Enhancing exercise safety

• US 9,782,083 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2015
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
• Original Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
• Inventors: Erkkila, Mika
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US14/845,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20170069191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse, heart rate, blood pressure or blood flow; Combined pulse/heart-rate/blood pressure determination; Evaluating a cardiovascular condition not otherwise provided for, e.g. using combinations of techniques provided for in this group with electrocardiography or electroauscultation; Heart catheters for measuring blood pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0423 detecting deviation from an expected pattern of behaviour or schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/043 detecting an emergency event, e.g. a fall
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A method includes determining that a portable apparatus is in an exercise mode; obtaining, by the portable apparatus when in the exercise mode, real-time exercise data of a user of the portable apparatus acquired using a sensor set having one or more sensors, and reference data related to the exercise mode; observing, when in the exercise mode, the real-time exercise data, and detecting, during the observing based on comparison of the real-time exercise data with the reference data, that at least one value of the exercise data is uncharacteristic to the exercise mode; and determining, when in the exercise mode, whether the detection of the at least one uncharacteristic value is related to an unpredicted incident, and as a response to the determining that the detection of the at least one uncharacteristic value is related to the unpredicted incident, causing an output of an emergency signal.

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 a portable apparatus to perform operations comprising:

determining that the portable apparatus is in a user-selectable exercise mode among a plurality of different user-selectable exercise modes, each of the plurality of user-selectable exercise modes being associated with a different type of exercise activity;

as a response to determining that the portable apparatus is in the user-selectable exercise mode, causing an activation of one or more sensors of a sensor set;

obtaining, by the portable apparatus when in the exercise mode, real-time exercise data of a user of the portable apparatus acquired using the sensor set having the one or more sensors, and exercise mode-specific reference data associated with the exercise mode;

observing, when in the exercise mode, the real-time exercise data, and detecting, during the observing based on comparison of the real-time exercise data with the exercise mode-specific reference data, that at least one value of the exercise data is uncharacteristic to the exercise mode; and

determining, when in the exercise mode, whether the detection of the at least one uncharacteristic value is related to an unpredicted incident, and as a response to the determining that the detection of the at least one uncharacteristic value is related to the unpredicted incident, causing an output of an emergency signal,

wherein the plurality of exercise modes comprises at least a first exercise mode and a second exercise mode, wherein the first exercise mode is associated with first exercise mode-specific reference data and the second exercise mode is associated with second exercise mode-specific reference data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determining that the portable apparatus is in the exercise mode comprises determining that the portable apparatus is in said exercise mode among the plurality of exercise modes of the portable apparatus based on sensor input.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor set is specific to the exercise mode among the plurality of exercise modes.

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 portable apparatus further to perform operations comprising:

causing, when in the exercise mode, activation of an exercise mode-specific user interface among a plurality of exercise mode-specific user interfaces.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the exercise mode-specific reference data indicates at least one of at least one measurement range characteristic to the exercise mode, at least one measurement range uncharacteristic to the exercise mode.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the detecting that the at least one value of the exercise data is uncharacteristic to the exercise mode is based on determining whether the at least one value is within or outside the at least one measurement range characteristic to the exercise mode.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the detection of the at least one uncharacteristic value is related to the unpredicted incident comprises:

causing an output of a notification;

obtaining a user input, or determining that a predetermined time has passed from initiating the output of the notification; and

determining, based on the user input or based on the determining that the predetermined time has passed, whether the detection of the at least one uncharacteristic value is related to the unpredicted incident.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the causing the output of the notification comprises causing at least one of a haptic indication, visual indication, sound indication.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the detection of the at least one uncharacteristic value is related to the unpredicted incident comprises:

continuing to obtain the real-time exercise data of the user, the real-time exercise data comprising cardiac activity data of the user; and

after the detection of the at least one uncharacteristic value, determining, based on cardiac activity data, whether the detection of the at least one uncharacteristic value is related to the unpredicted incident.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emergency signal causes at least one of a call to an emergency center, a call to at least one emergency contact of the user.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emergency signal causes a transmission of data related to at least one of the real-time exercise data, exercise history data, user characteristics, current location, current address, route information, insurance information, contact information to the emergency center, contact information to the at least one emergency contact of the user.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emergency signal causes an alarm comprising at least one of a haptic indication, visual indication, sound indication.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the alarm comprises the sound indication and wherein the sound indication is lower in volume compared to the sound indication related to the output of the notification.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the portable apparatus is a bike computer.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one range of characteristic and/or uncharacteristic values in the first exercise mode is different from at least one range for characteristic and/or uncharacteristic values in the second exercise mode.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the unpredicted incident is related to a change in at least one of speed, velocity, acceleration of the user.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the type of exercise comprises at least one of road cycling, mountain biking, running, swimming.

18. A method comprising:

determining, by a portable apparatus, that the portable apparatus is in a user-selectable exercise mode among a plurality of different user-selectable exercise modes, each of the plurality of user-selectable exercise modes being associated with a different type of exercise activity;

as a response to determining that the portable apparatus is in the user-selectable exercise mode, causing an activation of one or more sensors of a sensor set;

obtaining, by the portable apparatus when in the exercise mode, real-time exercise data of a user of the portable apparatus acquired using the sensor set having the one or more sensors, and exercise mode-specific reference data associated with the exercise mode;

observing, when in the exercise mode, the real-time exercise data, and detecting, during the observing based on comparison of the real-time exercise data with the exercise mode-specific reference data, that at least one value of the exercise data is uncharacteristic to the exercise mode; and

determining, when in the exercise mode, whether the detection of the at least one uncharacteristic value is related to an unpredicted incident, and as a response to the determining that the detection of the at least one uncharacteristic value is related to the unpredicted incident, causing an output of an emergency signal,

wherein the plurality of exercise modes comprises at least a first exercise mode and a second exercise mode, wherein the first exercise mode is associated with first exercise mode-specific reference data and the second exercise mode is associated with second exercise mode-specific reference data.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a computer program comprising computer program code which, when loaded into a portable apparatus cause the portable apparatus to perform operations comprising:

determining that the portable apparatus is in a user-selectable exercise mode among a plurality of different user-selectable exercise modes, each of the plurality of user-selectable exercise modes being associated with a different type of exercise activity;

as a response to determining that the portable apparatus is in the user-selectable exercise mode, causing an activation of one or more sensors of a sensor set;

obtaining, by the portable apparatus when in the exercise mode, real-time exercise data of a user of the portable apparatus acquired using the sensor set having the one or more sensors, and exercise mode-specific reference data associated with the exercise mode;

observing, when in the exercise mode, the real-time exercise data, and detecting, during the observing based on comparison of the real-time exercise data with the exercise mode-specific reference data, that at least one value of the exercise data is uncharacteristic to the exercise mode; and

determining, when in the exercise mode, whether the detection of the at least one uncharacteristic value is related to an unpredicted incident, and as a response to the determining that the detection of the at least one uncharacteristic value is related to the unpredicted incident, causing an output of an emergency signal,

wherein the plurality of exercise modes comprises at least a first exercise mode and a second exercise mode, wherein the first exercise mode is associated with first exercise mode-specific reference data and the second exercise mode is associated with second exercise mode-specific reference data.