US20110077130A1

US20110077130A1 - Exercise assistance device, exercise assistance method, and computer readable recording medium

Info

Publication number: US20110077130A1
Application number: US12/893,390
Authority: US
Inventors: Kazuhiro Omura
Original assignee: Brother Industries Ltd
Current assignee: Brother Industries Ltd
Priority date: 2009-09-30
Filing date: 2010-09-29
Publication date: 2011-03-31
Also published as: JP2011072519A; JP5504799B2

Abstract

An exercise assistance device includes: a first acquisition unit which acquires plural pieces of exercise scene information representing a scene when an exercise motion is performed and plural pieces of motion information representing the exercise motions, the plural pieces of exercise scene information being associated with the plural pieces of motion information; a second acquisition unit which acquires plural pieces of exercise order information which describes an order to perform the exercise motions corresponding to the exercise scene information; a first selection unit which selects one of the pieces of exercise order information acquired by the second acquisition unit; a decision unit which decides, from plural pieces of motion information, the motion information corresponding to the exercise scene information included in the exercise order information selected by the first selection unit; and a generation unit which generates a display signal to display the motion information decided by the decision unit on a display unit.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE OF APPLICATION

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-226546 filed on Sep. 30, 2009, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an exercise assistance device, an exercise assistance method, and a computer readable recording medium storing a program capable of, from a plurality of exercise motions, proposing exercise motions suitable for a sequence to perform respective exercise motions.
A method is known in which an exercise menu is constructed by inputting individual information regarding age, sex, height, weight, and a part desired to be strengthened from questionnaire data items. An exercise menu for a user is constructed on the basis of individual information from questionnaire data. Image data in which a human model performs motions in the constructed exercise menu is created.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The known exercise construction method can construct an exercise menu regarding a part desired to be specifically strengthened or for functional recovery (rehabilitation). Further, when the user desires to reduce weight, an exercise menu can be constructed from information regarding height and weight with calories burned through exercise as an index. However, the known exercise construction method cannot propose exercise motions suitable for a sequence to perform the exercise motions. For this reason, an expert, such as an exercise instructor, manually decides the sequence of exercise motions, resulting in being overburdened.
An aspect of the invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems. An object of the aspect of the invention is to provide an exercise assistance device and an exercise assistance method capable of generating display information for proposing exercise motions suitable for a sequence to perform respective exercise motions.
An exercise assistance device according to the aspect of the disclosure includes:
a first acquisition unit which acquires plural pieces of exercise scene information representing a scene when an exercise motion is performed and plural pieces of motion information representing the exercise motions, the plural pieces of exercise scene information being associated with the plural pieces of motion information;
a second acquisition unit which acquires plural pieces of exercise order information which describes an order to perform the exercise motions corresponding to the exercise scene information;
a first selection unit which selects one of the pieces of exercise order information acquired by the second acquisition unit;
a decision unit which decides, from plural pieces of motion information, the motion information corresponding to the exercise scene information included in the exercise order information selected by the first selection unit; and
a generation unit which generates a display signal to display the motion information decided by the decision unit on a display unit.
An exercise assistance method according to the aspect of the disclosure includes:
acquiring plural pieces of exercise scene information representing a scene when an exercise motion is performed and plural pieces of motion information representing the exercise motions, the plural pieces of exercise scene information being associated with the plural pieces of motion information;
acquiring plural pieces of exercise order information which describes an order to perform the exercise motions corresponding to the exercise scene information;
selecting one of the pieces of acquired exercise order information;
deciding, from plural pieces of motion information, the motion information corresponding to the exercise scene information included in the selected exercise order information; and
generating a display signal to display the decided motion information on a display unit.
A non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to the aspect of the disclosure stores a program, which causes a computer to execute:
acquiring plural pieces of exercise scene information representing a scene when an exercise motion is performed and plural pieces of motion information representing the exercise motions, the plural pieces of exercise scene information being associated with the plural pieces of motion information;
acquiring plural pieces of exercise order information which describes an order to perform the exercise motions corresponding to the exercise scene information;
selecting one of the pieces of acquired exercise order information;
deciding, from plural pieces of motion information, the motion information corresponding to the exercise scene information included in the selected exercise order information; and
generating a display signal to display the decided motion information on a display unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a contents creation system 100 of this embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an appearance diagram of an output terminal apparatus 1 of this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a server 10 in the contents creation system 100 of this embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a storage state where motion information is stored in a motion information storage area 121 according to this embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows a table in which scenario attribute information and the scenario contents of the scenario attribute information are associated with each other according to this embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a storage state where motion video information is stored in a motion video information storage area 122 according to this embodiment.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are conceptual diagrams showing a display state where video information 50 is displayed on a display 4 according to this embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the coordinate positions of P1 to P17 which represent the body parts of FIG. 7B so as to display one predetermined motion of a person according to this embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing a display state where motion video information is displayed on a display 4 according to this embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a storage state where scenario order information is stored in a scenario order information storage area 123 according to this embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the output terminal apparatus 1 in the contents creation system 100 of this embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing a storage state where exercise list information is stored in an exercise list temporary storage area 85 according to this embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a terminal operation in the output terminal apparatus 1 constituting the contents creation system 100 according to this embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of exercise list information generation processing of the output terminal apparatus 1 according to an exercise list information creation processing program according to this embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram showing a display state where motion information candidates are displayed on a display 4 according to this embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

