JPH07105337A - Pedometer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the pedometer by which a step pitch is accurately indicated. CONSTITUTION:When the measurement timing in terms of 1sec each is set, a stop watch register is incremented by 1 (S25) to discriminate whether or not the timing for calculating pitches for each 5sec is reached (S26). When the discrimination in the step S26 indicates YES, whether or not a difference between the number of steps for 5sec counted preceding time and number of steps for 5sec counted this time is larger than a predetermined value X is discriminated (S27). When the difference between them is larger than the predetermined value X, the number of steps for 5sec for this time is converted into a step number for one minute and the pitch is calculated and the result of calculation is displayed (S28, S29). On the other hand, when the difference of them is less than the prescribed value X, a step number for 20sec is converted into a step number of one minute and the pitch is calculated and the result of calculation is displayed (S32, S33).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pedometer for counting the number of steps taken while running.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, not only athletes but also people who are running, jogging, walking, etc. for the purpose of health are increasing. When performing running or the like, there is a demand for a device capable of displaying a running pitch in order to determine a current pitch or a target pitch and run at that pitch. Therefore, the number of steps is counted using an acceleration sensor, a counter, etc.
Pedometers have been put into practical use that calculate and display the bitch from the number of steps per minute.

By the way, since the conventional pedometer is intended to display the running pitch in medium- and long-distance running, as a pitch measuring range, a relatively long time (20
It was set from 1 second to 1 minute). This is because when the pitch measurement range is shortened, the bitches that are displayed change sensitively due to temporary changes in the pitch, or deviations in the sensor's step count reading timing, and it is rather inconvenient when trying to run at a constant pitch. Is.

[0004]

However, in the above-described conventional pedometer, when the pitch is suddenly changed by spurting for practice or the like, the running pitch at that time is not displayed, and the actual running pitch is not displayed. There was an inconvenience that the displayed pitch did not match.

Further, when the switch of the operation portion of the pedometer is operated during the measurement of the step count, the sensor detects the vibration caused by the switch operation, which causes an error in the measurement of the step count.

An object of the present invention is to provide a pedometer capable of displaying a running pitch accurately and stably. Also,
Another object is to provide a pedometer in which a measurement error does not occur even if a switch or the like is operated during measurement.

[0007]

In the pedometer of the first invention, the step number detecting means detects the number of steps. The first step count storage means stores the number of steps detected by the step count detection means in a fixed time.

The second step number storage means stores the number of steps detected by the step number detection means in a time shorter than the fixed time. When the difference between the previous step count and the current step count stored in the second step count storage means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the step count calculation means calculates the number of steps per unit time from the step count stored in the second step count storage means. The step count is calculated, and when the difference between the previous step count and the current step count stored in the second step count storage means is less than a predetermined value, the number of steps per unit time is calculated from the step count stored in the first step count storage means. To calculate.

The display means displays the step count calculated by the step count calculation means. Further, in the pedometer of the second invention, the step number detecting means detects the number of steps. The step count calculation means
When the switch of the switch unit is operated during the measurement of the number of steps, the counting of the step number detection signal output from the step number detecting means is stopped, and the step number during the period during which the counting is stopped is corrected from the number of steps measured until then. Calculate the number of steps. The display means displays the step count calculated by the step count calculation means.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the step count is counted in a time shorter than a fixed time, and when the difference between the previous step count and the current step count counted in the short time is a predetermined value or more, the step count counted in the short time is calculated. Since the display is performed, even when the runner suddenly changes the pitch by putting on a spurt, the pitch that follows the change can be displayed.

In the second aspect of the invention, when the switch is operated during counting of the number of steps, the counting operation of the number of steps is stopped for a certain period of time, and the number of steps during that period is corrected from the number of steps counted so far. It is possible to prevent a step count measurement error from occurring due to vibration or the like.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram of a pedometer according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to an electronic wrist watch with a step counting function. In FIG. 1, a reference clock signal generated by an oscillation circuit 1 is divided by a frequency dividing / timing circuit 2 and converted into a timing signal that serves as a reference for timekeeping and a timing signal that serves as a reference for the operation of each part of the circuit for control. It is output to the unit 3.

