The present invention is advantageous mainly for individuals performing exercises such as jogging who need to know continuously their pulse rate and other body functions so that they can regulate their rate of exercise. It has been found that sensors which are convenient to mount on the body are also sensitive to extraneous influences not related to the body function being detected. For instance, with a pulse detector such as that described in the above-mentioned application, other influences such as movement of the body, the arm and the wrist can cause pressure changes which make it more difficult to detect the arterially caused pressure changes by sensors positioned on the skin.
In addition other body condition sensors such as for example color measuring devices are known which detect blood flow due to changes in the color of the capillaries. These devices are known to be responsive to other changing body conditions such as movement or pressure on the body in the area of the capillaries being sensed. Other devices sense changes in electrical potentials in the body to indicate body functions. Also skin temperatures are known to indicate body conditions and have been sensed to measure body conditions.
The purpose of the subject invention is to compensate for the effects of other influences on such sensors so that the signal actually generally more clearly reflects the body function being detected.