DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ESTIMATING THE HEART RATE DURING MOTION
First Claim
1. A portable device for determining a heart rate of a person, said portable device comprising:
- a heart rate measurement unit for measuring the heart rate of the person over time to generate a heart rate signal,a motion measurement unit for measuring the motion of a body part of the person over time to generate a motion signal, anda processing unit which is adapted to measure a signal quality of the heart rate signal, to calculate the heart rate based on the heart rate signal if said signal quality is above a predefined threshold, and to estimate the heart rate based on the motion signal if said signal quality is below said threshold.wherein the processing unit is adapted to estimate the heart rate based on the motion signal by estimating a heart rate constant (HRconstant) and defining an exponential development of the heart rate over time, wherein the exponential development of the heart rate starts at the last reliably measured heart rate and finishes at the estimated HRconstant, the HRconstant being an estimated heart rate of the person which depends on the frequency of the motion signal, and the last reliably measured heart rate being the last measured heart rate with the heart rate measurement unit at a point in time before under-running said threshold.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a portable device (10) for determining a heart rate of a person (20), comprising a heart rate measurement unit, a motion measurement unit for measuring the motion of a body part (12), and a processing unit. The processing unit is adapted to measure a signal quality of the heart rate signal and accordingly switch between two calculation modes: If the signal quality is above a predefined threshold, the heart rate is calculated based on the heart rate signal. If the signal quality is so poor that a reliable calculation of the heart rate is technically not possible anymore based on the heart rate signal, the processing unit switches to its second calculation mode, in which the heart rate is estimated based on the motion signal by estimating a heart rate constant, which depends on the frequency of the motion signal, and defining an exponential development of the heart rate, starting at the last reliably measured heart rate and finishing at the estimated heart rate constant.
90 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A portable device for determining a heart rate of a person, said portable device comprising:
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a heart rate measurement unit for measuring the heart rate of the person over time to generate a heart rate signal, a motion measurement unit for measuring the motion of a body part of the person over time to generate a motion signal, and a processing unit which is adapted to measure a signal quality of the heart rate signal, to calculate the heart rate based on the heart rate signal if said signal quality is above a predefined threshold, and to estimate the heart rate based on the motion signal if said signal quality is below said threshold. wherein the processing unit is adapted to estimate the heart rate based on the motion signal by estimating a heart rate constant (HRconstant) and defining an exponential development of the heart rate over time, wherein the exponential development of the heart rate starts at the last reliably measured heart rate and finishes at the estimated HRconstant, the HRconstant being an estimated heart rate of the person which depends on the frequency of the motion signal, and the last reliably measured heart rate being the last measured heart rate with the heart rate measurement unit at a point in time before under-running said threshold. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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5. (canceled)
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13. A method for determining a heart rate of a person, including the steps of:
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measuring the heart rate of the person over time to generate a heart rate signal, measuring the motion of a body part of the person over time to generate a motion signal, measuring a signal quality of the heart rate signal, and calculating the heart rate based on the heart rate signal if said signal quality is above a predefined threshold, and estimating the heart rate based on the motion signal if said signal quality is below said threshold wherein the step of estimating the heart rate based on the motion signal is performed by estimating a heart rate constant (HRrest) and defining an exponential development of the heart rate over time, wherein the exponential development of the heart rate starts at the last reliably measured heart rate and finishes at the estimated HRconstant the HRconstant being an estimated heart rate of the person which depends on the frequency of the motion signal, and the last reliably measured heart rate being the last measured heart rate with the heart rate measurement unit at a point in time before under-running said threshold.S
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14. A system for determining a heart rate of a person, said system comprising:
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a portable heart rate measurement device for measuring the heart rate of the person over time to generate a heart rate signal, a portable motion measurement device for measuring the motion of a body part of the person over time to generate a motion signal, and a processing device which comprises a communication interface for receiving said heart rate signal and said motion signal, and a processing means which is adapted to measure a signal quality of the heart rate signal, to calculate the heart rate based on the heart rate signal if said signal quality is above a predefined threshold, and to estimate the heart rate based on the motion signal if said signal quality is below said threshold wherein the processing means is adapted to estimate the heart rate based on the motion signal by estimating a heart rate constant HRconstant) and defining an exponential development of the heart rate over time, wherein the exponential development of the heart rate starts at the last reliably measured heart rate and finishes at the estimated HRconstant, the HRconstant being an estimated heart rate of the person which depends on the frequency of the motion signal, and the last reliably measured heart rate being the last measured heart rate with the heart rate measurement unit at a point in time before under-running said threshold.
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15. (canceled)
Specification