Patent ID: 8956303
Filing Date: 2015-02-17
Classification: A61B,H04L,H04W,Y02D

Abstract:
1. A method of operating a heart rate monitor of a wearable fitness monitoring device to adjust at least one setting for operating the heart rate monitor, wherein operating the heart rate monitor comprises: (a) operating a light source in the heart monitor in a skin characterization mode by emitting a succession of light pulses, at least some having variable intensity with respect to one another; (b) detecting a variation in intensity of light from the light pulses emitted in the skin characterization mode after the light has interacted with the user's skin; (c) determining a response characteristic of the user's skin from the variation in intensity of light detected in (b); and (d) using the response characteristic of the user's skin to adjust a gain and/or light emission intensity of the heart rate monitor operating in a first mode for detecting one or more characteristics of the user's heartbeat waveform, wherein at least (b) and (c) are carried out by a processor, and wherein operating in the first mode comprises pulsing the light source in the heart rate monitor at a first frequency and detecting light from the light source, after the light has interacted with the user's skin, at the first frequency, and wherein operating in the skin characterization mode comprises pulsing the light source in the heart rate monitor at a second frequency, which is different from the first frequency, and detecting light from the light source at the second frequency.