Electronic device, pause determination method, and storage medium

Provided is an electronic device capable of suitably determining whether a user is moving or stationary. The electronic device includes a speed acquisition unit that acquires a user's moving speed and a processor that determines whether the user is in a moving state or in a pause state. In the moving state, the processor determines that a transition from the moving state to the pause state has occurred in the case where the moving speed acquired by the speed acquisition unit is less than the pause speed threshold. In the pause state, the processor determines that a transition from the pause state to the moving state has occurred in the case where the moving speed acquired by the speed acquisition unit is equal to or more than the moving speed threshold.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-079685 filed on Apr. 18, 2019, and the entire content of the basic application thereof is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present technical field relates to an electronic device, a pause determination method, and a storage medium.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H 11-258324 discloses a configuration in which a value higher than 0 km/h is set as a threshold for considering that the user is in a pause state. This is to prevent an erroneous determination that the user is moving when a moving speed is measured to be higher than 0 km/h, due to an error on positioning or the like, even though a user is not moving.

One embodiment includes: a speed acquisition unit that acquires a moving speed of a user; and a processor that determines whether the user is in a moving state or in a pause state, wherein, in the moving state, the processor counts the number of times that the moving speed acquired by the speed acquisition unit is less than a pause speed threshold and determines that a transition from the moving state to the pause state has occurred when the number of times that the moving speed is less than the pause speed threshold has reached a pause determination value; in the pause state, the processor counts the number of times that the moving speed acquired by the speed acquisition unit is equal to or more than the moving speed threshold and determines that a transition from the pause state to the moving state has occurred when the number of times that the moving speed is equal to or more than the moving speed threshold has reached a moving determination value; and the pause determination value is different from the moving determination value.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below, however, are merely intended for illustrating an electronic device, a pause determination method, and a pause determination program for embodying the technical concept of the embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the following description. Moreover, in the following description, the same or similar components or steps are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of those components or steps will be omitted appropriately.

The configuration of an electronic device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference toFIG.1.FIG.1is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic device according to the present embodiment. The electronic device according to the present embodiment is a portable information terminal such as a smartphone or a wearable terminal such as, for example, a smartwatch having a running recording (recording a running distance, a running speed, a movement trajectory, exercise time, or the like) function.

An electronic device10includes a control unit1, a speed acquisition unit20having a positioning unit2that performs positioning with a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), a storage unit4, an operation unit5, and a display unit6, wherein a part of the operation unit5and the display unit6constitute a touch panel.

The control unit1, which is a central processing unit (CPU), executes a program stored in the storage unit4to control the speed acquisition unit20or the display unit6. Furthermore, the control unit1determines whether a user is currently in a state of moving (for example, running) (moving state) or in a state of being stationary (pause state) on the basis of the moving speed calculated by the speed acquisition unit20, as described later.

The speed acquisition unit20includes the positioning unit2and a moving speed calculation unit3. The positioning unit2acquires the current location of the electronic device10on the basis of a signal received from a positioning satellite ST. The moving speed calculation unit3calculates the moving speed of the electronic device10from a temporal change in the current location. The positioning unit2, which is a GNSS receiving unit, includes an antenna21, a radio frequency (RF) unit22, a baseband converter23, a capturing/tracking unit24, a control unit25, and a storage unit26. The moving speed calculation unit3may be provided as a part of a CPU that constitutes the control unit25or the control unit1. With respect to the speed acquisition unit20, the control unit1causes the positioning unit2to acquire information on the current location and causes the moving speed calculation unit3to calculate a moving speed for each predetermined unit time t (at predetermined time intervals).

The RF unit22includes a low noise amplifier (LNA), a band-pass filter (BPF), a local oscillator, a mixer, and the like, and then receives satellite radio waves in the L1 band (1.57542 GHz in the GPS satellite), selectively allows signals from the positioning satellite ST to pass, amplifies the signals, and converts the signals to intermediate frequency signals (IF). The baseband converter23acquires a baseband signal (a code string related to a navigation message) by applying a C/A (clear and acquisition, coarse and access) code for each positioning satellite to the intermediate frequency signal acquired by the RF unit22. The capturing/tracking unit24calculates a correlation value relative to a C/A code in each phase of each positioning satellite for the intermediate frequency signal acquired by the RF unit22to specify peaks of the signal, thereby identifying the received signals from the positioning satellite ST and their phases. The capturing/tracking unit24provides the baseband converter23with phase information feedback in order to continuously acquire the code string related to the navigation message from the positioning satellite ST according to the identified C/A code and the phase thereof for the positioning satellite ST.

The control unit25, which is a CPU, controls the RF unit22and the baseband converter23according to the control signal input from the control unit1(host CPU) or setting data. The storage unit26provides the control unit25with a working memory area and stores various setting data related to positioning and positioning histories. More specifically, the storage unit26stores orbit information (ephemeris), predicted orbit information (almanac), a program for performing positioning, and the last positioning date and time and position or the like for each positioning satellite.

The storage unit4, which is a flash memory or a RAM, stores a program for the electronic device10to perform a function of an electronic clock or a running recording function, a program for controlling the positioning unit2and the moving speed calculation unit3, data necessary for executing these programs, and the like. The storage unit4further stores a program for the control unit1to determine whether a user is in the moving state or in the pause state, data necessary for executing the program, and the like.

