Heart rate detection apparatus

• US 9,833,156 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2012
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Choice Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. (Tianjin Chase Sun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Beijing Choice Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. (Tianjin Chase Sun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Liu, Shuhai, Xu, Feng, Zhang, Yanqing
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins, Davetta W
• Assistant Examiner(s): GANMAVO, KUASSI A
• Application Number:
  US14/354,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20140288453A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,129 Days
• Field of Search: 381 67, 381309, 381 74, 381 731, 381302, 600483, 600559, 600528, 600508, 600500, 600513
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0204 Acoustic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02125 of pulse wave propagation time
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0285 Measuring or recording phase velocity of blood waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/352 Detecting R peaks, e.g. for synchronising diagnostic apparatus; Estimating R-R interval
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6817 Ear canal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/04 Electric stethoscopes microphones, acoustic transducers therefor H04R

Abstract

A heart rate detection apparatus includes a signal acquisition device for acquiring an intra-aural vibration wave signal and converting the intra-aural vibration wave signal into an intra-aural vibration electrical signal; and an arithmetic processing device for processing the intra-aural vibration electrical signal by computing to generate heart rate information. In the prior art, the heart rate detection apparatus cannot accurately and reliably detect the heart rate information due to the weak optical signal detected by a sensor. The heart rate detection apparatus acquires the intra-aural vibration wave signal to obtain the heart rate information, thus enabling the apparatus to accurately and reliably detect heart rate information.

Claims

1. A heart rate detection apparatus, comprising:

a signal acquisition device for acquiring an intra-aural vibration wave signal and converting the intra-aural vibration wave signal into an intra-aural vibration electrical signal, wherein the intra-aural vibration wave signal comprises vibration wave signals caused by blood flowing inside an ear and conducted into an ear canal of the ear by a tympanic membrane and vibration wave signals conducted into the ear canal by bones and/or tissues that are cartilage inside the ear and by bones and/or tissues that are not cartilage inside the ear; and

an arithmetic processing device for processing the intra-aural vibration electrical signal by computing to generate heart rate information,

wherein the signal acquisition device comprises a signal acquisition unit and a front-end signal processing unit,

wherein the signal acquisition unit is used for

acquiring the intra-aural vibration wave signal,

converting the intra-aural vibration wave signal into the intra-aural vibration electrical signal,

outputting the intra-aural vibration electrical signal to the front-end signal processing unit,

acquiring a vibration wave signal outside the ear, which comprises a vibration wave signal produced by a vessel in an auricle of the ear,

converting the vibration wave signal outside the ear into a vibration electrical signal outside the ear, and

outputting the vibration electrical signal outside the ear to the front-end signal processing unit, and

wherein the front-end signal processing unit is used for

filtering and amplifying the intra-aural vibration electrical signal,

outputting the filtered and amplified intra-aural vibration electrical signal to the arithmetic processing device,

performing a compensating and feedback process to the intra-aural vibration electrical signal based on the vibration electrical signal outside the ear, and

outputting the intra-aural vibration electrical signal subjected to the compensating and feedback process to the arithmetic processing device.

2. The heart rate detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arithmetic processing device comprises a cache unit, an arithmetic processing unit and a permanent storage unit;

the cache unit is used for buffering the intra-aural vibration wave signal;

the arithmetic processing unit is used for obtaining the intra-aural vibration wave signal from the cache unit, processing the intra-aural vibration wave signal by computing to generate the heart rate information, and outputting the heart rate information to the permanent storage unit; and

the permanent storage unit is used for storing the heart rate information.

3. The heart rate detection apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a central control unit and a display unit, wherein,

the central control unit is used for obtaining the heart rate information from the arithmetic processing unit, and outputting the heart rate information to the display unit;

and

the display unit is used for displaying the heart rate information.

4. The heart rate detection apparatus of claim 3, further comprising an alarming unit connected to the central control unit;

wherein,

the central control unit is further used for generating an alarm signal according to the heart rate information, and sending the alarm signal to the alarming unit; and

the alarming unit is used for alarming according to the alarm signal.

5. The heart rate detection apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a communication unit connected to the central control unit and a communication device, wherein,

the central control unit is further used for outputting the heart rate information to the communication unit;

and

the communication unit is used for outputting the heart rate information to the communication device.

6. The heart rate detection apparatus of claim 5, further comprising an input unit connected to the central control unit, wherein,

the input unit is used for sending an operation instruction to the central control unit;

and

the central control unit is further used for carrying out an operation instructed by the operation instruction according to the operation instruction.

7. The heart rate detection apparatus of claim 6, wherein the input control unit controls On and Off of operation mode of the heart rate detection apparatus, the display unit, the alarming unit, and the communication unit.

8. The heart rate detection apparatus of claim 5, wherein the central control unit is further used for obtaining standard heart rate information through the communication unit, and adjusting the heart rate information according to the standard heart rate information.

9. The heart rate detection apparatus of claim 5, wherein a user can control the heart rate detection apparatus by detection control software in the communication device.

10. The heart rate detection apparatus of claim 4, wherein the alarm signal comprises a sound signal, an optical signal, a vibration signal or combinations thereof.

11. The heart rate detection apparatus of claim 10, wherein On and Off, volume up and volume down, and/or strength of vibration of the alarming unit are controlled by the central control unit.

12. The heart rate detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein, the heart rate information comprises value of heart rate, status value of the heart rate, and/or status value of heartbeat.

13. The heart rate detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal acquisition unit includes one or more acoustical-electrical transducers, and a probe direction of each acoustical-electrical transducer is adjustable in a predetermined angle range.

14. The heart rate detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arithmetic processing unit is used for computing the value of heart rate according to the number of pulses in the intra-aural vibration electrical signal, and computing a status value of the heart rate and/or a status value of heartbeat according to the intensity of the intra-aural vibration electrical signal.

15. The heart rate detection apparatus of claim 14, wherein the status value of the heart rate or the status value of heartbeat is at a level among several predetermined levels.

16. The heart rate detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heart rate detection apparatus adjusts and learns the heart rate information on the basis of a comparison with standard heart rate information.

17. The heart rate detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heart rate detection apparatus is an earmuff-type heart rate detection apparatus, a supra aural-type heart rate detection apparatus, an earplug-type heart rate detection apparatus, or an in-the-canal-type heart rate detection apparatus.