Motion-dependent averaging for physiological metric estimating systems and methods

1. A physiological signal processing system comprising:

a photoplethysmograph (PPG) sensor that is configured to generate a physiological waveform;

an inertial sensor that is configured to generate a motion signal; and

physiological metric extractor circuitry that is configured to extract a physiological metric from the physiological waveform that is generated by the PPG sensor,

wherein the physiological metric extractor circuitry is further configured to extract the physiological metric using an averager having an impulse response defined by an averaging window size,

wherein the averaging window size is defined in a time domain and is responsive to a strength of the motion signal, and wherein the averaging window size is increased or decreased with increases or decreases in the strength of the motion signal, respectively.

2. A physiological signal processing system according to claim 1 :

wherein the strength of the motion signal comprises a maximum, sum of squares, maximum of squares, sum of absolute values, maximum of absolute values, root-sum-squares, root-mean-squares and/or decimation of a magnitude of the motion signal over a given time interval; or

wherein the impulse response has a first value in response to the strength of the motion signal exceeding a first threshold and a second value in response to the strength of the motion signal being less than a second threshold, and wherein the first value of the impulse response sets a first averaging window size of the averager and the second value of the impulse response sets a second averaging window size of the averager; or

wherein the averaging window size of the averager is a mathematical function of the strength of the motion signal.

3. A physiological signal processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the impulse response has a first value in response to the strength of the motion signal exceeding a first threshold but being less than a second threshold, a second value in response to the strength of the motion signal exceeding the second threshold but being less than a third threshold and a third value in response to the strength of the motion signal exceeding the third threshold,

wherein the first value of the impulse response sets a first averaging window size of the averager, the second value of the impulse response sets a second averaging window size of the averager and the third value of the impulse response sets a third averaging window size of the averager.

4. A physiological signal processing system for a motion signal and a physiological waveform that is generated by a photoplethysmograph (PPG) sensor, the physiological signal processing system comprising:

physiological metric extractor circuitry that is configured to extract a physiological metric from the physiological waveform that is generated by the PPG sensor,

wherein the physiological metric extractor circuitry is further configured to extract the physiological metric using an averager having an averaging window size that is defined in a time domain and is responsive to a strength of the motion signal, and wherein the averaging window size is increased or decreased with increases or decreases in the strength of the motion signal, respectively.

5. A physiological signal processing system according to claim 4 :

wherein the strength of the motion signal comprises a maximum, sum of squares, maximum of squares, sum of absolute values, maximum of absolute values, root-sum-squares, root-mean-squares and/or decimation of a magnitude of the motion signal over a given time interval; or

wherein the averaging window size has a first value in response to the strength of the motion signal exceeding a first threshold and a second value in response to the strength of the motion signal being less than a second threshold; or

wherein the averaging window size is a mathematical function of the strength of the motion signal.

6. A physiological signal processing method comprising:

setting an impulse response defined by an averaging window size, wherein the averaging window size is defined in a time domain and is set in response to a strength of a motion signal;

averaging a physiological waveform that is generated by a photoplethysmograph (PPG) sensor based on the impulse response that was set; and

extracting a physiological metric from the physiological waveform that was averaged,

wherein the averaging window size is increased or decreased with increases or decreases in the strength of the motion signal, respectively.

7. A physiological signal processing method according to claim 6 :

wherein the strength of the motion signal comprises a maximum, sum of squares, maximum of squares, sum of absolute values, maximum of absolute values, root-sum-squares, root-mean-squares and/or decimation of a magnitude of the motion signal over a given time interval; or

wherein the impulse response has a first value in response to the strength of the motion signal exceeding a first threshold and a second value in response to the strength of the motion signal being less than a second threshold, and wherein the first value of the impulse response sets a first averaging window size of the averaging and the second value of the impulse response sets a second averaging window size of the averaging.

8. A physiological signal processing method according to claim 6 :

wherein the physiological metric comprises a heart rate, respiration rate, heart rate variability (HRV), pulse pressure, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, step rate, oxygen uptake (VO 2 ), maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2 max), calories burned, trauma, cardiac output and/or blood analyte levels including percentage of hemoglobin binding sites occupied by oxygen (SPO 2 ), percentage of methemoglobins, percentage of carbonyl hemoglobin and/or glucose level.

9. A physiological signal processing method according to claim 6 further comprising:

processing the physiological metric to generate at-least-one physiological assessment,

wherein the at-least-one physiological assessment includes ventilatory threshold, lactate threshold, cardiopulmonary status, neurological status, aerobic capacity (VO 2 max) and/or overall health or fitness.

10. The physiological signal processing method according to claim 6 , wherein the averaging window size has a first time duration in response to the strength of the motion signal exceeding a first threshold, and a second time duration, different than the first time duration, in response to the strength of the motion signal being less than a second threshold.

11. A physiological signal processing method comprising:

setting an averaging window size, wherein the averaging window size is defined in a time domain and is set in response to a strength of a motion signal;

averaging a physiological waveform that is generated by a photoplethysmograph (PPG) sensor based on the averaging window size that was set; and

extracting a physiological metric from the physiological waveform that was averaged,

wherein the averaging window size has a first time duration in response to the strength of the motion signal exceeding a first threshold, and a second time duration, different than the first time duration, in response to the strength of the motion signal being less than a second threshold.

12. A physiological signal processing method according to claim 11 :

wherein the strength of the motion signal comprises a maximum, sum of squares, maximum of squares, sum of absolute values, maximum of absolute values, root-sum-squares, root-mean-squares and/or decimation of a magnitude of the motion signal over a given time interval; or

wherein the averaging window size is a mathematical function of the strength of the motion signal.