The operation unit5, which is provided for user's manual operation, includes one or more crowns or push buttons provided on the outer periphery or the like of the body (a portion exclusive of a wearing band) of the electronic device10and a touch panel (not illustrated) integrated with the display unit6.

The display unit6, which is a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that is provided on a dial plate in a wristwatch, displays information in text and an image. The display unit6includes a monochrome display61having a function of displaying a monochrome image and a color display62having a function of displaying a color image, with a two-layer structure in which, for example, the monochrome display61is arranged on the front side and the color display62is arranged on the inner side. With the operations of the operation unit5, a user is able to switch and display the display contents and images between a monochrome image and a color image. In addition, for power saving, the display unit6is configured to switch the display to an only monochrome image display of the current time or the like or to a non-display mode if no operation is performed on the operation unit5for a certain period of time. Moreover, the electronic device10may include a notification means by voice from a speaker or the like or a notification means using a vibrator or the like with an actuator.

The information displayed by the display unit6is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, the current time, the reception status of satellite radio waves, the moving time, the moving distance, the user's speed, the running time, calorie consumption, the map and movement trajectory, or the like, and additionally whether the state is a moving state or a pause state can also be displayed. The electronic device10may be configured to notify the user of the above information in real time by a display on the display unit6, voice, or vibration, or to display the information on the display unit6by operations of the operation unit5.

In the following embodiments, description will be made illustrating that the moving state is a running state, unless otherwise noted, as description for an electronic device for running users. Therefore, for example, when a user is walking at a moving speed of about 4 to 5 km/h, the user is determined to be in the pause state. In this specification, the running state and the pause state mean results of the determination by the electronic device according to the embodiments and do not always match user's actual behaviors.

First Embodiment

Description will be made on a method according to a first embodiment for determining the state of a user wearing the electronic device10. Table 1 exemplifies values used for determining state transitions. These values are preset and stored in the storage unit4.

When the user is in the running state, a pause speed threshold Vp, a pause determination value Tp, a moving reset value Rr, and a pause determination standby value WRare used. Incidentally, t indicates a unit time in which the value V of the user's moving speed is acquired. The pause speed threshold Vpis a value with which the user's moving speed V is compared when the control unit1determines whether the user has transitioned from the running state to the pause state. Moreover, the pause determination value Tpindicates the number of times of determination required for the control unit1to determine that the state has transitioned to the pause state. For example, when the number of times that the user's moving speed V is determined to be lower than the pause speed threshold Vphas reached the pause determination value Tp, it is determined that the state has transitioned to the pause state. Furthermore, the pause determination value Tpis set according to a value of the unit time t. The number of times that the user's moving speed V is determined to be lower than the pause speed threshold Vpis able to be counted by incrementing a determination counter j, which is a counter value stored in the storage unit4, using the control unit1. On the other hand, the moving reset value Rris a value set to cause the determination counter j to 0, in other words, to initialize the determination counter j. If the number of times that the user's moving speed V is successively determined to be equal to or more than the pause speed threshold Vphas reached the moving reset value Rr, the control unit1sets the value of the determination counter j to 0. The number of times that the user's moving speed V is determined to be equal to or more than the pause speed threshold Vpis able to be counted by incrementing the determination reset counter k, which is a counter value stored in the storage unit4, using the control unit1. Moreover, the pause determination standby value WRindicates the number of times that the user's moving speed V is acquired without determining the state transition. The number of times that the user's moving speed V is acquired is able to be counted by incrementing the state counter i, which is a counter value stored in the storage unit4, using the control unit1.

If the user is in the pause state, the moving speed threshold Vr, the moving determination value Tr, the pause reset value Rp, and the moving determination standby value Wpare used. The moving speed threshold Vris a value with which the value V of the user's moving speed is compared when the control unit1determines whether the user has transitioned from the pause state to the running state. Moreover, the moving determination value Trindicates the number of times of determination required for the control unit1to determine that the state has transitioned to the running state. For example, when the number of times that the user's moving speed V is determined to be equal to or more than the moving speed threshold Vrhas reached the moving determination value Tr, it is determined that the state has transitioned to the running state. Furthermore, the moving determination value Tr, is set according to the value of the unit time t. The number of times that the user's moving speed V is determined to be equal to or more than the moving speed threshold Vris able to be counted by incrementing the determination counter j, which is a counter value stored in the storage unit4, using the control unit1. On the other hand, the pause reset value Rpis a value set to cause the value of the determination counter j to 0, in other words, to initialize the determination counter j. If the number of times that the user's moving speed V is successively determined to be lower than the moving speed threshold Vrhas reached the pause reset value Rp, the control unit1sets the value of the determination counter j to 0. The number of times that the user's moving speed V is determined to be lower than the moving speed threshold Vris able to be counted by incrementing the determination reset counter k, which is a counter value stored in the storage unit4, using the control unit1. Moreover, the moving determination standby value Wpindicates the number of times that the user's moving speed V is acquired without determining the state transition. The number of times that the user's moving speed V is acquired is able to be counted by incrementing the state counter i, which is a counter value stored in the storage unit4, using the control unit1.

(Pause Determination Method in Running State)

Description will be made on a procedure for determining a transition from the running state to the pause state with the electronic device10, in other words, a method of performing pause determination after the control unit1determined that the user is in the running state, with reference toFIG.2.FIG.2is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for a pause determination method according to the first embodiment, in which the pause determination is performed in the electronic device according to the present embodiment.

