WEARABLE HEART RATE MONITOR
First Claim
1. A method of operating a heart rate monitor of a wearable fitness monitoring device to adjust at least one setting for operating the heart rate monitor, wherein operating the heart rate monitor comprises:
- (a) operating a light source in the heart monitor in a skin characterization mode by emitting a succession of light pulses, at least some having variable intensity with respect to one another;
(b) detecting a variation in intensity of light from the light pulses emitted in the skin characterization mode after the light has interacted with the user'"'"'s skin;
(c) determining a response characteristic of the user'"'"'s skin from the variation in intensity of light detected in (b); and
(d) using the response characteristic of the user'"'"'s skin to adjust a gain and/or light emission intensity of the heart rate monitor operating in a first mode for detecting one or more characteristics of the user'"'"'s heartbeat waveform.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Some embodiments provide a wearable fitness monitoring device including a motion sensor and a photoplethysmographic (PPG) sensor. The PPG sensor includes (i) a periodic light source, (ii) a photo detector, and (iii) circuitry determining a user'"'"'s heart rate from an output of the photo detector. Some embodiments provide methods for operating a heart rate monitor of a wearable fitness monitoring device to measure one or more characteristics of a heartbeat waveform. Some embodiments provide methods for operating the wearable fitness monitoring device in a low power state when the device determines that the device is not worn by a user. Some embodiments provide methods for operating the wearable fitness monitoring device in a normal power state when the device determines that the device is worn by a user. Some embodiments provide methods for using response characteristics of the user'"'"'s skin to adjust a gain and/or light emission intensity of the heart rate monitor.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method of operating a heart rate monitor of a wearable fitness monitoring device to adjust at least one setting for operating the heart rate monitor, wherein operating the heart rate monitor comprises:
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(a) operating a light source in the heart monitor in a skin characterization mode by emitting a succession of light pulses, at least some having variable intensity with respect to one another; (b) detecting a variation in intensity of light from the light pulses emitted in the skin characterization mode after the light has interacted with the user'"'"'s skin; (c) determining a response characteristic of the user'"'"'s skin from the variation in intensity of light detected in (b); and (d) using the response characteristic of the user'"'"'s skin to adjust a gain and/or light emission intensity of the heart rate monitor operating in a first mode for detecting one or more characteristics of the user'"'"'s heartbeat waveform. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A wearable fitness monitoring device comprising:
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a motion sensor configured to provide output corresponding to motion by a user wearing the fitness monitoring device; a photoplethysmographic sensor comprising (i) a periodic light source, (ii) a photo detector positioned to receive periodic light emitted by the periodic light source after interacting with a user'"'"'s skin, and (iii) circuitry determining a user'"'"'s heart rate from an output of the photo detector; and control logic configured to; (a) operate a light source in the heart monitor in a skin characterization mode by emitting a succession of light pulses, at least some having variable intensity with respect to one another; (b) detect a variation in intensity of light from the light pulses emitted in the skin characterization mode after the light has interacted with the user'"'"'s skin; (c) determine a response characteristic of the user'"'"'s skin from the variation in intensity of light detected in (b); and (d) use the response characteristic of the user'"'"'s skin to adjust a gain and/or light emission intensity of the heart rate monitor operating in a first mode for detecting one or more characteristics of the user'"'"'s heartbeat waveform. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification