Monitoring device, method and system

• US 7,470,234 B1
• Filed: 12/03/2006
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Impact Sports Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Impact Sports Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Elhag, Sammy I, Lui, Steve, Brady, Donald, Hunt, Mark, Rulkov, Nikolai
• Primary Examiner(s): Nasser, Robert L
• Application Number:
  US11/566,229
• Time in Patent Office: 758 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 600/485
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/025 for measuring physiological data

Abstract

A monitoring device (20) for monitoring the vital signs of a user is disclosed herein. The monitoring device (20) is preferably an article (25) having an optical sensor (30) and a circuitry assembly (35). The monitoring device (20) preferably provides for the display of the following information about the user: pulse rate; blood oxygenation levels; calories expended by the user of a pre-set time period; target zones of activity; time; distance traveled; and/or dynamic blood pressure. The article (25) is preferably a band worn on a user'"'"'s wrist, arm or ankle.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a user'"'"'s vital signs, the method comprising:

deactivating a processor for a deactivation period of 128 to 640 microseconds;

activating an optical sensor during the deactivation period to generate a signal corresponding to the flow of blood through at least one artery of the user;

reactivating the processor to process the signal to obtain an average pulse value of a first set of time periods;

processing the signal to obtain an average pulse value of a second set of time periods, the second set of time periods less than the first set of time periods;

subtracting the average pulse value of the second set of time periods from the average pulse value of the first set of time periods to generate a first filtered pulse data value;

processing the first filtered pulse data value to obtain a first heart rate value;

using the first heart rate value to filter the subsequent average pulse values generated from the digital signal to obtain a real-time heart rate value of the user;

processing the real-time heart rate data of the user for analysis of real-time calories expended by the user and for real-time display of a plurality of the user'"'"'s vital signs; and

displaying the plurality of user'"'"'s vital signs on a display member, the display of the plurality of user'"'"'s vital signs controlled by the user using a control component.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising filtering motion noise from the signal utilizing a motion sensor.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the optical sensor comprises a pulsed infrared LED and a photodetector.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the optical sensor comprises a pulsed infrared LED, a green light LED and a photodetector.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the real-time heart rate data is based on 60 to 180 sample readings and each of the sample readings is based on 4 to 15 sub-sample readings.