When the running state starts (RUN START), in other words, when it is determined that the user's state has transitioned from the pause state to the running state, the control unit1, first, initializes the state counter i to 0 and writes 0 into the storage unit4(S11) and then initializes the determination counter j to 0 and writes 0 into the storage unit4(S12). Thereafter, the speed acquisition unit20acquires the position information (S13) and then calculates the moving speed V on the basis of a difference between this position information and the position information acquired at the previous time (S14). Subsequently, the control unit1writes the moving speed V as a user's running speed into the storage unit4in association with the position information and the acquisition time (S15). Subsequently, the control unit1compares the state counter i with the pause determination standby value WR(S16), and if i<WR(S16: NO), increments the state counter i, overwrites the storage unit4(S19), and returns to step S13. Until the state counter i stored in the storage unit4reaches the pause determination standby value WR(S16: YES), the control unit1repeatedly performs a series of processes of the steps S13to S16and S19in the above for each unit time t.

When the state counter i has reached the pause determination standby value WR(S16: YES), the control unit1moves to step S22to compare the moving speed V calculated in the previous step S14with the pause speed threshold Vp. In other words, the control unit1determines whether or not the moving speed V is less than the pause speed threshold Vp, with respect to the moving speed V calculated at the (WR+1)th time or later after the transition to the current running state. If the moving speed V is equal to or more than the pause speed threshold Vp(S22: NO), the control unit1compares the determination counter j, which is stored in the storage unit4, with 0 (S23). If j=0 (S23: NO), the control unit1returns to step S13. Incidentally, in the current running state, to be exact, after performing step S12, if the moving speed V is equal to or more than the pause speed threshold Vpin all steps so far of step S22, “j=0” is satisfied. Therefore, the control unit1repeatedly performs the series of processes of steps S13to S16, S22, and S23until the moving speed V less than the pause speed threshold Vpis measured (S22: YES).

On the other hand, if the moving speed V is less than the pause speed threshold Vp(the moving speed V clears the pause speed threshold Vp) (S22: YES), the control unit1initializes the determination reset counter k to 0 and writes the value into the storage unit4(S27). Moreover, the control unit1increments the determination counter j, overwrites the storage unit4(S28), and then compares the value with the pause determination value Tp(S29). If j<Tp(S29: NO), the control unit1returns to step S13. Therefore, until the determination counter j stored in the storage unit4reaches a value equal to or more than the pause determination value Tp(S29: YES), the control unit1repeatedly performs the processes of steps S13to S16, S22, and steps S27to S29or step S23. On the other hand, if the determination counter j is equal to or more than the pause determination value Tp(S29: YES), in other words, when the moving speed V less than the pause speed threshold Vphas been measured Tptimes, the control unit1determines that the user's state has transitioned from the running state to the pause state. In other words, the running state ends (RUN END) and the pause state starts (PAUSE START).

Incidentally, after the moving speed V less than the pause speed threshold Vpis measured once or more, the determination counter j, which is stored in the storage unit4, has a value of 1 or higher. Therefore, if the moving speed V equal to or more than the pause speed threshold Vpis measured before the moving speed V less than the pause speed threshold Vpis measured Tptimes in total (S22: NO), the control unit1determines that the value of the determination counter j is higher than 0 in step S23(S23: YES) and then moves to step S24. The control unit1increments the determination reset counter k, overwrites the storage unit4(S24), and then compares the value with the moving reset value Rr(S25). If k<Rr(S25: NO), the control unit1returns to step S13to perform a series of processes of steps S13to S16, S22and the like. On the other hand, if the determination reset counter k, which is stored in the storage unit4, is equal to or more than the moving reset value Rr(S25: YES), the control unit1initializes the determination counter j to 0 (S12) and then repeatedly performs a series of processes of steps S13to S16, S22, and steps S27to S29or step S23until the determination counter j reaches the pause determination value Tp. In addition, if the moving speed V measured next is less than the pause speed threshold Vp(S22: YES) when the determination reset counter k is 1 or more and less than Rrthe control unit1initializes the determination reset counter k to 0 and writes 0 into the storage unit4(S27). In other words, if the moving speed V less than the pause speed threshold Vpis measured Tptimes before the moving speed V equal to or more than the pause speed threshold Vpis successively measured Rr, times, the control unit1determines that a transition from the running state to the pause state has occurred.

Referring toFIG.3, description is made on a procedure for determining a transition from the pause state to the running state with the electronic device10, in other words, a method in which the control unit1performs moving determination after determining that a user is in the pause state.FIG.3is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for a moving determination method according to the first embodiment for performing the moving determination in the electronic device according to this embodiment.

As illustrated inFIG.3, the values used for determination are replaced with those in Table 1 in the pause state and then the determination of a transition from the pause state to the running state is performed in the same procedure as for the running state illustrated inFIG.2. Specifically, the control unit1determines whether or not the moving speed V is equal to or more than the moving speed threshold Vr(the moving speed V clears the moving speed threshold Vr) (S32). Furthermore, the respective thresholds are different from each other, with respect to the state counter i, the determination counter j, and the determination reset counter k (S18, S39, and S35). Furthermore, in the pause state, the control unit1records 0 km/h as a user's running speed (S17) without recording the moving speed V calculated in step S14. Moreover, the control unit1does not record (update) the position information acquired in step S13, but records position information acquired last in the running state before the transition to the pause state or position information acquired at the first time in the pause state concerned. Therefore, in the pause state, the running speed 0 km/h is continued and the movement trajectory is fixed. The timing for recording the running speed or the like in step S17may be before the timing for acquiring the position information (S13), for example. Alternatively, the information acquired in step S13may be recorded each time with respect to position information.

