JP2002214691A - Camera with pedometer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera with a pedometer which is rich in portability and can detect the number of steps that a user takes as accurately as possible. SOLUTION: A vibration detection part 12 which generates a vibration detection signal related to walking operation is incorporated in a remote controller device 30 and a CPU 10 computes the accumulated number of steps according to the vibration detection signal from the vibration detection part. Data on the accumulated number of steps are sent from a remote controller transmission part 16 to a camera main body when a transfer key built in an operation key 14 is pressed and displayed on an LCD display device 23 after image processing in the camera main body. A clip part for fixation is fitted to the back of the remote controller device 30 and a switch 15 projects from the remote controller device main body to a cut part of the clip part. When the switch 15 is OFF, the sensitivity of the vibration detection part 12 becomes lower and no unnecessary vibration is detected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera with a pedometer, and more particularly, to a camera with a pedometer having a pedometer function built in a remote controller.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The pedometer for counting the number of steps taken by a user and displaying the total number of steps is linked to the function of a camera.
Some proposals have been made, including Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 121380/2000 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-152054.
These pedometer-equipped cameras have a pedometer function built into the camera body, perform image processing according to the number of steps, and display pedometer data in a graph.

[0003]

However, in a camera with a pedometer as described above, the function of the pedometer is built into the camera body, so that the camera must be carried at all times and lacks portability. Also, when carrying the camera body in a bag, etc., the vibration of the bag and the vibration caused by the user's walking motion are different, so the number of steps cannot be accurately recognized, and the reliability as a pedometer is lacking. There was a disadvantage that.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a pedometer-equipped camera capable of recognizing the number of steps as accurately as possible while being portable.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a camera with a pedometer according to the present invention has a pedometer function incorporated in a remote controller, and the remote controller has a pedometer function associated with a vibration associated with a walking operation. Vibration detecting means for generating a detection signal, counting means for calculating the total number of steps based on the vibration detection signal from the vibration detecting means, and transfer means for transferring the total number of steps counted by the counting means to the camera body. And a display device for displaying data transferred to the camera body.

Further, the remote control device is provided with a clip portion for stopping the scissors, and the clip portion is provided with a switch for identifying whether or not the remote control device is fixed using the clip portion. ON of the switch,
The sensitivity of the walking detecting means is switched by turning off.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a camera with a pedometer according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1
1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a camera with a pedometer according to the present invention. The camera with a pedometer according to the present invention has a pedometer function in a remote control device used for self-timer shooting or the like, transfers data such as the total number of steps obtained by the remote control device to the camera body, and displays the data on the camera body. It is a mechanism to do.

The remote controller comprises a central processing unit 10 (hereinafter referred to as a CPU), a memory 11, a vibration detector 12, a sensitivity adjuster 13, an operation key 14, a switch 15, and a remote controller transmitter 16. The vibration detection unit 12 generates a vibration detection signal in association with the walking motion of the user. The vibration detection signal is sent to the CPU 10 via the sensitivity adjuster 13.
The sensitivity adjuster 13 receives the signal from the switch 15
It is controlled by the PU 10. The CPU 10 calculates the total number of steps of the user based on the vibration detection signal from the vibration detection unit 12. The calculated total number of steps is stored in the memory 11. The operation key 14 incorporates a transfer key (not shown) for transferring the data of the total number of steps calculated by the CPU 10 to the camera body, and the data of the total number of steps is obtained by operating the transfer key by the user. It is transmitted from the remote control transmission unit 16 to the camera body.

The data transferred from the remote control transmission section 16 is received by the remote control light receiving section 20 of the camera body. The received data is processed by the CPU 21. CP
U21 is the entire camera, for example, the analog signal processing circuit 2
7, the image processing circuit 22, and the LCD display device 23 are controlled. The data is processed by the image processing circuit 22, and LC
The graphed data is displayed by the D display device 23, and an image or the like that prompts photographing is displayed according to the number of steps. When a storage medium such as the medium 24 shown in FIG. 1 is built in the camera, the transferred data can be recorded on the medium 24.

Also, the data transferred from the remote control device together with the image data of the subject processed by the analog signal processing circuit 27 and the image processing circuit 22 via the lens 25 and the image sensor 26 are displayed on the LCD display device 23. Or it can be printed.

FIG. 2 is a rear side view of the remote controller according to the present invention. Various operation keys 14 for operating the camera body are provided on the front surface of the remote control device 30, and an LCD panel may be provided so that the operation state can be visually understood. On the back of the remote control device 30, a clip portion 31 for scissors is provided. The clip portion 31 has a notch at the tip, and the switch 15 is provided between the notch so as to protrude from the main body of the remote control device 30. The switch 15
The clip is turned on by pinching an object, and is turned off when nothing is pinched. The switch 15 allows the remote control device 30
Can be identified by using the clip portion 31. The CPU 10 of the remote control device 30
It is configured to instruct the sensitivity adjustment unit 13 to switch the sensitivity of the vibration detection unit 12 based on the signal of the switch 15. Thereby, when the remote control device 30 is not fixed by using the clip portion 31, for example, even when walking while being stored in a pocket or a bag of the user's clothes, no extra vibration is detected. Therefore, it is possible to count the number of steps as accurately as possible.