A contents creation system which automatically creates exercise contents according to the exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Specifically, in this embodiment, exercise contents are generated by proposing motion information suitable for a sequence to perform respective exercise motions from motion information representing a plurality of exercise motions.

A contents creation system 100 includes an output terminal apparatus 1 and a server 10. The output terminal apparatus 1 and the server 10 are connected to each other through Internet. The output terminal apparatus 1 outputs exercise contents including motion video information and music.

As shown in FIG. 2, the output terminal apparatus 1 includes a speaker 2, a speaker 3, a display 4, and an information input unit 5. The display 4 displays an exercise video 160. When the exercise video 160 is displayed on the display 4, music output along with the exercise video 160 is output from the speaker 2 and the speaker 3. A user inputs information for selecting exercise and information for selecting music by using the information input unit 5. For example, the information input unit 5 is a keyboard or a mouse. As shown in FIG. 2, a user 150 can perform exercise while viewing the exercise video 160 displayed on the display 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, the server 10 of this embodiment includes a CPU 11 which controls the server 10. An HDD 12, a RAM 13, and a network connection unit 14 are electrically connected to the CPU 11. The CPU 11 constitutes a computer, which controls the operation of the server 10, along with a storage device, such as the HDD 12 and the RAM 13. The network connection unit 14 communicates information with the output terminal apparatus 1 through Internet.
The HDD 12 provided in the server 10 includes a motion information storage area 121, a motion video information storage area 122, a scenario order information storage area 123, and a server program information storage area 124.
The motion information storage area 121 stores plural pieces of motion information. The motion information represents the motions of exercise. The user of the output terminal apparatus 1 can create new exercise contents by updating the motion information stored in the motion information storage area 121. As shown in FIG. 4, “march”, “front lunge”, “shoulder press”, “upper arm stretch”, “cuckoo pose”, and the like representing respective exercise motions are stored in the motion information storage area 121 as the motion information. The motion information is stored in the motion information storage area 121 in association with scenario attribute information. The motion information is also associated with exercise type information representing the type of motion information. The scenario attribute information represents a scenario attribute to which the motion information belongs. For example, in the case of the motion information “march”, scenario attribute information “2”, “3”, “4”, and “6” is associated with the motion information “march”. Hereinafter, the details of the scenario attribute information will be described.
The scenario attribute information represents the scene of an exercise motion where the motion information is performed. Hereinafter, the scenario attribute information will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the scenario attribute information “1” refers to stretching exercise and is provided to motion information suitable for warm-up. For example, the motion information “upper arm stretch”, “neck stretch”, “calf stretch”, or the like refers to stretching exercise, and represents an exercise motion suitable for warm-up. For this reason, the scenario attribute information “1” is provided to the motion information, such as “upper arm stretch”, “neck stretch”, or “calf stretch”.
As shown in FIG. 5, the scenario attribute information “2” refers to aerobic exercise or anaerobic exercise with a low level of exercise intensity, and is provided to motion information suitable for warm-up. For example, the motion information “march”, “half squat”, “quarter squat”, or the like shown in FIG. 4 refers to aerobic exercise or anaerobic exercise with a low level of exercise intensity, and also refers to an exercise motion suitable for warm-up. For this reason, the scenario attribute information “2” is provided to the motion information “march”, “half squat”, “quarter squat”, or the like.
As shown in FIG. 5, the scenario attribute information “3” is provided to motion information suitable for main exercise as a main component of an exercise motion. Main exercise refers to, for example, aerobic exercise with a high level of exercise intensity or anaerobic exercise with a high level of exercise intensity. Examples of main exercise may include aerobic exercise with a low level of exercise intensity or anaerobic exercise with a low level of exercise intensity. Stretching exercise is not included in main exercise. When the exercise type information is “yoga”, main exercise of “yoga” is appropriately set. For example, the motion information “march”, “back lunge”, “shoulder press”, “squat”, or the like shown in FIG. 4 is an exercise motion suitable for main exercise. For this reason, the scenario attribute information “3” is provided to the motion information, such as “march”, “back lunge”, “shoulder press”, or “squat”.