In the electronic device10, the state is set to the pause state at startup (for example, a running record start operation by a user) and the moving speed V is compared with the moving speed threshold Vr(S32) and the state is transitioned to the running state according to a result of the comparison. In this regard, the electronic device10may be configured to determine the moving speed V from the first time without providing the moving determination standby value Wp.

The electronic device10performs the procedures illustrated inFIGS.2and3, by which the control unit1determines the user's state as described below in the changes of the moving speed illustrated inFIG.4.FIG.4is a graph illustrating changes in the user's moving speed acquired by the speed acquisition unit of the electronic device according to this embodiment. The point on the horizontal axis (pt.) inFIG.4indicates the number of times the value of the moving speed has been acquired for each unit time t by the speed acquisition unit at the point. InFIG.4, the moving speed is acquired at each second. Specifically, the unit time t equals 1 second. Moreover, inFIG.4, it is assumed that the state at the first point is a running state and that time of 20 or more points has elapsed after a transition at the first point. Furthermore, values used for determination are as illustrated in Table 1.

As illustrated inFIG.4, the moving speed that the speed acquisition unit20has calculated on the basis of the current location measured by the positioning unit2changes with a variation. InFIG.4, the moving speed is around 8 to 11 km/h in a relatively high-speed range, while the moving speed decreases to about 2 km/h at around the 70th point and to about 5 km/h at around the 150th point, and thereafter each moving speed resumes high levels.

Whenever the moving speed V is acquired, the control unit1compares the moving speed V with 5.0 km/h, which is the pause speed threshold Vp, from the first point in FIG.4. The user's moving speed V is then determined to be lower than the pause speed threshold Vpat point a, at which the user's moving speed is lower than 5.0 km/h, and the control unit1increments the determination counter j. In other words, the control unit1increments the determination counter j to count the number of times that the user's moving speed V is determined to be lower than the pause speed threshold Vp. The moving speed V acquired between point a to point b is determined to be 5.0 km/h or more only once. Therefore, the determination reset counter k does not reach the moving reset value Rr, and the count of the number of times that the user's moving speed V is determined to be lower than the pause speed threshold Vpis continued. Then, “j=10” is satisfied at point b, in other words, the determination counter j reaches 10, which is the pause determination value Tp, and the control unit1determines that a transition to the pause state has occurred.

With respect to the moving speed V acquired from the first time after the transition to the pause state to the fifth time, which corresponds to the moving determination standby value Wp, a state transition is not determined. The determination of a state transition is started from point c, with respect to the acquired moving speed V. Specifically, the control unit1compares the moving speed V acquired at point c and subsequent points is compared with 7.0 km/h, which is the moving speed threshold Vr. At point d when the moving speed reaches a value of 7.0 km/h or higher, the user's moving speed V is determined to be equal to or more than the moving speed threshold Vrand the control unit1increments the determination counter j. In other words, the control unit1increments the determination counter j to count the number of times that the user's moving speed V is determined to be equal to or more than the moving speed threshold Vr. At point e, however, when the moving speed V is determined to be less than 7.0 km/h twice successively, the determination reset counter k has reached the pause reset value Rpand therefore the determination counter j is initialized. Specifically, at the point e, the determination counter j reaches 0 (j=0). Thereafter, at point f when the moving speed rises to 7.0 km/h or higher again, the count of the determination counter j is started again. Then, “j=5” is satisfied at point g, in other words, the determination counter j reaches the moving determination value Trand the control unit1determines that a transition to the running state has occurred.

The determination of a state transition is not performed with respect to the moving speed V acquired from the first time after the transition to the running state to the 20th times, which corresponds to the pause determination standby value WR, but the determination of a state transition is performed from point h with respect to the acquired moving speed V. In other words, the control unit1compares the moving speed V acquired at point h and subsequent points with 5.0 km/h, which is the pause speed threshold Vp, similarly to the above. Moreover, the moving speed V lower than 5.0 km/h at point 1 causes the control unit1to start counting of the determination counter j. The moving speed less than 5.0 km/h, however, is detected only three times in total at point 1 and subsequent points, and therefore the determination counter j does not reach 10, which is the pause determination value Tp. Thereafter, the moving speed maintains 5.0 km/h or higher, by which “k=3” is satisfied at point m, in other words, the determination reset counter k reaches 3, which is the moving reset value Rr, and the determination counter j is initialized. Thereby, the state does not transition to the pause state and the running state is continued. Therefore, inFIG.4, the control unit1determines that the user is in the pause state (PAUSE) between b and g and in the running state in other ranges.