Next, the operation of the camera with a pedometer with the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. When using the pedometer, the user turns on the switch of the remote control device 30. Remote control device 30
Can be used with the clip 31 fixed,
Alternatively, it is used in a state where it is stored without being fixed in a pocket or a bag. Whether or not the remote control device 30 is fixed is determined by turning on and off the switch 15. When the switch is ON, the remote control device 30
The sensitivity adjustment unit 13 sets the vibration detection coefficient K to 1.0 and measures the number of steps. When the switch is off, it is determined that the remote control device 30 is not fixed, and the vibration detection coefficient K is set to 0.5 and the number of steps is measured so as to thin out the detected extra vibration. The number of steps is the number of vibrations detected by the vibration detection unit 12,
It is calculated by multiplying by the vibration detection coefficient K.

The calculated number of steps is displayed on a liquid crystal display (not shown) of remote control device 30. The step count data can be processed from the remote control transmitting unit 16 by being adjacent to the camera body. The data processing is performed by operating the operation keys (not shown) on the camera body by the user himself. The processed data can be used in various forms, such as graphing a record of the number of steps, taking in a photograph, and the like. Further, since the step count data cannot be recorded by the remote control device 30, by turning off the power of the remote control device 30,
Automatically reset. Therefore, when the user wants to record the number of steps before turning off the power, the remote controller transmitting section 16 transmits the step number data to the camera and records it. The transmitted data can be reset by the camera itself. When not resetting, it is also possible to accumulate and calculate the subsequent steps.

The present invention is applicable not only to a wireless remote control device but also to a wired remote control device connected to a camera body by a cord. For example, some recent digital cameras have a built-in music playback function such as MP3 in the camera body. A memory storing music data is loaded into the camera body, and the earphones and headphones connected to the camera body are wired. You can enjoy music playback. In such a digital camera, a playback operation is performed by a remote control device wired to a camera body together with an earphone or the like. At the time of use in the music playback mode, the camera body is stored in the bag and the remote control device is often pulled out and operated. Therefore, it is effective to apply the present invention to this remote control device in the same manner as in the above embodiment. It is.

In the above embodiment, the vibration detection coefficient K
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is assumed that any value can be given as the value of the vibration detection coefficient K.

[0016]

As described above, according to the camera with a pedometer according to the present invention, since the pedometer is built in the remote control device, it is not necessary to carry the camera at all times. improves. Further, since the remote control device can be fixed with the attached clip, the reliability of the pedometer is improved in that the number of steps of the user can be counted accurately. Further, by providing the remote control device with a switch for detecting whether or not the remote control device is fixed using the clip portion, a difference between the vibration generated when the remote control device is not fixed and the vibration due to the walking motion of the user. Can be corrected as much as possible, and the reliability of the pedometer is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a camera with a pedometer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear side view showing a remote control device of the camera with a pedometer according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the camera with a pedometer according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 CPU 11 Memory 12 Vibration detection part 13 Sensitivity adjustment part 14 Operation key 15 Switch 16 Remote control transmission part 20 Remote control light receiving part 23 LCD display device 30 Remote control device 31 Clip part

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04Q 9/00 301 H04Q 9/00 301B 5K048 // G06M 7/00 G06M 7/00 J F term (Reference) 2H020 FB01 2H102 AA71 AB27 BB08 2H105 EE14 5C022 AC00 AC11 AC69 5C056 AA05 BA10 CA06 CA20 DA20 5K048 AA14 BA01 BA10 EB07 EB10 FB09 HA04 HA06

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A pedometer with a display device for displaying data transferred from a remote control device separate from a camera body having a photographing function or an additional function, wherein the remote control device has a function related to a walking operation. Vibration detection means for generating a vibration detection signal, counting means for calculating the total number of steps based on the vibration detection signal from the vibration detection means,
A camera with a pedometer, further comprising: transfer means for transferring the total number of steps counted by the counting means to the camera body. 2. A pedometer with a display device for displaying data transferred from a remote control device separate from a camera body having a photographing function or an additional function, wherein the remote control device has a scissor stopper. A clip portion is provided, and the clip portion is provided with a switch for identifying whether or not the remote control device is fixed using the clip portion, and the sensitivity of the walking detecting means is switched by ON / OFF of the switch. A pedometer camera.