As shown in FIG. 5, the scenario attribute information “4” refers to aerobic exercise or anaerobic exercise with a low level of exercise intensity, and is provided to motion information suitable for rehydration. The motion information with the scenario attribute information “4” has the same level of exercise intensity as the motion information with the scenario attribute information “2”. The motion information with the scenario attribute information “4” has a lower level of exercise intensity than the motion information with the scenario attribute information “2”. For example, the motion information “march”, “quarter squat”, or the like shown in FIG. 4 is aerobic exercise with a low level of exercise intensity and is an exercise motion suitable for rehydration. For this reason, the scenario attribute information “4” is provided to the motion information, such as “march” or “quarter squat”.
As shown in FIG. 5, the scenario attribute information “5” refers to stretching exercise, and is provided to motion information suitable for cool-down. For example, the motion information “upper arm stretch”, “neck stretch”, “calf stretch”, or the like shown in FIG. 4 is stretching exercise and an exercise motion suitable for cool-down. For this reason, the scenario attribute information “5” is provided to the motion information, such as “upper arm stretch”, “neck stretch”, or “calf stretch”.
As shown in FIG. 5, the scenario attribute information “6” refers to aerobic exercise with a low level of exercise intensity, and is provided to motion information suitable for cool-down. For example, the motion information “march” or the like shown in FIG. 4 is aerobic exercise with a low level of exercise intensity and is an exercise motion suitable for cool-down. For this reason, the scenario attribute information “6” is provided to the motion information, such as “march”.
As shown in FIG. 5, the scenario attribute information “7” is provided to motion information suitable for meditation of the exercise type information “yoga”. For example, the motion information “meditation pose” or the like shown in FIG. 4 is an exercise motion suitable for meditation. For this reason, the scenario attribute information “7” is provided to the motion information, such as “meditation pose”. In the exercise type information “yoga”, meditation corresponds to normal cool-down after exercise. When the exercise type information is “yoga”, the motion information belonging to each piece of scenario attribute information is appropriately set. As described, the above-described scenario attribute information is stored in the motion information storage area 121 in association with the motion information.
Hereinafter, the exercise type information shown in FIG. 4 will be described. In this embodiment, the exercise type information includes “aerobic exercise”, “anaerobic exercise”, “stretching exercise”, and “yoga”.
Specifically, aerobic exercise includes step exercise. Step exercise is performed with an appropriate exercise tempo for each user, and can be performed as effective aerobic exercise. Step exercise is exercise which mainly uses leg portions and repeats the same pattern for a predetermined period. Effective aerobic exercise is exercise which can be continued with the uptake of oxygen without undue fatigue (for example, step exercise and jogging). Aerobic exercise is exercise exceeds the minimum level of exercise intensity such that fat is likely to be burned off. When the tempo is equal to or lower than an appropriate tempo, for example, when the tempo is low, the exercise intensity is weak, and there is a possibility that the effect of aerobic exercise is not obtained. Even when the tempo is equal to or higher than an appropriate tempo, for example, when the tempo is high, the exercise intensity is strong, and there is a possibility that aerobic exercise exhibits no effect and becomes anaerobic exercise. In this case, the user feels undue fatigue, thus there is a possibility that the user does not continue to exercise for a long time, and the effect of aerobic exercise is not obtained. In this embodiment, though not shown, the exercise tempo (Beat Per Minutes: BPM) can be set for each piece of motion information. For this reason, each user can perform step exercise with an appropriate exercise tempo. Thus, step exercise can be performed as aerobic exercise with an appropriate tempo for each user. “March”, “front lunge”, “back lunge”, “side step”, and the like shown in FIG. 4 are examples of step exercise.
Specifically, anaerobic exercise includes muscle training exercise. Muscle training exercise can be switched between muscle training exercise for increasing endurance and muscle training exercise for increasing an instantaneous force by changing the exercise tempo of muscle training. The exercise tempo is changed for each user in accordance with the object of muscle training for increasing endurance or an instantaneous force. With regard to muscle training exercise, the object of muscle training can be changed by changing the exercise tempo. Muscle training exercise using barbells, such as “shoulder press” shown in FIG. 4, is an example of muscle training exercise. “Squat” or the like shown in FIG. 4 is an example of muscle training exercise using legs.
Stretching is exercise for stretching the respective body parts. Like “upper arm stretch” and “neck stretch” shown in FIG. 4, stretching is associated with the respective parts of the human body.
Yoga is exercise in which various poses are taken by the human body to stretch the body.
