Method and apparatus for measuring exertion endurance

• US 6,277,080 B1
• Filed: 11/20/1998
• Issued: 08/21/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
• Original Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
• Inventors: Väinämö, Kauko, Ruha, Antti, Nissilä, Seppo, Röning, Juha
• Primary Examiner(s): EVANISKO, GEORGE ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US09/142,444
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 600/481, 600/483, 600/484, 600/508, 600/520, 600/513, 128/920, 128/923-925
• US Class Current: 600/508
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7267 involving training the classification device
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/925 Neural network

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for measuring exercise condition, especially a method for measuring an exertion endurance indicator representing exercise condition of a subject to be measured, such as maximal oxygen uptake or any such exertion endurance indicator representing exercise condition. The method is characterized in that, in the method a predetermined calculation formula is used preferably by means of a neural network, to which formula physiological parameters representing the subject to be measured are supplied. The input parameters comprise at least one or more of the following physiological parameters, such as sex, age, height, weight. One or more output parameters representing the exertion endurance indicator representing the exercise condition of the subject to be measured are obtained as a result from the calculation formula. In addition to the physiological parameters, one or more resting heartbeat parameters measured specifically from resting heartbeat are used as input parameters of the calculation formula. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the calculation formula is formed by means of a neural network construction.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring an exertion endurance indicator representing an exercise condition of a subject to be measured, said apparatus comprising:

a heartbeat monitor for detecting a resting heartbeat of said subject and generating a heartbeat signal in response thereto;

means for supplying selected physiological parameters associated with said subject;

a calculation unit for generating an exertion endurance signal in response to said heartbeat signal and said physiological parameters according to a predetermined calculation formula, said calculation unit being operatively connected to said heartbeat monitor and including at least one input for receiving said physiological parameters from said means for supplying physiological parameters, said exertion endurance signal representing the exercise condition of said subject;

a neural network trained with a sufficient number of empirical measurement results comprising a plurality of physiological parameters and resting heartbeat parameters, and a plurality of corresponding exertion endurance indicators, said calculation formula being determined by said neural network; and

a display operatively connected to said calculation unit for indicating the exercise condition of said subject in response to said exertion endurance signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising memory for storing said exercise condition of said subject.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said calculation unit and said neural network are formed as a microprocessor for running a predetermined application program.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said physiological parameters are selected from the group consisting of sex, age, height and weight.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said exertion endurance signal represents the maximal oxygen uptake ability of said subject.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said heartbeat monitor comprises:

a sensor for detecting a heartbeat signal from said subject to be measured;

a transmitter operatively connected to said sensor for wirelessly transmitting said heartbeat signal; and

a receiver for wirelessly receiving said heartbeat signal from said transmitter.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a wrist unit, wherein at least said receiver, said means for supplying physiological parameters, said calculation unit and said display are integrated with said wrist unit.

8. A method for measuring a physical exercise condition of a subject to be measured, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring a resting heartbeat of said subject and determining therefrom at least one resting heartbeat parameter;

supplying at least one physiological parameter associated with said subject to be measured;

calculating at least one exertion endurance indicator according to a predetermined calculation formula, said calculation formula using, as input parameters to said formula, said at least one resting heartbeat parameter and said at least one physiological parameter, said at least one exertion endurance indicator representing the physical condition of said subject without using any input parameters obtained from exercise performed by the subject to be measured.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of displaying said at least one exertion endurance indicator.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of storing said at least one exertion endurance indicator.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said at least one physiological parameter is selected from the group consisting of sex, age, height and weight.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein said at least one exertion endurance signal represents the maximal oxygen uptake ability of said subject.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein said at least one resting heartbeat parameter is selected from the group consisting of mean heartbeat interval, standard deviation of heartbeat intervals, minimum mean heartbeat interval and maximum mean heartbeat interval.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of providing a calculation unit, said calculation unit generating said at least one exertion endurance indicator in response to said at least one resting heartbeat parameter and said at least one physiological parameter.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of providing a heart rate monitor, wherein said calculation unit is integrated in a portion of said heart rate monitor.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of providing a microprocessor, wherein said step of calculating at least one exertion endurance indicator is performed by a software application program running on said microprocessor.

17. A method for measuring a physical exercise condition of a subject to be measured, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring a resting heartbeat of said subject and determining therefrom at least one resting heartbeat parameter;

supplying at least one physiological parameter associated with said subject to be measured;

providing a neural network;

causing said neural network to generate a calculation formula;

calculating at least one exertion endurance indicator according to said calculation formula generated by said neural network, said calculation formula using, as input parameters to said formula, said at least one resting heartbeat parameter and said at least one physiological parameter, said at least one exertion endurance indicator representing the physical condition of said subject.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of displaying said at least one exertion endurance indicator.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of storing said at least one exertion endurance indicator.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said at least one physiological parameter is selected from the group consisting of sex, age, height and weight.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein said at least one exertion endurance signal represents the maximal oxygen uptake ability of said subject.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said at least one resting heartbeat parameter is selected from the group consisting of mean heartbeat interval, standard deviation of heartbeat intervals, minimum mean heartbeat interval and maximum mean heartbeat interval.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of providing a neural network includes providing a neural network which has been trained with a sufficient number of empirical measurement results comprising a plurality of physiological parameters and resting heartbeat parameters, and a plurality of corresponding exertion endurance indicators.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of measuring a resting heartbeat is performed during a period in the range of between two and five minutes.

25. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of providing a microprocessor, wherein said steps of providing a neural network, causing said neural network to generate a calculation formula and calculating at least one exertion endurance indicator are performed by a software application program running on said microprocessor.

26. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

preclassifying said at least one physiological parameter associated with said subject and creating a solution range based on said at least one physiological parameter within which said at least one exertion endurance indicator value, determined from said calculating step, is predicted to lie; and

adjusting said at least one exertion endurance indicator value in response to said at least one resting heartbeat parameter such that said at least one exertion endurance indicator value is within said solution range.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of causing said neural network to generate a calculation formula is performed using at least one fuzzy logic rule, wherein said at least one exertion endurance indicator, determined from said calculating step, is made fuzzy.

28. An apparatus for measuring an exertion endurance indicator representing an exercise condition of a subject to be measured, said apparatus comprising:

a heartbeat monitor for detecting a resting heartbeat of said subject and generating a heartbeat signal in response thereto;

means for supplying selected physiological parameters associated with said subject;

a calculation unit for generating an exertion endurance signal in response to said heartbeat signal and said physiological parameters according to a predetermined calculation formula, said calculation unit being operatively connected to said heartbeat monitor and including at least one input for receiving said physiological parameters from said means for supplying physiological parameters, said exertion endurance signal representing the maximal oxygen uptake ability of said subject; and

a display operatively connected to said calculation unit for indicating the exercise condition of said subject in response to said exertion endurance signal.

29. A method for measuring a physical exercise condition of a subject to be measured, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring a resting heartbeat of said subject and determining therefrom at least one resting heartbeat parameter;

supplying at least one physiological parameter associated with said subject to be measured;

calculating at least one exertion endurance indicator according to a predetermined calculation formula, said calculation formula using, as input parameters to said formula, said at least one resting heartbeat parameter and said at least one physiological parameter, said at least one exertion endurance indicator representing the maximal oxygen uptake ability of said subject.