How does the mobile phone calculate the number of steps I take every day?

In the past, many step counting software used simple gravity sensing to calculate the number of steps, that is, every time the mobile phone vibrates, even if it takes a step, so many netizens "cheat" by shaking their mobile phones to increase the number of steps for themselves. However, with the improvement of step counting software algorithm and the increase of built-in sensors in mobile phones, this simple cheating method is no longer feasible.

At present, mainstream step counting software, such as WeChat, calculates the number of steps every day through the combination of a series of sensors such as gyroscope, gravity sensor and acceleration sensor built into the mobile phone.

Among them, the gyroscope can measure the angle of the mobile phone, thus detecting the deviation of the center of gravity of the human body. When a person walks, the mobile phone in his hand or pocket will change its angle with the movement. When the gyroscope detects a continuous and regular angular deviation, the mobile phone will begin to judge that the user is walking.

Gyroscope can also be used to judge whether the user is walking or riding a bike. Because the posture of the human body is relatively stable when walking or running during riding, the center of gravity basically does not shift, and the angle collected by the gyroscope changes little at this time, so the more accurate step counting software will not count riding in the steps.

The function of acceleration sensor is that people will have a relatively stable uneven acceleration when walking, which is completely different from the relatively stable acceleration when riding a bicycle. So it is easy to judge whether a person is walking or riding a bike through the acceleration sensor.

More accurate step counting software will also use GPS to locate people's movement route, and then calculate the average speed to judge the state of walking, running or cycling. After all, riding a bike is much faster than walking and running.

Although there are many sensors in mobile phones now, the algorithm of step counting software is more rigorous, which can judge whether people are walking or riding bicycles. However, the human body exercises very frequently every day, and it is inevitable that there will still be missed steps or wrong steps.

How do many mobile apps count the steps, and how do the steps of WeChat come from every day? Is it accurate? Based on the concept of health, many mobile apps now have a step counting function. In terms of mobile phone step counting, WeChat campaign should be the most used mobile phone step counting software. Apple App used to have a software called My Little Goal. If you can achieve the goal of 10000 steps per day, you can exchange gold coins as prizes. In order to keep pace with 10000 every day, people have come up with all kinds of tricks.

How exactly does the mobile phone calculate the number of steps we take every day? This should also start with mobile phone hardware.

Nowadays, a series of sensing hardware, such as gyroscopes and acceleration sensors, are installed in smart phones. The number of steps depends on these sensors to monitor all kinds of activity data in the process of mobile phone carrying, and then it is analyzed and calculated by mobile phone software. Isn't it amazing?

Gyroscope: It can measure the angle of the mobile phone, so as to detect the deviation of the center of gravity of the human body. When a person walks, the mobile phone in his hand or pocket will change its angle with the movement. When the gyroscope detects a continuous and regular angular deviation, the mobile phone will begin to judge that the user is walking.

Acceleration sensor: it can judge the acceleration change of people in different walking positions, and then calculate our activity. For example, people will have a relatively stable uneven acceleration when walking, which is completely different from the relatively stable acceleration when riding a bicycle. So it is easy to judge whether a person is walking or riding a bike through the acceleration sensor.

There is also an acceleration sensor, which is made of piezoelectric ceramics. It can produce different voltage changes according to the magnitude of the force acting on it. Acceleration can be measured by the force acting on it, and then it can be judged which direction a person walks in, or what the frequency is.

I believe everyone has had the same questions as me. How long does a day 10000 steps mean?

In fact, this has a lot to do with the height of the individual. Two people with a height of 1.8m and a height of 1.6m have different spans in each step. Usually, according to the span of an urgent March, the distance of each step is 0.72m, so the distance of 10000 step should be about 7200m m.

Science and technology are progressing, the times are developing and the living standard is constantly improving. Nowadays, people are no longer worried about food and clothing, but more worried about their health. Subsequently, various sports apps came into being. I don't know when people began to show off their sports data in the ticket circle. It seems that tens of thousands of steps have become hard benchmarks. If someone praises their WeChat activities, they will be very happy. How does the mobile phone calculate how many steps we take every day?