The motion video information storage area 122 stores motion video information. The motion video information is video information corresponding to motion information. As shown in FIG. 6, as the motion video information corresponding to the motion information “march”, “march video” is stored in the motion video information storage area 122. Similarly, as the motion video information corresponding to the motion information “front lunge”, “front lunge video” is stored in the motion video information storage area 122. FIG. 7A is a conceptual diagram in which an X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis are defined on the display screen of the display 4, and video information 50 based on a human form expressed by CG is displayed on the display 4. FIG. 7B is a conceptual diagram showing the coordinate positions of the respective parts of the human body expressed by the video information 50 in FIG. 7A. The video information of FIG. 7A is created on the basis of the coordinate positions of the respective parts of the body shown in FIG. 7B. In FIG. 7B, P1 to P17 respectively indicate the parts of the human body. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the coordinate positions of P1 to P17 respectively indicating the parts of the body of FIG. 7B so as to display a predetermined one motion. A video which represents the coordinate positions on the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis for P1 to P17 respectively indicating the parts of the human body shown in FIG. 8 shows still images. A plurality of still images of the video representing the coordinate positions shown in FIG. 8 are consecutively displayed on the display 4, such that a video of a person who performs predetermined exercise is displayed on the display 4. In FIG. 9, the numerals “1” to “16” indicate the order of the still images displayed on the display 4. The still images corresponding to “1” to “16” in FIG. 9 are displayed consecutively on the display 4, the exercise motion “march” as video is performed once. A group of still images representing predetermined motion information shown in FIG. 9 is stored in the motion video information storage area 122. Each time the exercise motion “march” is performed, the motion video information is read from the motion video information storage area 122 and displayed on the display 4. The motion video information stored in the motion video information storage area 122 is newly updated, such that the user of the output terminal apparatus 1 creates new exercise contents.
The scenario order information storage area 123 stores scenario order information. As shown in FIG. 10, the scenario order information storage area 123 stores exercise type information, a scenario name, and scenario order information. The scenario name is stored in the scenario order information storage area 123 in association with exercise type information to which the scenario name belongs. The scenario name is stored in the scenario order information storage area 123 in association with scenario order information. The scenario order information includes one or more pieces of scenario attribute information. The scenario name is information for identifying the scenario order information associated with the scenario name. In this embodiment, the name of a scenario associated with scenario order information is stored in the scenario order information storage area 123 as the scenario name.
Hereinafter, the details of scenario order information will be described with reference to FIG. 10. Specifically, the scenario name “beginner aerobics” of FIG. 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 10, the scenario name “beginner aerobics” is associated with scenario order information “1>2>3>6>5”. The scenario order information “1>2>3>6>5” indicates that the motion information corresponding to the scenario attribute information “2” is performed after the motion information corresponding to the scenario attribute information “1” is performed. That is, the motion information corresponding to each piece of scenario attribute information is performed in the order of the scenario attribute information “1”, the scenario attribute information “2”, the scenario attribute information “3”, the scenario attribute information “6”, and the scenario attribute information “5”. As shown in FIG. 10, the scenario order information associated with each scenario name is stored in the scenario order information storage area 123. The scenario order information of this embodiment corresponds to exercise order information of the invention.
The server program information storage area 124 stores server program information. The server program information refers to a program for controlling the server 10. The server 10 acquires exercise list information from the output terminal apparatus 1 through the network connection unit 14. The server 10 transmits the motion video information corresponding to the motion information constituting the exercise list information to the output terminal apparatus 1 in accordance with the acquired exercise list information. The details of exercise list information will be described below.
The RAM 13 includes an exercise list temporary storage area 131. The exercise list temporary storage area 131 temporarily stores the exercise list information received by the server 10. The exercise list information includes the motion information. The motion information constituting the exercise list information is selected from plural pieces of motion information shown in FIG. 4 by the user 150 through the information input unit 5. The details of the selection method will be described below. The server 10 acquires the exercise list information from the output terminal apparatus 1 through the network connection unit 14.