The sensor 4 is an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration generated by the swing of the arm during running.
The output signal of 1 is shaped into a signal waveform by the step number detection circuit 5, and then output to the control unit 3 as a step number detection signal. Although not shown, the key input unit 6 includes an S1 key for switching between the time display mode and the stopwatch mode, an S2 key for starting or stopping the stopwatch measurement, an S3 key for operating to store the lap time, and the like. Is output to the control unit 3.

The control unit 3 executes a time counting process, a stopwatch process, etc., which will be described later, according to a control program stored in the ROM 7, and stores the time data and the counted step count data in the register of the RAM 8. Further, the control unit 3 uses the time data or the measured step count data as RA.
The data is read from M8 and output to the display driver 9, and the data is displayed on the display device 10.

Here, the configuration of the register of the RAM 8 is shown in FIG.
Will be described with reference to. The display register 21 of the RAM 8 is
The clock register 22 is a register that stores data to be displayed on the display device 10, and the clock register 22 is a register that stores date and current time data measured by a clocking process described later.

The mode register M is a register for storing a numerical value corresponding to the operation mode, and stores "0" in the time display mode and "1" in the stopwatch mode. The flag F indicates whether or not the stopwatch is being measured, and "1" is stored when the stopwatch is being measured and "0" is stored when the stopwatch is not being measured.

The register N1 is a register for storing the number of steps for 20 seconds. The register N2 is a register that stores the previous step count for 5 seconds, and the register N3 is a register that stores the current step count for 5 seconds. Also, register P1
Is a register for storing the pitch (the number of steps per minute) calculated from the number of steps for 20 seconds, and the register P2 is 5
It is a register that stores the pitch calculated from the number of steps per second.

The stopwatch register S is a register for storing the measurement time after the start of the stopwatch measurement. The plurality of lap time memories 23 are memories that store the lap time for each section when the stopwatch measurement is started.

Next, the overall operation of the electronic wrist watch with a step counting function of the embodiment having the above-mentioned configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The control unit 3 is in the HALT state of step S1 when not performing any processing, proceeds to the timing processing of step S2 when detecting a timing signal serving as a reference for time measurement, and proceeds to step S6 when detecting a key operation signal. The process proceeds to the S1 key determination process.

When the timekeeping signal is detected in the HALT state, the process proceeds to the timekeeping process of step S2, the timekeeping signal is counted to update the current time, and the updated date and time data is stored in the timekeeping register 22. . Then, in the next step S3, it is determined whether or not the stopwatch time is being measured depending on whether or not the flag F is "1". When the flag F is "1" and the stopwatch is being measured, the stopwatch process of step S4 is executed.

Here, the contents of the stopwatch process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in step S21, it is determined whether or not a step count detection signal is output from the step count detection circuit 5. When the step count detection signal is output from the step count detection circuit 5, the value of the register N1 that stores the step count for 20 seconds is incremented by "1" in the next step S22. Furthermore, in step S23, the current 5
The value of the register N3 that stores the number of steps per second is incremented by "1".

When the measurement of the number of steps is completed, it is then determined in step S24 whether or not it is the timing for measuring the stopwatch time, that is, whether or not 1 second has elapsed.
When 1 second has elapsed, the stopwatch register S is incremented by "1" in the next step S25 to add 1 second to the stopwatch measurement time. Then, in step S26, it is determined whether or not the measurement time of the stopwatch register S is the timing for calculating the pitch every 5 seconds.