Before, the technology was not so powerful. Most mobile phones use simple gravity sensing to calculate the number of steps, that is, the frequency at which the mobile phone swings. So many people try their best to dump their mobile phones and cheat by cheating. This goes against the original intention of the movement.

With the progress and development of science and technology, most step counting apps now obtain the user's steps through a series of sensors such as gyroscope, gravity sensor and acceleration sensor built into the mobile phone. Compared with previous gravity sensing, this method is more accurate and scientific. Gyroscope can calculate the cheap angle of the mobile phone, and the walking fashion in the pocket and the mobile phone will continue to have a deflection angle; The acceleration sensor can obtain the user's speed data and determine whether the user is walking, cycling or driving at a certain moment.

The last trick is GPS, which can calculate your trajectory in real time. Because the speed of walking is very different from cycling and driving, when your trajectory is too long in a certain period of time, it means that you are not walking. So if you use GPS to calculate the number of steps, cheating is quite difficult.

Finally, remind everyone that the purpose of our exercise is to keep healthy, not for those meaningless numbers. If we cheat for comparison and vanity, we will put the cart before the horse.

In fact, whether it is a mobile phone or other products with the function of recording steps, there is a principle of * * * *.

At present, the steps of electronic products are recorded by a sensor (forgive me for really forgetting the name ...). This sensor is usually a very small rectangle, which is structurally like a square with springs at its four corners. Once there is vibration, the box will vibrate with the mobile phone, and then the vibration data of the box can be obtained by software analysis.

In other words, the mobile phone step recording system works by detecting the vibration of the mobile phone. As long as it is a vibration in a certain direction, a certain intensity and a certain speed, it will be detected by the mobile phone and entered into the calculation.

The software mode of pedometer is as follows:

When the software detects vibration that exceeds the threshold, it will record data such as the direction and amplitude of vibration. If multiple vibrations with approximately the same time interval, vibration amplitude and vibration direction are subsequently detected, it is judged that the mobile phone holder is walking. That's why the number of the pedometer didn't rise when we first started walking, but after a few steps, there was a sudden sharp increase: when the data stopped before, the software was judging whether to record the current state as walking.

Actually this method is not accurate. If you want to use WeChat to count the steps, you can put an electronic voice to shake your legs, and there will be hundreds of steps ... At present, people are also looking for better step counting sensors and constantly improving the software mechanism of step counting equipment.

1 comments

Two words and three beats 02-22 23:44

67 likes

step on

This effect has hurt many netizens, and some have also built WeChat groups. The person with the least steps will also be given a red envelope. The original intention is to urge everyone to move more.

Some people have also been invented by leaders, such as Mr. Cao, who is doing insurance, who usually runs outside. Once he was lazy to sleep at home. As a result, the number of steps recorded in the "WeChat Movement" was only over 300, and the leader invented the clue.

So how are the steps calculated?

Mobile phones have built-in vibration sensors or auxiliary processors, such as gyroscopes and gravity sensors, which store data according to the vibration frequency of these devices.

Simply put, when people walk, the center of gravity moves up and down a little bit, and sensors and collaborators perceive this movement of the center of gravity and count it.

Experiment 1: Calculate the number of steps or the distance?

Xiao Fang and Chen Xiao stand on the same starting line. Xiao Fang is carrying an iPhone6 mobile phone, and Chen Xiao is carrying a sports bracelet. Xiao Fang walked with small steps, while Chen Xiao strode with meteors and walked the set distance of 15 meters. Xiao Fang walked 30 steps15m, while Xiao Chen only walked 20 steps.

As for the data displayed on the mobile phone, Xiao Fang took 34 steps and Xiao Chen took 17 steps. Compared with our own steps, the error is within 4 steps and the foundation is accurate.

Conclusion: WeChat campaign is really counting steps, which has nothing to do with distance and pace.

Experiment 2: How to calculate steep slopes and stairs?

