Information processing device and information processing method

Abstract

This information processing device has a communication unit and a control unit. An acquisition unit acquires an original acceleration and an original angular velocity from a 3-axis inertial sensor. The control unit recognizes the start of a step in a walking motion using a first angle and a synthesized value. The first angle is the angle relative to a vertical direction, based on the original angular velocity. The synthesized value is based on the original acceleration.

Description

Information processing device and information processing method CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-160564, filed on October 4, 2022, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device and an information processing method.

[0003] There is a demand for providing useful information by analyzing a user's walking state. To analyze the walking state, it is necessary to accurately detect the user's movements while walking. To accurately detect the user's movements, for example, a motion capture method using an inertial measurement unit and multiple cameras has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-201183

[0005] An information processing device according to a first aspect includes an acquisition unit that acquires, from a three-axis inertial sensor, an original acceleration and an original angular velocity of a local coordinate system based on the attitude of the inertial sensor, and a control unit that recognizes the start of a step in walking by a person wearing the inertial sensor, using a first angle with respect to a vertical direction based on the original angular velocity and a composite value based on the original acceleration.

[0006] An information processing method according to a second aspect includes acquiring an original angular velocity and an original acceleration in a sensor coordinate system from a three-axis inertial sensor, and detecting the start of a step when a person wearing the inertial sensor is walking using a first angle with respect to a vertical direction based on the original angular velocity and a composite value based on the original acceleration.

[0007] 1 is a conceptual external view showing a usage mode of an information processing system including an information processing device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the information processing system of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a local coordinate system and a global coordinate system in the information processing system of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of a graph showing the relationship of a first angle and a composite value with respect to time change, for explaining a method for detecting a first time, a second time, and a third time. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship of a first angle and a composite value with respect to time change, for explaining a first condition. FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship of a composite value with respect to time change, for explaining a second condition. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a certification process executed by a control unit of the information processing device of FIG. 2. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an exclusion process executed by a control unit of the information processing device of FIG. 2.

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1 , an information processing system 11 including an information processing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to include a sensor device 12 and the information processing device 10. The sensor device 12 may be worn on the leg of a wearer, more specifically, on the ankle. The sensor device 12 may detect angular velocities and accelerations in three axial directions as original angular velocities and original accelerations, respectively. The sensor device 12 may transmit the detected original angular velocities and original accelerations to the information processing device 10 as information. The information processing device 10 may analyze the movement of the wearer based on the acquired original angular velocities and original accelerations.

[0010] The sensor device 12 is, for example, an inertial measurement unit (IMU). The sensor device 12 may be attached to the wearer's ankle in any manner. For example, the sensor device 12 may be built into a shoe, a sock, an insole, an anklet, or the like. The sensor device 12 may be attached to the ankle with a band, a clip, or the like.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 2 , the sensor device 12 may include a communication unit 13 , a sensor unit 14 , a storage unit 15 , and a control unit 16 .

[0012] The communication unit 13 may include at least one communication module capable of communicating with the information processing device 10 via a communication line, which may be wired or wireless. The communication module is a communication module compatible with the standard of the communication line. The standard of the communication line is, for example, a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared, or NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0013] The sensor unit 14 includes at least a three-axis inertial sensor. The three-axis inertial sensor includes, for example, a three-axis acceleration sensor and a three-axis gyro sensor. The three-axis inertial sensor detects three-axis accelerations and three-axis angular velocities in a local coordinate system as raw accelerations and raw angular velocities, respectively. As shown in FIG. 3 , the local coordinate system is a coordinate system based on the mounting orientation of the sensor device 12. The local coordinate system is composed of, for example, an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis. The x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis are mutually orthogonal. An ideal mounting orientation is assumed for the sensor device 12. When mounted in this mounting orientation, the x-axis is perpendicular to the extension direction of the tibia and perpendicular to the rotation axis of the talocrural joint, and is generally parallel to the anterior-posterior direction of the tibia. The y-axis is perpendicular to the extension direction of the tibia and the x-axis, and is generally parallel to the lateral direction of the tibia. The z-axis is perpendicular to the x- and y-axes and is generally the direction in which the tibia extends.

