Context-aware heart rate estimation
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsKarthik Jayaraman Raghuram, James M. Silva, Alexander Kanaris, Barker N. Bhaskaran
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device can estimate the heart rate of an active user by using a physiological model to refine a “direct” measurement of the user's heart rate obtained using a pulse sensor. The physiological model can be based on heart rate response to activity and can be informed by context information, such as the user's current activity and/or intensity level as well as user-specific parameters such as age, gender, general fitness level, previous heart rate measurements, etc. The physiological model can be used to predict a heart rate, and the prediction can be used to assess or improve the direct measurement.
Claims19
A method of determining a heart rate of a user, the method comprising, by a wearable device:
- generating, using a pulse sensor of the wearable device, a sequence of heart rate data samples;
- determining, using the sequence of heart rate data samples, a direct heart rate estimate;
- determining an activity context of the wearable device, the activity context including a physical activity in which the user is engaged and an intensity of the physical activity;
- generating, based in part on the activity context and in part on a user-specific parameter, a modeled heart rate estimate, the modeled heart rate estimate being based on a physiological model of heart rate response to the activity context and generated independently of the sequence of heart rate data samples;
- and
- determining a final heart rate estimate based on the direct heart rate estimate and the modeled heart rate estimate.
A device comprising:
- a pulse sensor;
- a motion sensor;
- and
- a processor coupled to the pulse sensor and the motion sensor, the processor configured to:
- obtain a sequence of heart rate data samples from the pulse sensor;
- determine, based on the sequence of heart rate data samples, a direct heart rate estimate;
- determine, based at least in part on data from the motion sensor, an activity context of the device, the activity context including a physical activity in which a user is engaged and an intensity of the physical activity;
- generate, based in part on the activity context of the device and in part on a user-specific parameter, a modeled heart rate estimate, the modeled heart rate estimate being based on a physiological model of heart rate response to the activity context and generated independently of the sequence of heart rate data samples;
- and
- determine a final heart rate estimate based on the direct heart rate estimate and the modeled heart rate estimate.
A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:
- obtaining a sequence of heart rate data samples for a user;
- determining, using the sequence of heart rate data samples, a direct heart rate estimate;
- determining an activity context for the user, the activity context including a physical activity in which the user is engaged and an intensity of the physical activity;
- generating, based in part on the activity context and in part on a user-specific parameter, a modeled heart rate estimate, the modeled heart rate estimate being based on a physiological model of heart rate response to the activity context and generated independently of the sequence of heart rate data samples;
- and
- determining a final heart rate estimate based at least in part on the direct heart rate estimate and the modeled heart rate estimate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.