There are 9 stairs in the corridor. Xiao Fang walks through one floor and then turns to another. * * * Take 18 step, plus two corners, and Xiao Fang * * * takes 20 steps. The display on Xiao Fang's mobile phone has increased by 22 levels. The data obtained from slope experiments are similar.

Conclusion: Step counting data will not be affected by terrain. Whether walking or climbing stairs, it is one step at a time, and the error is within 2 steps.

Experiment 3: Will you really cheat?

Xiao Fang and Xiao Chen were holding an iphone6 phone and a sports bracelet, respectively. After ensuring the stability of the data, they began to shake the mobile phone and bracelet together. In the same 20 seconds, Xiao Fang shook 12 times, and Xiao Chen shook 1 1 time (one round trip is 1 time). Looking at the data in the WeChat campaign, Xiao Fang has 28 more steps and Chen Xiao has 24 more steps. Remove possible subtle errors, shake back and forth, and count 2 steps in the pedometer. The small square shakes 12 times, which is equivalent to presenting the distance data in about 24 steps.

Conclusion: Shaking the mobile phone or bracelet back and forth can really increase the number of steps, and the theory of "cheating" is really feasible.

From this point of view, there is still an error in the number of steps recorded by the "WeChat Movement". For example, if you don't bring your mobile phone occasionally, or shake it intentionally, the data will be changed, so the recorded steps will be inaccurate.

The doctor told you

Walking after meals 1 hour is most beneficial to health.

Adults consume about 2000 calories a day, and only 1700 calories will be used to maintain vital signs and daily activities. The extra 300 calories need to be consumed through exercise.

Walking 1 min consumes about 2 calories. If you calculate by one step per second, 60 steps will consume 2 calories.

In other words, it takes about 9000 steps to consume the extra 300 calories. Generally speaking, walking after meals is between half an hour and 1 hour, which is most beneficial to health.

However, the more exercise, the better. Excessive exercise damages the immune function of the body and affects health.

Five comments

Horizon 4 02-23 1 1:27

9 Zan

step on

I also personally tested this problem some time ago. I was sitting in the passenger seat. When the car starts, I shake my mobile phone left and right (similar to shaking my mobile phone), and the amplitude is about 10 cm. I tested it three times, each time for 3 minutes. It is found that the calculation of steps has nothing to do with the speed, but with the frequency of shaking. Basically, you can shake it 2 or 3 times a second at the earliest. If you are faster, the number of steps will gradually increase. It is estimated that it is impossible to walk so fast. Besides, the number of steps when parking has not increased. Later, I switched to putting my mobile phone lightly on my leg, and found that it not only saves labor, but also increases the number of steps faster. It is estimated that it is due to regular vibration, which is more in line with the judgment.

After calculation, it can shake out about 5000 steps per hour, and tens of thousands of steps a day is not a problem. After taking the bus, you can also send a circle of friends and pretend to say, "I have been shopping with my girlfriend all day."

Three comments

Qingshichenghui 02-25 10: 17

37 likes

step on

So for a while, everyone went crazy to occupy the cover, but sometimes we found that you walked with your friends, but in the end you took fewer steps than him. Why? Or you want to increase the number of steps by running, but is it effective? Let's try to tell you the answer ourselves.

Test 1 Go the same way but keep different steps? It's all about fate.

A person holding two mobile phones must measure the same number of steps? If you think this is wrong, let's take a look at our first test. The same person holds a mobile phone in the same posture. Passed two sets of tests, and the results were slightly embarrassing. It's really different every time.

Preparation: Two Apple phones.

Test process:

1, using the steps recorded by WeChat for statistics;

2. The same person started walking with two Apple phones at the same time.

3. Record the steps of the two groups, and finally get the data for comparison.

The first team B wins, and the second team A wins.

Test results:

Wechat movement step data of two Macs

Obviously, it's different every time, and there is no pattern yet.

When the first group came down, mobile phone A recorded fewer steps than mobile phone B in the same posture, while the second group became that mobile phone A recorded more steps than mobile phone B. The two mobile phones walked the same distance, but the records were different, indicating that our usual WeChat movement was inaccurate and the two groups were unstable. It seems that none of us can control our destiny in our own hands.