When the measurement time comes to the timing for calculating the pitch every 5 seconds, the process proceeds to step S27, and it is determined whether the difference between the number of steps in the previous 5 seconds and the number of steps in the present 5 seconds is larger than a predetermined value X or not. Determine. The difference in the number of steps between the two is a predetermined value X
If it is larger, pitch calculation A is executed in step S28. In this pitch calculation A, the number of steps for this 5 seconds is converted into the number of steps per minute to calculate the pitch, and the calculation result is stored in the register P2. Then, in the next step S29, the calculated pitch is displayed. This completes the measurement of the number of steps for 5 seconds, so the next step S3
When 0, the current number of steps in the register N3 for 5 seconds is registered in the register N2.
To clear the register N3.

On the other hand, when the difference between the number of steps in the previous 5 seconds and the number of steps in the present 5 seconds is smaller than the predetermined value X in the determination in step S27, the process proceeds to step S31 and the measurement time of the stopwatch register S is set every 20 seconds. It is determined whether or not it is time to calculate. When it is time to calculate the pitch every 20 seconds, step S3
Perform pitch calculation B of 2. In this Bitch calculation B,
The number of steps for 20 seconds stored in the register N1 is converted into the number of steps per minute to calculate the pitch, and the calculation result is stored in the register P1. Then, in step S33, the pitch calculated from the number of steps in the 20 seconds is displayed. Since the measurement of the step count for 20 seconds is completed by these processes, the register N1 is cleared in the next step S34 to prepare for the measurement of the step count for the next 20 seconds.

In this embodiment, a fixed time (for example, 20
When the change in the number of steps measured in a shorter time (for example, 5 seconds) is larger than the predetermined value X, the pitch is calculated from the number of steps measured in a shorter time, and the change in the number of steps measured in a time shorter than a predetermined time is predetermined. When the value is smaller than the value X, the pitch is calculated from the number of steps measured at regular intervals. As a result, when the user intentionally changes the traveling pitch, such as when spurting, the changed pitch is displayed in a short time, and if the pitch changes due to an accidental factor, it is longer than that. Since the pitch measured every 20 seconds is displayed, the user can know the accurate pitch that matches the actual traveling state from those displays.

Returning to FIG. 3, after the stopwatch process of step S4, the display process of step S5 is executed. In this display process, the date and the current time are displayed if the operation mode is the time display mode, and the stopwatch measurement time and the pitch are displayed if the operation mode is the stopwatch mode.

On the other hand, if the key operation signal is detected while the control unit 3 is in the HALT state, step S6.
Then, it is determined whether or not the S1 key is operated. When the S1 key is operated, the process proceeds to step S7 to change the value of the mode register M from "1" to "0" or from "0" to "1".

S1 was operated in the determination of step S6.
If it is not the key, the process proceeds to step S9 and it is determined whether or not the S2 key is operated. If the operated key is the S2 key, the process proceeds to step S10 and it is determined whether the flag F is "1", that is, whether the stopwatch time is being measured. F =
If it is 1, the process proceeds to step S11, the flag F is changed to "0", and the stopwatch time measurement is stopped. If F = 0, the process proceeds to step S12, the flag F is changed to "1", and the measurement of the stopwatch time is started.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing display states in the time display mode and the stopwatch mode. Figure (a)
When the S1 key is operated in the time display mode shown in
Switch to the stopwatch mode shown in Fig. 2 (b),
The initial value "0" is displayed. When the S2 key is operated and the stopwatch measurement starts in this state,
As shown in (c), first, the pitch "120 / min" per minute is calculated from the step number "10" for 5 seconds and the value is displayed. Then, when 20 seconds have elapsed, the pitch "123 / minute" per minute is calculated from the step count "41" for 20 seconds and the value is displayed as shown in FIG.

When the change in the number of steps is small, the display of the pitch is changed every 20 seconds. However, when the number of steps changes greatly in 5 seconds, as shown in FIG. ", The pitch" 168 / min "is calculated and the value is displayed.

As a result, when the pitch changes significantly, such as when a spurt is applied, the pitch is calculated and displayed in a shorter time than usual, so that the pitch displayed does not follow the actual traveling speed. The drawbacks can be eliminated.

