U.S. patent application number 12/961575 was filed with the patent office on 2011-06-23 for system for processing exercise-related data.
This patent application is currently assigned to POLAR ELECTRO OY. Invention is credited to Niclas Granqvist, Tapio Kanniainen, Sami Karvonen, Matti Korpela.
Application Number | 20110152695 12/961575 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41462823 |
Filed Date | 2011-06-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110152695 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Granqvist; Niclas ; et
al. |
June 23, 2011 |
System for Processing Exercise-Related Data
Abstract
A method, apparatuses, and a system for carrying out
exercise-related processing are described. The apparatus includes
an exercise-measurement circuitry configured to measure
exercise-related measurement data related to a user carrying out an
exercise. The apparatus further comprises a communication circuitry
configured to provide the portable apparatus with wireless
communication capability. The apparatus further comprises a
processing circuitry configured to receive the exercise-related
measurement data from the exercise-measurement circuitry, to
process the exercise-related measurement data, and to communicate
with an external user interface apparatus over a bidirectional
wireless communication connection through the communication
circuitry so as to cause transmission of the processed
exercise-related measurement data to the user interface apparatus
and to receive configuration data from the user interface
apparatus.
Inventors: |
Granqvist; Niclas;
(Fleurier, CH) ; Kanniainen; Tapio; (Oulu, FI)
; Karvonen; Sami; (Travers, CH) ; Korpela;
Matti; (Oulu, FI) |
Assignee: |
POLAR ELECTRO OY
Kempele
FI
|
Family ID: |
41462823 |
Appl. No.: |
12/961575 |
Filed: |
December 7, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
600/481 ;
600/300; 600/595 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 5/024 20130101;
A61B 5/02405 20130101; G16H 40/67 20180101; A63B 2220/12 20130101;
A63B 2071/0625 20130101; A61B 5/0006 20130101; A61B 5/7278
20130101; A63B 2220/30 20130101; A63B 2071/0663 20130101; G10L
19/00 20130101; A63B 24/0062 20130101; A63B 2225/50 20130101; A61B
5/02438 20130101; A63B 2220/20 20130101; A61B 5/4875 20130101; A61B
5/11 20130101; A63B 2024/0071 20130101; A63B 2230/50 20130101; A61B
5/0245 20130101; A61B 5/1123 20130101; A63B 2230/06 20130101; G06F
3/165 20130101; A63B 2220/72 20130101; A63B 2220/56 20130101; A63B
2220/836 20130101; A61B 5/0002 20130101; A63B 69/0028 20130101;
G16H 40/40 20180101; A63B 2220/40 20130101; A63B 2024/0068
20130101; G16H 20/30 20180101; A63B 2024/0065 20130101; A63B
2220/22 20130101; A63B 2244/20 20130101; A61B 5/7475 20130101; A63B
2230/04 20130101; A61B 5/02055 20130101; A63B 2220/58 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
600/481 ;
600/300; 600/595 |
International
Class: |
A61B 5/02 20060101
A61B005/02; A61B 5/00 20060101 A61B005/00; A61B 5/11 20060101
A61B005/11 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 18, 2009 |
FI |
20096365 |
Claims
1. A portable apparatus comprising: an exercise-measurement
circuitry configured to measure exercise-related measurement data
related to a user carrying out an exercise; a communication
circuitry configured to provide the portable apparatus with
wireless communication capability; and a processing circuitry
configured to: receive the exercise-related measurement data from
the exercise-measurement circuitry, receive configuration data from
an external user interface apparatus over a bidirectional wireless
communication connection established through the communication
circuitry, wherein the received configuration data includes
exercise-related parameters; process the exercise-related
measurement data according to the received exercise-related
parameters in order to obtain advanced exercise-related data, and
communicate the advanced exercise-related measurement data to the
user interface apparatus over the bidirectional wireless
communication connection.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the advanced exercise-related
data processed by the processing circuitry comprises energy
expenditure data.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the advanced exercise-related
data processed by the processing circuitry comprises performance
capacity data.
4. The apparatus claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is
further configured to process the exercise-related measurement data
on the basis of the configuration data received from the user
interface apparatus, wherein the configuration data comprises
user-related parameters describing characteristics of the user.
5. The apparatus claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is
further configured to process the exercise-related measurement data
on the basis of the configuration data received from the user
interface apparatus, wherein the configuration data comprises
exercise-related parameters defining instructions or guidance for
an exercise to be conducted.
6. The apparatus of preceding claim 1, further comprising at least
one of the following sensors: a thermodynamic sensor, a motion
sensor, wherein the received configuration data includes
exercise-related parameters and wherein the processing circuitry is
further configured to process measurement data received from the at
least one of the thermodynamic sensor and motion sensor by
calculating the advanced exercise-related data from the received
measurement data on the basis of the received configuration
data.
7. The apparatus of preceding claim 1, wherein the communication
circuitry is further configured to establish a first wireless
communication link and a second wireless communication link to the
user interface apparatus, and to operate the first wireless
communication link and the second wireless communication link in
parallel by using the first wireless communication link for
controlling the operation of the second wireless communication
link.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a memory unit
configured to store audio tracks; an audio decoder comprised in the
processing circuitry and configured to decode at least one of the
audio tracks stored in the memory and to play the at least one
decoded audio track; and audio output means to output the at least
one audio track being played, wherein the playback of the at least
one audio track is operative on the basis of the received
configuration data, and wherein the processing circuitry is further
configured to transmit data related to the audio track being played
to the user interface apparatus.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the exercise-measurement
circuitry is configured to measure exercise-related measurement
data that characterizes the user's heart activity.
10. A method for processing exercise-related measurement data in a
portable apparatus, comprising: acquiring exercise-related
measurement data by using an exercise-measurement circuitry;
establishing a bidirectional wireless communication connection
through a communication circuitry with an external user interface
apparatus; receiving configuration data from the external user
interface apparatus over the bidirectional wireless communication
connection, wherein the received configuration data includes
exercise-related parameters; processing the exercise-related
measurement data on the basis of the received exercise-related
parameters in order to obtain advanced exercise-related data; and
causing transmission of the advanced exercise-related measurement
data to the user interface apparatus over the bidirectional
wireless communication connection.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the advanced exercise-related
measurement data comprises energy expenditure data.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the advanced exercise-related
measurement data comprises performance capacity data.