As illustrated in Table 1, the pause speed threshold Vpis set to a value higher than 0 km/h. Moreover, the moving speed threshold Vris preferably set to a value equal to or more than the pause speed threshold Vp, and more preferably more than the pause speed threshold Vp. A relation of “Vp<Vr” makes it difficult to determine a user's state to be transitioned to the running state even if a certain high level of moving speed V is acquired due to a measurement error of the positioning unit2when the user is stationary. In addition, in the case where the user's running pace slows down, the relation of “Vp<Vr” makes it difficult to determine a user's state to be transitioned to the pause state even if the user continues to move without pausing. If, however, the pause speed threshold Vpis too low or the moving speed threshold Vris too high, the determination sensitivity to the state transition decreases and the determination of the state transition is delayed, and further a state transition does not occur in some cases. Furthermore, if a difference (Vr−Vp) between the pause speed threshold Vpand the moving speed threshold Vris too high, the moving speed V in the range of “Vp≤V<Vr” is acquired continuously depending on a user's running or walking speed in some cases. At this time, the control unit1does not determine a state transition in both of the running state and the pause state. Therefore, even in the case of the same moving speed V, the moving speed V is recorded as a running speed if the speed decreases in the running state, though the moving speed V is not recorded if the speed increases in the pause state. Therefore, in order to uniquely determine the state with respect to the user's moving speed, the difference between the pause speed threshold Vpand the moving speed threshold Vris preferably set to a low value, specifically, set to be small relative to a fluctuation range for the moving speed at which the user is running.

Alternatively, the difference between the pause speed threshold Vpand the moving speed threshold Vrmay be set to be equal to or larger than the fluctuation range for the moving speed at which the user is running. According to this setting, if the moving speed V decreases so as to be less than the moving speed threshold Vrand equal to or more than the pause speed threshold Vp(Vp≤V<Vr) in the running state, the control unit1estimates that the user is likely to continue running even if the user's pace slows down and continues to record the moving speed V as a running speed. On the contrary, after the transition to the pause state, the control unit1estimates that the user finishes running and moves by simply walking and the state does not transition to the running state as long as the value is less than the moving speed threshold Vr(Vp≤V<Vr) even if the user starts slow running or walking and the moving speed V is equal to or more than the pause speed threshold Vp. Furthermore, the moving determination value Trset to a low value causes a transition to a running state in a short period of time if the user increases the speed and the moving speed V becomes equal to or more than the moving speed threshold Vr, and therefore the transition to the running state is not so much delayed.

The speed thresholds Vpand Vrare preferably set on the basis of the moving speed at which the user is running. In other words, the moving speed threshold Vris preferably set to a value around the lower limit of a stable (continued for a long time) speed range during user's running and, for example, set to be 1 km/h lower than the lower limit of the aforementioned speed range. In addition, the pause speed threshold Vpis set to a value equal to or less than the set moving speed threshold Vr. Preferably, the more the value is susceptible to a measurement error of the positioning unit2, the higher the value of the pause speed threshold Vpto be set is. For example, inFIG.2, the moving speed changes within the range of about 8 km/h to 9.5 or to 10 km/h during user's running with some exceptions and therefore the moving speed threshold Vris set to a value of 7.0 km/h, which is 1 km/h lower than the lower limit 8 km/h. Moreover, in this embodiment, as described above, the pause speed threshold Vpis set so that a difference from the moving speed threshold Vris larger than the fluctuation range (a range of about 8 km/h to 9.5 km/h or to 10 km/h) of the moving speed at which the user is running. In this specification, the pause speed threshold Vpis set to a value of 5.0 km/h, which is 2.0 km/h lower than the moving speed threshold Vr. These settings make it difficult to determine that a user is in the pause state even if the user's pace slows down and the moving speed V in the range of “Vp≤V<Vr” is continuously acquired as described above, thereby enabling the moving speed V to be continuously recorded as the running speed. The speed thresholds Vpand Vrare set by switching the mode by a user's operation from the operation unit5between modes in several steps according to specifications for running such as, for example, running for beginners (jogging), running for athletes, trail running, and the like, which are stored in the storage unit4. Furthermore, although this embodiment has been described illustrating that the moving state is the running state, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the moving state may include a walking state, a running state by bicycle, and the like. In that case, for the speed thresholds Vpand Vr, additional modes according to the moving speeds of walking, cycling, and the like may be preset. Moreover, the speed thresholds Vpand Vrmay be set at startup or the like on the basis of results up to the user's last use of the electronic device10.

The moving determination value Tris preferably set to be lower than the pause determination value Tp. The higher the pause determination value Tp, the more difficult it is to determine that a transition to the pause state has occurred even if the moving speed V decreases to be less than the pause speed threshold Vpdue to a decrease in the user's running pace or the like in the running state. Moreover, the higher the moving determination value Tp, the more difficult it is to determine that a transition to the running state has occurred even if the moving speed V increases to be equal to or more than the moving speed threshold Vrdue to a measurement error in the pause state. Therefore, if the determination values Tpand Trare low, the influence or the like of a measurement error is significant and it easily leads to an erroneous determination that a state transition has occurred. On the other hand, the higher the determination values Tpand Tr, the lower the determination sensitivity to the state transition is. Therefore, an inequality of “Tp>Tr” is set, by which it is more difficult to determine that a transition from the running state to the pause state has occurred than to determine that a transition from the pause state to the running state has occurred. This prevents a situation in which the electronic device10determines that the user is in a pause state though actually the user is running and does not record the moving speed V, the movement trajectory, or the like. Moreover, it is preferable to set the determination values Tpand Trto be lower as the unit time t is longer. If the unit time t is long and the determination values Tpand Trare too high, it takes time to determine a state transition, the determination of the state transition is delayed, and further the state transition may not occur. Moreover, if so, it is more difficult to notify the user of whether the current state is the running state or the pause state in real time. On the other hand, if the unit time t is short and the determination values Tpand Trare low, the control unit1determines a state transition on the basis of the moving speed V acquired in a short period of time and therefore easily determines a state transition erroneously. If the determination values Tpand Trare set to low values, the influence of a measurement error tends to increase. Therefore, preferably an adjustment is performed with a balance between the degree of measures against measurement errors and the time required for notifying the user of information. With respect to the determination values Tpand Tr, the user may be allowed to set the values in several steps, similarly to the speed thresholds Vpand Vr.

