# US 9,518,828 B2 · Method and device for measuring the progress of a moving person

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- Number: US 9,518,828 B2
- Document ID: US9518828B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/000,997
- Filed: 2007-12-19
- Published: 2008-10-16
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2007-04-13
- Assignees: Murata Electronics Oy
- Applicants: Ulf Meriheinä; Juha Lahtinen
- Inventors: Ulf Meriheinä; Juha Lahtinen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9518828B2

## CPC

- G01C 21/1654: {with electromagnetic compass}
- A63B 24/00: Electric or electronic controls for exercising apparatus of preceding groups; {Controlling or monitoring of exercises, sportive games, training or athletic performances}
- A63B 69/0028: {for running, jogging or speed-walking (movable endless bands A63B22/02)}
- G01C 21/185: {for gravity}
- G01C 22/006: {Pedometers}
- A63B 2220/17: Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
- A63B 2220/40: Acceleration
- A63B 2220/803: Motion sensors
- G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S)
- A63B: APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT (apparatus for passive exercising, massage A61H)

## Abstract

The invention relates to measuring devices to be used in physical measuring, and more particularly, to a method and a device for measuring the progress of a moving person. In the solution according to the invention the quantities describing the progress of the moving person are being calculated based on step cycle-specific acceleration stage characteristic accelerations a+ and step cycle-specific braking stage characteristic acceleration a− obtained from acceleration values measured by means of an acceleration sensor, and on the measured time. The invention aims at providing a solution, better and simpler than prior solutions, for measuring the progress of a moving person, which solution is applicable for use in a multitude of measuring solutions for ways of locomotion of various types.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for displaying progress of a moving person, comprising:
measuring acceleration values of cyclic motion of locomotion of the moving person by means of an acceleration sensor;
determining step data as a function of step cycle-specific acceleration stage characteristic accelerations a+ and/or braking stage characteristic accelerations a− obtained from the acceleration values measured by means of the acceleration sensor;
obtaining compass readings of the moving person from a magnetometer; and
determining a traveled route of the moving person by means of the step data and the compass readings,
wherein the step data includes an acceleration stage characteristic acceleration a+ obtained as a mean value of a digitally filtered acceleration sensor signal aout over a time selected during a positive half-cycle of the step cycle, and a braking stage characteristic acceleration a− obtained as a mean value of a digitally filtered acceleration sensor signal aout over a time selected during a negative half-cycle of the step cycle,
wherein the method further comprises displaying, in a display unit, the traveled route of the moving person, and guiding the moving person via step by step navigation using the traveled route.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein a function used in digital filtering is:
aout=ain/√{square root over ([1+(f/f0)2])},
where f is the frequency and f0 is a suitably selected boundary frequency.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the function used in the digital filtering is digital weighing:
aout(n)=(1−k)*aout(n−1)+ain*k,
where n indicates the n:th sample and k is the weighting factor.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein speed v of the locomotion is calculated as a function of the step cycle-specific acceleration stage characteristic acceleration values a+ and/or a− as follows:
v=f(a+)=k*|a+|, or
v=f(a−)=k*|a−|,
where k is a constant.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein for calculating further quantities describing the progress of the moving person, the time used up in one pair of steps Δtpos is obtained as a time interval between two equivalent points, such as a maximum, a minimum, or a point of exceeding or falling below a certain value, on an acceleration graph given by the measured acceleration values.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5, wherein the length of a step sstep or the length of a pair of steps spos is calculated using the formula:
s
step
=
1
2
*
v
*
Δ
⁢
⁢
t
pos
⁢
⁢
or
⁢
⁢
s
pos
=
v
*
Δ
⁢
⁢
t
pos
.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method according to claim 6, wherein a step count n is calculated on the basis of the number n of equivalent points, such as a maximum, a minimum, or a point of exceeding or falling below a certain value, on the acceleration graph given by the measured acceleration values.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method according to claim 6, wherein the distance covered s is calculated as the sum of the lengths of the steps or the pairs of steps:
s
=
2
*
∑
i
=
1
n
⁢
s
step
⁡
(
i
)
⁢
⁢
or
⁢
⁢
s
=
∑
i
=
1
n
⁢
s
pos
⁡
(
i
)
.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5, wherein the rate of pairs of steps fpos, or the step rate fstep, are calculated using the formula:
fpos=1/Δtpos or fstep=2/Δtpos.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the ways of progress comprises walking, running, and skiing, and wherein the ways of progress are distinguished based on acceleration maximum and minimum, the characteristic acceleration values a+ and a− and/or the step rate.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method according to claim 10, wherein an individual calibration for each way of progress is made.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is applied for use in step-by-step navigation.