13. The method of claim 10, further comprising processing the
exercise-related measurement data on the basis the configuration
data received from the user interface apparatus, wherein the
received configuration data comprises user-related parameters
describing characteristics of the user.
14. The method of claim 10, further comprising processing the
exercise-related measurement data on the basis the configuration
data received from the user interface apparatus, wherein the
received configuration data comprises exercise-related parameters
defining instructions or guidance for an exercise to be
conducted.
15. The method of claim 10, further comprising: establishing a
first wireless communication link and a second wireless
communication link to the user interface apparatus; operating the
first wireless communication link and the second wireless
communication link in parallel by using the first wireless
communication link for transmission of the advanced
exercise-related measurement data and the second wireless
communication link for reception of the configuration data.
16. The method of claim 10, further comprising: storing audio
tracks in a memory unit; decoding at least one of the audio tracks
stored in the memory operating playback of the at least one decoded
audio track through audio output means, wherein the playback of the
at least one audio track is operative on the basis of the received
configuration data, and transmitting data related to the audio
track being played to the user interface apparatus over the
bidirectional wireless communication connection.
17. The method of claim 10, further comprising causing display of
the advanced exercise-related measurement data through a user
interface.
18. A computer-readable distribution medium comprising instructions
that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing
device to perform a method comprising: acquiring exercise-related
measurement data from an exercise-measurement circuitry; causing a
communication circuitry to establish a bidirectional wireless
communication connection through with an external user interface
apparatus; receiving configuration data from the external user
interface apparatus over the bidirectional wireless communication
connection, wherein the received configuration data includes
exercise-related parameters; processing the exercise-related
measurement data on the basis of the received exercise-related
parameters in order to obtain advanced exercise-related data; and
causing transmission of the advanced exercise-related measurement
data to the user interface apparatus over the bidirectional
wireless communication connection.
19. A system for processing exercise-related measurement data,
comprising: a portable apparatus comprising: an
exercise-measurement circuitry configured to measure
exercise-related measurement data related to a user carrying out an
exercise; a communication circuitry configured to provide the
portable apparatus with wireless communication capability; and a
processing circuitry configured to receive the exercise-related
measurement data from the exercise-measurement circuitry, to
receive configuration data from an external user interface
apparatus over a bidirectional wireless communication connection
established through the communication circuitry, wherein the
received configuration data includes exercise-related parameters,
to process the exercise-related measurement data according to the
received exercise-related parameters in order to obtain advanced
exercise-related data, and to communicate the advanced
exercise-related measurement data to the user interface apparatus
over the bidirectional wireless communication connection; and a
user interface apparatus comprising: a communication circuitry
configured to provide a bidirectional wireless communication
connection with the portable apparatus; a user interface enabling
interaction with a user of the user interface apparatus; and a
processing circuitry configured to communicate with the portable
apparatus through the communication circuitry so as to receive the
advanced exercise-related measurement data from the portable
apparatus, to present the received advanced exercise-related
measurement data to the user, to receive configuration data from
the user, and to cause transmission of the configuration data to
the portable apparatus.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority based on Finnish Patent
Application No. 20096365, filed Dec. 18, 2009, which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field
[0003] The invention relates to the field of biometric sensing and,
particularly to processing measured exercise-related measurement
data.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Heart-rate monitors and other biometric sensors are commonly
used by professional athletes as well as by conventional people
practicing exercising. Heart-rate monitors and other biometric
sensors typically provide a user with information enabling
efficient workout. A typical heart-rate monitoring system includes
a biometric sensor attached to the body of the user and configured
to measure heart-rate of the user, to transmit the measured
heart-rate to another device worn by the user (a wrist device, for
example). The other device receives the heart-rate information from
the biometric sensor, processes the heart-rate information, and
displays the processed heart-rate information. The other device may
also process the heart-rate so as to calculate more advanced
information, such as energy expenditure and fitness parameters of
the user.
SUMMARY
[0006] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is
provided an apparatus portable apparatus comprising: an
exercise-measurement circuitry configured to measure
exercise-related measurement data related to a user carrying out an
exercise; a communication circuitry configured to provide the
portable apparatus with wireless communication capability; and a
processing circuitry configured to: receive the exercise-related
measurement data from the exercise-measurement circuitry, receive
configuration data from an external user interface apparatus over a
bidirectional wireless communication connection established through
the communication circuitry, wherein the received configuration
data includes exercise-related parameters; process the
exercise-related measurement data according to the received
exercise-related parameters in order to obtain advanced
exercise-related data, and communicate the advanced
exercise-related measurement data to the user interface apparatus
over the bidirectional wireless communication connection.
[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a method for processing exercise-related measurement
data in a portable apparatus, comprising: acquiring
exercise-related measurement data by using an exercise-measurement
circuitry; establishing a bidirectional wireless communication
connection through a communication circuitry with an external user
interface apparatus; receiving configuration data from the external
user interface apparatus over the bidirectional wireless
communication connection, wherein the received configuration data
includes exercise-related parameters; processing the
exercise-related measurement data on the basis of the received
exercise-related parameters in order to obtain advanced
exercise-related data; and causing transmission of the advanced
exercise-related measurement data to the user interface apparatus
over the bidirectional wireless communication connection.
