| abstract |
An apparatus, system, and method is disclosed for monitoring the motion, breathing, heart rate of humans in a convenient and low-cost fashion, and for deriving and displaying useful measurements of cardiorespiratory performance from the measured signals. The motion, breathing, and heart rate signals are obtained through a processing applied to a raw signal obtained in a non-contact fashion, typically using a radio-frequency sensor. Processing into separate cardiac and respiratory components is described. The heart rate can be determined by using either spectral or time-domain processing. The respiratory rate can be calculated using spectral analysis. Processing to derive the heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, or a ventilatory threshold parameter using the system is described. The sensor, processing, and display can be incorporated in a single device which can be worn or held close to the body while exercising (e.g., in a wristwatch or mobile phone configuration), or alternately placed in a fixed piece of exercise equipment at some distance form the body (e.g., in a treadmill dash panel), and may also be integrated with other sensors, such as position locators. |