As shown in FIG. 11, the output terminal apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a CPU 6 which controls the output terminal apparatus 1. The CPU 6 is electrically connected to a speaker 2, a speaker 3, a display 4, an information input unit 5, an HDD 7, a RAM 8, and a network connection unit 9. The CPU 6 constitutes a computer, which controls the operation of the output terminal apparatus 1, along with a storage device, such as the HDD 7 and the RAM 8. The network connection unit 9 communicates information with the server 10 through Internet.
The HDD 7 includes a program information storage area 71. The program information storage area 71 includes a terminal operation program information storage area 711 and an exercise list creation program information storage area 712. The terminal operation program information storage area 711 stores program information for controlling the output terminal apparatus 1 in the contents creation system 100. The exercise list creation program information storage area 712 stores program information for creating exercise list information. The program may be downloaded from a predetermined server on a network, or may be recorded in a recording medium, such as a CD-ROM, and read through a recording medium.
The RAM 8 includes a motion information temporary storage area 81, a motion video information temporary storage area 82, a scenario order information temporary storage area 83, and an exercise list temporary storage area 84.
The motion information temporary storage area 81 temporarily stores motion information. The motion information stored in the motion information temporary storage area 81 is acquired from the motion information storage area 121 of the server 10 through the network connection unit 9.
The motion video information temporary storage area 82 temporarily stores the motion video information corresponding to the motion information constituting the exercise list information. The motion video information corresponding to the motion information constituting the exercise list information is acquired from information stored in the motion video information storage area 122 of the server 10.
The scenario order information temporary storage area 83 temporarily stores the scenario order information stored in the scenario order information storage area 123 of the server 10. The scenario order information stored in the scenario order information temporary storage area 83 is acquired from the scenario order information storage area 123 of the server 10 through the network connection unit 9.
The exercise list temporary storage area 84 temporarily stores exercise list information. Hereinafter, the details of exercise list information will be described with reference to FIG. 12. Specifically, FIG. 12 shows an example of exercise list information where the user selects the scenario name “dynamic aerobics”. The exercise list information includes scenario attribute information and motion information. The scenario attribute information included in the exercise list information is scenario attribute information included in scenario order information corresponding to a predetermined scenario name. If the user selects a scenario name, the scenario order information associated with the scenario name is decided. First, the scenario attribute information included in the decided scenario order information is temporarily stored in the exercise list temporary storage area 84. Then, the motion information corresponding to the scenario attribute information is decided. The decided motion information is temporarily stored in the exercise list temporary storage area 84 in association with the scenario attribute information. The method of deciding motion information associated with each piece of scenario attribute information will be described below.