[0008] According to another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a system for processing exercise-related measurement
data, comprising a portable apparatus and a user interface
apparatus. The portable apparatus comprises: an
exercise-measurement circuitry configured to measure
exercise-related measurement data related to a user carrying out an
exercise; a communication circuitry configured to provide the
portable apparatus with wireless communication capability; and a
processing circuitry configured to receive the exercise-related
measurement data from the exercise-measurement circuitry, to
receive configuration data from an external user interface
apparatus over a bidirectional wireless communication connection
established through the communication circuitry, wherein the
received configuration data includes exercise-related parameters,
to process the exercise-related measurement data according to the
received exercise-related parameters in order to obtain advanced
exercise-related data, and to communicate the advanced
exercise-related measurement data to the user interface apparatus
over the bidirectional wireless communication connection. The user
interface apparatus comprises a communication circuitry configured
to provide a bidirectional wireless communication connection with
the portable apparatus; a user interface enabling interaction with
a user of the user interface apparatus; and a processing circuitry
configured to communicate with the portable apparatus through the
communication circuitry so as to receive the advanced
exercise-related measurement data from the portable apparatus, to
present the received advanced exercise-related measurement data to
the user, to receive configuration data from the user, and to cause
transmission of the configuration data to the portable
apparatus.
[0009] According to yet another aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a computer program product embodied on a
computer-readable distribution medium and comprising program
instructions for executing a computer process in a computer, the
computer process comprising: acquiring exercise-related measurement
data from an exercise-measurement circuitry; causing a
communication circuitry to establish a bidirectional wireless
communication connection through with an external user interface
apparatus; receiving configuration data from the external user
interface apparatus over the bidirectional wireless communication
connection, wherein the received configuration data includes
exercise-related parameters; processing the exercise-related
measurement data on the basis of the received exercise-related
parameters in order to obtain advanced exercise-related data; and
causing transmission of the advanced exercise-related measurement
data to the user interface apparatus over the bidirectional
wireless communication connection. According to another aspect,
there is provided a computer-readable distribution medium or
article of manufacture containing the above-mentioned computer
program product.
[0010] Further embodiments of the invention are defined in the
dependent claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] Embodiments of the present invention are described below, by
way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings,
in which
[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a system for measuring and processing
exercise-related information;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system according to an
embodiment of the invention;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a portable apparatus according
to an embodiment of the invention; and
[0015] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating method for processing
exercise-related measurement data according to an embodiment of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] The following embodiments are exemplary. Although the
specification may refer to "an", "one", or "some" embodiment(s) in
several locations, this does not necessarily mean that each such
reference is to the same embodiment(s), or that the feature only
applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different
embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments.
[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system for use to measure
exercise-related data in order to monitor workout of a user 100.
Referring to FIG. 1, the user may wear various devices that measure
and process the exercise-related data. The user 100 is provided
with the following equipment: a user interface apparatus in the
form of a wrist unit 106, a heart rate sensor 102 worn on the chest
of the user 100, an upper-arm-mounted positioning device 104, and a
shoe-mounted stride sensor 108. Other accessories not illustrated
in FIG. 1 include a bike sensor configured to measure the speed of
a bike and/or a pedaling power of the user and a swimming sensor
configured to monitor swimming motions, water pressure etc. The
accessories 102, 104, 108 communicate wirelessly with the wrist
device 106. Various accessories may be flexibly used as needed,
i.e. all of them are not necessarily needed all the time, or by all
users, or in all use cases.
[0018] The user interface apparatus 106 comprises a user interface
which may comprise a display, means for producing sound, a
keyboard, and/or a keypad. The display may be a liquid crystal
display, for example, but it may also be implemented by any
appropriate technique. The display may also incorporate other user
interaction means, such as touch input, or haptic feedback, i.e.
the display may be a touch screen. The means for producing sound
may be a loudspeaker or a simpler means, such as a piezo element,
for producing beeps or other audio signals. The keyboard/keypad may
comprise a complete (QWERTY) keyboard, a mere numeric keypad or
only a few push buttons and/or rotary buttons. In addition, the
user interface 308 may comprise other prior art user interface
elements, for example various means for focusing a cursor (mouse,
track ball, various arrow keys, touch sensitive area etc.) or
elements enabling audio control. A parameter relating to the
exercise may be shown on the user interface 106, on the display,
for example. The user interface device 106 also comprises means for
communicating with the accessory devices 102, 104, and 108, as
described in greater detail below.
[0019] The heart rate sensor 102 is used for measuring the user's
heart activity. The heart activity comprises heart rate and one or
multichannel EKG (Electrocardiogram), for example. The heart
activity sensor 102 may further measure other physiological
parameters that can be measured from the user. There exist various
wireless heart rate monitoring concepts where a heart rate sensor
attached to the user's chest measures the user's heart activity and
transmits associated heart activity data telemetrically to a heart
rate receiver, such as the wrist device 106 attached to the user's
wrist. The transmission of the heart activity data may utilize the
principles of time division and/or packet transmission, for
example. However, the heart-rate (and/or other biometric data) is
conventionally only measured, and the measurement data is forwarded
to the wrist device 106 for further processing.
[0020] The positioning device 104 receives external location
information. The positioning device 104 may be a receiver of a
global navigation satellite system. Such a system may be the Global
Positioning System (GPS), the Global Navigation Satellite System
(GLONASS), the Galileo Positioning System (Galileo), the Beidou
Navigation System, or the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite
System (IRNSS), for example. The positioning device 104 determines
its location elements, such as longitude, latitude, and altitude,
using signals transmitted from satellites orbiting the earth.
Besides global navigation satellites, the positioning device 104
may also determine its location by utilizing other known
positioning techniques. It is well known that by receiving radio
signals from several different base stations, a mobile phone may
determine its location. The positioning device 104 may utilize such
schemes as well. In an embodiment of the invention, the positioning
device 106 applies proprietary positioning methods based on optical
or electromagnetic measurements.
[0021] The stride sensor 108 (or the swimming sensor) comprises one
or more motion sensors measuring the movement of the user, a
processing unit configured to process the measured motion data of
the user and to transmit the processed data to the wrist device 106
over a wireless connection. The motion sensor actually measures its
own motion based on acceleration measurement, for example, and
converts the acceleration into an electric signal. The electric
signal is converted into a digital format in an AD converter.
Acceleration can be expressed by the unit of measurement g. One g
is the acceleration caused to an object by earth's gravity.
