WO1988004768A1

WO1988004768A1 - Improvements in or relating to pedometers and the like

Info

Publication number: WO1988004768A1
Application number: PCT/GB1987/000913
Authority: WO
Inventors: William Nevil Heaton Johnson
Original assignee: Scientific Applied Research (Sar) Plc
Priority date: 1986-12-18
Filing date: 1987-12-18
Publication date: 1988-06-30
Also published as: GB8630267D0; AU1059788A

Abstract

An electronic pedometer comprises a thin flat sensor pad (16) which is detachably fitted within a shoe in the manner of an additional insole and which is connected by a thin flexible lead to an electronic processing and display unit (10) clipped on top of the shoe, to the laces. The pedometer, comprising the pad (16) and display unit (10) can thus readily be transferred from shoe to shoe, and thus need not be discarded with a shoe which is worn out and may be applied to any desired shoe as the user pleases.

Description

- i -

Title: "Improvements in or relating to pedometers and t like"

THIS INVENTION relates to apparatus for registering a counting the steps made by an individual and for appro priately indicating the result or a quantity related t such result. For ease of description, such apparatus i referred to herein as a "pedometer" although it will b clear from what follows that preferred embodiments of th invention are capable of providing substantially m.or information and a substantially wider variety of inform ation than the simple traditional pedometer, affording mere count of paces made.

In European Patent No. 0089340 to W.N.H. Johnson there is disclosed a boot or shoe incorporating a electronic transducer for detecting when a step is made the transducer being arranged to provide an electrica output signal for each step detected, the boot or sho further incorporating electrical circuitry embodyin electronic counting means and processing means for count ing such signals and electrical or electronic displa means operable by said counting and processing means t display numerical quantities derived thereby, said dis play means including a display element visible from th exterior of the shoe through a transparent window.

In the embodiments described in European Patent No 0089340 the step-detecting means, the electronic countin and processing means and the display means are integrate in the boot or shoe so that, in principle, when the boo or shoe is worn out, the step sensing means, processin means and display means must be discarded along with the boot or shoe. Furthermore it is not economicall practicable to provide a very wide range of styles, etc. of footwear incorporating such a "pedometer", so that choice of style may limit the potential market for such combination.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide apparatus which can be detachably fitted to an item of footwear to provide a "pedometer" facility, allowing the one unit to be used with a series of items of footwear, and to be moved from one item to another of footwear when required.

According to the invention there is provided a pedometer, as herein defined, comprising sensing means? adapted to provide an electrical signal for each step sensed, electronic counting and processing means for counting such signals, and electrical or electronic display means operable by said counting and processing means to display numerical quantities derived thereby, said electronic counting and processing means and said display means being incorporated in a unit adapted to be detachably secured to an upper part of a shoe, said sensing means being connected with said unit by a flexible lead and being adapted to be removably fitted within a shoe or detachably secured to the underside of the sole of a shoe.

Whilst the sensing means may, for example, take the form of a plate adapted to be secured on the outside of the shoe, beneath the sole, it is preferred to have the sensing means in the form of a thin pad adapted to be fitted within the shoe, over the insole, or as part of an additional insole. An embodiment of the invention is described below way of example with reference to the accompanying drawin in which:-

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a sh fitted with apparatus embodying the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the shoe, as worn

Referring to the drawings, apparatus embodying t invention includes a processing and display uni indicated generally at 10, comprising a flat casi incorporating electronic counting and processi circuitry (not shown) and a digital (for example LED o LCD) display 12 (Figure 2). The casing also carrie control buttons 14 for controlling the function of th unit as described in greater detail below and houses miniature battery (not shown) powering the electroni circuitry and the display.

The apparatus further comprises sensing means in th form of a thin flat pad 16 adapted to be fitted within shoe, for example so as to be positioned below the ball o the wearer's foot and a thin flexible lead 18 connectin the sensor 16 with the unit 10. The sensor 16 preferabl comprises a piezoelectric or piezoresistive element although it may simply comprise an appropriatel configured switch.

In use, each time the wearer takes a step with th foot wearing the shoe, the compression of the sensor 1 between the wearer's foot and the sole of the sho produces a corresponding electrical signal which i supplied to the unit 10 by way of the flexible lead 18 The electronic circuitry within the unit 10 counts thes step signals and, depending upon the mode of operatio selected, may, inter alia, display simply the number o steps made since a resetting operation, or may calculate and display on display 12 the distance walked, speed of travel, etc.