The operation and action of the contents creation system 100 of this embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the operation and action of the output terminal apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. An output terminal operation shown in FIG. 13 is carried out when the output terminal apparatus 1 is connected to the power source or an external power source, such as a commercial power source, through a socket, and the CPU 6 runs an output terminal operation program. The following processing is carried out by the CPU 6.
In the output terminal apparatus 1, in Step S101, first, it is determined whether or not the user turns on the power switch of this apparatus. Step S101 is repeatedly carried out until it is determined that the power switch is turned on. When it is determined that the power switch is turned on, Step S102 is carried out. The power switch may be a hardware switch or a power switch which is operated by software.
In Step S102, the output terminal apparatus 1 transmits an acquisition command of the motion information and the scenario order information to the server 10. The acquisition command is a command which requests the server 10 to transmit the motion information stored in the motion information storage area 121 to the output terminal apparatus 1. Further, the acquisition command is a command which requests the server 10 to transmit the scenario order information stored in the scenario order information storage area 123 to the output terminal apparatus 1. When receiving the acquisition command, the server 10 transmits the motion information stored in the motion information storage area 121 to the output terminal apparatus 1. When receiving the acquisition command, the server 10 transmits the scenario order information stored in the scenario order information storage area 123 to the output terminal apparatus 1.
In Step S103, it is determined whether or not the motion information and the scenario order information transmitted from the server 10 are received by the output terminal apparatus 1. Step S103 is repeatedly carried out until it is determined that the motion information and the scenario order information are acquired. When it is determined that the motion information and the scenario order information are acquired, Step S104 is carried out.
In Step S104, the motion information acquired in Step S103 is temporarily stored in the motion information temporary storage area 81 provided in the output terminal apparatus 1. In Step S104, the scenario order information acquired in Step S103 is temporarily stored in the scenario order information temporary storage area 83 provided in the output terminal apparatus 1.
In Step S105, exercise list information generation processing is carried out. In Step S105, exercise list information is generated on the basis of the motion information and the scenario order information acquired in Step S104. The generated exercise list information is temporarily stored in the exercise list temporary storage area 84.
In Step S106, the exercise list information generated in Step S105 is transmitted from the output terminal apparatus 1 to the server 10 through the network connection unit 9. The exercise list information stored in the exercise list temporary storage area 84 of the output terminal apparatus 1 is transmitted to the server 10.
In Step S107, it is determined whether or not the motion video information is received by the output terminal apparatus 1. The received motion video information is video information which constitutes the exercise list information transmitted from the output terminal apparatus 1 to the server 10 in Step S106. The server 10 decides motion video information to be transmitted to the output terminal apparatus 1 on the basis of a received first exercise list. The decided motion video information is transmitted from the server 10 to the output terminal apparatus 1. Step S107 is repeatedly carried out until it is determined that the motion video information is received. When it is determined that the motion video information is received, Step S108 is carried out.
In Step S108, the motion video information received in Step S107 is temporarily stored in the motion video information temporary storage area 82 provided in the output terminal apparatus 1.
In Step S109, the motion video information stored in the motion video information temporary storage area 82 is output onto the display 4 in accordance with the exercise list information. The details of the output of the motion video information will be described with reference to FIG. 12. The scenario attribute information of the exercise list information shown in FIG. 12 is performed in the order of “2”, “3”, “5”, and “6”. Specifically, first, the motion video information of “march” corresponding to the scenario attribute information “2” is output. Then, the motion video information of “side step” corresponding to the scenario attribute information “3” is output. Next, the motion video information of “calf stretch” corresponding to the scenario attribute information “5” is output. Finally, the motion video information of “march” corresponding to the scenario attribute information “6” is output. The motion video information output in Step S109 is stored in the motion video information temporary storage area 82. The motion video information stored in the motion video information temporary storage area 82 is read. A display signal is created to display the read motion video information on the display 4. The created display signal is supplied to the display 4. The motion video information is displayed on the display 4 on the basis of the supplied display signal. In this embodiment, the speaker 2 and the speaker 3 output music at the same time when the motion video information is output. The output music is stored in the HDD 7. The output music may be acquired and output from another server apparatus through the network connection unit 9.
In Step S110, it is determined whether or not the user turns off the power switch. When the power switch is not turned off, Step S102 is carried out again. When the power switch is turned off, the process returns to Step S101 and Step S101 is carried out again.

