Blood rheology measuring apparatus

• US 20030032869A1
• Filed: 07/08/2002
• Published: 02/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Shinogi, Masataka, Muramatsu, Hiroyuki, Nakamura, Takahiko, Yamamoto, Minao
• Granted Patent: US 7,147,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/022 by applying pressure to close blood vessels, e.g. against the skin; Ophthalmodynamometers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6838 Clamps or clips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7257 using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/06 Measuring blood flow measuring volume flow in general G01F, e.g. G01F1/66, G01F1/72; measuring speed of fluids in general G01P5/00

Abstract

To provide a noninvasive type blood rheology measuring apparatus capable of simply and conveniently measuring blood rheology information without sampling blood from a subject in measuring the blood rheology and a small-sized and portable apparatus, a blood rheology measuring apparatus of the invention is on a basis of a constitution including means for noninvasively detecting a flow velocity of the blood flowing in the blood vessel as a Doppler shift signal by transmitting and receiving a wave from the face of the skin and means for analyzing blood rheology by a temporal change of the flow velocity value of the blood detected by the means.

Claims

1. A blood rheology measuring apparatus comprising:

a measuring portion for measuring blood circulation information at inside of a living body from outside of the living body; and

an information processing portion for processing measured information from the measuring portion;

wherein information with regard to a blood rheology is provided as a result of processing the information.

2. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 1:

wherein the measuring portion and the information processing portion are integrally or individually made portable to thereby enable to provide the information with regard to the blood rheology continuously or daily.

3. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 1:

wherein the blood circulation information is a maximum blood flow velocity for one pulse.

4. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 1:

wherein the blood circulation information is a blood flow velocity based on a Doppler effect by a blood flow.

5. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 1:

wherein the measuring portion is an ultrasonic wave sensor for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave.

6. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a data inputting portion for inputting individual information of a person to be measured.

7. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 1:

wherein life habit information suitable for the person to be measured is informed to a subject based on information with regard to the blood rheology of the person to be measured.

8. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a data holding portion for storing the information with regard to the measured blood rheology;

wherein a daily change in the blood rheology of the person to be measured is assessed from data stored to the data holding portion.

9. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pressure measuring portion.

10. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a cuff;

a mechanism for adjusting a pressure of fastening the cuff; and

a pressure measuring portion for measuring the pressure.

11. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 9:

wherein the information with regard to the blood rheology provided by the pressure is operated and corrected.

12. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 1:

wherein a pulse number is derived from the information with regard to the blood circulation provided by the measuring portion and the information with regard to the blood rheology is operated and corrected by the pulse number.

13. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 6:

wherein the individual information is information with regard to a food.

14. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 1:

wherein the measuring portion measures the information by a predetermined timing and when a predetermined value of the blood rheology is reached, the value is detected by the person to be measured.

15. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature measuring portion for measuring a temperature at inside of the living body or a surface of the living body at a vicinity of the measuring portion.

16. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature elevating portion for elevating the temperature at inside of the living body or the surface of the living body at the vicinity of the measuring portion.

17. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 16:

wherein the temperature elevating portion is the same as the measuring portion.

18. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 1:

wherein the measuring portion is held by a structure capable of holding the measuring portion by bringing the measuring portion into contact with the surface of the living body.

19. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 18:

wherein the holding structure is a member having an insulating performance.

20. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 18:

wherein the holding structure is a member having an elasticity of a rubber or the like.

21. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 3:

wherein the measuring portion measures a change in a blood flow velocity at a capillary of the finger tip.

22. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 18:

wherein the holding structure is constituted by a shape of a cylindrical finger ring and the measuring portion is integrated to an inner peripheral portion of the finger ring to be brought into contact with the living body.

23. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 22:

wherein the measuring portion is integrated to the inner peripheral portion of the finger ring to be brought into contact with the living body by being shifted to either of a right side or a left side from a portion of the belly of the finger corresponding to a face thereof the same as a face of the palm in view from the finger tip.

24. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 22:

wherein the temperature measuring portion is integrated to the inner peripheral portion of the finger ring to be brought into contact with the living body by being shifted to either of a right side or a left side from a portion of the belly of the finger corresponding to a face thereof the same as a face of a palm in view from the finger tip.

25. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 22:

wherein the holding structure is constituted by a shape of a finger ring capable of identifying an upper side and a lower side of a cut face when the finger ring is cut by a face orthogonal to an axial direction thereof and the measuring portion is disposed at a position of 10 degrees through 80 degrees when a lower direction of the cut face is defined as 0 degree centering on an axis of the cylinder.

26. A blood rheology measuring apparatus comprising:

means for detecting a flow velocity of the blood flowing in the blood vessel in a mode of a Doppler shift signal by transmitting and receiving a wave from a face of the skin; and

means for analyzing a blood rheology from a temporal change of an blood flow velocity value detected by the means.

27. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 26:

wherein the blood rheology is analyzed from a temporal change of the blood flow velocity value by dividing a maximum blood flow velocity of one pulse by an integrated value of a pulse velocity.

29. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 26:

wherein the means for detecting the flow velocity of the blood flowing in the blood vessel adopts an ultrasonic wave transmitter and receiver for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave to and from the artery at the finger tip portion.

31. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 26:

wherein means for detecting the flow rate of the blood flowing in the vessel adopts an ultrasonic wave transmitter and receiver for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave to and from the artery of the finger portion.

32. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 26, further comprising:

means for detecting a temperature of the blood vessel portion for detecting the blood flow; and

means for operating and compensating for an amount of changing the flow velocity of the blood based on expansion and contraction of the blood vessel by a value of the temperature detected by the means.

28. A blood rheology measuring apparatus comprising:

means for detecting a flow velocity of the blood flowing in the blood vessel in a mode of a Doppler shift signal by transmitting and receiving a wave from a face of the skin;

means for calculating an intensity at each of frequency components of the Doppler shift signal;

means for extracting a maximum frequency in a signal at an intensity level equal to or larger than a threshold in the histogram or a maximum frequency when an integrated value from a low frequency component reaches a predetermined rate of a total thereof in the histogram; and

means for providing a temporal change waveform of the extracted frequency;

wherein a blood rheology is analyzed based on the maximum frequency in the frequency waveform.

33. The blood rheology measuring apparatus according to claim 28, further comprising:

blood pressure measuring means; and

means for operating and compensating for a change amount based on a blood pressure by dividing by a value of the blood pressure detected by the means.

30. A blood rheology measuring apparatus comprising:

means for detecting a flow velocity of the blood flowing in the blood vessel in a mode of a Doppler shift signal by transmitting and receiving a wave from a face of the skin;

means for calculating an intensity of each of frequency components of the Doppler shift signal;

means for extracting a maximum frequency in a signal of an intensity level equal to or larger than a threshold in the histogram or a maximum frequency when an integrated value from a low frequency component reaches a predetermined rate of a total thereof in the histogram; and

means for providing a temporal change waveform of the extracted frequency;

wherein a blood rheology is analyzed by an area value of a portion at and above a line connecting a minimum value of one pulse waveform and a minimum value of a successive pulse waveform of the frequency waveform.