The circuitry within the unit 10 preferably further includes timing means incorporating, in manner known per se, a quartz crystal oscillator, allowing the unit to calculate and display time-related functions as well as, for example, elapsed time, or time of day, all as explained in greater detail below. The circuitry within the unit 10 preferably Is incorporated, so far as possible, in an integrated circuit or microchip.

Whilst the electrical current requirement of the timing means and electronic counting and processing circuitry is preferably very low, so that it would be possible to maintain long intervals between battery replacement even if the circuitry were kept energised continuously, for purposes of energy conservation, it is preferable for the arrangement to be such that when the boot or shoe is not in use, at least some of the circuitry is effectively disconnected from the battery. In this case the arrangement may be such that when the sensing means 16 produces an electrical step signal, this signal operates electronic switching means whereby the electronic counting and processing means as a whole, and the timing means or the previously "disconnected" parts of the circuitry are energised from the battery and there= after remain so energised provided that the time elapsed since the last step signal from the sensor 16 is not greater than a predetermined value as set by the timing means. Such an arrangement is hereafter referred to as an automatic switch on/switch off arrangement.

The electronic counting and processing circuitry includes counters and dividers etc. associated with the timing means in a manner known per se from electronic watches and the like, and the arrangement is such that t timing means, in conjunction with the counting a processing circuitry and the display may, in one operati mode selected by the user by operation of the contr means, be operated as a stop watch, whilst in anoth operating mode it may operate as a normal chronometer clock (in which case, of course, it is necessary that t timing means and at least part of the circuitry should energised continuously).

The electronic counting and processing circuit preferably incorporates automatic resetting means whic in at least one selected mode of operation, resets least some of the counters incorporated in the circuit upon receipt of the first signal from the sensor following a period greater than a predetermined peri (which is preferably nevertheless substantially short than that determining operation of the automatic swit on/switch off arrangement), during which step signals ha been detected, so that the number of paces made and/or t time elapsed, since a period of walking or runni commenced can be recorded automatically. Similarly, t timing means in conjunction with the electronic counti and processing circuitry may be arranged to register t time elapsed at the instant of the last-detected sign from the sensor 16 so that, in effect, the "stop watch can be stopped by the wearer simply by the latte remaining stationary for a period. If desired, operatio of a manual control element, such as one of the pus buttons 14, may be required to displace from memory th time recorded after such a pause. Alternatively, th arrangement may be such that, after such a pause, upon th wearer starting to walk or run again, i.e. upon th receipt of the next signal from the sensor 16, the tim previously recorded is transferred to another memor location so that whilst, at the end of the next period o running, the time for that period of running is displayed the time for the previous period of running can b recalled by operation of a manual control.

The electronic counting and processing circuitry i preferably arranged to calculate, from the signals fro the sensor 16 and the timing means and from a constant corresponding to the wearer's length of pace, stored i the electronic counting and processing circuitry, th speed of the wearer. The value of this constant may b set previously by the wearer, the information bein entered, for example, by operation of on or other ^"of th push buttons 14, for example in much the same way as tha In which known digital electronic watches are set.

The processing means may be arranged to calculate, for example, average speed over a period of running o peak speed and to display the respective speed in mile per hour or kilometres per hour at choice, (made b operation of the control elements). The processing means i conjunction with the timing means and impulse trans ducer, may be arranged to calculate other quantities, suc as time spent walking over a larger predetermined time, e.g. over one day, total distance travelled, preferabl displayable optionally in miles or kilometres, or th like. It will be appreciated, of course, that preferabl the various functions such as time recordal, counting o paces, speed calculation etc. proceed simultaneously s that at any time the relevant data can be displayed in th display unit simply by operation of the control mean appropriately.

Various memory storage locations may be provided i the processing means for other data, such as the number o steps made or distance covered in a previous period or th time elapsed, average speed, peak speed, etc. pertainin to a previous period of exercise, and any item of dat selected from these may be caused to be displayed by th display by appropriate operation of the control element elements.

Where the circuitry is normally arranged to car out certain actions, such as automatic switch on/swit off, or automatic stop watch start/stop, preferab manually operable override controls are provided so th these functions may be placed under specific manu control.

It will be appreciated that, as for the case where normal clock or chronometer function is to be provide where it is desired to retain data in memory locations the circuitry, it may be desirable to secure continuo electrical energisation of at least the respective par of the circuitry.