[0014] 2, the storage unit 15 may include any of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, and an optical memory. The semiconductor memory may be, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory). The RAM may be, for example, an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The ROM may be, for example, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). The storage unit 15 may function as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 15 may store data used in the operation of the sensor device 12 and data obtained by the operation of the sensor device 12. The storage unit 15 stores, for example, system programs, application programs, embedded software, and the like.

[0015] The control unit 16 may be configured to include at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination of these. The processor may be a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The dedicated circuit may be, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 16 may execute processes related to the operation of the sensor device 12 while controlling each part of the sensor device 12.

[0016] For example, the control unit 16 may receive a command to start detection from the information processing device 10 via the communication unit 13. When receiving the command, the control unit 16 may cause the sensor unit 14 to start detecting the original acceleration and the original angular velocity. The control unit 16 may acquire the original acceleration and the original angular velocity from the sensor unit 14. The control unit 16 may recognize the vertical direction in the global coordinate system based on the original angular velocity acquired from the time the command is received until an initialization time has elapsed. Note that the wearer of the sensor device 12 may be required to maintain an initial posture, for example, an upright state, for the time the initialization time has elapsed since the command to start detection was sent.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3 , the global coordinate system is a coordinate system based on the position in space where the wearer wearing the sensor device 12 walks. The global coordinate system is composed of, for example, an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are perpendicular to one another. The X-axis is parallel to the front-to-back direction of the wearer. The Y-axis is parallel to the left-to-right direction of the wearer. The Z-axis is parallel to the vertical direction. The coordinate axes of the global coordinate system in the normal posture of a wearer wearing the sensor device 12 in an ideal wearing posture may be parallel to the coordinate axes of the local coordinate system. In this specification, the normal posture of the wearer is a posture in which the wearer stands upright and maintains the direction in which the feet are extended parallel to the front-to-back direction.

[0018] After recognizing the vertical direction, the control unit 16 may control the communication unit 13 to transmit the acquired original acceleration and original angular velocity as signals to the information processing device 10. Thereafter, the control unit 16 may acquire and transmit the original acceleration and original angular velocity at predetermined time intervals. The time intervals may be set based on the walking speed of a typical user, etc.

[0019] 2, the information processing device 10 includes a communication unit (acquisition unit) 17 and a control unit 18. The information processing device 10 may further include an input unit 19, an output unit 20, and a storage unit 21.

[0020] The communication unit 17 may include at least one communication module capable of communicating with the sensor device 12 via a communication line, which may be wired or wireless. The communication module is a communication module compatible with the standard of the communication line. The standard of the communication line may be a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared, or NFC. The communication unit 17 acquires the original acceleration and original angular velocity from the sensor device 12.

[0021] The input unit 19 may include at least one input interface that detects user operation inputs. The input interface may be, for example, a physical key, a capacitance key, a pointing device, a touch screen that is integrated with the display of the output unit 20, a microphone, or the like.

[0022] The output unit 20 may include at least one output interface that outputs information to notify the user. The output interface is, for example, a display that outputs information as video, a speaker that outputs information as audio, etc. The display is, for example, an LCD, an organic EL display, etc.

[0023] The storage unit 21 may include any of semiconductor memory, magnetic memory, and optical memory. The semiconductor memory is, for example, RAM, ROM, etc. The RAM is, for example, SRAM, DRAM, etc. The ROM is, for example, EEPROM, etc. The storage unit 21 may function as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 21 may store data used in the operation of the information processing device 10 and data obtained by the operation of the information processing device 10. The storage unit 21 stores, for example, system programs, application programs, embedded software, etc.

[0024] The control unit 18 may be configured to include at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination of these. The processor may be a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The dedicated circuit may be, for example, an FPGA, an ASIC, etc. The control unit 18 may execute processes related to the operation of the information processing device 10 while controlling each part of the information processing device 10.

[0025] The control unit 18 determines the start time of one step (start of one step) in walking of the person wearing the sensor device 12, using the first angle and the composite value based on the original angular velocity and original acceleration, respectively, acquired by the communication unit 17. Furthermore, the start time determined by the control unit 18 may be the start time of one step in normal walking. The detection of the start time performed by the control unit 18 will be described in detail below.

