Bi-point detection type heart-rate monitor and its heart-rate monitoring method

• US 20050004483A1
• Filed: 09/15/2003
• Published: 01/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Chang YOW Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Chang YOW Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Lin, Abdada
• Application Number:
  US10/661,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20050004483A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/509
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02433 for infrared radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02444 Details of sensor A61B5/02427 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/276 Protection against electrode failure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices

Abstract

A bi-point detection type heart-rate monitor is constructed to include two electrically conductive contact terminals for the touching of the two hands or feet of a person, an amplifier-filter circuit adapted to sample impedance signal between the contact terminals, to amplify the impulse of the sampled impedance signal, and to remove noises from the sampled impedance signal, a waveform converter adapted to rectify outputted waveform from the amplifier-filter circuit into a square wave, and a processing and output circuit adapted to receive and process the square wave signal outputted by the wave form converter, to obtain the mean frequency of peaks of the received square wave signal by means of a computing process, and to output the frequency value thus obtained to a display unit for display.

Claims

1. A bi-point detection type heart-rate monitor comprising:

two electrically conductive contact terminals for the touching of the two hands or feet of a person;

an amplifier-filter circuit adapted to sample impedance signal between said contact terminals, to amplify the impulse of the sampled impedance signal, and to remove noises from the sampled impedance signal;

a waveform converter adapted to rectify outputted waveform from said amplifier-filter circuit into a square wave; and

a processing and output circuit adapted to receive and process the square wave signal outputted by said wave form converter, to obtain the mean frequency of peaks of the received square wave signal by means of a computing process, and to output the frequency value thus obtained to a display unit for display.

2. The bi-point detection type heart-rate monitor as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a detection unit adapted to detect simultaneous touching of said contact terminals by the person to be examined, and to let said processing and output circuit output said frequency value to said display unit when the detection result is positive.

3. The bi-point detection type heart-rate monitor as claimed in claim 2, wherein said detection unit comprises two infrared transmitting receiving devices respectively installed in said contact terminals, and a detection circuit adapted to detect triggering of said infrared transmitting receiving devices.

4. The bi-point detection type heart-rate monitor as claimed in claim 3, wherein said infrared transmitting receiving devices are respectively located on the geographical center of said contact terminals.

5. The bi-point detection type heart-rate monitor as claimed in claim 4, wherein said contact terminals each have a hole disposed at the respective geographical center and adapted to accommodate said infrared transmitting receiving devices respectively.

6. The bi-point detection type heart-rate monitor as claimed in claim 2, wherein said detection unit comprises two thin-film switches respectively installed in said contact terminals, and a detection circuit adapted to detect trigging of said thin-film switches.

7. The bi-point detection type heart-rate monitor as claimed in claim 2, wherein said detection unit comprises two micro switches respectively installed in said contact terminals, and a detection circuit adapted to detect trigging of said micro switches.

8. The bi-point detection type heart-rate monitor as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processing and output circuit is a microprocessor.

10. The bi-point detection type heart-rate monitoring method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a sub-step of driving a detection unit to detect contact between the hands (legs) of the person to be examined and the respective contact terminals before step (a), and then proceeding to step (b) only when positive contact between the hands (legs) of the person to be examined and the respective contact terminals has been detected.

11. The bi-point detection type heart-rate monitoring method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said sub-step further stopping the monitoring action when said detection unit detected the hands (legs) of the person to be examined not simultaneously touched the respective contact terminals.

12. The bi-point detection type heart-rate monitoring method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said sub-step further producing a warning signal when said detection unit detected the hands (legs) of the person to be examined not simultaneously touched the respective contact terminals.

9. A bi-point detection type heart-rate monitoring method comprising the steps of:

(a) letting the hands (legs) of the person to be examined hold a respective contact terminal;

(b) using a circuit to apply a predetermined voltage to the two contact terminals in contact the hands (legs) of the person to be examined, and then measuring the impedance signal between the two contact terminals;

(c) driving an amplifier-filter circuit to amplify the impedance signal thus measured and to remove noises from the signal;

(d) driving a waveform converter to rectify outputted waveform from the amplifier-filter circuit into a square wave;

(e) driving a processing and output circuit to receive and process the square wave signal outputted by said wave form converter, to obtain the mean frequency of peaks of the received square wave signal by means of a computing process, and to output the frequency value thus obtained to a display unit for display.