Accelerations between -2 and +2 g can usually be measured from
human movement. Various techniques may be used for measuring
acceleration. Piezo-resistor technology employs material whose
resistance changes as it compresses. The acceleration of mass
produces a force in a piezo resistor. If a constant current is
supplied through the piezo resistor, its voltage changes according
to the compression caused by acceleration. In piezo-electric
technology, a piezo-electric sensor generates charging when the
sensor is accelerated. In silicon bridge technology, a silicon chip
is etched so that a silicon mass remains on it at the end of a
silicon beam. If acceleration is directed to the silicon chip, the
silicon mass focuses a force on the silicon beam, thus changing the
resistance of the silicon beam. Micro-machined silicon technology
is based on the use of a differential capacitor. Voice coil
technology is based on the same principle as a microphone. Examples
of suitable movement sensors include: Analog Devices ADXL105,
Pewatron HW or VTI Technologies SCA series. The implementation of
the accelerometer may also be based on other appropriate
techniques, for example on a gyroscope integrated into a silicon
chip or on a micro vibration switch incorporated into a surface
mounting component.
[0022] In summary, the accessory apparatuses 102, 104, and 108 each
comprise at least one measurement sensor which measures some aspect
of the exercise. The accessory apparatuses 102, 104, and 108 may
provide raw measurement data without further processing, as a
conventional heart activity sensor does, or the accessory
apparatuses may process the raw data before outputting it. In any
case, conventional accessory apparatuses are hardwired to carry out
a determined processing to the measured data which is very
inflexible, i.e. their operational parameters are fixed and cannot
be changed after the manufacturing process is complete.
[0023] FIG. 2 illustrates a generic block diagram of a system
according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2,
an embodiment of the present invention provides a portable
apparatus 102, 104, 108 comprising an exercise-measurement
circuitry 208 configured to measure exercise-related measurement
data related to a user carrying out an exercise, a communication
circuitry 212 configured to provide the portable apparatus with
bidirectional wireless communication capability, a processing
circuitry 206, and a memory 210.
[0024] The exercise-related measurement data is measurement data
characterizing an exercise.
[0025] In an embodiment of the invention, the exercise-related
measurement data characterizes the user's heart activity. The
exercise-related measurement data may comprise a part of a single
or multi-channel ECG signal in the form of a character, such as
timing instant, associated with a heart pulse.
[0026] In an embodiment of the invention, the exercise-related
measurement data characterizes the user's motion. The
exercise-related measurement data may comprise one or
multi-dimensional acceleration values, one or multi-dimensional
force values associated with degrees of freedom of motion, electric
signals characters, such as voltage values, associated with the
degrees of freedom of motion. The exercise-related measurement data
may also comprise advanced motion information, such as speed
and/distance values which are usually provided by commercially
available motion detectors. The motion may further be presented
other characteristics, such as by pulses and amplitudes associated
with motion. The exercise-related measurement data may characterize
motion of user's limbs, such as arms or leg, or it may present
motion of user's overall motion.
[0027] The processing circuitry 206 is configured to receive the
exercise-related measurement data from the exercise-measurement
circuitry 208, to process the exercise-related measurement data in
order to obtain advanced or "refined" exercise-related data, and to
communicate with an external user interface apparatus 106 over the
bidirectional wireless communication connection through the
communication circuitry 212 so as to cause transmission of the
processed exercise-related measurement data to the user interface
apparatus 106 and to receive configuration data from the user
interface apparatus 106. The configuration data may define how the
exercise-related measurement data is processed and the type of the
advanced exercise-related data, and the received configuration data
may be stored in the memory 210 for use in the processing of the
exercise-related measurement data. The portable apparatus may be
any one of the accessory apparatuses 102, 104, and 108 or a hybrid
apparatus comprising a plurality of different types of
exercise-measurement circuitries, e.g. a heart-rate sensor, a
motion sensor, and a positioning sensor.
[0028] Providing a bidirectional communication link between the
portable apparatus 102, 104, 108 and the user interface apparatus
106 enables input of configuration data into the portable apparatus
102, 104, 108 carrying out the measurement. As a consequence, the
portable apparatus 102, 104, 108 may carry out more sophisticated
processing with respect to the measured exercise-related data on
the basis of the received configuration data. For example, the
portable apparatus 102, 104, 108 may calculate higher level
exercise-related information from the measured data instead of
simply forwarding the measured data to the wrist device for further
processing. As the higher level calculations are carried out
physically close to the exercise-measurement circuitries, even in
the same housing, possible errors in conveying the measured data
for further processing become minimized.
[0029] The configuration data comprises data for configuring the
portable apparatus 102, 104, 108 such that the processing of
exercise-related data is affected.
[0030] In an embodiment of the invention, the configuration data
comprises user-related parameters which characterizes the user or
are specific to the user. Examples of user-related parameters are
name, physiological parameters such as age, weight, height, gender,
body mass index, maximum performance capacity, activity parameter,
previous energy expenditure parameters maximum heart rate.
[0031] In an embodiment of the invention, the configuration data
comprises exercise-guidance parameters, such as energy expenditure
target, heart rate zones, activity zones, anaerobic threshold,
fitness classification identifier and/or dehydration warning
limits. The heart rate or activity zones typically present limits
within which a person shall exercise in order to reach a desired
training effect. The fitness classification identifier
characterizes the user's physical condition as a maximum
performance capacity (VO2max), for example.
[0032] In an embodiment of the invention, the advanced
exercise-related data comprises heart rate distribution
information. Let us assume that the exercise is divided into three
heart rate zones, i.e. a first zone, a second zone and a third
zone. The heart rate distribution information in this case
comprises the accumulated time in each zone the user spent during
the exercise.
[0033] The user interface apparatus may be the wrist device 106 or
another corresponding user interface device worn by the user.