How many steps have you taken in the same way? Maybe it's because of short legs.

It is said that people with long legs can walk fast, so people with long legs will remember more steps than people with short legs? In order to get the answer, we found a cute girl and a long-legged Oba to compare. Meng Mei's height is 160cm, and long-legged Ouba's height is 185cm. What will happen after the test? Wait and see.

The cute girl and the long-legged Ouba who participated in the test.

Preparation: Two Apple phones.

Test process:

1, open the WeChat practice preparation steps;

2. Two people walk together with their mobile phones, and the distance they walk is the same;

3. Through two groups of walking exercise tests, record the number of steps twice and compare the final data.

The first group of cute girls won 1 14 steps, the second group won 76 steps, and the short legs won completely.

Experimental results:

After two groups of tests, the number of steps recorded by WeChat movement

Each group is dominated by lovely girls.

As if walking the same distance, long legs have no advantage.

Test 3 Run more, remember the number of steps? The truth makes you cry!

Regarding the third test of WeChat step counting, someone mentioned that if I was running, would the step counting result be more or less than walking? We also tested it this time. In normal life, everyone usually jogs. If you run at competitive speed, that's another matter, because when you count the steps, your mobile phone will shake too fast and not count the steps.

Note: one MAC.

Test process:

1, open the WeChat practice preparation steps;

2. Walk first, then jog, and the two sports ensure the same distance;

3. Walk and run in two groups, and then collect data;

4. Through two groups of exercises, compare the steps in walking and running WeChat actions respectively.

Both groups walked more than they ran.

Test results:

The first group has 457 more steps than running, and the second group has 252 more steps than running. It can be seen that at the same distance, walking has more steps than running. Of course, you may run too fast, and some steps are not recorded on your mobile phone, so if you plan to brush your steps, just go. Running is very tiring, so I may not be able to brush more steps.

Test 4 Android tramples on Apple's strange Android system.

Wechat campaign supports Apple, but does not support most Android systems. If Android wants to record the steps through WeChat campaign, it needs to use third-party software, such as Goo-dong, Le-dong and other apps. So this time, in the test of PK Mac for Android, we used clatter exercise to record the steps.

Note: Two Apple phones and one Android phone.

Test process:

1, prepare the required mobile phone and install sports software;

2. Holding three mobile phones in hand at the same time, start walking;

3. The first group counts 6000 steps, and the second group counts 10 minutes to record data respectively;

4, through two records, finally get the data.

Apple has the most steps. Test results:

We found that Apple's goo-goo software recorded 6494 steps and 6503 steps, which were not far behind, nearly 500 steps more than the actual steps, while goo-goo software in Android only recorded 4065 steps, 2000 steps less than the actual steps, which shows that Android's step counting is very unreliable.

Apple mobile phone is equipped with three-axis gyroscope and other instruments, which can reflect your movement state according to the shaking of human body. The instrument is more scientific, so the measured steps are more accurate. Android phones may have limited technology, and there is a certain gap with Apple phones in step counting.

Wechat brushing skills always have one for you.

Simple physical type: shake it

The first way to make your WeChat steps soar is to replace your feet with your hands and shake them with your mobile phone. This method is the most primitive and simple, and does not need much introduction. As long as you pick up the phone, it will have an effect immediately, and you can shake it as you want.

Easy-to-save skill type: Swing

Compared with swinging a pendulum, it is much easier, and you can increase the number of steps without effort. First of all, you need to prepare a sports bracelet bound to your mobile phone and a joystick. It is up to you to increase the number of steps. After everything is ready, tie the core part of the handle ring to the pendulum, and finally put the pendulum in place.

The swing speed of the table will not be very fast, but your steps can be steadily increased. This way is to liberate the mobile phone without blowing off dust. It can be described as the best of both worlds.

Or use a lucky cat, the principle is the same.

However, with the development of the WeChat movement, there has been a pendulum that directly puts the mobile phone on the universal treasure.

