Metabolic energy monitoring system

• US 8,852,097 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2007
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Shimada, Kazuyuki, Kuriyama, Hiroyuki, Ban, Hideyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, Bill
• Assistant Examiner(s): SORIANO, BOBBY GILES
• Application Number:
  US11/806,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20070282176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,687 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A metabolic energy monitoring system is provided which comprises: a wearable device having a movement sensor, a temperature sensor and a pulse wave sensor and adapted to be worn on a human body; a database to store activity state decision knowledge data including activity state decision condition data and calorie consumption calculation knowledge data including a calorie consumption calculating algorithm for each metabolic state; an activity state decision unit to determine the activity state based on a detection signal from the wearable device and activity state decision knowledge data; a metabolic state decision unit to detect an activity continuation state, and determine the metabolic state; a calorie consumption calculating unit to calculate a calorie consumption according to the metabolic state; and an output unit to output the calorie consumption.

Claims

1. A metabolic energy monitoring system comprising:

a wearable device adapted to be worn on a human body and having a movement sensor providing movement information indicating a body motion, a temperature sensor providing temperature information indicating an amount of generated heat energy, and a pulse wave sensor providing pulse wave information indicating a pulse rate;

a data server including an activity state decision unit determining a current activity state from a plurality of activity states based on the movement information and the activity state decision knowledge data, a metabolic state decision unit, a calorie consumption calculating unit calculating a calorie consumption value and a database storing activity state decision knowledge data and calorie consumption calculation knowledge data; and

an output unit outputting the calorie consumption value,

the plurality of activity states including a sleeping state, a resting state, and an active state,

the calorie consumption calculation knowledge data including a first calorie consumption calculating algorithm that, upon being selected, calculates the calorie consumption value based on the movement information and a second calorie consumption calculating algorithm that, upon being selected, calculates the calorie consumption value based on the pulse wave information,

the metabolic state decision unit detecting whether there is continuity of the current activity state, determining whether the temperature information and the pulse wave information indicate an ascending metabolic state upon detecting there is continuity of the current activity state, and selecting a current metabolic state from a plurality of metabolic states including a post-activity metabolic state and a metabolic state corresponding to each activity state of the plurality of activity states,

the metabolic state decision unit selecting the post-activity metabolic state upon determining that the temperature information and the pulse wave information indicate the ascending metabolic state and determining that the current activity state is the active state, and

the calorie consumption calculating unit selecting the first calorie consumption calculating algorithm upon the metabolic state decision unit selecting the current metabolic state to be a metabolic state other than the post-activity metabolic state, selecting the second calorie consumption calculating algorithm upon the metabolic state decision unit selecting the current metabolic state to be the post-activity metabolic state, and utilizing the selected calorie consumption calculating algorithm to calculate the calorie consumption value, wherein

the selecting of the second calorie consumption calculating algorithm is based on the post-activity metabolic state being determined as a result of the current activity state being the active state and the temperature information and the pulse wave information indicating the ascending metabolic state, and the ascending metabolic state being determined upon a detection of continuity of the current activity state according to the movement information and the activity state decision knowledge data.

2. A metabolic energy monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the metabolic state decision unit determines whether the temperature information and the pulse wave information indicate the ascending metabolic state using a rest state skin temperature value and a rest state pulse rate value.

3. A metabolic energy monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the activity state decision unit determines the activity state by considering the movement information provided over a predetermined duration by the movement sensor.

4. A metabolic energy monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs a display of the calorie consumption value, and wherein a format of the display when the current metabolic state is selected as the post-activity metabolic state is different than when the current metabolic state is another metabolic state.

5. A metabolic energy monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the movement sensor is an impact sensor or an acceleration sensor.

6. A metabolic energy monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the metabolic state decision unit determines that the temperature information and the pulse wave information indicate the ascending metabolic state according to a difference in the temperature information and the pulse wave information used to determine the current metabolic state and the temperature information and the pulse wave information previously provided when the activity state decision unit determined the current activity state to be the resting state.