However, the user interface apparatus is not limited to that, and
it may be a personal computer, a laptop, a personal digital
assistant, a mobile phone, or another computer device comprising a
user interface for presenting the exercise-related measurement data
to the user and for applying configuration data to the portable
apparatus 102, 104, 108. The user interface apparatus comprises a
communication circuitry 222 configured to provide a bidirectional
wireless communication connection with the portable apparatus 102,
104, 108. The user interface apparatus further comprises a user
interface 228 enabling interaction with a user of the user
interface apparatus. The user interface 228 may comprise display
and input means as listed above. The user interface apparatus
further comprises a processing circuitry 226 configured to
communicate with the portable apparatus 102, 104, 108 through the
communication circuitry 222 so as to receive processed
exercise-related measurement data from the portable apparatus 102,
104, 108, to present the received processed exercise-related
measurement data to the user, to receive configuration data from
the user through the input means, and to cause transmission of the
configuration data to the portable apparatus 102, 104, 108.
[0034] In an embodiment, the processing circuitry is implemented
with a digital signal processor, a microcontroller, or another
similar controller configurable by computer programs. The user
interface apparatus may further comprise a memory 224 for storing
such computer programs to be executed by the processing circuitry.
An embodiment provides a computer program 232 comprising program
instructions 234 which, when loaded into the user interface
apparatus 106, cause the user interface apparatus 106 to carry out
user interface and communication operations so as to present
information received from the portable apparatus 102, 104, 108 to
the user and to receive user inputs and forward the user inputs as
the configuration data to the portable apparatus 102, 104, 108.
[0035] The computer program 232 may be in source code form, object
code form, or in some intermediate form. The computer program 232
may be stored in the memory 224 or on a carrier 230 which may be
any entity or device capable of carrying the program to the user
interface apparatus 102. The carrier 230 may be a computer-readable
storage medium. Besides this, the carrier 230 may be implemented as
follows, for example: the computer program 232 may be embodied on a
record medium, stored in a computer memory, embodied in a read-only
memory, carried on an electrical carrier signal, carried on a
telecommunications signal, and/or embodied on a software
distribution medium. In some jurisdictions, depending on the
legislation and the patent practice, the carrier 230 may not be the
telecommunications signal.
[0036] There are many ways to structure the program 232. The
operations of the program may be divided into functional modules,
sub-routines, methods, classes, objects, applets, macros, etc.,
depending on the software design methodology and the programming
language used. In modern programming environments, there are
software libraries, i.e. compilations of ready-made functions,
which may be utilized by the program for performing a wide variety
of standard operations.
[0037] Let us now consider the portable apparatus carrying out the
measurements and processing the measured data on the basis of the
configuration data received over the wireless communication
connection. FIG. 3 illustrates a more detailed block diagram of an
embodiment of the portable apparatus, now in the form of a heart
activity sensor 300. A typical heart activity sensor 300 further
includes support structure not shown which enables the user to
attach the heart activity sensor 300 to his body, such as
chest.
[0038] The heart activity sensor 300 may also include other
sensors, as described in greater detail below. The heart activity
sensor 300 receives measured heart-rate activity (ECG) signals from
two or more electrodes 313, 314, 315 in contact with the user's
body. The electrodes 313 to 315 may be conventional electrodes
commonly used in connection with training applications. The heart
activity sensor 300 comprises a heart rate detection circuitry 302
configured to detect pulses (peaks) in the signal(s) received from
the electrode(s) 313 to 315.
[0039] In an embodiment of the invention, the heart rate detection
circuitry 302 detects signatures, such as P, Q, R S and/or T wave
from the EKG. The heart-rate detection circuitry may also filter
the received signals according to determined filtering parameters
so as to improve the accuracy of the pulse detection. Then, the
heart-rate detection circuitry outputs detected pulse rate
information to a processor 306 configured to calculate higher level
exercise-related information from the pulse rate information on the
basis of configuration data retrieved from a memory 304.
[0040] In an embodiment, the heart activity sensor 300 receives
exercise-related measurement data from other sensors, such as a
temperature sensor 316 measuring ambient or body temperature, a
pressure sensor 318 measuring pressure, and/or a motion sensor 320
measuring user's motions. In this context the pressure sensor 318
and temperature sensor 316 may be referred to as a thermodynamic
sensor.
[0041] The processor 306 may be configured to calculate higher
level exercise-related information from the exercise-related
measurement data received from such sensors on the basis of
configuration data retrieved from a memory 304. The connection
between the heart activity sensor 300 and the sensors 313 to 320
may be wired or wireless. The sensor(s) may even be disposed in the
same housing as the heart activity sensor 300.
[0042] In the wireless embodiment, a sensor providing the measured
data may include a transmitter configured to process the measured
data into electromagnetic radiation, and the heart activity sensor
300 may comprise a receiver adapted to receive the electro-magnetic
radiation from the sensor and to process the received
electromagnetic radiation into a form suitable for further
processing. The heart activity sensor 300 may also include a clock
or a timer for counting time and duration of the exercise and to
enable exercise guidance.
[0043] The processor 306 is in an embodiment realized by an ASIC
(application-specific integrated circuit), but it can be foreseen
that the processor is realized by a digital signal processor, a
microcontroller, or any other suitable processing unit selected
according to required processing capacity, power consumption, etc.
When the processor is a digital signal processor of any kind, the
heart activity sensor 300 may include one or more analog-to-digital
converters converting the exercise-related measurement data output
by the sensors 313 to 320 into a digital form. Such a digital
signal processor may be configured by one or more computer
programs. The memory 304 may store such computer programs to be
executed by the processor 306. An embodiment provides a computer
program comprising program instructions which, when loaded into the
processor 306, cause the processor 306 to carry out signal
processing operations so as to calculate higher level
exercise-related data from the measurement data provided by the
sensors, wherein the calculation is based on the configuration data
stored in the memory 304. The above discussion related to the
properties of such computer programs and their carriers applies
here, too.
[0044] As described above, the heart activity sensor 300 receives
the configuration data over a bidirectional wireless communication
connection from the user interface apparatus. The heart activity
sensor 300 comprises a wireless communication module 310
(corresponding to the communication circuitry described above) so
as to enable the bidirectional wireless communication connection.