Save trouble and steal wisdom: a cat and a dog

This method doesn't need your own efforts, just bring your own cats and dogs, tie your sports bracelet to their legs, and the rest is to supervise their movements. But the only drawback is instability. What if your family is a lazy dog? You may not be able to walk many steps in the end, so you might as well come quickly in other ways.

However, the purpose of the WeChat sports leaderboard is only to encourage people to exercise more. If you just keep up with the joneses, you will lose the meaning of the sport itself.

Six comments

Elephant house translation 02-22 13:37

30 1 like

step on

Let me talk about this problem ~

It should be that the mobile phone has built-in vibration sensors, such as gyroscopes and gravity sensors, which store data according to the vibration frequency of these devices. Simply put, when people walk, the center of gravity moves up and down a little bit, and sensors and collaborators perceive this movement of the center of gravity and count it.

It should be this principle, and then share an interesting question about it with you ~

Haha, I can't help laughing when I see this forgiveness ~

160 comments

Prudonia 02-23 00:0 1

15 Zan

step on

The most direct method is to get the number of steps of the "step counting sensor". There is usually a kind of sensor called "step counting sensor" in intelligent equipment, which can record the number of steps. Of course, these are some smart bracelets for low-end mobile phones. In order to record accurately and reliably, high-end intelligent devices specifically prevent more records, less records and cheating (shake the washing machine in your hand). From the hardware level, these motion data will be fed back to the processing algorithm through gyroscopes, acceleration sensors, angular acceleration sensors (sometimes geomagnetic sensors, GPS), and the algorithm will process these data, eliminate the data that are not really walking, and record effective data. The software layer is the design of algorithm. At this point, I personally think that Huawei and Xiaomi have done a good job.

Finally, I learned all the above answers by myself. If there are any mistakes, please point them out. I want to concentrate on teaching.

1 comments

Ogen 02-23 15:00

3 Zan

step on

It should be gyro inertial navigation mode. In other words, the gyro is used to measure the acceleration of the mobile phone. If the acceleration is integrated twice, the distance can be estimated. If the acceleration is monitored and the absolute acceleration is considered as a swinging leg, the step can be counted.

comment

What, this and that? 02-23 12:50

Seven likes

step on

I only care about one question: what is the purpose of your step counting? In order to keep my weight, I have walked 10,000 steps every day for nearly two years, and my weight has been kept at 65kG. At the same time, I also donated trees to Alipay for public welfare, which feels good!

Therefore, this is the original intention for health!

comment

Hot love fan er 02-23 12:27

Five likes

step on

We all know that most mobile phones are equipped with a coprocessor, which mainly records some data that need to be recorded and monitored for a long time. The advantage of carrying a coprocessor is that it can reduce the power consumption of the central processing unit, thus achieving the effect of saving electricity and energy.

The basic principle of cell phone counting is that there will be a forward acceleration when walking, and then a backward acceleration. By adjusting the threshold and time interval of these two accelerations according to the height and weight, the number of steps can be counted, and of course there are many optimization details. Mobile phones have built-in vibration sensors or auxiliary processors, which store data according to the vibration frequency of these devices. Simply put, when people walk, the center of gravity moves up and down a little bit, and sensors and collaborators perceive this movement of the center of gravity and count it.

comment

I love you 139762798

1 like

step on

I've never used it before, and I'm too busy to watch the steps on my mobile phone every day! Whether I can exercise or not is up to me. I move bricks and do heavy manual work all day. Is this an exercise? Can you take a few steps with your mobile phone at this time? Workers are the most glorious, but I won't do it for any ranking exercise! Work hard for yourself, come on! Live better for me!

Let me talk about this problem ~

It should be that the mobile phone has built-in vibration sensors, such as gyroscopes and gravity sensors, which store data according to the vibration frequency of these devices. Simply put, when people walk, the center of gravity moves up and down a little bit, and sensors and collaborators perceive this movement of the center of gravity and count it.

It should be this principle, and then share an interesting question about it with you ~

Haha, I can't help laughing when I see this forgiveness ~

At present, many platforms have the function of recording steps, such as WeChat, Alipay and Weibo. On the one hand, it encourages people to exercise more, on the other hand, it increases the interaction between users and the stickiness with the platform.