(Description of Exercise List Generation Operation)

In Step S201 of exercise list information generation processing of the output terminal apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 14, the exercise type information is selected. A display signal is created for displaying the exercise type information stored in the scenario order information temporary storage area 83 on the display 4. The created display signal is supplied to the display 4. The exercise type information is displayed on the display 4 on the basis of the supplied display signal. Desired exercise type information is selected from among the exercise type information displayed on the display 4 through the information input unit 5. The selected exercise type information is stored in a predetermined storage area of the RAM 8.
In Step S202, it is determined whether or not the exercise type information selected in Step S201 is “yoga”. It is determined whether or not the exercise type information stored in the predetermined storage area of the RAM 8 in Step S201 is “yoga”. When it is determined that the exercise type information is “yoga”, Step S203 is carried out. When it is determined that the exercise type information is not “yoga”, Step S204 is carried out.
In Step S203, the scenario name corresponding to the exercise type information “yoga” is displayed on the display 4. The displayed scenario name is information stored in the scenario order information temporary storage area 83. The scenario name corresponding to the exercise type information “yoga” is read from the information stored in the scenario order information temporary storage area 83. A display signal is created for displaying the read scenario name on the display 4. The created display signal is supplied to the display 4. The scenario name is displayed on the display 4 on the basis of the supplied display signal.
In Step S204, it is determined whether or not the exercise type information selected in Step S201 is “aerobic exercise”. It is determined whether or not the exercise type information stored in the predetermined storage area of the RAM 8 in Step S201 is “aerobic exercise”. When it is determined that the exercise type information is “aerobic exercise”, Step S205 is carried out. When it is determined that the exercise type information is not “aerobic exercise”, Step S206 is carried out.
In Step S205, the scenario name corresponding to the exercise type information “aerobic exercise” is displayed on the display 4. The displayed scenario name is information stored in the scenario order information temporary storage area 83. The scenario name corresponding to the exercise type information “aerobic exercise” is read from among information stored in the scenario order information temporary storage area 83. A display signal is created to display the read scenario name on the display 4. The created display signal is supplied to the display 4. The scenario name is displayed on the display 4 on the basis of the supplied display signal.
In Step S206, it is determined whether or not the exercise type information selected in Step S201 is “anaerobic exercise”. It is determined whether or not the exercise type information stored in the predetermined storage area of the RAM 8 in Step S201 is “anaerobic exercise”. When it is determined that the exercise type information is “anaerobic exercise”, Step S207 is carried out. When it is determined that the exercise type information is not “anaerobic exercise”, Step S208 is carried out.
In Step S207, the scenario name corresponding to the exercise type information “anaerobic exercise” is displayed on the display 4. The displayed scenario name is information stored in the scenario order information temporary storage area 83. The scenario name corresponding to the exercise type information “anaerobic exercise” is read from information stored in the scenario order information temporary storage area 83. A display signal is created to display the read scenario name on the display 4. The created display signal is supplied to the display 4. The scenario name is displayed on the display 4 on the basis of the supplied display signal.
In Step S208, a scenario name corresponding to exercise type information other than the exercise type information “yoga”, “aerobic exercise”, and “anaerobic exercise” is displayed on the display 4. When the exercise type information other than the exercise type information “yoga”, “aerobic exercise”, and “anaerobic exercise” is stored in the scenario order information temporary storage area 83, Step S208 is carried out. The exercise type information other than the exercise type information “yoga”, “aerobic exercise”, and “anaerobic exercise” is displayed on the display 4, similarly to Steps S203, 5205, and S207.
In Step S209, a desired scenario name is selected from among the scenario names displayed on the display 4 in Step S203, S205, S207, or S208. A scenario name is selected from among the scenario names displayed on the display 4 through the information input unit 5. The selected scenario name is temporarily stored in a predetermined storage area of the RAM.
In Step S210, the scenario order information corresponding to the scenario name selected in Step S209 is read from the scenario order information temporary storage area 83. The read scenario order information includes one or more pieces of scenario attribute information. The motion information corresponding to the scenario attribute information constituting the scenario order information is displayed on the display 4. Specifically, a display signal is created to display the motion information corresponding to the scenario attribute information on the display 4. The created display signal is supplied to the display 4. The motion information is displayed on the display 4 on the basis of the supplied display signal. FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram showing a display state where motion information is displayed on the display 4. As shown in FIG. 15, scenario attribute information 61 and motion information candidates 62 to 65 are displayed on the display 4. The motion information candidate is motion information corresponding to the scenario attribute information constituting the scenario order information. All of the motion information candidates 62 to 65 may be displayed simultaneously. For example, desired scenario attribute information is indicated from among the scenario attribute information 61 displayed on the display 4 through the information input unit 5. In this case, the motion information corresponding to the indicated scenario attribute information is displayed as a motion information candidate. Specifically, it is assumed that the scenario attribute information “3” is indicated by the information input unit 5. At this time, a motion information candidate 63 is displayed as a motion information candidate corresponding to the scenario attribute information “3”. The motion information displayed as the motion information candidate 63 is the motion information corresponding to the exercise type information selected in Step S201 and the scenario attribute information “3”. The motion information corresponding to the exercise type information selected in Step S201 and the scenario attribute information “3” is decided and displayed from the motion information temporary storage area 81. For example, it is assumed that, in Step S201, the exercise type information “aerobic exercise” is selected, and in Step S210, the scenario attribute information “3” is indicated. In this case, motion information “march”, “front lunge”, “back lunge”, “side step”, “knee up”, and the like corresponding to the exercise type information “aerobic exercise” and the scenario attribute information “3” are decided from among the motion information shown in FIG. 4 as motion information candidates. The decided motion information candidates are displayed on the display 4, as shown in FIG. 15. As described above, in this embodiment, exercise motions suitable for an exercise order to perform respective exercise motions can be decided and presented onto a predetermined display unit. For this reason, exercise motions can be decided without needing for an expert, such as an exercise instructor, to manually decide the order of exercise motions. Further, exercise motions suitable for an exercise order including main exercise, warm-up exercise, cool-down exercise, aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise, and stretching exercise can be decided and presented onto a predetermined display unit. Further, exercise motions suitable for an exercise order to perform respective exercise motions can be decided in consideration of stress imposed on the user's body when the user performs an exercise motion and presented onto a predetermined display unit. In addition, exercise motions suitable for an exercise order to perform respective exercise motions can be decided and presented onto a predetermined display unit. For this reason, desired motions from among the exercise motions presented onto the display unit can be selected and an exercise menu can be created.
In Step S211, desired motion information is selected from among the motion information candidates displayed on the display 4 in Step S210 through the information input unit 5. The selected motion information is temporarily stored in the exercise list temporary storage area 84 as exercise list information.
In Step S212, it is determined whether or not there is a request to change exercise type information. The request to change exercise type information is input by the user through the information input unit 5. When it is determined that there is a change request, Step S201 is carried out again. When it is determined that there is no change request, Step S213 is carried out.
In Step S213, it is determined whether or not setting is completed to associate motion information with scenario attribute information. Specifically, a setting completion button is displayed on the display 4. If the displayed setting completion button is indicated by the information input unit 5, it is determined that setting is completed. When it is determined that setting is completed, Step S214 is carried out. When it is determined that setting is not completed, Step S211 is carried out again.