However, where such functions are not required, t automatic switch on/switch off arrangement may apply substantially the whole of the circuitry. Alternativel of course, or in addition, a manually operable switch m be provided for control of circuit energisation.

Furthermore, in a pedometer incorporating a micr processor as proposed, further inputs to the micr processor may be supplied by devices arranged, for examp to sense the wearer's pulse rate, blood pressure etc. with the micro-processor being arranged to correlate the quantities with the exercise taken.

Such devices for sensing pulse rate, blood pressu etc. may likewise be incorporated in flat pads adapted be located within the shoe on the insole to contact t wearer's foot and may, if desired, be incorporated in t same pad as that used for step-sensing. Figure 1 shows further sensor 22, also in the form of a thin flat pa located below the wearer's heel on the insole of the shoe This further sensor 22 may be provided, optionally, i order to allow the unit 10 to discriminate between step made whilst running and steps made whilst walking. T this end, the sensor 22 incorporates a piezoelectric o piezoresistive transducer, similar to that incorporate in sensor 16 and likewise is arranged to supply electrica signals to the unit 10 by way of a respective thin lead- It will be appreciated that in walking, in making a step, the heel strikes the ground fairly heavily whilst, whe running, the heel either does not strike the ground at al or does so much more lightly. The unit 10 is programme to interpret the occurrence of signals from sensor 1 without the occurrence of signals from sensor 22, or wit the occurrence of only very weak signals from sensor 22, as signifying that the wearer is running and to interpre the occurrence of strong signals from sensor 22 a indicating that the wearer Is walking. On the basis o this determination, the unit 10 may be arranged, o demand,^" to indicate, for example, total time spen running, proportion of time spent running as opposed t walking, or to apply a different factor for calculation o weight loss, calories used, distance covered, etc.

The sensor pads 16, 22 may be held in place on the insole of the shoe by way of a permanently adhesive

"tacky" coating on the pad 16, 22. Alternatively, and preferably, a single sensor pad may be arranged to cover substantially the whole of the insole of the shoe and to be shaped and sized appropriately, in the manner of a additional insole or liner, with the actual sensors being disposed in the appropriate parts of the pad, whereby the pad and the sensor or are located accurately within the shoe by engagement of the edges of the pad with the sides of the shoe and yet the pad can readily be removed fro one shoe and placed in another as often as desired withou detraction from its ability to retain the desired positio within the shoe. The unit 10 is detachably secured to th top of the shoe, for example by means of a clip adap for securing the unit to the laces, or to a buck Alternatively, the unit 10 may have on its underside piece of hooked-pile fabric adapted to cooperate with matted fibre pile fabric adhesively secured to the up surface of the shoe, a new matted pile fabric piece bei secured to each shoe in conjunction with which it desired to use the device. As the sensor pads are like to sustain substantial wear, they are preferably in t form of relatively cheap units which can readily plugged into and unplugged from the unit 10, for examp for replacement purposes.

The piezoelectric or piezoresistive sensors 16, 2 provide electrical signals in dependence of a load stress applied thereto by the user's foot and so the sensors are in principle capable of not only indicati that the user has placed his weight on the respecti sensor via his foot but of measuring the amount of th weight and the circuitry within unit 10 may be arranged process the signals received appropriately in order provide an indication of the wearer's weight. T correlation between the load applied to the sensor sensors at each step and the users total weight must, course, be established beforehand, for example on empirical or statistical basis, and the appropria information stored in the processing means, e.g. in t form of a "look-up" table.

Claims

1. A pedometer as herein defined, comprising sensin means adapted to provide an electrical signal for eac step sensed, electronic counting and processing means fo counting such signals, and electrical or electroni display means operable by said counting and processin means to display numerical quantities derived thereby said electronic counting and processing means and sai display means being incorporated in a unit adapted to b detachably secured to an upper part of a shoe, sai sensing means being connected with said unit by a flexibl lead and being adapted to be removably fitted with a sho or detachably secured to the underside of the sole of shoe.

2. A pedometer according to claim 1 wherein sai sensing means takes the form of a thin pad adapted to b fitted within a shoe, over the insole, and said flexibl lead is relatively thin to allow it to pass between th side wall of a shoe and the wearer's foot, from th sensing means to said unit.

3- A pedometer substantially as hereinbefore describe with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanyin drawings.