Method and heart-rate monitor

• US 20060004294A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Suunto Oy (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Suunto Oy (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mannonen, Kalle, Juntunen, Jouni, Kekalainen, Panu, Pienimaki, Kauko
• Application Number:
  US11/169,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20060004294A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/500
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a heart-rate monitor. The invention is based on heartbeats being detected in a remote device and a time datum relating to each heartbeat being recorded. The time datum is expressed in some mutually comparably form, for example, as a value given by the internal clock of the measuring device, or a similar device expressing the passage of time. After this, the time data relating to heartbeats are sent to a heart-rate monitor, wristop computer, or similar terminal device, together with an identifier datum. The pulse data and, if necessary, pulse-interval data can be calculated in the terminal device and pulse data that may be lacking can be detected on the basis of the time data obtained.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting pulse data from a remote device to a terminal device, the method comprising:

in the remote device, producing a message, which contains pulse data and an identifier, and

transmitting the message from the remote device to the terminal device,

characterized in that the pulse data comprises time data relating to a heartbeat.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the pulse data is coded into a digital form in the remote device, before transmission.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the information contained in the message transmitted from the remote device to the terminal device is entirely coded into digital form.

4. A method according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that data on several heartbeats is collected in the remote device and time data relating to the several heartbeats is included in a single message.

5. A method according to any of claims 1-4, characterized in that the pulse data of each message comprises a predefined number of time data, which relate to the detected consecutive heartbeats.

6. A method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the number of time data contained in the message is from 1 to 8, preferably from 2 to 4, and most preferably exactly 3.

7. A method according to any of claims 1-6, characterized in that the message containing pulse data is produced in the remote device without calculating the pulse-interval data.

8. A method according to any of claims 1-7, characterized in that the identifier is in a digital form and individuates the remote device, so that the terminal device can identify the remote device with the aid of the identifier in a digital form.

9. A method according to any of claims 1-8, characterized in that the time data contain a value obtained from a time reference and selected on the basis of the moment of the detection of the heartbeat.

10. A method according to claim 9, characterized in that an internal clock device of the remote device is used as the time reference.

11. A method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the values obtained from the time reference are relative, in such a way that they express the moment of a heartbeat relative to the preceding or following heartbeats.

12. A method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the values obtained from the time reference are essentially absolute, in such a way that they express with substantial accuracy the moment of a heartbeat in local time.

13. A method according to any of claims 1-12, characterized in that the message is transmitted wirelessly using a radio frequency.

14. A transmitter part of a heart-rate monitor, for transmitting to a calculation and display unit, characterized in that the transmitter part is arranged to implement the method according to any of claims 1-13.

15. A method for processing in a terminal device pulse data received from a remote device, the method comprising:

receiving messages, which contain pulse data and an identifier, transmitted by the remote device, and

determining the pulse value at the moment on the basis of the pulse data contained in the received messages,

characterized in that the pulse data comprises time data relating to a heartbeat.

16. A method according to claim 15, characterized in that the received pulse data is coded into a digital form.

17. A method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that the information contained in the received messages is entirely coded into a digital form.

18. A method according to any of claims 15-17, characterized in that the received message contains time data relating to several heartbeats.

19. A method according to any of claims 15-18, characterized in that the pulse data contained in each message comprises a predefined number of time data, which relate to consecutive heartbeats detected in the remote device.

20. A method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that the number of time data contained in a message is from 1 to 8, preferably from 2 to 4, and most preferably exactly 3.

21. A method according to any of claims 15-20, characterized in that, if data on the duration of the time between heartbeats is required, the pulse-interval data is calculated on the basis of the time data received.

22. A method according to any of claims 15-21, characterized in that the identifier contained in each message is examined, and, if the identifier differs from the identifier set for the terminal device, the message containing the differing identifier is rejected.

23. A method according to any of claims 15-22, characterized in that each time data contains a relative time value, in such a way that the time values express the moment of the heartbeat relative to the moments of the preceding or following heartbeats.

24. A method according to any of claims 15-22, characterized in that each time datum contains an essentially absolute time value, in such a way that the time values express with substantial accuracy the moment of a heartbeat in local time.

25. A method according to any of claims 15-24, characterized in that the message is received wirelessly using a radio frequency.

26. A calculation and display unit of a heart-rate monitor, characterized in that it is arranged to implement the method according to any of claims 15-25.