(Modification 1)

Modification 1 of this embodiment will be described. The contents creation system 100 of this embodiment includes the output terminal apparatus 1 and the server 10. In Modification 1 of this embodiment, the output terminal apparatus may include the HDD 12 and the RAM 13 which are provided in the server. The output terminal apparatus may not acquire motion information and motion video information through Internet, and may store motion information and motion video information in the HDD provided in the output terminal apparatus. In this case, the server 10 will not be provided. Similarly, the output terminal apparatus may not acquire scenario order information through Internet, and may store scenario order information in the HDD provided in the output terminal apparatus. In this case, the server 10 will not be provided. Further, the output terminal apparatus 1 may be directly connected to an external storage device, such as a USB memory, to acquire motion information, motion video information, or scenario order information.

(Modification 2)

Modification 2 of the server 10 of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the single server 10 is provided in the contents creation system 100. In Modification 2, a plurality of servers 10 may be provided in the contents creation systems 100.

(Modification 3)

Modification 3 of the scenario order information of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, scenario order information includes first exercise type information characterized by a sequence to perform exercise motions including warm-up exercise, main exercise, and cool-down exercise, second exercise type information characterized by exercise motions themselves including aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise, stretching exercise, and yoga, and exercise intensity representing the intensity of exercise motions. In Modification 3 of this embodiment, the scenario order information may include first exercise type information and second exercise type information, excluding exercise intensity. The scenario order information may include only first exercise type information. Further, the scenario order information may include only second exercise type information. In addition, the scenario order information may include first exercise type information and exercise intensity. Similarly, the scenario order information may include second exercise type information and exercise intensity. The scenario order information may include exercise motions with a high level of exercise intensity, exercise motions with a low level of exercise intensity, and the like.

Claims

1. An exercise assistance device comprising:

a first acquisition unit which acquires plural pieces of exercise scene information representing a scene when an exercise motion is performed and plural pieces of motion information representing the exercise motions, the plural pieces of exercise scene information being associated with the plural pieces of motion information;

a second acquisition unit which acquires plural pieces of exercise order information which describes an order to perform the exercise motions corresponding to the exercise scene information;

a first selection unit which selects one of the pieces of exercise order information acquired by the second acquisition unit;

a decision unit which decides, from plural pieces of motion information, the motion information corresponding to the exercise scene information included in the exercise order information selected by the first selection unit; and

a generation unit which generates a display signal to display the motion information decided by the decision unit on a display unit.

2. The exercise assistance device according to claim 1, the exercise scene information includes scenario attribute information defining one of main exercise having exercise motions as a main movement of a body, warm-up exercise for preparation before the main exercise, and cool-down exercise for cooling down the body after the main exercise.

3. The exercise assistance device according to claim 2, wherein the exercise scene information includes exercise type information defining one of aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise, and stretching exercise for stretching the body.

4. The exercise assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the exercise scene information includes scenario attribute information representing the scene a scene when the exercise motion is performed, and exercise stress information representing stress of an exercise motion in the exercise scene information.

5. The exercise assistance device according to claim 4, wherein

the scenario attribute information defines one of main exercise having exercise motions as a main movement of a body, warm-up exercise for preparation before the main exercise, and cool-down exercise for cooling down the body after the main exercise, and

the exercise stress information defines one of aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise, and stretching exercise for stretching the body.

6. The exercise assistance device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second selection unit which selects desired motion information from among the motion information displayed on the display unit; and

a creation unit which creates an exercise menu including the exercise scene information having the selected motion information based on the motion information selected by the second selection unit.

7. An exercise assistance method comprising:

acquiring plural pieces of exercise scene information representing a scene when an exercise motion is performed and plural pieces of motion information representing the exercise motions, the plural pieces of exercise scene information being associated with the plural pieces of motion information;

acquiring plural pieces of exercise order information which describes an order to perform the exercise motions corresponding to the exercise scene information;

selecting one of the pieces of acquired exercise order information;

deciding, from plural pieces of motion information, the motion information corresponding to the exercise scene information included in the selected exercise order information; and

generating a display signal to display the decided motion information on a display unit.

8. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a program, which causes a computer to execute:

selecting one of the pieces of acquired exercise order information;