Pressure pulse wave sensor and pressure-pulse-wave analyzing apparatus

• US 20050038347A1
• Filed: 12/09/2003
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Colin Medical Technology Corporation (Omron Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Hidenori, Yamanishi, Akio
• Granted Patent: US 7,217,244 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/500
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02444 Details of sensor A61B5/02427 takes precedence

Abstract

A pressure pulse wave sensor for being worn on a surface of a body of a living subject so as to detect a pressure pulse wave from the subject, the sensor including a plurality of elongate flexible piezoelectric sheets each of which is formed of a piezoelectric resin and detects a pressure pulse wave from the subject, and a flexible sheet to which the piezoelectric sheets are fixed such that the piezoelectric sheets are arranged in a widthwise direction thereof.

Claims

1. A pressure pulse wave sensor for being worn on a surface of a body of a living subject so as to detect a pressure pulse wave from the subject, the sensor comprising:

a plurality of elongate flexible piezoelectric sheets each of which is formed of a piezoelectric resin and detects a pressure pulse wave from the subject; and

a flexible sheet to which the piezoelectric sheets are fixed such that the piezoelectric sheets are arranged in a widthwise direction thereof.

2. A pressure pulse wave sensor according to claim 1, wherein the flexible sheet is expansible and contractible.

4. A pressure-pulse-wave analyzing apparatus, comprising:

a pressure pulse wave sensor according to claim 1;

and

a noise removing means for subtracting, from one of the respective pressure pulse waves detected by the piezoelectric sheets that has a greatest amplitude of respective amplitudes of the pressure pulse waves, a different one of the pressure pulse waves that is different from said one pressure pulse wave, and thereby removing noise from said one pressure pulse wave.

8. A pressure-pulse-wave analyzing apparatus, comprising:

a pressure pulse wave sensor according to claim 1;

and

a noise removing device which subtracts, from one of the respective pressure pulse waves detected by the piezoelectric sheets that has a greatest amplitude of respective amplitudes of the pressure pulse waves, a different one of the pressure pulse waves that is different from said one pressure pulse wave, and thereby removing noise from said one pressure pulse wave.

3. A pressure pulse wave sensor for being pressed against a surface of a body of a living subject so as to detect a pressure pulse wave from the subject, the sensor comprising:

a plurality of elongate flexible piezoelectric sheets each of which is formed of a piezoelectric resin and detects a pressure pulse wave from the subject; and

an elastic base member to which the piezoelectric sheets are fixed such that the piezoelectric sheets are arranged in a widthwise direction thereof.

5. A pressure-pulse-wave analyzing apparatus, comprising:

a pressure pulse wave sensor according to claim 3;

and

a noise removing means for subtracting, from one of the respective pressure pulse waves detected by the piezoelectric sheets that has a greatest amplitude of respective amplitudes of the pressure pulse waves, a different one of the pressure pulse waves that is different from said one pressure pulse wave, and thereby removing noise from said one pressure pulse wave.

9. A pressure-pulse-wave analyzing apparatus, comprising:

a pressure pulse wave sensor according to claim 3;

and

a noise removing device which subtracts, from one of the respective pressure pulse waves detected by the piezoelectric sheets that has a greatest amplitude of respective amplitudes of the pressure pulse waves, a different one of the pressure pulse waves that is different from said one pressure pulse wave, and thereby removing noise from said one pressure pulse wave.

6. A pressure-pulse-wave analyzing apparatus, comprising:

a pressure pulse wave sensor which is adapted to be worn on a surface of a body of a living subject so as to detect a pressure pulse wave from the subject and which comprises a first sensing portion including a plurality of elongate flexible piezoelectric sheets each of which is formed of a piezoelectric resin and detects a first pressure pulse wave from the subject and which are arranged in a widthwise direction thereof, and a second sensing portion including a plurality of elongate flexible piezoelectric sheets each of which is formed of a piezoelectric resin and detects a second pressure pulse wave from the subject and which are arranged in a widthwise direction thereof, the second sensing portion being stacked on the first sensing portion such that the piezoelectric sheets of the second sensing portion extend perpendicularly to the piezoelectric sheets of the first sensing portion; and

a synthesizing means for synthesizing a synthetic pulse wave based on one of the respective first pressure pulse waves detected by the piezoelectric sheets of the first sensing portion that has a greatest amplitude of respective amplitudes of the first pressure pulse waves, and one of the respective second pressure pulse waves detected by the piezoelectric sheets of the second sensing portion that has a greatest amplitude of respective amplitudes of the second pressure pulse waves.

7. A pressure-pulse-wave analyzing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a noise removing means for subtracting, from said one first pressure pulse wave having the greatest amplitude, a different one of the first pressure pulse waves that is different from said one first pressure pulse wave, and thereby removing noise from said one first pressure pulse wave, and subtracting, from said one second pressure pulse wave having the greatest amplitude, a different one of the second pressure pulse waves that is different from said one second pressure pulse wave, and thereby removing noise from said one second pressure pulse wave, wherein the synthesizing means synthesizes the synthetic pulse wave based on said one first pressure pulse wave from which noise has been removed by the noise removing means and said one second pressure pulse wave from which noise has been removed by the noise removing means.

10. A pressure-pulse-wave analyzing apparatus, comprising:

a pressure pulse wave sensor which is adapted to be worn on a surface of a body of a living subject so as to detect a pressure pulse wave from the subject and which comprises a first sensing portion including a plurality of elongate flexible piezoelectric sheets each of which is formed of a piezoelectric resin and detects a first pressure pulse wave from the subject and which are arranged in a widthwise direction thereof, and a second sensing portion including a plurality of elongate flexible piezoelectric sheets each of which is formed of a piezoelectric resin and detects a second pressure pulse wave from the subject and which are arranged in a widthwise direction thereof, the second sensing portion being stacked on the first sensing portion such that the piezoelectric sheets of the second sensing portion extend perpendicularly to the piezoelectric sheets of the first sensing portion; and

a synthesizing device which synthesizes a synthetic pulse wave based on one of the respective first pressure pulse waves detected by the piezoelectric sheets of the first sensing portion that has a greatest amplitude of respective amplitudes of the first pressure pulse waves, and one of the respective second pressure pulse waves detected by the piezoelectric sheets of the second sensing portion that has a greatest amplitude of respective amplitudes of the second pressure pulse waves.