Health fitness monitor
First Claim
1. In a personal fitness level monitor system for monitoring fitness parameters of an animate subject as a function of heat rate during exercise training, of the type comprising heart beat sensor means worn on said animate subject to sense said subject'"'"'s heart beat;
- data entry means for entering selected data peculiar to said subject;
display means for displaying said entered selected data and one or more fitness parameters calculated on the basis of said entered selected data and the detected heart beats of said subject; and
microprocessor means for storing said entered data and calculations exercise heart rate HRE from said detected heart beats and calculating said one or more fitness parameters based on the entered data and heart rate data, said system including timing means for use in measuring the heart rate of the subject on the basis of said detected heart beats; and
indicator means providing an indication to said subject of the level of training exercise;
the improvement wherein said fitness parameters include a maximal oxygen uptake parameter VO2max as a fitness index; and
said microprocessor means includes;
(1) means for establishing an exercise protocol in which the subject exercises at a first relatively low effort level for a first period, and at progressively higher effort levels for corresponding successive periods, means for continuously measuring the heart rate in said microprocessor means based on said detected heart beat of said subject while the latter is exercising at each of said effort levels according to said protocol;
(2) means for halting the exercise protocol when the exercise heart rate HRE of said subject reaches a maximum heart rate HRM predetermined from said selected data, and means for storing the maximum heart rate HRM and elapsed time T from the commencement of said exercise protocol until said maximum heart HRM rate is attained;
(3) means for calculating and storing said fitness index according to a relationship
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">VO.sub.2max =aT+b where a and b are experimentally derived coefficients; and
(4) means for causing said display means to display the calculated fitness index VO2max.
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Abstract
A heart rate monitor device suitable for use in monitoring aerobic exercise training, automatically calculates a fitness parameter for a subject by monitoring the subject'"'"'s heart rate and pacing the subject through a submaximal exercise stress test protocol. A microprocessor in the device is fed data peculiar to the individual subject, and then generates pacing signals to produce audible tones or beeps. The stride frequency, or rate of the tones varies at intervals so that the subject can exercise by running at progressively faster speeds. At the point of exhaustion, or maximum heart rate, the subject'"'"'s maximal oxygen uptake capacity is calculated, based on the elapsed time, and is displayed as a fitness parameter. The subject'"'"'s exercise level is automatically monitored based on his or her exercise heart rate, maximum heart rate, and rest heart rate.
468 Citations
17 Claims
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1. In a personal fitness level monitor system for monitoring fitness parameters of an animate subject as a function of heat rate during exercise training, of the type comprising heart beat sensor means worn on said animate subject to sense said subject'"'"'s heart beat;
- data entry means for entering selected data peculiar to said subject;
display means for displaying said entered selected data and one or more fitness parameters calculated on the basis of said entered selected data and the detected heart beats of said subject; and
microprocessor means for storing said entered data and calculations exercise heart rate HRE from said detected heart beats and calculating said one or more fitness parameters based on the entered data and heart rate data, said system including timing means for use in measuring the heart rate of the subject on the basis of said detected heart beats; and
indicator means providing an indication to said subject of the level of training exercise;
the improvement wherein said fitness parameters include a maximal oxygen uptake parameter VO2max as a fitness index; and
said microprocessor means includes;(1) means for establishing an exercise protocol in which the subject exercises at a first relatively low effort level for a first period, and at progressively higher effort levels for corresponding successive periods, means for continuously measuring the heart rate in said microprocessor means based on said detected heart beat of said subject while the latter is exercising at each of said effort levels according to said protocol; (2) means for halting the exercise protocol when the exercise heart rate HRE of said subject reaches a maximum heart rate HRM predetermined from said selected data, and means for storing the maximum heart rate HRM and elapsed time T from the commencement of said exercise protocol until said maximum heart HRM rate is attained; (3) means for calculating and storing said fitness index according to a relationship
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">VO.sub.2max =aT+bwhere a and b are experimentally derived coefficients; and (4) means for causing said display means to display the calculated fitness index VO2max. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
- 8. The fitness monitor device of claim 7, wherein said means for calculating said stride length SL includes means for calculating the stride length SL according to the relation
- space="preserve" listing-type="equation">SL=0.778+0.881V+0.5364H
where SL and H are in meters and V is in KM per hour.
- data entry means for entering selected data peculiar to said subject;
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9. A method of monitoring the oxygen uptake capacity of a human subject during exercise training wherein heart beat sensor means are worn on said subject to sense said subject'"'"'s heart beat wherein selected data peculiar to said subject including the subject'"'"'s height H, weight M, and gender are employed;
- and wherein a maximal oxygen uptake parameter VO2max is calculated as a fitness index;
the method comprising the steps of(1) recording the weight M, height H, and gender of the subject as said selected data; (2) measuring the heart rate of said subject while at rest and recording such heart rate as a resting heart rate HRR ; (3) establishing an exercise protocol for said subject at a rate that varies according to a prescribed protocol in which said exercise effort level gradually increases, and continuously measuring the exercise heart rate HRE of the subject while exercising according to said protocol; (4) halting the exercise protocol when the exercise heart rate HRE attains a maxium heart rate HRM predetermined from the data recorded in step (1), and recording the maximum heart rate HRM and elapsed time T from the commencement of said exercise protocol until said maximum heart rate HRM is attained; and (5) calculating said fitness index according to the relationship
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">VO.sub.2max =a T+bwhere a and b are experimentally derived coefficients. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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11. The method of claim 10, wherein said speeds V1 to V6 are respectively 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 miles per hour.
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12. The method of claim 10, further comprising calculations an exercise stress level (%VO2max) for said subject during exercise training based on the subject'"'"'s exercise heart rate HRE, such calculation following the relation:
- ##EQU8## where f is a predetermined constant; and
displaying a training fitness parameter based on said exercise stress level.
- ##EQU8## where f is a predetermined constant; and
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13. The method of claim 12, further comprising, and the step of computing the quantity of colonies consumed during exercise CAL according to the relation:
- ##EQU9## where T is the elapsed time in minutes and M is expressed in kilograms.
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14. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of computing CAL includes the step of periodically calculations CAL during a predetermined interval and adding the result to that calculated in previous intervals.
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15. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of establishing includes indications providing pulsed audio tones each representing a step at a running cadence SF corresponding to a desired running speed V.
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16. The method of claim 15, wherein said running cadence SF determined for each running speed V by dividing the running speed V by the subject'"'"'s stride length SL;
- and said stride length SL is determined from, the subject'"'"'s height H and running speed V according to the relationship
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">SL=c+dv+eH,where c, d, and e are predetermined coefficents.
- and said stride length SL is determined from, the subject'"'"'s height H and running speed V according to the relationship
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17. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of establishing an exercise protocol includes the step of causing the subject to exercise on a cycle at gradually increasing effort levels until said step of halting.
- and wherein a maximal oxygen uptake parameter VO2max is calculated as a fitness index;
Specification