Next, the processing when the key is operated during the step count measurement will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As described above, when the key is operated during the measurement of the step count, the vibration due to the key operation may be detected by the acceleration sensor 4, and the wrong step count may be measured. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the key is operated during the stopwatch measurement, the step count is prohibited from being measured for 2 seconds, and the step count during that time is corrected from the step count previously measured.

In step S41 of FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not the S3 key, for example, the key for displaying the lap time has been operated. If the S3 key is operated, step S
In step 42, it is determined whether or not the flag F = 1, that is, whether or not the S3 key has been operated during the stopwatch measurement.

When the determination in step S42 is YES, the storage process of step S43 is executed to store the lap time in the lap time memory 23. Then, in the next step S44, measurement of the number of steps is prohibited for 2 seconds. Next, in step S45, the value obtained by dividing the previous step count for 5 seconds stored in the register N2 by "5" is multiplied by "2" to obtain the step count for 2 seconds in which the measurement is prohibited. Then, the obtained value is added to the number of steps of 20 seconds in the register N1, and the addition result is stored in the register N1.

Similarly, in the next step S46, the register N
The value obtained by dividing the number of steps for 5 seconds stored in 2 by "5" is multiplied by "2" to obtain the number of steps for 2 seconds in which measurement is prohibited. Then, the obtained value is stored in register N3 as the current value of 5
The number of steps per second is added, and the addition result is stored in the register N3.

In the processing of steps S45 and S46, the step count for the last 5 seconds stored in the register N2 is assumed to have been running at the same pitch as before for 2 seconds when the step count measurement was prohibited. The number of steps for 2 seconds in which the measurement is prohibited is calculated from, and the measured number of steps is corrected. If it is determined in step S41 that the S3 key is not operated, the process proceeds to step S47 to execute another key process.

In the above-described embodiment, the step count measurement is prohibited for 2 seconds only when the S3 key for storing the lap time is operated during the stopwatch measurement. The above process may be executed when the key is operated.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the electronic wrist watch with the step counting function as described above, but may be a device dedicated to the pedometer or a device attached to a place other than the arm.
Further, the display of the bitches may be notified by sound instead of the numerical display.

[0039]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to accurately display the number of steps or the pitch even when the spurt is suddenly changed by running a spurt during running. Also, the second
According to the invention, when the switch of the pedometer is operated during the measurement of the number of steps, the counting of the number of steps is stopped for a certain period of time, and the number of steps during that time is corrected from the number of steps previously counted. It is possible to prevent a counting error of the number of steps from occurring due to vibration during operation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a RAM register.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the entire operation.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a stopwatch process.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a display state in a stopwatch mode.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of key processing.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 control unit 4 sensor 6 key input unit 8 RAM 10 display device

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A step number detecting means for detecting the number of steps, a first step number storing means for storing the number of steps detected by the step number detecting means in a constant time, and a step number detecting means in the time shorter than the constant time. Second step number storage means for storing the number of steps taken, and when the difference between the previous step number and the current step number stored in the second step number storage means is a predetermined value or more, the second step number storage The number of steps per unit time is calculated from the number of steps stored in the means, and when the difference between the number of previous steps and the number of steps this time stored in the second number-of-steps storage means is less than a predetermined value, the first A pedometer, comprising: a step count calculating means for calculating the step count per unit time from the step count stored in the step count storing means; and a display means for displaying the step count calculated by the step count calculating means. 2. The step count calculation means calculates the step count per minute from the step count stored in the first or second step count storage means, and the display means displays the step count per minute. The pedometer according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A step number detecting means for detecting the number of steps, a switch section, and when a switch of the switch section is operated during counting of the step number, counting of the step number detection signal output from the step number detecting means is stopped. A step count calculating means for calculating the step count by correcting the step count during the period during which the counting is stopped based on the step count counted up to that time; and a display means for displaying the step count calculated by the step count calculating means. Pedometer characterized by.