The bidirectional wireless communication connection refers to a
connection that transfers payload data to both directions, i.e. not
just radio-link specific control signaling. The wireless
communication module 310 may be configured to operate a single
bidirectional wireless communication link realized according to the
specifications of Bluetooth (or Bluetooth low energy), wireless USB
(Universal Serial Bus) or Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4). The bidirectional
connection may even utilize wireless local area network (IEEE
802.11x) or mobile telecommunication technology, such as GSM or
UMTS. In the case of GSM and UMTS (or another mobile
telecommunication system utilizing fixed public radio access
network infrastructure, the configuration data may be input via a
text message (SMS) or through a packet radio connection, e.g. GPRS,
EDGE, W-CDMA, HSDPA/HSUPA, etc. known in the field of mobile
telecommunications.
[0045] Alternatively, the wireless communication module 310 may
include at least two communication link modules 311 and 312,
wherein a first communication link module 311 is configured to
transmit the processed higher-level exercise-related measurement
information (and other information) to the user interface
apparatus, and a second communication link module 312 is configured
to receive the configuration data from the user interface
apparatus. The first communication link module 311 may be dedicated
for transmission only, and it may be configured to carry out the
transmission according to Bluetooth (or Bluetooth low energy), ANT,
W.I.N.D, Zigbee, or inductive-based technology. The second
communication link module 312 may be dedicated for reception only,
and it may be configured to carry out the reception according to
Bluetooth (or Bluetooth low energy), Zigbee, wireless USB, or any
other suitable wireless communication technology.
[0046] In an embodiment, the inductive-based technology is based on
at least one of the following frequencies: 27 kHz, 125 kHz, 131
kHz, 250 kHz, and below 10 kHz, such 5 kHz.
[0047] In an embodiment, both first and second communication link
module 311 and 312 are configured to establish bidirectional
wireless links but to different user interface devices. The user
may, for example, wear a wrist device described above and a
headset, and the first communication link module 311 may be
configured to establish a first bidirectional wireless
communication link to the wrist device for presenting processed
exercise-related data and for receiving the configuration data. The
second communication link module 312 may be configured to establish
a second bidirectional wireless communication link to the headset
for playing audible processed exercise-related data (or other
audio) and for receiving the configuration data. In the latter
case, the headset may include a microphone and a voice-recognition
algorithm to detect voice commands provided by the user and to
forward the voice commands to the heart activity sensor 300 as the
configuration data.
[0048] In another embodiment, the heart activity sensor is
configured to establish a first and a second wireless communication
links, wherein the first link is used to convey control parameters
controlling the operation of the second link. The control
parameters conveyed through the first link may include transmission
power control parameters, modulation and/or coding parameters.
Then, the heart activity sensor comprised by the portable apparatus
may control transmission parameters of the second link on the basis
of control parameters received through the first link. However, the
first link primary configured for transmission of the payload data
may also be used for transferring the advanced exercise-related
data and/or the configuration data.
[0049] In an embodiment, the received configuration data includes
exercise-related parameters, and the processor 306 is configured to
process the received exercise-related measurement data by
calculating the higher level exercise-related information from the
received exercise-related measurement data on the basis of the
received configuration data. The processor 306 may be configured to
carry out at least one of an activity calculation algorithm, an
energy expenditure calculation algorithm, a motion level algorithm,
a fitness test algorithm, and a heart rate limits estimation
algorithm. In order to enable the execution of such algorithms, the
processor 306 receives additional parameters as the configuration
data through the wireless communication module 310. Such parameters
may include characteristics of the user and/or the training, and
the parameters may be stored in association with a given user
profile into the memory 304 for use by the algorithms. The memory
304 may store a plurality of user profiles of a group using the
same heart activity sensor. Each user profile may specify
user-specific parameters relating to the user of the heart activity
sensor.
[0050] The processor 306 may also store in the memory measured data
received from the one or more sensors listed above. The processor
may accumulate a determined amount of measured data before
calculating the further exercise information from the measured
data. Such measured data stored in the memory may include single-
or multi-channel ECG, temperature, ambient pressure, motion data in
the form of acceleration versus time. The processor may also
calculate some information derivable directly from the measured
data without external configuration data, e.g. heart rate values,
heart rate variability, RR intervals (duration between two
consecutive R waves of the ECG), generic dehydration state
calculated from the temperature, travel distance calculated from
the motion data, motion analysis related to a swimming or running
style, for example, mechanical training load based on the motion
only without user-specific parameters etc.
[0051] FIG. 4 illustrates a process for calculating higher level
exercise related information from the measured data and the
configuration data. The process may be carried out in the portable
apparatus according to embodiments of the invention. Referring to
FIG. 4, the process starts in block 400. In block 402, the
configuration data is acquired. The configuration data is received
as a user input from the user interface device over a wireless
communication link and stored in the memory for acquisition. The
configuration data may include user-specific parameters and/or
exercise-guidance parameters defining the guidance or instructions
for the exercise to be conducted by the user. In practice, not all
the user-specific and/or exercise-guidance parameters need to be
conveyed over the wireless link every time the exercise is started.
Such parameters may have been transferred to the portable apparatus
beforehand when the user has set up the system. The user may simply
identify himself/herself through the user interface input and
optionally input the type of exercise he/she wishes to carry out.
The user interface apparatus then conveys according information to
the portable apparatus over the wireless link. In response to the
reception of the user and exercise identification data, the
portable apparatus may acquire corresponding user-related
parameters and exercise guidance parameters from the memory. The
portable apparatus may also activate and/or deactivate sensors on
the basis of the type of exercise is to be conducted in order to
disable unnecessary sensors and save battery power.
[0052] In block 404, exercise-related measurement data is acquired
directly from the sensors and/or from the memory. The measurement
data may include raw measurement data received from the sensors
and/or processed data such as the heart rate and/or heart rate
variability. In block 406, the higher level exercise-related
information is calculated on the basis of the measurement data
acquired in block 404 and the configuration data acquired in block
402. Next, a few examples of the advanced exercise related data is
listed.
[0053] In an embodiment, energy expenditure is calculated by using
the heart rate as the measurement data and age, gender, weight,
height, and a fitness index as the user-related configuration data.
