DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CALCULATING CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS LEVEL AND ENERGY EXPENDITURE OF A LIVING BEING

• US 20140180033A1
• Filed: 12/18/2013
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stichting Imec Nederland
• Original Assignee: Stichting Imec Nederland
• Inventors: Altini, Marco
• Granted Patent: US 10,219,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/222 combined with detection or measurement of physiological parameters, e.g. heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2270/041 Controlled or regulated

Abstract

A device for monitoring the physical activity of a living being is disclosed. In one aspect, there is a data input module configured to receive information about the living being'"'"'s heart beat rate value, motion intensity and anthropometric characteristics. Further, there is an activity recognition and storage module configured to detect, from information received about the living being'"'"'s motion intensity, the living being'"'"'s activity and to store information about the living being'"'"'s heart beat rate value and the motion intensity associated with that detected activity. Further, there is a heart beat rate analysis module configured to determine, from a plurality of heart beat rate values associated with each detected activity, statistics of the distribution of heart beat rate values for each activity or a subset of activities. Further, there is a fitness estimation module configured to calculate, using the information from the heart beat rate analysis module and the anthropometric characteristics, a cardiorespiratory fitness level of the living being.

Claims

1. A device for monitoring the physical activity of a living being comprising:

a data input module configured to receive information about the living being'"'"'s heart beat rate value, motion intensity, and anthropometric characteristics;

an activity recognition and storage module configured to detect, from information received about the living being'"'"'s motion intensity, the living being'"'"'s activity and to store information about the living being'"'"'s heart beat rate value and the motion intensity associated with that detected activity;

a heart beat rate analysis module configured to determine, from a plurality of heart beat rate values associated with each detected activity, statistics of the distribution of heart beat rate values for each activity or a subset of activities; and

a fitness estimation module configured to calculate, using the information from the heart beat rate analysis module and the anthropometric characteristics, a cardiorespiratory fitness level of the living being.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the information about motion intensity is information about the body'"'"'s acceleration and/or motion speed.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the information about motion intensity is information about the body'"'"'s acceleration and the device further comprises a motion calculation component configured to calculate, from the information about the body'"'"'s acceleration, the living being'"'"'s motion speed.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the information about motion intensity is information about the body'"'"'s acceleration and the device further comprises a location positioning component configured to calculate the living being'"'"'s motion speed.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the heart beat rate analysis module is configured to calculate statistics of the heart beat rate value distribution associated to a detected activity and motion intensity in order to store summarized heart beat rate information for each activity or a subset of activities.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the fitness estimation module uses a mathematical model based on information about heart beat rate value distribution, acceleration, anthropometric characteristics, and VO2 reference from indirect calorimetry.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the mathematical model expresses the relation between the summarized heart beat rate information, the associated detected activity or subset of activities, the associated motion intensity, the anthropometric characteristics, and the cardiorespiratory fitness level of the living being.

8. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an energy expenditure module configured to calculate an energy expenditure of a living being using information about the living being'"'"'s cardiorespiratory fitness level, detected activity, motion intensity, normalized heart beat rate values and anthropometric characteristics.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the activity recognition and storage module is configured to detect both a rest activity and a moving activity, to store heart beat rate values associated with each detected activity, and the motion intensity associated to the moving activity.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the moving activity is associated to at least a first motion intensity and a second motion intensity and the heart beat rate analysis module is configured to determine one first heart beat rate summary from the heart beat rate value distribution associated to the first motion intensity and one second heart beat rate summary from the heart beat rate value distribution associated to the second motion intensity and one third heart beat rate summary from the heart beat rate value distribution associated to the rest activity.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the living being is a human or an animal being.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the living being is a human and the anthropometric characteristics comprise one or more of a gender, BMI, height, age, and weight characteristic.

13. The device according to claim 1, configured to receive information from sensors directly connected to the device or further comprising a wireless transmission module which receives information from sensors located in the living being.

14. A method for monitoring the physical activity of a living being, the method comprising:

receiving information about the living being'"'"'s heart beat rate value, motion intensity, and anthropometric characteristics;

detecting the living being'"'"'s activity from information received about the living being'"'"'s motion intensity and storing information about the living being'"'"'s heart beat rate value and the motion intensity associated with that detected activity;

determining, from a plurality of heart beat rate values associated with each detected activity, statistics of the distribution of heart beat rate values for each activity or a subset of activities; and

calculating, using the information from the heart beat rate analysis module and the anthropometric characteristics, a cardiorespiratory fitness level of the living being.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

calculating, using the information from the living being'"'"'s cardiorespiratory fitness level, detected activity, motion intensity, normalized heart beat rate values, and the anthropometric characteristics, an energy expenditure of the living being.

16. A device for monitoring the physical activity of a living being, the device comprising:

means for receiving information about the living being'"'"'s heart beat rate value, motion intensity, and anthropometric characteristics;

means for detecting the living being'"'"'s activity from information received about the living being'"'"'s motion intensity, the means for detecting comprising means for storing information about the living being'"'"'s heart beat rate value and the motion intensity associated with that detected activity;

means for determining, from a plurality of heart beat rate values associated with each detected activity, statistics of the distribution of heart beat rate values for each activity or a subset of activities; and

means for calculating, using the information from the means for determining and the anthropometric characteristics, a cardiorespiratory fitness level of the living being.