Although not particularly specified, the unit time t is preferably within a range of 1 to 5 seconds. The shorter the unit time t is, the greater the number of times (the number of points) per time for acquiring the moving speed V (S14) for determining a state transition is. Therefore, the influence of a measurement error of the positioning unit2is reduced and the accuracy of determination increases. The power consumption of the electronic device10, however, increases. The unit time t also may be set by switching the mode therefor between modes in several steps by a user's operation.

The pause determination standby value WRis set to not perform comparison of the moving speed V (S22) to prevent an erroneous transition to the pause state since the moving speed V acquired immediately after a transition to the running state is unstable in some cases. Similarly, the moving determination standby value Wpis set to not perform comparison of the moving speed V (S32) acquired immediately after a transition to the pause state. In other words, the determination standby values WRand Wpare set to prevent a repetition of unnecessary state transitions. Preferably, the moving determination standby value Wpis set to be less than the pause determination standby value WR. This is to prevent a situation in which a user has actually resumed running in the pause state, but the state does not transition to the running state and the measured moving speed V or the like is not recorded. Furthermore, the determination standby values WRand Wpmay be set according to the unit time t similarly to the determination values Tpand Tr. Alternatively, the moving speed V may be determined from the first time without setting the determination standby values WRand Wp, or only the pause determination standby value WRmay be set. In this case, processes related to the state counter i (S11, S16, S18, and S19) are unnecessary.

Preferably, the moving reset value Rris lower than the pause determination value Tp, the pause reset value Rpis lower than the moving determination value Tr, and each thereof is set to 2 or a higher value. This enables the influence of a measurement error to be reduced. Incidentally, if the reset values Rrand Rpare each 1, the control unit1determines that a state transition has occurred only when the moving speed V successively cleared the speed thresholds Vpand Vr(S22: YES, S32: YES). Therefore, if the moving speed V does not clear the speed thresholds Vpand Vrand the determination counter j is not 0 (S23: YES, S33: YES), the control unit1may initialize the determination counter j (S12) at that time point. Thus, the processes related to the determination reset counter k (S24, S25, S27/S34, S35, and S37) are unnecessary. The settings of “Rr=1” and “Rp=1” are preferable in the case where the determination values Tpand Trare low so that the determination of a state transition is not easily delayed.

Moreover, the control unit1may determine that a state transition has occurred if the moving speed V has cleared the speed thresholds Vpand Vrthe number of times of the determination values Tpand Trin total from the starting the state, without setting one or both of the moving reset value Rrand the pause reset value Rp. In other words, in the running state (FIG.2), the control returns to step S13directly if the moving speed V is equal to or more than the pause speed threshold Vp(S22: NO) without performing steps S23to S25and S27. In the pause state (FIG.3), the control returns to step S13directly if the moving speed V is less than the moving speed threshold Vr(S32: NO) without performing steps S33to S35and S37.

With setting of one or both of the pause determination value Tpand the moving determination value Trto 1, the state may transition if the moving speed V has cleared the speed thresholds Vpand Vronce. In other words, if the moving speed V has cleared the speed thresholds Vpand Vr(S22: YES, S32: YES) without setting the determination values Tpand Tr, the control unit1may determine that a state transition has occurred at that time point, thereby enabling the processes related to the determination counter j (S12, S28, S29/S38, and S39) to be unnecessary. In this case, the settings of the reset values Rr, and Rpand the processes related to the determination reset counter k are also unnecessary. With these settings, a state transition can be determined early and with a simple procedure. Particularly a transition from the pause state to the running state may be determined with the above procedure so that the control unit1is able to determine that a state transition has occurred in less time according to the user's moving speed.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 11-258324 discloses a configuration in which the speed having a value higher than 0 is set as a threshold for use in considering that a user is in a pause state. If the threshold set at that time is too high, a measured moving speed does not exceed the threshold though a user is moving, and the user may be considered to be in a pause state. Moreover, if the threshold is too low, a moving speed exceeding the threshold may be detected though the user is stationary due to a speed measurement error, by which the user is momentarily considered to be moving in some cases. As a result, it is difficult to determine a state transition between the moving state and the pause state accurately.

According to the first embodiment, however, an erroneous determination is less likely to occur by individually setting the pause speed threshold for use in determining a transition from the running state to the pause state and the moving speed threshold for use in determining a transition from the pause state to the running state. Furthermore, a state transition is determined to occur when the moving speed has cleared the speed threshold a unique number of times in each of the running state and the pause state, thereby further reducing erroneous determinations and omission of determination. In addition, the moving speed only in the running state is recorded as a running speed, thereby enabling the user to know the moving speed at which the user is actually running.