So some people will take some small "measures" to increase their own steps in order to make themselves more or rank higher.

Now, let's see how the mobile phone calculates our steps!

The first thing we need to know is how to realize this step counting. It works through a series of sensor combinations such as gyroscope, gravity sensor and acceleration sensor built into the mobile phone. So what will they do?

Gyroscope can measure the angle of mobile phone, thus sensing that the center of gravity of human body has shifted. When the human body moves, the mobile phone will change the angle according to the movement behavior. Then you might say, as long as I move, it can be counted as a step? Of course not. If we can, we can walk a few more steps every day. Only when the gyroscope feels continuous and regular angular deviation will it begin to judge that the user is walking.

The acceleration sensor can sense the movement pattern in the process of movement, judge the movement behavior, and calculate our activities according to the different acceleration. For example, walking, running and cycling have different accelerations, so the acceleration sensor is used to judge whether we are walking or doing other activities.

Now the step counting function is more and more expanded, which can not only record the number of steps, but also record the movement trajectory, so as to draw your movement map.

Early mobile phones used gravity to measure steps, so they were not so accurate at first. In recent years, the number of sensors built into mobile phones has increased a lot, such as gyroscopes and acceleration sensors. , together to calculate your steps. Among them, gyroscope plays a very key role.

The mobile phone can calculate the current position according to the previous position and the moving speed, time and direction detected by the gyroscope, so as to achieve the purpose of temporary positioning. Because the angle of the mobile phone changes, the gyroscope will feel it, so I feel that your center of gravity has changed and start counting steps.

Similarly, he also has the function of judging whether you are walking or doing other sports, such as riding a bike. Because of the different offset angles, these can be judged by software.

In addition, the acceleration sensor is the same. The speed of walking is different from the speed of cycling, so matching these sensors will be more accurate.

So what software do you use to record the number of steps every day?

How does the mobile phone calculate the number of steps per day? I think many friends are curious about this question, so I will share with you how the mobile phone calculates the daily walking volume.

There is a vibration sensor and an auxiliary processor inside the mobile phone, which is the fundamental method used by the mobile phone to calculate our daily walking, and some components are also helping the mobile phone to calculate whether we walk, such as gyroscopes, gravity sensors and so on, when we have these functions in the mobile phone.

When we walk on the road with mobile phones, the center of people will move up and down. At this time, sensors and collaborators will perceive the number of times we exercise. Wechat does calculate the number of steps, but it has little to do with the pace of our usual walking.

Mainly, the mobile phone recognizes whether you are moving or not through the combination of gravity sensors, gyroscopes, acceleration sensors and other sensors and algorithms.

Among them, the most valuable is the algorithm, some are three axes and some are six axes. Every company has its own algorithm. Of course, it is not a difficult algorithm. Some companies can buy it back without doing it themselves.

These algorithms are not easy for researchers to put on clothes with many sensors, get data and models through repeated tests, and then make them.

The pedometer was first conceived by Leonardo da Vinci of Italy, but it was not made until 1667 after 150. At that time, the pedometer was relatively simple, mainly mechanical.

As for riding or other sports, the human body will have different sports modes, so the mobile phone or bracelet will have different swinging modes, and then the mobile phone will identify what kind of sports it is according to the data of the sensor, and then make a record.

The motion modes of riding, swimming and running are different, the algorithm model is different, and the data of the sensor is also different. This is why the mobile phone can recognize what you are doing.

Although the current algorithm is advanced, it cannot guarantee the accuracy of 100% ~

The principle of mobile phone step counting and bracelet step counting should be roughly the same, both through sensor devices such as gyroscopes or acceleration sensors. When the sensor of the mobile phone senses the change of gravity or acceleration, it will be accurately calculated by the algorithm inside the mobile phone, and the number of steps will be displayed on the mobile phone. But the gravity or acceleration data of walking and cycling are different, so the algorithm will distinguish these data, and then calculate and record them.