In this case, the advanced exercise-related data includes energy
expenditure data. The energy expenditure data may include the total
energy expenditure during a specific exercise, energy expenditure
rates during exercise, energy expenditure in metabolic component
levels, such as fats, carbohydrates and/or proteins.
[0054] In an embodiment, fitness parameters (e.g. VO2max value
known also as maximal oxygen uptake) is calculated by using the
heart rate and/or hearty rate variability as the measurement data
and age and gender as the configuration data. In this case, the
advanced exercise-related data comprises a fitness parameter. The
fitness parameter may presented in any unit, such as activity unit,
from which a fitness parameter may be derived. An example of
relating activity and fitness parameter is a Jackson formula, which
provides a relationship between the maximum oxygen uptake and
estimated physical activity.
[0055] In an embodiment, a relaxation estimate is calculated by
using the heart rate variability or a parameter proportional to the
heart rate variability as the measurement data. In this case, the
advanced exercise-related data includes a relaxation estimate. The
relaxation estimate may also be calculated from the power spectrum
of the ECG. In an embodiment of the invention, a relaxation
estimate may is obtained from the trend of heart rate value when a
person is a in a recovery phase after high-load exercise phase. The
relaxation estimate may characterize the physical or mental
relaxation of a person.
[0056] In an embodiment, training load is calculated on the basis
of mechanical stress derived by using the motion data,
cardiovascular training load derived by using the heart rate,
and/or pressure information (indicating air/water pressure) as the
measurement data and age, gender, and weight as the configuration
data. The training load characterizes the effect of the training in
terms of physical load and the resulting need for recovery. In this
case, the advanced exercise-related data includes training load
parameter or associated recovery need parameter.
[0057] In an embodiment, user-specific heart rate zones, such as
that based on heart rate variability, are calculated by using the
heart rate as the measurement data and age, gender, and fitness
classification as the configuration data.
[0058] In an embodiment, recovery estimate is calculated by using
the heart rate variability as the measurement data. In this case,
the advanced exercise-related data comprises the recovery estimate.
A recovery estimate is a parameter which characterizes the user's
recovery status. The recovery estimate may be presented by time
required for a desired level of recovery. In an embodiment, the
recovery status is presented in a form of exercise instruction
which is may be given in time required to a predetermined recovery
state.
[0059] In an embodiment, a dehydration estimate is calculated by
using the heart rate and the temperature as the measurement data
and possibly age, gender, weight and/height as the configuration
data. In this case, the advanced exercise-related data comprises a
dehydration estimate. The dehydration estimate may be presented
with the amount of beverage or beverage component, such as water or
sodium, required to obtain a desired hydration state. In an
embodiment, the temperature sensor 316 and heart rate sensor 300
are used in the portable apparatus 102, 104, 108.
[0060] Other algorithms known in the field of exercise-related
algorithms may be calculated in block 406 as well. Block 406 may
also (or alternatively) include comparison of the (processed)
measurement data with exercise-guidance parameters received as the
configuration data. The current heart rate may be compared with
heart rate targets defined as the configuration data for the
workout. Other measurement data or higher level exercise-related
data calculated in block 406 may be compared with corresponding
targets received as the configuration data so as to determine
whether or not the workout follows the predetermined instructions.
In these cases, the advanced exercise-related data comprises
indication signals that carry information on the state of the
current exercise relative to the data comprised by the
configuration data. The indication signal may give rise to audible
or visible alarm in the user interface apparatus 102, 104, 108.
[0061] In block 408, transmission of the exercise-related data or
other data to the user interface apparatus is controlled. The
exercise-related data transmitted to the user interface apparatus
may include higher-level information calculated in block 406 or
other exercise-related information.
[0062] The exercise-related information transmitted in block 408
may include information transmitted periodically on a continuous
basis during the exercise, e.g. energy expenditure, heart rate,
heart rate variability, temperature, travel speed and/or distance,
relaxation estimate, fitness parameter, exercise zone status,
current training load (mechanical, cardiovascular, their
combination or both), and dehydration state. The interval between
successive transmissions may be 1 second, but the transmission
interval may be adjustable parameter.
[0063] The exercise-related information transmitted in block 408
may also include information transmitted once after the workout,
such as ECG, RR data, motion sensor data as the function of time,
etc. As the other information, system information, such as memory
status, processing status, etc. may be transmitted automatically or
upon a request received from the user interface apparatus in
response to the user input. Any exercise-related information
calculated in block 406 may also be transmitted in block 408 only
in response to the request received over the wireless communication
link from the user interface apparatus.
[0064] Additionally, control information controlling the exercise
may be transmitted in block 408 in response to the operations
carried out in block 406.
[0065] For example, if in block it has been determined that the
current heart rate is not within the current target heart rate
limits (in the appropriate heart rate zone), a corresponding
notification may be sent in block 408 to notify the user to either
increase or decrease training load. In response to the reception of
such a message, the user interface apparatus displays appropriate
icon in the display and/or plays appropriate sounds through a
loudspeaker so as to instruct the user.
[0066] In an embodiment, the configuration data includes sensor
filtering data controlling the heart-rate detection circuitry 302
or another corresponding circuitry carrying out pre-processing of
signals provided by one or more of the sensors 313 to 320 listed
above. As mentioned above, the heart-rate detection circuitry
filters the electric measurement signals provided by the electrodes
313 to 315 so as to improve the detection accuracy. The filtering
parameters may be adaptive, and different filtering parameters may
be used according to a given criterion, e.g. ambient conditions
(temperature), exercise type (running, cycling, roller skating)
etc. As a consequence, the filtering parameters may be input from
the user interface apparatus as a configuration data and applied to
the heart-rate detection circuitry so as to carry out the filtering
according to the filtering parameters. The filtering parameters may
control the heart-rate detection circuitry 302 to implement a
specific physical filtering circuitry.
