Heart rate control device

Abstract

Provided is a heart-rate control device capable of adjusting the heart rate of a subject to a desired value between a base heart rate and an active heart rate, such as a heart rate immediately after physical exercise. The heart-rate control device includes a detector for detecting heartbeat information of a subject, an input unit to which information on a target value relating to a heart rate of the subject is to be inputted, a difference extracting unit for determining a difference between the target value and a current value relating to the heart rate of the subject, the current value being calculated from the heartbeat information, a pattern generating unit for generating a stimulus pattern depending on the difference so that the current value approaches the target value, the stimulus pattern being a combination of a sympathetic nerve stimulus for stimulating sympathetic nerves, a parasympathetic nerve stimulus for stimulating parasympathetic nerves, and an initialization stimulus for preventing stimulus saturation of the sympathetic nerves or the parasympathetic nerves, and an output unit for outputting the sympathetic nerve stimulus, the parasympathetic nerve stimulus and the initialization stimulus to the subject in accordance with the stimulus pattern.