13. A physiological signal processing method according to claim 11 wherein the physiological metric comprises a heart rate, respiration rate, heart rate variability (HRV), pulse pressure, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, step rate, oxygen uptake (VO 2 ), maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2 max), calories burned, trauma, cardiac output and/or blood analyte levels including percentage of hemoglobin binding sites occupied by oxygen (SPO 2 ), percentage of methemoglobins, percentage of carbonyl hemoglobin and/or glucose level.

14. A physiological signal processing method according to claim 11 further comprising:

processing the physiological metric to generate at-least-one physiological assessment,

wherein the at-least-one physiological assessment includes ventilatory threshold, lactate threshold, cardiopulmonary status, neurological status, aerobic capacity (VO 2 max) and/or overall health or fitness.

15. A physiological signal processing method according to claim 11 , wherein the second threshold is different than the first threshold.

16. A physiological signal processing system comprising:

a photoplethysmograph (PPG) sensor that is configured to generate a physiological waveform;

an inertial sensor that is configured to generate a motion signal; and

physiological metric extractor circuitry that is configured to extract a physiological metric from the physiological waveform that is generated by the PPG sensor,

wherein the physiological metric extractor circuitry is further configured to extract the physiological metric using an averager having an impulse response defined by an averaging window size,

wherein the averaging window size is defined in a time domain and is responsive to a strength of the motion signal, and

wherein the averaging window size has a first time duration in response to the strength of the motion signal exceeding a first threshold, and a second time duration, different than the first time duration, in response to the strength of the motion signal being less than a second threshold.

17. A physiological signal processing system according to claim 16 , wherein the physiological metric extractor circuitry further comprises a spectral transformer that is configured to provide a weighted average spectral response over a window of samples that are derived from the physiological waveform that is generated by the PPG sensor, wherein weights and a number of samples in the window of samples define the impulse response.

18. A physiological signal processing system according to claim 16 , wherein the physiological metric extractor circuitry further comprises a buffer configured to store a plurality of samples of the physiological waveform that is generated by the PPG sensor therein, ranging from a newest sample to an oldest sample, and wherein the buffer is further configured to store sufficient samples to correspond to a largest value of the averaging window size.

19. A physiological signal processing system according to claim 16 :

wherein the inertial sensor comprises an accelerometer, an optical sensor, a blocked channel sensor, a capacitive sensor and/or a piezo sensor; or

wherein the physiological metric comprises a heart rate, respiration rate, heart rate variability (HRV), pulse pressure, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, step rate, oxygen uptake (VO 2 ), maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2 max), calories burned, trauma, cardiac output and/or blood analyte levels including percentage of hemoglobin binding sites occupied by oxygen (SPO 2 ), percentage of methemoglobins, percentage of carbonyl hemoglobin and/or glucose level; or

further comprising a portable housing, wherein the PPG sensor, the inertial sensor and the physiological metric extractor circuitry are all included in the portable housing.

20. A physiological signal processing system according to claim 16 , further comprising:

physiological metric assessor circuitry that is responsive to the physiological metric extractor circuitry and that is configured to process the physiological metric to generate at-least-one physiological assessment,

wherein the at-least-one physiological assessment includes ventilatory threshold, lactate threshold, cardiopulmonary status, neurological status, aerobic capacity (VO 2 max) and/or overall health or fitness.

21. A physiological signal processing system according to claim 16 , wherein the averaging window size is increased or decreased with increases or decreases in the strength of the motion signal, respectively.

22. A physiological signal processing system according to claim 16 , wherein the second threshold is different than the first threshold.

23. A physiological signal processing system for a motion signal and a physiological waveform that is generated by a photoplethysmograph (PPG) sensor, the physiological signal processing system comprising:

physiological metric extractor circuitry that is configured to extract a physiological metric from the physiological waveform that is generated by the PPG sensor,

wherein the physiological metric extractor circuitry is further configured to extract the physiological metric using an averager having an averaging window size that is defined in a time domain and is responsive to a strength of the motion signal, and

wherein the averaging window size has a first time duration in response to the strength of the motion signal exceeding a first threshold and a second time duration, different than the first time duration, in response to the strength of the motion signal being less than a second threshold.

24. A physiological signal processing system according to claim 23 :

wherein the physiological metric extractor circuitry further comprises a buffer configured to store a plurality of samples of the physiological waveform that is generated by the PPG sensor therein, ranging from a newest sample to an oldest sample, and wherein the buffer is further configured to store sufficient samples to correspond to a largest value of the averaging window size; or

wherein the physiological metric comprises a heart rate, respiration rate, heart rate variability (HRV), pulse pressure, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, step rate, oxygen uptake (VO 2 ), maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2 max), calories burned, trauma, cardiac output and/or blood analyte levels including percentage of hemoglobin binding sites occupied by oxygen (SPO 2 ), percentage of methemoglobins, percentage of carbonyl hemoglobin and/or glucose level.

25. A physiological signal processing system according to claim 23 , further comprising:

physiological metric assessor circuitry that is responsive to the physiological metric extractor circuitry and that is configured to process the physiological metric to generate at-least-one physiological assessment,

wherein the at-least-one physiological assessment includes ventilatory threshold, lactate threshold, cardiopulmonary status, neurological status, aerobic capacity (VO 2 max) and/or overall health or fitness.

26. A physiological signal processing system according to claim 23 , wherein the second threshold is different than the first threshold.