[0067] In an embodiment, the processing capacity of the wireless
communication module 310 is utilized in the calculation of the
higher-level exercise-related information. The capacity of the
wireless communication module 310 may be over-sized or it may be in
use only occasionally and, thus, the processor 306 of the portable
apparatus may monitor the loading of the wireless communication
module 310, e.g. its modem processor, and assign computation
operations and/or sub-routines to the wireless communication module
310 when it detects that there is processing capacity available in
the wireless communication module 310. The processor 306 may
instruct the wireless communication module 310 to execute the
computation of any one of the above-listed higher-level
computations or a sub-routine of such a computation.
[0068] As mentioned above, the portable apparatus according to
embodiments of the invention may be the heart activity sensor in
contact with the user's body for heart-rate measurement, the stride
sensor attached to the user's shoe, the positioning device
attachable to the arm of the user, a bike sensor attached to the
bike, a swimming sensor attachable to the arm of the user, or a
hybrid of any of the device listed above.
[0069] The portable apparatus processes the exercise-related
measurement data so as to derive higher-level exercise-related
information on the basis of the configuration data received from
the user interface apparatus over the bidirectional wireless
connection. The portable device itself may be provided with no user
interface at all, and the user interaction is carried out through
the user interface apparatus over the bidirectional wireless
connection. However, the invention should not be limited to the
devices with no user interface and, actually, an embodiment with
the user interface is described below.
[0070] The portable apparatus receives the configuration data from
the user interface apparatus and transmits the advanced
exercise-related information to the user interface apparatus. The
actual payload data transferred between the portable apparatus and
the user interface apparatus may be designed in various manners.
For example, the portable apparatus may transmit the advanced
exercise-related information to the user interface apparatus in
binary values defining the proportions of the different types of
the exercise-related information. The transferred values are
associated with the corresponding types of the exercise-related
information, e.g. the values may be provided in dedicated fields of
the transferred messages.
[0071] In another embodiment, the advanced exercise-related data
comprises low-level raw data, such as pixel values of a display
unit, thereby controlling the user interface apparatus to display
the exercise-related data.
[0072] Referring now back to FIG. 3, in an aspect of the invention,
the portable apparatus comprises an audio decoder and audio
playback circuitry 308, and the configuration data received from
the user interface apparatus may be control data controlling the
playback and operation of the audio decoder and playback circuitry
308. The audio decoder may be an MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3) decoder, a
Windows Media Audio decoder, or any other audio decoder known in
the art and configured to decode and extract encoded and compressed
audio tracks stored in the memory 304. The memory 304 storing the
audio tracks may be the same physical non-volatile memory circuitry
used in connection with other operations of the portable apparatus,
or the audio tracks may be stored in an external, detachable memory
unit, e.g. a memory card (SD, Memory stick, or another type of
flash memory). The audio playback circuitry 308 may include an
audio signal amplifier to amplify the decoded audio tracks and an
audio output interface to output the audio tracks being played. The
audio output interface may be realized by wired headphone
connections known in the art, and/or the audio output interface may
utilize the wireless communication module 310 to provide the audio
output to Bluetooth-equipped headphones, for example. The portable
apparatus may also transmit audio playback information to the user
interface apparatus, e.g. the wrist device, over the wireless
bidirectional connection so as to display the playback information
to the user. The playback information may include the name of an
audio track currently played, an artist, playback duration (elapsed
time and/or remaining time), the next song, a playlist, MP3
metadata, etc. The configuration data received from the user
interface apparatus over the wireless connection may include
control data indicating the playback of the next track,
activation/disabling the music playback, volume control data, etc.
Additionally, the portable apparatus may include wired means for
transferring the audio tracks into the memory. Such means may
include a universal serial bus (USB) interface. The USB interface
may also be used for recharging a battery (not shown) of the
portable apparatus.
[0073] In an embodiment where at least some of the components of
the portable apparatus, e.g. the processor 306, the audio decoder
308, and/or the wireless communication module, are controlled by
software, a software update is applied to the portable apparatus as
the configuration data from the user interface apparatus. The
software update may be transferred to the portable apparatus over
the bidirectional wireless communication link and, upon completion
of the transfer, the portable apparatus is configured to carry out
the software version upgrade. In another embodiment, the software
upgrade is carried out through the wired USB connection.
[0074] As used in this application, the term `circuitry` refers to
all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations,
such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry,
and (b) to combinations of circuits and software (and/or firmware),
such as (when applicable): (i) a combination of processor(s) or
(ii) portions of processor(s)/software including digital signal
processor(s), software, and memory (memories) that work together to
cause an apparatus to perform various functions, and (c) to
circuits, such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a
microprocessor(s), that require software or firmware for operation,
even if the software or firmware is not physically present.
[0075] This definition of `circuitry` applies to all uses of this
term in this application. As a further example, as used in this
application, the term "circuitry" would also cover an
implementation of merely a processor (or multiple processors) or
portion of a processor and its (or their) accompanying software
and/or firmware. The term "circuitry" would also cover, for example
and if applicable to the particular element, a baseband integrated
circuit or applications processor integrated circuit for a mobile
phone or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network
device, or other network device.
[0076] It should be noted that while the Figures illustrate various
embodiments of the portable apparatus and the user interface
apparatus, they are simplified block diagrams that only show some
elements and functional entities, all being logical units whose
implementation may differ from what is shown. The connections shown
in these figures are logical connections; the actual physical
connections may be different. Interfaces between the various
elements may be implemented with suitable interface technologies.
It is apparent to a person skilled in the art that the described
apparatuses may also comprise other functions and structures. It
should be appreciated that details of some functions, structures,
and elements, and the protocols used for communication are
irrelevant to the actual invention. Therefore, they need not be
discussed in more detail here, because such discussion might blur
the invention with unnecessary details. The implementation and
features of the apparatuses according to the invention develop
rapidly. Such development may require extra changes to the
embodiments described above. Therefore, all words and expressions
should be interpreted broadly and they are intended to illustrate,
not to restrict, the embodiments. Although the apparatuses have
been depicted as separate single entities, different parts may be
implemented in one or more physical or logical entities. It will be
obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as technology
advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways.
The invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples
described above but may vary within the scope of the claims.
* * * * *