Reconfigurable sensor devices monitoring physical exercise

• US 8,862,215 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2013
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
• Original Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
• Inventors: Puolakanaho, Pertti, Pekonen, Elias
• Primary Examiner(s): Gedeon, Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): TEJANI, ANKIT D
• Application Number:
  US13/742,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20140200470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 600/520
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising

Abstract

The present document discloses an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to: trigger a start of a physical exercise; in response to said triggering, start a measurement mode in which the apparatus receives measurement data of the physical exercise wirelessly from at least one sensor device and analyzes the received measurement data; detect a predetermined event in the received measurement data during the physical exercise; and in response to detecting said predetermined event, cause transmission of a reconfiguration message to at least one of the at least one sensor device to reconfigure at least one parameter of said at least one of the at least one sensor device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

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;

triggering a start of a physical exercise;

in response to said triggering, starting a measurement mode in which the apparatus receives measurement data of the physical exercise wirelessly from at least one sensor device and analyses the received measurement data;

detecting a predetermined event in the received measurement data during the physical exercise; and

in response to detecting said predetermined event, causing transmission of a reconfiguration message to at least one of the at least one sensor device to reconfigure at least one parameter associated with operation of said at least one of the at least one sensor device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined event is detected in measurement data provided by a first sensor device of the at least one sensor device, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to transmit the reconfiguration message to a second sensor device of the at least one sensor device.

3. The apparatus 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 apparatus to activate or deactivate at least one sensor of the at least one sensor device in response to the detection of the predetermined event.

4. The apparatus 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 apparatus to instruct, with the reconfiguration message, a change in an active set of sensors of the at least one sensor device for the physical exercise.

5. The apparatus 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 apparatus to detect the predetermined event in ambient measurement data during the physical exercise, wherein the ambient measurement data is not affected by activity of a user during the physical exercise.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a sensor device of the at least one sensor device is configured to determine interference mitigation parameters for the physical exercise, wherein different interference mitigation parameters are used for at least two different sports types, and to configure the sensor to apply the interference mitigation parameters in measurements performed by the sensor.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the sensor device is configured to apply different frequency bands in the measurements performed by the sensor for the at least two different sports types.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the sensor device is a heart rate sensor configured to use a first frequency band when measuring a heart rate during a first sports type and to use a second frequency band when measuring the heart rate during a second sports type, wherein the first frequency band is different from the second frequency band, and wherein the first sports type is different from the second sports type.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein a wireless link is provided between the processor and the sensor device comprised in the apparatus.

10. An apparatus comprising:

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;

triggering a start of a physical exercise;

in response to said triggering, starting a measurement mode in which the apparatus receives measurement data of the physical exercise wirelessly from at least one sensor device and analyses the received measurement data;

detecting a change in a phase within a sports type of the physical exercise;

in response to detecting said change in the phase within the sports type, determining a new phase and a new set of sensors associated with the change in the phase within the sports type and causing the apparatus to transmit a reconfiguration message to at least one of the at least one sensor device to change to the new set of sensors.

11. An apparatus comprising:

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;

triggering a start of a physical exercise;

in response to said triggering, starting a measurement mode in which the apparatus receives measurement data of the physical exercise wirelessly from at least one sensor device and analyses the received measurement data;

detecting a change of a sports type from the received measurement data during the physical exercise; and

in response to detecting said change of the sports type, determining a new sports type from the received measurement data and a new set of sensors associated with the new sports type and causing transmission of a reconfiguration message to the at least one of the at least one sensor device to change to the new set of sensors.

12. An apparatus comprising:

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;

triggering a start of a physical exercise;

in response to said triggering, starting a measurement mode in which the apparatus receives heart rate measurement data of the physical exercise wirelessly from at least one heart rate sensor and analyses the received heart rate measurement data;

detecting a predetermined event in the heart rate measurement data;

reconfiguring operation of the at least one heart rate sensor to carry out at least one of the following in response to the detected predetermined event in the heart rate measurement data;

change a wireless transmission mode of the heart rate measurement data, change a data storage mode of the heart rate measurement data in the at least one heart rate sensor.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein if the wireless transmission mode is changed, changing the wireless transmission mode comprises at least one of the following:

start or stop streaming the measurement data from the at least one heart rate sensor to the apparatus, trigger transmission of heart rate measurement data to the apparatus, change a communication protocol used between the at least one heart rate sensor and the apparatus, and change a security level of a connection between the at least one heart rate sensor and the apparatus.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein if the data storage mode is changed, changing the data storage mode comprises at least one of the following:

start or stop storing the measurement data in a memory of the at least one heart rate sensor, mark start or stop point for data to be stored permanently in the at least one heart rate sensor.