[0026] The first angle may be the angle of the z-axis of the sensor device 12 with respect to the vertical direction. Alternatively, the first angle may be the angle of the direction of extension of the tibia with respect to the vertical direction in the global coordinate system. The resultant value is the magnitude of the original acceleration, in other words, the magnitude of the resultant vector of the original acceleration components of the three axes.

[0027] In this specification, the start time of one step in walking is the time (point) when the foot that has been moved forward lands on the ground, etc. Furthermore, normal walking is a continuous walking state, in other words, a movement excluding a state in which both feet are off the ground, such as running, jumping, or skipping, and an unsteady walking state such as going up and down stairs.

[0028] The control unit 18 may convert the acquired original acceleration and original angular velocity into acceleration and angular velocity in a global coordinate system based on a change in attitude with respect to the initial attitude. For example, the control unit 18 may calculate a rotation matrix that converts the local coordinate system into the global coordinate system from the difference between the original acceleration and original angular velocity at the time of measurement and when the initial attitude is used as a reference. The control unit 18 may convert the original acceleration and original angular velocity into acceleration and angular velocity in the global coordinate system using the rotation matrix.

[0029] The control unit 18 may calculate the orientation of the sensor device 12 in the local coordinate system by integrating the acquired original angular velocity. The orientation in the local coordinate system may be represented by rotation angles around three axes of the local coordinate system. The orientation in the local coordinate system may include an angle of the z-axis relative to the vertical direction. Alternatively, the control unit 18 may calculate the orientation of the location where the sensor device 12 is worn on the wearer in the global coordinate system by integrating the converted angular velocity. The orientation in the global coordinate system may be represented by rotation angles around three axes of the global coordinate system. The orientation in the global coordinate system may include an angle of the direction in which the tibia extends relative to the vertical direction. Therefore, the control unit 18 may calculate the first angle.

[0030] The control unit 18 may calculate the composite value by calculating the geometric mean of the original acceleration components of the three axes, or the control unit 18 may calculate the composite value by calculating the geometric mean of the converted acceleration components of the three axes.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 4 , the control unit 18 may detect a first time (first point in time) t1 at which the first angle al, which changes over time, reaches a maximum. The control unit 18 may detect a second time (second point in time) t2 at which the composite value sv reaches a maximum within a first time range tr1 from the first time t1. The first time range tr1 is an estimated time required from swinging the foot forward to landing, and may be, for example, a range of 0 seconds to 100 meters. The control unit 18 may detect a third time (third point in time) t3 at which the composite value sv reaches a minimum, going back from the second time t2 to the first time t1. The control unit 18 may recognize the third time t3 as the start time of a step in walking.

[0032] The control unit 18 may exclude the detected third time t3 from the recognition of the start time of a step in normal walking if at least one of the first condition and the second condition described below is satisfied, or if at least one of the first condition and the second condition and the third condition are satisfied.

[0033] The first condition is that the third time t3 is detected based on the first time t1 corresponding to the maximum value of the first angle al, where the change from the minimum value to the maximum value immediately thereafter is less than an angle threshold, as shown in Fig. 5. The angle threshold is, for example, 50°. The control unit 18 may exclude the third time t3 that satisfies the first condition from the start time of a step in normal walking.

[0034] The second condition is that the time interval between successive third times t3 falls outside the second time range tr2, as shown in FIG. 6 . The second time range tr2 is a time range assumed as a walking cycle during normal walking, and is, for example, 0.5 ms≦second time range tr2≦2.0 sec. The walking cycle is the period from when one foot lands, when the foot swings forward, and when the foot lands again. If the second condition is satisfied, the control unit 18 may exclude the third time t3 from the start time of one step during normal walking.

[0035] To define the third condition, the control unit 18 may extract a plurality of remaining third times t3 from a plurality of third times t3 detected over time, excluding the start time due to at least one of the first and second conditions. Furthermore, the control unit 18 may extract another third time t3 by further excluding the first to second third times t3 detected from the remaining plurality of third times t3. Furthermore, the control unit 18 may calculate the time interval between consecutive third times t3 among the other third times t3. Furthermore, the control unit 18 may calculate the average value of the plurality of time intervals. Furthermore, the control unit 18 determines whether each time interval falls outside a third time range centered on the average value. The third time range may be determined based on statistics of the time intervals used to calculate the average value. The third time range is, for example, a range of a standard deviation σ centered on the average value μ. The third condition is that the time interval falls outside the third time range. The control unit 18 may exclude the third time t3, which is used to calculate the time interval when the third condition is satisfied, from the start time of one step in normal walking.

