Blood pressure monitoring device and method of manufacturing a parts mounting module of a blood pressure monitoring device

• US 20020156382A1
• Filed: 06/12/2002
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kaz USA Incorporated (Helen of Troy Limited)
• Original Assignee: Braun GmbH (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Rennefeld, Christoph, Schnak, Fred, Kressmann, Frank, Freund, Dirk, Giersiepen, Martin, Harttmann, Brigitte, Ronneberg, Gerrit, Hollinger, Stefan, Heck, Ulrich, Hans, Rainer
• Granted Patent: US 6,843,773 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/490
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/022 by applying pressure to close blood vessels, e.g. against the skin; Ophthalmodynamometers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0235 Valves specially adapted therefor

Abstract

The invention is directed to a blood pressure monitoring device comprising a central parts mounting module and to a method of manufacturing this parts mounting module. According to the invention fluid channels are produced by gas injection into the interior of the parts mounting module, the walls bounding the fluid channels being completely formed by the material of the parts mounting module. The injection of gas continues for as long as a core of the parts mounting module is still in the liquid phase in the area of the fluid channel, whilst an outer area surrounding the core has already solidified, so that the pressure fluid expels the liquid core area, producing a tubular fluid channel.

Claims

1. A blood pressure monitoring device with a fluid pressure system for filling a cuff with fluid under pressure and with a parts mounting module for components of the fluid pressure system, provision being made for at least one fluid channel integrated in the parts mounting module and serving the function of connecting the components, characterized in that the wall bounding the fluid channel (10) is completely formed by the material of the parts mounting module (5).

2. The blood pressure monitoring device according to the preceding claim wherein the fluid channel (10) is routed in a three-dimensional curvature extending in several planes.

3. The blood pressure monitoring device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the path of the fluid channel (10) extends in a manner free from sharp-edged kinks.

4. The blood pressure monitoring device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the wall is of an essentially uniform, in particular roughly constant thickness.

5. The blood pressure monitoring device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the parts mounting module (5) is injection molded from plastics material and the fluid channel (10) is obtainable by the injection of gas into the material of the parts mounting module prior to its complete cooling.

6. The blood pressure monitoring device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the fluid channel (10) branches into several fluid channels in the interior of the material of the parts mounting module (5).

7. The blood pressure monitoring device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the fluid channel (10) is provided with ports (17;

22) into which the corresponding component (7, 8, 9) can be snap-fitted with an essentially complementary connector element.

8. The blood pressure monitoring device according to the prior art portion of claim 1 wherein all of its components are mounted on the parts mounting module (5), in particular in bays specifically provided for each component.

9. The blood pressure monitoring device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the cuff (1) is arranged on an underside while the components of the fluid pressure system (6), particularly a pump (7), a pressure valve (8) and a pressure sensor (9) are arranged on an upper side of the parts mounting module (5) and coupled to fluid channel ports (17, 22).

10. The blood pressure monitoring device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the components of the fluid pressure system (6) having an electrical connection (15), in particular the pump, the pressure valve and the pressure sensor, are arranged such that said electrical connections lie essentially in one plane.

11. The blood pressure monitoring device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the electrically controllable components, particularly the pump (7), the pressure valve (8) and the pressure sensor (9), are connected to a printed circuit board (16) directly.

12. A method of manufacturing a parts mounting module (5) of a blood pressure monitoring device with a fluid channel (10) extending in the interior thereof, in particular according to any one of the preceding claims, which includes the steps of bringing the parts mounting module in at least one region of the fluid channel to be produced in a condition in which a core area is in the liquid phase while an outer area surrounding it is in the solid phase, and pressurizing the liquid core area with pressure fluid and expelling it out of the parts mounting module so that a tubular fluid channel is produced.

13. The method according to the preceding claim, which includes the steps of injection molding the parts mounting module (5) from a plastics material, and applying gas by injection after the outer area has solidified while the core is still in the liquid phase.

14. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, which includes the step of applying pressure fluid to the parts mounting module (5) in the injection mold.

15. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, which uses water or a gas, in particular nitrogen, as pressure fluid.

16. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, which includes introducing the pressure fluid into the parts mounting module (5) at a pressure in the region of several 100 bar, in particular 40 to 500 bar, approximately.

17. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, which includes providing a bifurcating fluid channel (10) wherein in a first step the fluid channel is formed along the one branch, and in a second step along the other branch.

18. The method according to the preceding claim wherein the first step includes opening the outlet of the fluid channel (10) of the one branch while closing the outlet of the fluid channel of the other branch and introducing the pressure fluid into the fluid channel from the upstream side of the bifurcation, and the second step includes closing the outlet of the fluid channel of the one branch while opening the outlet of the fluid channel of the other branch and introducing the pressure fluid into the fluid channel.

19. A die for implementing the method according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising an injection mold and a pressure fluid device for introducing pressure fluid into the interior of the injection mold, wherein said injection mold has at the mouth of the fluid channel (10) a closable and re-openable discharge opening for ejection of the liquid core material.

22. The blood pressure monitoring device according to claim 20, characterized in that the electrical components of the fluid pressure system are received in a parts mounting module (5) of a blood pressure monitoring device according to claims 1 to 9.

24. The blood pressure monitoring device according to claim 23, characterized in that the parts mounting module (5) includes bays of a contour adapted essentially to the contour of the pump (7), the pressure valve (8) and the pressure sensor (9).

25. The blood pressure monitoring device according to claim 23 or 24, characterized by the features of claims 1 to 11.

20. A blood pressure monitoring device with a fluid pressure system (6) for filling a cuff with fluid under pressure and for measuring the blood pressure, comprising one or several components having an electrical connection (15), particularly a pump (7), a pressure valve (8), a pressure sensor (9) and power supply contacts, and further comprising a printed circuit board carrying an electrical control unit for controlling all the electrical components, characterized in that the component(s) of the fluid pressure system having an electrical connection, in particular the pump, the pressure valve and the pressure sensor, are arranged such that said electrical connections are directly connectible with the printed circuit board.

21. The blood pressure monitoring device according to claim 20, characterized in that electrical contacts of the pump (7), the pressure valve (8), the pressure sensor (9) and the power supply lie essentially in one plane, in particular in the plane in which the printed circuit board is disposed for soldering to the electrical contacts.

23. A blood pressure monitoring device with a fluid pressure system (6) for filling a cuff with fluid under pressure, said fluid pressure system comprising components, particularly a pump (7), a pressure valve (8) and a pressure sensor (9), which are arranged in the interior of a housing (2), and a display device (3) for indicating measured values being disposed on the housing and the cuff being disposed adjacent to the housing (2), characterized in that a parts mounting module (5) is arranged in the interior of the housing (2) and the parts mounting module (5) includes bays which are configured in particular to receive components of the fluid pressure system and in which bays said components are fastened.