Method for recognizing heartbeat and for calculating quantities acquired from that

• US 20060173370A1
• Filed: 03/29/2006
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Suunto Oy (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.), Myontec Oy
• Original Assignee: Suunto Oy (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.), Mega Elektroniikka Oy (Bittium Oyj)
• Inventors: Punkka, Eero, Martikka, Mikko, Tolvanen, Pekka, Koivumaa, Veikko, Kylliainen, Juha, Remes, Arto
• Granted Patent: US 7,797,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/509
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/25 Bioelectric electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/349 Detecting specific parameters of the electrocardiograph cycle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/721 using a separate sensor to detect motion or using motion information derived from signals other than the physiological signal to be measured
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/901 Suppression of noise in electric signal

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for recognizing and measuring heartbeat in physical training, in which method individual heartbeats are recognized and measured from the electrical signal of the heart, the EKG signal, on the area of waist and/or on the body area below the waist by means of two or more electrodes (2, 3) integrated to an outfit (1) or to a part of an outfit, and/or by means of two or more electrodes integrated to one or several wearable sensors, and for calculating various quantities describing the function of the heart. In the method in accordance with the invention, for recognizing and measuring heartbeat, the signals received from the heart are processed and examined with two or more different ways for improving the reliability of calculation and for decreasing the impact of noises.

Claims

1. Method for recognizing and measuring heartbeat in physical training, in which

individual heartbeats are recognized and measured from electrical signal of the heart, EKG signal, on an area of waist and/or on a body area below the waist by means of two or more electrodes integrated to an outfit or to a part of an outfit and/or by means of two or more electrodes integrated to one or several wearable sensors,

various quantities describing the function of the heart are calculated,

for recognizing and measuring heartbeat, the signals received from the heart are processed and examined with two or more different ways for improving the reliability of calculation and for decreasing the impact of disturbances.

2. Method in accordance with claim 1, in which

heartbeats are examined by using two or more signals measured from various parts of the body for improving the reliability of calculation and for decreasing the impact of disturbances.

3. Method in accordance with claim 1, in which

two or more signals received from the heart are processed in ways differing from each other for improving the reliability of calculation and for decreasing the impact of disturbances.

4. Method in accordance with claim 1, in which

signals taken from a moving person for measuring are processed by means of information from the simultaneously measured EMG and/or motion signals for decreasing the influence of muscle and/or motion noises.

5. Method in accordance with claim 1, in which

heartbeats are measured with at least four electrodes, which have been placed on the pelvis and the lower dorsum area.

6. Method in accordance with claim 1, in which

electrical signal of the heart is measured on at least two channels.

7. Method in accordance with claim 1, in which

measuring is done bipolar by using three electrodes/channels such that on each channel the electrical functioning of the heart, the EKG signal, is examined from different directions.

8. Method in accordance with claims 1, in which

from the EKG signals of the heart movement noises are filtered away by combining the EMG signals from femoral and/or gluteal muscles measured simultaneously and/or signals from motion and acceleration sensors attached on the body.

9. Method in accordance with claim 1, in which

pulse is measured during physical exercise in water, in which case the electrodes needed in measuring the pulse are placed on the outfit used in water, such as a swimming suit.

10. Method in accordance with claim 9, in which

the surroundings of the electrodes and the cloth on the electrodes are made denser and/or impregnated with a waterproof substance or film, which, on one hand, prevents the access of water between the electrodes and the skin, and on the other hand, isolates the electrodes from one another.

11. Method in accordance with claim 9, in which

a waterproof module is attached to a swimming suit, in which module, in addition to the EKG amplifier, there are electronics and programme needed for calculating the parameters of the pulse as well as a memory unit for saving the results.