Pulse wave measuring apparatus

• US 20040193060A1
• Filed: 01/05/2004
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Inventors: Itonaga, Kazunobu, Hashimoto, Masao
• Granted Patent: US 7,195,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/500
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence

Abstract

Provided is a pulse wave measuring apparatus preventing breakage of a pressure sensing surface in the non-measurement stage. The pulse wave measuring apparatus includes: a housing and a pressure sensing section, wherein an opening is formed at the bottom surface of the housing, the pressure sensing section is mounted inside of the housing, the pressure sensing section moves freely upwardly and downwardly through the opening between a measuring position at which a pressure sensing surface is pressed to a human body to measure a pulse wave and a waiting position at which the pressure sensing section 20 is accommodated inside of the housing to be on standby and the housing has a slide cover protecting the pressure sensing surface in a state where the pressure sensing section is located at the waiting position.

Claims

1. A pulse wave measuring apparatus comprising:

a housing having an opening; and

a pressure sensing section mounted inside of the housing, wherein

the pressure sensing section moves freely upwardly and downwardly between a measuring position at which the pressure sensing surface is pressed to a human body to measure a pulse wave and a waiting position at which the pressure sensing section is accommodated inside of the housing to be on standby through the opening, and

the housing has a protective mechanism protecting the pressure sensing surface in a state where the pressure sensing section is located at the waiting position.

2. The pulse wave measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protective mechanism is a protective cover freely opening and closing the opening.

3. The pulse wave measuring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a distance between the protective cover and the pressure sensing surface in a state where the pressure sensing section is located at the waiting position is more than a moving distance of the pressure sensing section moving between the waiting position and the measuring position.

4. The pulse wave measuring apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the protective cover is a slide cover mounted to the housing so as to be slidable on the housing.

5. The pulse wave measuring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the protective cover is a pivotable cover mounted to the housing in a freely pivotable manner.

6. The pulse wave measuring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the protective cover is a cap mounted to the housing in a freely mountable and demountable manner.

7. The pulse wave measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protective mechanism is preferably a rotation fixing means rotating the pressure sensing section half way and fixed so that the pressure surface is inclined to the plane including the edge of the opening at the waiting position.

8. The pulse wave measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing is constructed of a case body accommodating the pressure sensing section and a base body fixing the case body to a human body, wherein

the opening is provided in the case body, the base body has an insertion hole so that the pressure sensing section can move between the waiting position and the measuring position in a freely, upwardly and downwardly movable manner,

the case body is mounted to the base body so that the case body can slide between a first position at which the pressure sensing surface faces the insertion hole and a second position at which the pressure sensing surface does not face the insertion hole and

the protective mechanism is a protective cover section provided to the base body so that the protective mechanism faces the pressure sensing surface in a state where the case body is located at the second position.

9. The pulse wave measuring apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the pressure sensing section is located at the waiting position and a distance between the protective cover section and the pressure sensing surface in a state where the case body is located at the second position is more than a moving distance of the pressure sensing section moving between the waiting position and the measuring position.