefore, the count value φ2 of the memory is updated with the received count value φ1 in step 65, and the process in the application 25 is started in step 66.
[0024]
On the other hand, if the received count value φ1 does not increase with respect to the previous count value φ2 in step 64, the user is not walking during that time, and is within the same place, that is, within the range where the weak radio wave reaches the control unit 20. It shows that it has stopped. Therefore, the application 25 does not operate. In the control system 1 of this example, since the above determination can be made based on the received count value, the presence / absence of the user can be determined based on the count value when the control unit 20 is not operating.
[0025]
In the determination in step 64, it is desirable to determine that the received count value φ1 has increased to a predetermined value or more than the previous count value φ2. In the portable unit 10, the acceleration sensor 11 or the like is used to measure the number of steps. However, when the posture is moved or the portable unit 10 is attached or detached, the sensor may react and be counted up. In addition, you may move around in a range where radio waves reach, such as standing up from a desk, moving a few steps to take a book, or organizing a document. Therefore, the same processing as when returning from the absence starts at the control unit, and if the greeting is displayed on the personal computer, it may give an impression that the control system 1 of this example is abnormal. Therefore, it is desirable to set the processing of the application unit 25 to start when the difference between the received count value φ1 and the stored count value φ2 is about 10 or several tens.
[0026]
Further, even when the difference between the received count value φ1 and the stored count value φ2 does not reach a predetermined value, a process of updating the stored count value φ2 with the received count value φ1 (step 67). By doing so, it is possible to prevent the application unit 25 from malfunctioning due to accumulation of count errors. Also, the number of steps displayed when functioning as a pedometer can be displayed excluding the effect of moving in the vicinity of the control unit 20, and a value close to the number of steps actually walked can be obtained.
[0027]
In this way, in the control system 1 of this example, the portable unit 10 counts the number of steps, and the value is transmitted to the control unit 20 with weak radio waves, so the control unit 20 holds the portable unit 10. The count value can be received only when the user who has approached is approaching. Therefore, by comparing the received count value φ1 with the previously received count value φ2, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the user has returned from a position away from the control unit 20. In the control system 1 of this example, it is necessary for the user to carry the portable unit 10 for that purpose, but the configuration of the portable unit 10 is very simple as described above, and can be inserted and attached anywhere. Can be provided at low cost. In addition, the portable unit 10 of this example does not require a timing device or a display device, and only needs to operate the counter and the transmission function, so that the power consumption is small. Therefore, it can be operated for a long time with a small battery such as a button battery. Of course, the portable unit 10 may be equipped with a timekeeping function and operated as a clock, or a display function may be provided so that the portable unit itself can display the number of steps.
[0028]
The control unit 20 that receives information from the portable unit 10 can also be realized by connecting a receiving unit that receives weak radio waves to a personal computer. Therefore, the control system 1 using the number of steps in this example can be realized in a compact manner at a very low cost. Therefore, it can be used for various purposes such as mounting as an additional function of a personal computer and having a user interface role or a health management role.
[0029]
Of course, the control unit 20 is not limited to a personal computer. It can also be used to control non-portable or semi-portable devices, for example, electrical appliances such as televisions. When the control system 1 of this example is used to turn on / off the TV, audio, lighting, etc., if the weak radio wave can no longer be received, it is determined that it is absent, the TV is automatically turned off, the weak radio wave can be received, and the number of steps increases. You can turn on the TV by judging that you are back. If such control is performed, automatic control of on / off can be performed very easily without any trouble that the television repeats on / off when it is in the vicinity of the television. Furthermore, not only the number of steps but also the time or other conditions can be judged to automatically display or output an appropriate greeting.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the control system based on the number of steps according to the present invention can determine the presence / absence of the user with a simple system by counting the number of steps and transmitting the count value by weak radio waves with a simple system. . Accordingly, automatic control of a desktop personal computer accompanying the presence / absence of a user and automatic control of other electrical appliances can be easily introduced at low cost, and can be used for various processes.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a control system based on the number of steps according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example in which the control unit shown in FIG. 1 is realized by a personal computer.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of the control system shown in FIG. 1;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control system 10 Portable unit 11 Sensor 12 Step count counter 13 Transmission part 14 Antenna 15 Time counter 16 Battery 20 Control unit 21 Antenna 22 Reception part 23 Control part 24 Memory 25 Application part 26 LCD
27 Audio 29 Reception unit 30 PC

Claims (10)

A portable unit that can be carried by a user , counting the number of steps, and periodically transmitting the count value by weak radio waves;
If the received first count value is increased with respect to the previously received second count value when the weak radio wave from the portable unit is received, the user has returned from the absence. A control unit based on the number of steps, comprising: a control unit that performs a predetermined operation to perform determination when the user returns from absence . In Claim 1, the said portable unit can transmit identification information with the said count value,
The control system based on the number of steps, wherein the control unit compares the first count value with the second count value when the received identification information matches the set identification information.   3. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs a predetermined operation when a difference between the first and second count values is larger than a predetermined value.   4. The step-based control system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit displays a difference between the first and second count values as the number of steps.   5. The step-based control system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is capable of controlling a non-portable or semi-portable device that can be placed at a predetermined location.   6. The non-portable or semi-portable apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the non-portable or semi-portable device has a display function, and the control unit displays a greeting, a newly arrived information, and a difference between the first and second count values. Or a step-by-step control system, wherein the step-related information is displayed. When the user can receive a weak radio wave from a portable unit that can be carried by the user and counts the number of steps and periodically transmits the count value using the weak radio wave, the received first count value is Control to determine that the user has returned from absence and to perform a preset action to be performed when the user has returned from absence when increased to a previously received second count value A method for controlling by the number of steps, comprising a step. In Claim 7, the portable unit can transmit identification information together with the count value,
In the control step, when the received identification information matches the set identification information, the first count value is compared with the second count value. When a user can receive a weak radio wave from a portable unit that can be carried by a user and counts the number of steps and periodically transmits the count value by the weak radio wave, the first received Preset action to determine when the user has returned from absence and when the user has returned from absence , if the count value has increased relative to a previously received second count value A computer-readable recording medium on which a control program for executing a control process is performed. In Claim 9, the portable unit can transmit identification information together with the count value,
In the control process, the control program for comparing the first count value with the second count value when the received identification information matches the set identification information is recorded. Readable recording medium.

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