Managing physiological exercise data

• US 9,855,463 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2014
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
• Original Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
• Inventors: Erkkila, Mika, Rae, Riikka, Thurlin, Tomi, Korva, Tuomo, Manninen, Tony
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Assistant Examiner(s): Clarke, Jr., Robert T
• Application Number:
  US14/157,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20150196801A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0065 Evaluating the fitness, e.g. fitness level or fitness index
• 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: A63B 71/0619 Displays, user interfaces and indicating devices, specially adapted for sport equipment, e.g. display mounted on treadmills
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A method includes acquiring physiological exercise data from a plurality of physiological exercise sensors applied by a group of exercisers; determining a performance metric for each exerciser on the basis of the acquired physiological exercise data; detecting whether or not a predetermined common target is met on the basis of the performance metrics; and triggering an event upon detecting that the predetermined common target is met.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a plurality of physiological exercise sensors associated with at least one of an exercise device, a first exerciser, or a second exerciser;

a display;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including a computer prog-ram code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

acquiring physiological exercise data in an electronic format using the plurality of physiological exercise sensors applied by the first exerciser and the second exerciser, the plurality of physiological exercise sensors comprising at least one of a heart activity sensor, a cadence sensor, or a power sensor;

determining a first performance metric for the first exerciser and a second performance metric for the second exerciser on the basis of the acquired physiological exercise data;

detecting whether or not a predetermined common target is collectively fulfilled by the first and second exercisers on the basis of the first and second performance metrics;

triggering an event in response to detecting that the first and second exercisers collectively fulfill the predetermined common target such that the first and second exercisers have a direct effect on whether or not the event is triggered;

detecting whether or not the first performance metric and the second performance metric individually fulfill the predetermined common target simultaneously;

triggering the event in response to detecting that the first performance metric and the second performance metric individually fulfill the predetermined common target simultaneously such that the first and second exercisers have a direct effect on whether or not the event is triggered; and

displaying the event on the display to at least one of the first exerciser or the second exerciser.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the system further to perform operations comprising:

determining an averaged performance metric by averaging the first performance metric of the first exerciser and the second performance metric of the second exerciser;

detecting whether or not the averaged performance metric fulfills the predetermined common target; and

triggering the event upon detecting that the predetermined common target is met by the averaged performance metric.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein there is a plurality of different common targets, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the system further to perform operations comprising:

triggering different events upon meeting the plurality of different common targets.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the system further to perform operations comprising:

measuring an accumulated time during which the predetermined common target is met; and

triggering, upon detecting that the accumulated time fulfills a predetermined duration threshold, a second event.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first performance metric and the second performance metric individually fulfill the predetermined common target simultaneously when a first value of the first performance metric and a second value of the second performance metric are simultaneously within a common target performance zone.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the system further to perform operations comprising defining the common target performance zone based on a third performance metric of one of the following:

a plurality of members of a group, an individual member of the group, or an instructor of the group.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first performance metric or the second performance metric represent at least one of the following:

heart activity, distance elapsed, pedalling speed, power output of a used exercise device, cadence, energy consumption rate, consumed energy, training effect, skin temperature, pedal index, left-right balance, running index, fluid balance, blood pressure.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is operatively coupled to the display, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the system further to perform operations comprising:

changing a view of the display when the event is triggered.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the system further to perform operations comprising:

obtaining, from each of the plurality physiological exercise sensors, information indicating a user account corresponding to one of the first exerciser or the second exerciser applying one of the plurality of physiological exercise sensors, wherein the user account is located in a predetermined server in a network; and

causing a storage of the acquired physiological exercise data in the indicated user account.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a server computer, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the system further to perform operations comprising:

providing a web service to a client device;

receiving the physiological exercise data via a network from the web service of the client device; and

transmit a command to a display controller of the client device via the network, wherein the display controller, as a response to the command, causes the event to be activated on the display viewable by the exercisers.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the system further to perform operations comprising:

determining at least one of the following on the basis of the physiological exercise data;

which exerciser has the fastest recovery, which exerciser meets the predetermined common target longest; and

outputting an identifier of the determined exerciser or exercisers via the display.

12. A method, comprising:

acquiring physiological exercise data in an electronic format using a plurality of physiological exercise sensors applied by a first exerciser and a second exerciser, the plurality of physiological exercise sensors being associated with at least one of an exercise device, a first exerciser, or a second exerciser, the plurality of physiological exercise sensors comprising at least one of a heart activity sensor, a cadence sensor, or a power sensor;

determining a first performance metric for the first exerciser and a second performance metric for the second exerciser on the basis of the acquired physiological exercise data;

detecting whether or not a predetermined common target is collectively fulfilled by the first and second exercisers on the basis of the first and second performance metrics;

triggering an event in response to detecting that the first and second exercisers collectively fulfill the predetermined common target such that the first and second exercisers have a direct effect on whether or not the event is triggered;

detecting whether or not the first performance metric and the second performance metric individually fulfill the predetermined common target simultaneously;

triggering the event in response to detecting that the first performance metric and the second performance metric individually fulfill the predetermined common target simultaneously such that the first and second exercisers have a direct effect on whether or not the event is triggered; and

displaying the event on a display to at least one of the first exerciser or the second exerciser.

13. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory distribution medium readable by a computer and comprising program instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

acquiring physiological exercise data in an electronic format using a plurality of physiological exercise sensors applied by a first exerciser and a second exerciser, the plurality of physiological exercise sensors being associated with at least one of an exercise device, a first exerciser, or a second exerciser, the plurality of physiological exercise sensors comprising at least one of a heart activity sensor, a cadence sensor, or a power sensor;

determining a first performance metric for the first exerciser and a second performance metric for the second exerciser on the basis of the acquired physiological exercise data;

detecting whether or not a predetermined common target is collectively fulfilled by the first and second exercisers on the basis of the first and second performance metrics;

triggering an event in response to detecting that the first and second exercisers collectively fulfill the predetermined common target such that the first and second exercisers have a direct effect on whether or not the event is triggered;

detecting whether or not the first performance metric and the second performance metric individually fulfill the predetermined common target simultaneously;

triggering the event in response to detecting that the e first performance metric and the second performance metric individually fulfill the predetermined common target simultaneously such that the first and second exercisers have a direct effect on whether or not the event is triggered; and

displaying the event on a display to at least one of the first exerciser or the second exerciser.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of physiological exercise sensors associated with at least one of an exercise device, a first exerciser, or a second exerciser;

a display;

at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising;

acquiring physiological exercise data in an electronic format using the plurality of physiological exercise sensors applied by the first exerciser and the second exerciser, the plurality of physiological exercise sensors comprising at least one of a heart activity sensor, a cadence sensor, or a power sensor;

determining a first performance metric for the first exerciser and a second performance metric for the second exerciser on the basis of the acquired physiological exercise data;

detecting whether or not a predetermined common target is collectively and individually fulfilled by the first and second exercisers on the basis of the first and second performance metrics; and

triggering an event in response to detecting that the first and second exercisers collectively and individually fulfill the predetermined common target such that the first and second exercisers have a direct effect on whether or not the event is triggered, wherein the performance metric represents at least one of pedalling speed, pedalling cadence, energy consumption rate, pedal index; and

displaying the event on the display to at least one of the first exerciser or the second exerciser.