[0036] The control unit 18 may calculate feature amounts based on the angular velocity and acceleration of the location where the device is worn in the global coordinate system between the start times of one step and the next step during normal walking, based on the recognized start time, and analyze the walking state of the wearer based on the feature amounts. The control unit 18 may output the analysis results to the output unit 20.

[0037] Next, the certification process executed by the control unit 18 of the information processing device 10 in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 7. The certification process starts every time the original acceleration and original angular velocity are acquired from the sensor device 12.

[0038] In step S100, the control unit 18 converts the original acceleration and original angular velocity in the local coordinate system into acceleration and angular velocity in the global coordinate system. After conversion, the process proceeds to step S101.

[0039] In step S101, the control unit 18 calculates a first angle a1 and a composite value sv using the acceleration and angular velocity converted in step S100. The control unit 18 also associates the calculated first angle a1 and composite value sv with time and stores them in the storage unit 21. After the calculation, the process proceeds to step S102.

[0040] In step S102, the control unit 18 determines whether or not there is a new maximum value in the first angle al that has been calculated at each time. A new maximum value is a maximum value of the first angle al that has not been used to detect the third time t3. If there is no new maximum value, the recognition process ends. If there is a new maximum value, the process proceeds to step S103.

[0041] In step S103, the control unit 18 detects, as a first time t1, the time associated with the first angle al that becomes the new maximum value confirmed to exist in step S102. After detection, the process proceeds to step S104.

[0042] In step S104, the control unit 18 determines whether the first time range tr1 has elapsed since the first time t1 detected in step S103. If the first time range tr1 has elapsed, the certification process ends. If the first time range tr1 has not elapsed, the process proceeds to step S105.

[0043] In step S105, the control unit 18 determines whether or not there is a new maximum value in the composite value sv calculated at each time. A new maximum value is a maximum value of the composite value sv that has not been used to detect the third time t3. If there is no new maximum value, the recognition process ends. If there is a new maximum value, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0044] In step S106, the control unit 18 detects, as the second time t2, the time associated with the composite value sv that is the new maximum value whose existence was confirmed in step S105. After detection, the process proceeds to step S107.

[0045] In step S107, the control unit 18 detects the third time t3 based on the second time t2 detected in step S106 and the composite value sv calculated at each time. After detection, the process proceeds to step S108.

[0046] In step S108, the control unit 18 determines whether the third time t3 detected in step S107 satisfies at least one of the first condition and the second condition. If yes, the process proceeds to step S109. If neither condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S110.

[0047] In step S109, the control unit 18 excludes the third time t3 detected in step S107 from the start time, and then the certification process ends.

[0048] In step S110, the control unit 18 recognizes the third time t3 detected in step S107 as the start time. The control unit 18 also stores the third time t3 recognized as the start time in the storage unit 21. After the recognition, the recognition process ends.

[0049] Next, the exclusion process executed by the control unit 18 of the information processing device 10 in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 8. The exclusion process may be started after the certification process is completed, or may be started independently of the certification process, for example, periodically.

[0050] In step S200, the control unit 18 reads out all of the third times t3 that have been stored in the storage unit 21. After reading, the process proceeds to step S201.

[0051] In step S201, the control unit 18 excludes the second to last third times t3 from the third times t3 read out in step S200. After the exclusion, the process proceeds to step S202.

[0052] In step S202, the control unit 18 extracts the remaining third times t3 after the exclusion in step S202. Furthermore, the control unit 18 calculates the time interval between successive third times t3 among the extracted third times t3. After the calculation, the process proceeds to step S203.

[0053] In step S203, the control unit 18 calculates a third time range based on the time interval calculated in step S202. After the calculation, the process proceeds to step S204.

[0054] In step S204, the control unit 18 identifies, from the time intervals calculated in step S202, time intervals that fall outside the third time range calculated in step S203. After identification, the process proceeds to step S205.