Second Embodiment

The moving speed tends to be calculated higher as an error of the position information is larger. Particularly, in the determination of a transition from the running state to the pause state, the acquired moving speed is high due to a measurement error and is not less than the pause speed threshold, by which a state transition is not easily determined. An error of the position information acquired based on a signal from a positioning satellite is mainly caused by a low signal quality. Therefore, the threshold for determining a state transition is changed on the basis of the signal quality, thereby enabling the determination accuracy to be further increased. Hereinafter, description will be made on a determination method according to a second embodiment of the present invention with reference toFIGS.1,5, and6.FIG.5is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for a pause determination method according to the second embodiment, in which a pause determination in an electronic device according to this embodiment is performed.

Similarly to the first embodiment, the electronic device10illustrated inFIG.1is able to perform the pause determination method according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, however, the positioning unit2also acquires a signal quality from a positioning satellite ST. The signal quality, which is indicated by CNR (C/N, carrier-to-noise ratio) or SNR (S/N, signal-to-noise ratio), is obtained based on some or all of the indicators acquired by the capturing/tracking unit24, the control unit25, and the control unit1, through it depends on the design. In this specification, CNR is used.

Furthermore, the control unit1calculates each of the pause speed threshold Vpin the running state and the moving speed threshold Vrin the pause state on the basis of CNR. Moreover, the storage unit4stores a program therefor. For example, with “CNR≥45 dB” as the best, Vpand Vrare set to 1.0 km/h and 6.5 km/h respectively (Vp=1.0 km/h and Vr=6.5 km/h). Each time CNR at 45 dB drops by 1 dB, the pause speed threshold Vpincreases by 0.16 km/h and the moving speed threshold Vrincreases by 0.02 km/h. Table 2 lists some of the values of the pause speed threshold Vpand the moving speed threshold Vrclassified by CNR. Alternatively, the storage unit4may store the table as illustrated in Table 2, so that the control unit1acquires the pause speed threshold Vpand the moving speed threshold Vron the basis of CNR. As described above, a position information error caused by a signal quality has a huge influence when a transition to the pause state is determined. Therefore, preferably an amount of change by CNR for the pause speed threshold Vpis set to be larger than that for the moving speed threshold Vr. It should be noted, however that the settings are made so that the pause speed threshold Vpdoes not exceed the moving speed threshold Vr.

In this embodiment, in the running state, as illustrated inFIG.5, the positioning unit2acquires a signal quality (CNR) with position information (S13A) and the control unit1changes the pause speed threshold Vpon the basis of the signal quality (S21) and thereafter compares the moving speed V with the changed pause speed threshold Vp(S22). Although the control unit1changes the pause speed threshold Vpat the (WR+1)th and subsequent times inFIG.5, the control unit1may change the pause speed threshold Vpfrom the first time. Moreover, the positioning unit2may acquire the signal quality with the position information at the (WR+1)th and subsequent times. Also when the user is in the pause state, the positioning unit2acquires a signal quality (CNR) with position information (S13A) and the control unit1changes the moving speed threshold Vr(S31) as illustrated inFIG.6.

A signal from the positioning satellite ST is affected by the display unit6and noise occurs particularly during driving a color liquid crystal display or a color organic EL display. Therefore, the speed thresholds Vpand Vrmay be changed on the basis of whether or not the display unit6displays a color image (displays a monochrome image). Specifically, the storage unit4previously stores a table as illustrated in Table 3. In this modification, the control unit1detects whether or not the color display62is currently displaying an image, instead of acquiring the signal quality, at the time of acquiring the position information (S13A). Then, the speed thresholds Vpand Vrare changed (S21, S31) on the basis of a result of the detection. Incidentally, as illustrated in Table 3, preferably settings are made so as not to satisfy Vp>Vrwhen the display image has changed.

In the first and second embodiments and their modifications, a difference between the pause speed threshold Vpand the moving speed threshold Vris set to be larger than the fluctuation range of the moving speed continued for a long time during user's running as described in the first embodiment, so that the moving speed V in the range of “Vp≤V<Vr,” in which a determined state varies depending on whether the state is deceleration in the running state or acceleration in the pause state, is easily and continuously acquired. The difference, however, may be set smaller within a range in which the moving speed V is not easily affected by the measurement error of the positioning unit2so as to make it difficult to acquire the moving speed V in the range of “Vp≤V<Vr” continuously. With these settings, the control unit1is able to easily determine the state uniquely with respect to the acquired moving speed V. In addition, it is possible to determine only a state in which the user is actually stationary as a pause state, as in the walking mode.

For example, as illustrated in “running mode” on Table 4, the pause speed threshold Vpand the moving speed threshold Vrare set to 4.0 km/h and 5.0 km/h respectively (Vp=4.0 km/h and Vr=5.0 km/h) when “CNR 45 dB” is satisfied, and settings are made so that the pause speed threshold Vpincreases by 0.06 km/h and the moving speed threshold Vrincreases by 0.08 km/h each time CNR at 45 dB drops by 1 dB. In comparison with Table 2, Table 4 illustrates that the pause speed threshold Vpin CNR of 20 dB (CNR=20 dB) rises from 5.0 km/h to 5.5 km/h, thereby reducing the difference between the pause speed threshold Vpand the moving speed threshold Vrto 1.5 km/h. In this modification, the difference between the pause speed threshold Vpand the moving speed threshold Vris set to be smaller when the signal quality is good and set so as to increase as the CNR decreases in order to prevent the control unit1from erroneously determining a state transition due to a measurement error of the positioning unit2. Furthermore, in the walking mode, in which only a state where the user is actually stationary is determined to be a pause state, which is susceptible to a measurement error of the positioning unit2, it is preferable to set a difference between the pause speed threshold Vpand the moving speed threshold Vrto be larger than in the running mode. In addition, in the same signal quality, the pause speed threshold Vpis set so as not to exceed the moving speed threshold Vrand ideally the pause speed threshold Vpdoes not exceed the moving speed threshold Vrindependently of the signal quality.