### Claim 13

A device for displaying progress of a moving person, comprising:
a display unit; and
a measuring unit that comprises an acceleration sensor, an analysis and diagnostic unit, and a magnetometer,
wherein the acceleration sensor is configured to measure acceleration values of cyclic motion of locomotion of the moving person,
wherein the magnetometer is configured to obtain compass readings of the moving person,
wherein the analysis and diagnostic unit is configured to calculate step data as a function of step-cycle-specific acceleration stage characteristic accelerations a+ and braking stage characteristic accelerations a− obtained from acceleration values measured by the acceleration sensor during a step cycle,
wherein the analysis and diagnostic unit is configured to determine the step data as a step-cycle-specific acceleration stage characteristic acceleration a+ as a mean value of a digitally filtered acceleration sensor signal aout over a time selected during a positive half-cycle of the step cycle, and a braking stage characteristic acceleration a− as a mean value of a digitally filtered acceleration sensor signal aout over a time selected during a negative half-cycle of the step cycle,
wherein the analysis and diagnostic unit is configured to determine a traveled route of the moving person by means of the step data and the compass readings,
wherein the display unit is configured to display the traveled route of the moving person, and to guide the moving person via step by step navigation using the traveled route.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The device according to claim 13, wherein the device is configured to use the following function in the digital filtering:
aout=ain/√{square root over ([1+(f/f0)2])},
where f is the frequency and f0 is a suitably selected boundary frequency.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The device according to claim 13, wherein the device is configured to use this digital weighting function in the digital filtering:
aout(n)=(1−k)*aout(n−1)+ain*k
where n indicates the n:th sample and k is the weighting factor.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The device according to claim 13, wherein the device is configured to calculate the speed v based on the characteristic accelerations a+ and/or a− as follows:
v=f(a+)=k*|a+|, or
v=f(a−)=k*|a−|,
where k is a constant.

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The device according to claim 13, wherein the device is configured to determine the time used up in one pair of steps Δtpos as a time interval between two equivalent points, such as a maximum, a minimum, or a point of exceeding or falling below a certain value, on an acceleration graph given by the measured acceleration values.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The device according to claim 17, wherein the device is configured to calculate the length of a step sstep or the length of one pair of steps spos using the formula:
s
step
=
1
2
*
v
*
Δ
⁢
⁢
t
pos
⁢
⁢
or
⁢
⁢
s
pos
=
v
*
Δ
⁢
⁢
t
pos
.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The device according to claim 18, wherein the device is configured to calculate a step count n on the basis of the number n of equivalent points, such as a maximum, a minimum, or a point of exceeding or falling below a certain value, on the acceleration graph given by the measured acceleration values.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The device according to claim 18, wherein the device is configured to calculate a distance covered s as the sum of the lengths of the steps or of the pairs of steps:
s
=
2
*
∑
i
=
1
n
⁢
s
step
⁡
(
i
)
⁢
⁢
or
⁢
⁢
s
=
∑
i
=
1
n
⁢
s
pos
⁡
(
i
)
.

### Claim 21 (depends on 17)

The device according to claim 17, wherein the device is configured to calculate the rate of pairs of steps fpos or the step rate fstep using the formula:
fpos=1/Δtpos or fstep=2/Δtpos

### Claim 22 (depends on 13)

The device according to claim 13, wherein the device is configured to distinguish between ways of progress comprising walking, running, and skiing, and wherein the ways of progress are distinguished based on acceleration maximum and minimum, the characteristic acceleration values a+ and a− and/or the step rate.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The device according to claim 22, wherein the device is configured to make an individual calibration for each way of progress.

### Claim 24 (depends on 13)

The device according to claim 13, wherein the device is configured to be used in step-by-step navigation.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The device according to claim 24, wherein the device is configured to cooperate with an altimeter and/or satellite navigation devices.

### Claim 26 (depends on 24)

The device according to claim 24, wherein the device is configured to receive and/or utilize data in map databases and/or terrain inclination data.

### Claim 27 (depends on 13)

A piece of footwear, wherein the piece of footwear comprises a device according to claim 13.

### Claim 28 (depends on 13)

A system for measuring the progress of a moving person, wherein the system comprises the device according to claim 13.