Method and apparatus for calculating amount of exercise performed

• US 9,445,753 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2013
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Chang Mok, Ko, Byung Hoon, Lee, Tak Hyung, Shin, Kun Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Eiseman, Adam J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Warsi, Yasmeen S
• Application Number:
  US14/058,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20140121566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0217 Electrolyte containing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0531 Measuring skin impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1126 using a particular sensing technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/221 Ergometry, e.g. by using bicycle type apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6801 specially adapted to be attached to or worn on the body surface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7253 characterised by using transforms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7257 using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/04 Electric stethoscopes microphones, acoustic transducers therefor H04R
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0062 Monitoring athletic performances, e.g. for determining the work of a user on an exercise apparatus, the completed jogging or cycling distance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers

Abstract

A method of calculating an amount of exercise performed includes measuring noise based on a relative difference in displacement between a skin of a user and a sensor attached to the skin of the user, and determining a number of steps taken by the user based on the measured noise.

Claims

1. A method of calculating an amount of exercise performed, the method comprising:

measuring, using a processor, noise, from a sensor attached to a skin of a user, based on a relative difference in displacement between the skin of the user and the sensor, the sensor having an electrode;

determining, using the processor, a number of steps taken by the user based on the measured noise; and

calculating, using the processor, the amount of exercise performed based on the determined number of steps.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating of the amount of exercise performed by the user comprises calculating the amount of exercise of the user based on the determined number of steps and physiological information of the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the calculating of the amount of exercise performed by the user comprises:

calculating a speed at which exercise is performed by the user based on the determined number of steps, a stride length of the user, and a duration of exercise performed by the user; and

calculating the amount of exercise performed by the user based on the calculated speed at which exercise is performed by the user and a weight of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating of the amount of exercise performed by the user comprises calculating the amount of exercise performed by the user using a lookup table (LUT) indicating a relationship between a number of steps taken and an amount of exercise performed, and the determined number of steps.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of exercise performed by the user comprises any one or any combination of a number of steps taken over a duration of exercise performed by the user, an amount of energy consumed over the duration of the exercise, and an amount of oxygen consumed over the duration of the exercise.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring of the noise comprises measuring noise by detecting, from the sensor, a half cell potential (HCP) and measuring potential changes in the HCP that represent the noise generated by the relative difference in displacement between the skin of the user and the sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring of the noise comprises measuring noise by detecting, from the sensor, a change of impedance generated by the relative difference in displacement between the skin of the user and the sensor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the number of steps taken by the user comprises:

converting the measured noise to a frequency domain; and

determining the number of steps taken by the user based on the noise converted to the frequency domain.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining of the number of steps taken by user comprises:

identifying a frequency of noise having a greatest value from the noise converted to the frequency domain; and

determining the number of steps taken by the user based on the identified frequency and a number of steps corresponding to a single cycle of the noise.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the number of steps taken by the user comprises:

sampling the measured noise;

extracting peaks of the noise from the sampled noise; and

determining the number of steps taken by the user based on a number of the extracted peaks.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the extracting of the peaks of the noise comprises excluding noise failing to satisfy a predetermined threshold from the sampled noise.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring of the noise comprises detecting a biological signal of the user from the sensor and measuring the noise as changes in the signal caused by motion of the user.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the biological signal is a half cell potential (HCP) signal.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the determining a number of steps, a step count determination is made without use of an acceleration sensor.

12. An apparatus for calculating an amount of exercise performed, the apparatus comprising:

a noise measuring processor configured to measure noise from a sensor attached to a skin of a user based on a relative difference in displacement between the skin of the user and the sensor, the sensor having an electrode;

a step count determining processor configured to determine a number of steps taken by the user based on the measured noise; and

an amount of exercise performed calculating processor configured to calculate the amount of exercise performed based on the determined number of steps.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the amount of exercise performed calculating processor is further configured to calculate the amount of exercise performed by the user using a lookup table (LUT) indicating a relationship between a number of steps taken and an amount of exercise performed, and the determined number of steps.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the noise measuring processor is further configured to measure noise by detecting, from the sensor, a half cell potential (HCP) generated by the relative difference in displacement between the skin of the user and the sensor.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the noise measuring processor is further configured to measure noise by detecting, from the sensor, a change of impedance generated by the relative difference in displacement between the skin of the user and the sensor.

16. A method of calculating an amount of exercise performed by a user, the method comprising:

measuring, using a processor, noise, from a sensor having an electrode, produced by movement of the user while performing exercise;

determining, using the processor, a number of steps taken by the user based on the measured noise; and

calculating, using the processor, the amount of exercise performed based on the determined number of steps.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the measuring comprises measuring the noise using a sensor attached to a skin of the user;

and

the noise is represented by changes in a signal detected from the sensor that are caused by relative movement between the sensor and the skin resulting from the movement of the user while performing exercise.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining of the number of steps comprises:

extracting information from the measured noise; and

determining the number of steps taken by the user based on the extracted information.