In this modification, the higher the signal quality is, the smaller the difference between the pause speed threshold Vpand the moving speed threshold Vrto be set is. Thereby, when the signal quality is low, it is less unlikely to cause an erroneous determination of a state transition, which is caused by an increase in measurement error. When the difference between the pause speed threshold Vpand the moving speed threshold Vris set to small, it could easily lead to an erroneous determination of a state transition. Appropriate settings of, for example, the determination values Tpand Tr, however, prevent the control unit1from determining a state transition erroneously. Incidentally, also with respect to changes in the pause speed threshold Vpand the moving speed threshold Vrdepending on whether or not the display unit6displays a color image, the settings may be similarly performed. Specifically, when a color image is displayed, a difference between the pause speed threshold Vpand the moving speed threshold Vrmay be set to be large. Moreover, for the first embodiment in which the speed thresholds Vpand Vrare fixed, the difference between the pause speed threshold Vpand the moving speed threshold Vrmay be set to be small in the same manner.

The control unit1may change only one of the pause speed threshold Vpand the moving speed threshold Vr, particularly only the pause speed threshold Vpin the running state. Furthermore, the control unit1may perform the change with a combination of a change based on a signal quality and a change based on a display image with respect to the speed thresholds Vpand Vr.

According to the second embodiment and the modifications thereof, the signal quality is acquired simultaneously with the acquisition of the position information for use in calculating the moving speed V and the speed thresholds Vpand Vrare changed according to the signal quality in each case, by which high-sensitive determination is performed for a state transition in an environment with good signal quality. On the other hand, in an environment with poor signal quality, the control unit changes the speed thresholds according to the acquired signal quality in each case to prevent an erroneous determination of a state transition.

Third Embodiment

The accuracy of the position information decreases in a multipath environment. Therefore, whether the situation is a multipath environment is determined and further the degree thereof is calculated. The thresholds for determining a state transition are changed according to the calculation result, thereby increasing the accuracy of determination. Hereinafter, a determination method according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference toFIGS.1,7, and8.FIGS.7and8are flowcharts for describing procedures for a control method according to the third embodiment of the present invention:FIG.7is a flowchart of a control method in a moving state; andFIG.8is a flowchart of a control method in a pause state.

A pause determination method according to this embodiment is able to be performed by the electronic device10illustrated inFIG.1, similarly to the first and second embodiments. In this embodiment, the capturing/tracking unit24is able to decide whether or not the situation is the multipath environment and the multipath status on the basis of the number of correlations. In other words, the control unit25obtains a multipath indicator (MI), which indicates the number of multipaths, on the basis of the number of correlations calculated by the capturing/tracking unit24. The control unit1calculates each of the pause determination value Tpin the running state and the moving determination value Trin the pause state on the basis of MI. Moreover, the storage unit4stores programs therefor. For example, as illustrated in Table 5, the pause determination value Tpis increased by 3 and the moving determination value Tris increased by 1 whenever MI increases by 1 on the basis of “Tp=10” and “Tr=5” on Table 1 in the first embodiment with “MI=0” as the best non-multipath environment. In this manner, in the same multipath environment, preferably the pause determination value Tpis set to be higher than the moving determination value Tp, and the dependence of the pause determination value Tpused for determination of a transition from the running state to the pause state is set to be higher than the dependence of the moving determination value Tr.

In this embodiment, as illustrated inFIGS.7and8, the positioning unit2acquires position information and calculates MI (S13B). In the running state, if the moving speed V is less than the pause speed threshold Vp(S22: YES), the control unit1changes the pause determination value Tpaccording to the immediately-calculated MI (S26) and thereafter compares the determination counter j with the changed pause determination value Tp(S29). Also in the pause state, as illustrated inFIG.8, the control unit1changes the moving determination value Tr(S36). Incidentally, although the positioning unit2calculates MI from the first position information acquisition inFIGS.7and8, MI may be calculated at the (WR+1)th and subsequent times (at the (Wp+1)th and subsequent times in the pause state). Moreover, the determination values Tpand Trmay be changed (S26, S36) regardless of the comparison result of the moving speed V (S22, S32). For example, the control unit1is able to change the pause determination value Tpat the time of writing the moving speed V (S15).

The control unit1may change only one of the pause determination value Tpand the moving determination value Tr, particularly only the pause determination value Tpin the running state. Moreover, the control unit1may change both of the speed thresholds Vpand Vrand the determination values Tpand Trwith a combination of the second embodiment and the modifications thereof. Furthermore, if the signal quality is continuously good or the like such that the changed speed thresholds Vpand Vrhave successively small values the predetermined number of times, the control unit1may decrement the determination values Tpand Tr.

According to the third embodiment, the positioning unit acquires a multipath status when acquiring position information and the control unit changes the determination values Tpand Traccording to the multipath environment, thereby enabling a high-sensitive determination of a state transition in a non-multipath environment. On the other hand, in a multipath environment, the determination values Tpand Trare changed to higher values, thereby preventing a state transition from being erroneously determined.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.