[0055] In step S205, the control unit 18 excludes the third time t3 that caused the calculation of the time interval identified as being outside the third time range in step S204. The control unit 18 also cancels the recognition of the excluded third time t3 as the start time. After the cancellation, the exclusion process ends.

[0056] The information processing device 10 of this embodiment configured as described above uses the first angle al based on the original angular velocity and the composite value sv based on the original acceleration to determine the start of a step in walking by the wearer of the inertial sensor. With this configuration, the information processing device 10 acquires the original angular velocity and the original acceleration from the portable sensor device 12, so it can detect the start time of a step in walking without limiting the location. Furthermore, with this configuration, the information processing device 10 can improve the accuracy of detecting the start time of a step. Therefore, the information processing device 10 can improve the accuracy of detecting movements during walking without limiting the location.

[0057] Furthermore, the information processing device 10 detects a second time t2 at which the composite value sv reaches a maximum within a first time range tr1 from a first time t1 at which the first angle al reaches a maximum, and recognizes a third time t3 at which the composite value sv reaches a minimum, counting back from the second time t2 to the first time t1, as the start of a step. In walking, the start of a step is the moment when the foot swings forward and lands on the ground immediately after the first angle al reaches a maximum. Therefore, the inventors of the present application have estimated that the foot is not on the ground at the time when the first angle al reaches a maximum. Furthermore, the inventors of the present application have estimated that the ankle acceleration gradually increases from the time of landing and reaches a peak. In contrast to this estimation, the information processing device 10 having the above-described configuration detects the time immediately before landing at which the first angle al reaches a maximum, and estimates the time at which the acceleration reaches a minimum immediately before the acceleration reaches a maximum from that time, thereby improving the accuracy of detecting the start of a step.

[0058] Furthermore, the information processing device 10 excludes from the start of a step a third time t3 based on a first time t1 at which the change from the minimum value of the first angle al to the maximum value immediately thereafter is less than the angle threshold. When the change from the minimum value to the maximum value of the first angle al is small, the foot movement during that time is generally a movement different from normal walking, such as jumping, skipping, starting to walk, deceleration, a U-turn, or climbing up and down stairs. Therefore, the information processing device 10 having the above-described configuration excludes the third time t3 detected in correspondence with a motion state different from normal walking, and can therefore detect the start time of a step in normal walking.

[0059] Furthermore, if the time interval between successive third times t3 falls outside the second time range tr2, the information processing device 10 excludes the third times t3 from the start of a step. The walking cycle in normal walking, in other words, the consecutive third times t3, is 1.29 seconds, and a time interval that is significantly different from the walking cycle is an interval when a movement different from normal walking is being performed. For example, when making a U-turn, the walking cycle is generally shorter than normal walking. Furthermore, for example, when stopping, the walking cycle is generally longer than normal walking. Therefore, the information processing device 10 having the above-described configuration excludes the third times t3 detected corresponding to a movement state different from normal walking, and can therefore detect the start time of a step in normal walking.

[0060] Furthermore, the information processing device 10 extracts the remaining third times t3 from the plurality of third times t3, excluding the first to second detected third times t3 from the remaining third times t3, extracts other third times t3, calculates the average value of the time intervals between consecutive third times t3 from the other third times t3, and further excludes from the start of one step any third time t3 that causes the calculated time interval to fall outside a third time range centered on the average value. With this configuration, the information processing device 10 excludes third times t3 that are abnormal values ​​from a state estimated to be stable, normal walking, thereby improving the accuracy of the start time of one step in normal walking.

[0061] Furthermore, the information processing device 10 converts the original acceleration and original angular velocity into acceleration and angular velocity in a global coordinate system that includes the vertical direction as one of its coordinate axes, based on a change in posture relative to the initial posture. An ideal wearing posture is assumed for the sensor device 12, but the actual wearing posture generally deviates from the ideal wearing posture. In response to such an event, the information processing device 10 having the above-described configuration can reduce a decrease in the detection accuracy of the start time even when the actual wearing posture deviates from the ideal wearing posture, because the first angle al approaches the angle of the extension direction of the wearer's tibia with respect to the vertical.

