Method and Arrangement for Monitoring Physiological Data

• US 20140222943A1
• Filed: 02/07/2014
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Myfitnesspal Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Under Armour Incorporated
• Inventors: Oleson, Mark A., Kovach, F. Grant
• Granted Patent: US 9,621,684 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/208
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7214 using signal cancellation, e.g. based on input of two identical physiological sensors spaced apart, or based on two signals derived from the same sensor, for different optical wavelengths
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]

Abstract

A physiological monitoring arrangement comprises a biometric sensor device coupled to a first garment, a first handheld computing device, and a second handheld computing device. The first handheld computing device is configured to act as a master in a device network and the biometric sensor is configured to act as a slave in the device network. The second handheld computing device is configured for wireless communication with both the biometric sensor device and the first handheld computing device according to the communications protocol in the device network. In particular, the second handheld computing device is configured to act as a slave to the first handheld computing device if the first handheld computing device is present in the device network, and the second handheld computing device is configured to act as a master to the biometric sensor device if the first handheld computing device is not present in the device network.

Claims

1. A physiological monitoring arrangement comprising:

a biometric sensor device coupled to a first garment, the biometric sensor device including a transmitter configured to transmit physiological data;

a first handheld computing device configured for wireless communication with the biometric sensor device according to a communications protocol in a device network, the first handheld computing device configured to act as a master in the device network and the biometric sensor configured to act as a slave in the device network, the first handheld computing device configured to receive transmitted physiological data from the biometric sensor device and display the physiological data on a first user interface; and

a second handheld computing device configured for wireless communication with both the biometric sensor device and the first handheld computing device according to the communications protocol in the device network, the second handheld computing device configured to act as a slave to the first handheld computing device if the first handheld computing device is present in the device network, and the second handheld computing device configured to act as a master to the biometric sensor device if the first handheld computing device is not present in the device network, the second handheld computing device configured to display the physiological data on a second user interface.

2. The monitoring arrangement of claim 1 wherein the first handheld computing device is a smartphone.

3. The monitoring arrangement of claim 1 wherein the second handheld computing device is a wristwatch.

4. The monitoring arrangement of claim 1 wherein the biometric sensor device includes a heart rate sensor and the physiological data includes heart rate data.

5. The monitoring arrangement of claim 4 wherein the first handheld computing device is configured to determine whether the heart rate data is inaccurate, and if the heart rate data is determined to be inaccurate, deliver a message that the monitoring arrangement is having difficulty collecting heart rate information and providing instructions for adjustment of the heart rate sensor.

6. The monitoring arrangement of claim 1 wherein the garment is configured to be worn on a torso of a human body.

7. The monitoring arrangement of claim 1 wherein the second handheld computing device is configured for operation in a search mode wherein the second handheld computing device both (i) advertises itself as a slave in the device network for control by an available master in the device network, and (ii) searches for available slaves in the device network for which the second handheld computing device may act as a master in the device network.

8. The monitoring arrangement of claim 7 wherein the second handheld computing device is configured to establish communications with the first handheld computing device, the first handheld computing device acting as a master in the device network, the second handheld computing device configured to follow instructions from the first handheld computing device until communications with the first handheld computing device are lost.

9. The monitoring arrangement of claim 7 wherein the second handheld computing device is configured to establish communications with the biometric sensor device as the available slave in the device network, provide instructions to the biometric sensor device, and receive data from the biometric sensor device until an instruction is received from the available master, or if no instruction is received from the available master, until communications with the biometric sensor device are lost.

10. The monitoring arrangement of claim 9 wherein communications with the biometric sensor device are deemed lost when a signal strength indicator falls below a predetermined threshold.

11. A method of monitoring an individual wearing a garment with a biometric sensor, the method comprising:

obtaining physiological data from a biometric sensor device coupled to a first garment;

transmitting the physiological data from the biometric sensor device;

receiving the physiological data transmitted from the biometric sensor device at a first handheld computing device, the first handheld computing device configured for wireless communication with the biometric sensor device according to a communications protocol in a device network, the first handheld computing device configured to act as a master in the device network and the biometric sensor configured to act as a slave in the device network, the first handheld computing device configured to display the physiological data on a first user interface; and

configuring a second handheld computing device for wireless communication with both the biometric sensor device and the first handheld computing device according to the communications protocol in the device network, the second handheld computing device acting as a slave to the first handheld computing device if the first handheld computing device is present in the device network, and the second handheld computing device acting as a master to the biometric sensor device if the first handheld computing device is not present in the device network.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first handheld computing device is a smartphone.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the second handheld computing device is a wristwatch.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the biometric sensor device includes a heart rate sensor.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the biometric sensor device includes a heart rate sensor and the physiological data includes heart rate data.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising determining whether the heart rate data is inaccurate, and if the heart rate data is determined to be inaccurate, the method further comprising delivering a message that the monitoring arrangement is having difficulty collecting heart rate information and providing instructions for adjustment of the heart rate sensor.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the garment is configured to be worn on a torso of a human body.

18. The method of claim 11, the second handheld computing device operating in a search mode wherein the second handheld computing device both (i) advertises itself as a slave in the device network for control by an available master in the device network, and (ii) searches for available slaves in the device network for which the second handheld computing device may act as a master in the device network.

19. The method of claim 18, the second handheld computing device establishing communications with the first handheld computing device with the first handheld computing device acting as a master in the device network, the second handheld computing device following instructions from the first handheld computing device until communications with the first handheld computing device are lost.

20. The method of claim 18, the second handheld computing device establishing communications with the biometric sensor device with the biometric sensor device acting as the available slave in the device network, providing instructions to the biometric sensor device, and receiving data from the biometric sensor device until an instruction is received from the available master, or if no instruction is received from the available master, until communications with the biometric sensor device are lost.