Patent ID: 7526327

Claim:
A portable instrument including an optical device capable of measuring a physiological quantity, for example the heart rhythm, and emitting and/or receiving data, said optical device including at least one light source for subjecting a portion of an organic tissue to a light emission and at least one photoreceptor for detecting the intensity of the light emission after propagation in said organic tissue, wherein said optical device also emits and/or receives data, said at least one light source and/or said at least one photoreceptor being arranged for respectively emitting data to an external unit or receiving data from said external unit, and wherein said optical device has a measuring phase during which it operates as means for measuring said physiological quantity and a communication phase during which it operates as data emission and/or reception means and is operable to be switched between the measuring and communication phases, the portable instrument further including memory means for storing data, during said measuring phase, relating to the evolution over time of said physiological quantity prior to transmission of said data, during said communication phase, to said external unit.