[0062] A measurement area was established by placing multiple floor reaction force sensors in a matrix on a flat floor. When the subject walked in the measurement area, the point at which the sensor value output by the floor reaction force sensor rose from zero was regarded as the time when the foot landed, and this was regarded as the start of a step.

[0063] A sensor device including a three-axis inertial sensor was attached to the ankle of the subject. Using the raw acceleration and raw angular velocity output from the sensor device while walking within the actual measurement area, a third time was detected based on the coordinate transformation, detection of the first time, and detection of the second time described in the above embodiment. The first time range tr1 was set to 100 ms.

[0064] The third time and the time interval were calculated based on the start time detected by the floor reaction force sensor during walking in the actual measurement area, and the original acceleration and original angular velocity output by the sensor device. Walking in the actual measurement area was performed 21 times, and the average value μ and standard deviation σ of the time intervals calculated for each were μ±σ, which was -23.8±22.4 ms. Since it took 20 to 30 ms for the impact from heel landing to reach the sensor device attached to the ankle, it can be seen that the difference between the third time detected by the above method and the actual time of landing is small.

[0065] Furthermore, for a third time detected using the original acceleration and original angular velocity output from the sensor device when a U-turn was made in the actual measurement area, whether the third time could be excluded was determined based on the third condition from the first condition. The angle threshold in the first condition was set to 50°. The second time range in the second condition was set to 0.5 ms or more and 2.0 sec or less. The third time range in the third condition was set to μ±σ. In the walking when a U-turn was made, the third time was excluded. Therefore, it can be seen that at least an abnormal walking such as a U-turn is excluded from the recognition of the start time.

[0066] In one embodiment, (1) an information processing device includes: an acquisition unit that acquires, from a three-axis inertial sensor, an original acceleration and an original angular velocity of a local coordinate system based on the attitude of the inertial sensor; and a control unit that recognizes the start of a step in walking by a person wearing the inertial sensor, using a first angle with respect to a vertical direction based on the original angular velocity and a composite value based on the original acceleration.

[0067] (2) In the information processing device of (1) above, the control unit detects a second time point at which the composite value becomes maximum within a first time range from a first time point at which the first angle becomes maximum, and recognizes a third time point at which the composite value becomes minimum, going back from the second time point to the first time point, as the start of the step.

[0068] (3) In the information processing device of (2) above, the control unit excludes the third time point based on the first time point at which the change to the maximum value immediately after the minimum value of the first angle is less than an angle threshold value from the start of the step.

[0069] (4) In the information processing device of (2) or (3) above, the control unit excludes the third time point from the start of the first step when the time interval between successive third time points is outside a second time range.

[0070] (5) In the information processing device of (3) or (4) above, the control unit extracts remaining third time points from among the plurality of third time points, excluding the start, extracts other third time points by further excluding the two third time points detected from the first to second from the remaining third time points, calculates an average value of the time intervals between consecutive third time points among the other third time points, and further excludes from the start of the step the third time points that cause the time interval to be calculated to fall outside a third time range centered on the average value.

[0071] (6) In the information processing device of (1) to (5) above, the control unit converts the original acceleration and the original angular velocity into acceleration and angular velocity in a global coordinate system that includes a vertical direction as one of its coordinate axes, based on a change in attitude relative to an initial attitude.

[0072] (7) In the information processing device according to any one of (1) to (6) above, the acquisition unit acquires the original angular velocity and the original acceleration from the three-axis inertial sensor provided in the leg-mounted sensor device via wireless communication.

[0073] In one embodiment, (8) an information processing method includes acquiring a raw angular velocity and a raw acceleration of a sensor coordinate system from a three-axis inertial sensor, and determining the start of a step in walking by a person wearing the inertial sensor using a first angle with respect to a vertical direction based on the raw angular velocity and a composite value based on the raw acceleration.

[0074] The above has described an embodiment of the information processing device 10, but embodiments of the present disclosure can also be embodied as a method or program for implementing the device, as well as a storage medium on which a program is recorded (for example, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a CD-RW, a magnetic tape, a hard disk, or a memory card, etc.).

[0075] Furthermore, the implementation form of the program is not limited to application programs such as object code compiled by a compiler or program code executed by an interpreter, but may also be in the form of a program module incorporated into an operating system. Furthermore, the program may or may not be configured so that all processing is performed solely by the CPU on the control board. The program may also be configured so that part or all of it is executed by another processing unit mounted on an expansion board or expansion unit added to the board as needed.

[0076] The drawings illustrating the embodiments of the present disclosure are schematic, and the dimensional ratios and the like in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual ones.

[0077] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art could make various modifications or alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications or alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component can be rearranged so as not to cause logical inconsistencies, and multiple components can be combined or divided into one.

[0078] For example, the information processing device 10 may be separate from the sensor device 12 but may be incorporated into the sensor device 12 .

[0079] All of the features described in this disclosure and / or all steps of all of the disclosed methods or processes may be combined in any combination except combinations in which these features are mutually exclusive. Furthermore, each feature described in this disclosure may be replaced by an alternative feature serving the same, equivalent, or similar purpose, unless expressly denied. Thus, unless expressly denied, each disclosed feature is only one example of a generic series of identical or equivalent features.

[0080] Furthermore, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the specific configurations of any of the above-described embodiments, but rather extend to any novel feature or combination thereof described herein, or any novel method or process step or combination thereof described herein.

[0081] In the present disclosure, descriptions such as "first" and "second" are identifiers for distinguishing the configuration. Configurations distinguished by descriptions such as "first" and "second" in the present disclosure can exchange numbers in the configuration. For example, a first information processing device can exchange identifiers "first" and "second" with a second information processing device. The exchange of identifiers is performed simultaneously. The configurations remain distinguished even after the identifier exchange. Identifiers may be deleted. Configurations from which identifiers have been deleted are distinguished by symbols. The descriptions of identifiers such as "first" and "second" in the present disclosure should not be used solely to interpret the order of the configurations or to justify the existence of identifiers with smaller numbers.

[0082] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Information processing device 11 Information processing system 12 Sensor device 13 Communication unit 14 Sensor unit 15 Storage unit 16 Control unit 17 Communication unit 18 Control unit 19 Input unit 20 Output unit 21 Storage unit a1 First angle sv Composite value t1 First time t2 Second time tr1 First time range tr2 Second time range

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires, from a three-axis inertial sensor, an original acceleration and an original angular velocity in a local coordinate system based on the attitude of the inertial sensor; a control unit that determines a start of a step in walking of a person wearing the inertial sensor by using a composite value based on the original acceleration and a first angle with respect to a vertical direction based on the original angular velocity. Information processing device.

2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, The control unit detects a second time point at which the composite value becomes a maximum within a first time range from a first time point at which the first angle becomes a maximum, and recognizes a third time point at which the composite value becomes a minimum, going back from the second time point to the first time point, as the start of the first step. Information processing device.

3. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, The control unit excludes the third time point based on the first time point at which a change in the first angle from a minimum value to a maximum value immediately thereafter is less than an angle threshold value from the start of the step. Information processing device.

4. 4. The information processing device according to claim 2, The control unit excludes the third time points from the start of the step when a time interval between successive third time points is outside a second time range. Information processing device.

5. 4. The information processing device according to claim 3, The control unit extracts remaining third time points from among the plurality of third time points, excluding the start of the step, extracts other third time points by further excluding two third time points detected from the first to second among the remaining third time points, calculates an average value of time intervals between consecutive third time points among the other third time points, and further excludes the third time points from the start of the step, which causes the calculation of the time interval falling outside a third time range centered on the average value. Information processing device.

6. 6. The information processing device according to claim 1, The control unit converts the original acceleration and the original angular velocity into acceleration and angular velocity in a global coordinate system including a vertical direction as a coordinate axis, based on a change in attitude with respect to an initial attitude. Information processing device.

7. 6. The information processing device according to claim 1, The acquisition unit acquires raw angular velocity and raw acceleration from the three-axis inertial sensor provided in a leg-mounted sensor device through wireless communication. Information processing device.

8. Acquire raw angular velocity and raw acceleration in a sensor coordinate system from a three-axis inertial sensor; Detecting the start of a step in walking of a person wearing the inertial sensor by using a first angle with respect to a vertical direction based on the original angular velocity and a composite value based on the original acceleration. Information processing methods.