Body condition measuring device

• US 20050234351A1
• Filed: 04/15/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kimura, Teiyuu, Sakai, Kazuhiro, Nishii, Katsuyoshi, Nagai, Fumiya, Inokawa, Kazuya
• Application Number:
  US11/106,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20050234351A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/503
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse, heart rate, blood pressure or blood flow; Combined pulse/heart-rate/blood pressure determination; Evaluating a cardiovascular condition not otherwise provided for, e.g. using combinations of techniques provided for in this group with electrocardiography or electroauscultation; Heart catheters for measuring blood pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02427 Details of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices

Abstract

A pulse wave sensor main unit is provided with a pair of band anchoring portions that are positioned in the direction of the circumference of the wrist and through which the band is passed. Strip-shaped band insertion holes are formed in the band anchoring portions. The band is an elastic long strip-shaped body. The band is formed of material such as rubber that is flexibly deformed when external force is applied and is restored to its original shape by its own elasticity when external force is removed. The band is so set that its thickness is larger than the dimension of the shorter sides of the band insertion holes and its width is larger than the dimension of the longer sides of the band insertion holes.

Claims

1. A body condition measuring device comprising:

a sensor main unit having a measurement arrangement, wherein the measurement arrangement contacts a living body and measures a condition of the living body; and

a band that is wrapped around an attachment region of the living body and attaches the sensor main unit to the attachment region of the living body, wherein;

the sensor main unit has at least one band anchoring portion, each of which is positioned at a corresponding one of opposed ends of the sensor main unit and has a band insertion hole for receiving the band therethrough;

the band is substantially made of a flexibly deformable elastic material and is anchored in the band insertion hole of each of the at least one band anchoring portion due to an elastic force generated upon deformation of the band; and

the band urges the measurement arrangement against the living body due to the elastic force generated upon deformation of the band.

2. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the at least one band anchoring portion includes two band anchoring portions, which are positioned to the opposed ends, respectively, of the sensor main unit; and

longitudinal ends of the band are anchored to the two band anchoring portions, respectively, so that the band is configured to be annular.

3. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least one band anchoring portion projects obliquely from the corresponding one of the opposed ends of the sensor main unit toward the attachment region of the living body.

4. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least one band anchoring portion has a detachable structure, which opens at the band insertion hole thereof relative to the rest of the sensor main unit.

5. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least one band anchoring portion has a movable structure, which opens at the band insertion hole thereof relative to the rest of the sensor main unit by making one of rotational movement and linear movement relative to the rest of the sensor main unit.

6. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein one of an outer dimension and a cross-sectional area of the band is larger than a corresponding one of an inner dimension and a cross-sectional area of the band insertion hole of each of the at least one band anchoring portion.

7. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a diameter of an annular portion of the band, which surrounds the attachment region of the living body, varies between an installed state of the band relative to the attachment region and an uninstalled state of the band relative to the attachment region.

8. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the band is inserted through the band insertion hole of each of the at least one band anchoring portion from an inner side of the band anchoring portion where the measurement arrangement is provided to an outer side of the band anchoring portion, so that each corresponding one of longitudinal ends of the band is disposed at the outer side of the corresponding band anchoring portion.

9. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the band is anchored in the band insertion hole of each of the at least one band anchoring portion in an uninstalled state of the band relative to the attachment region of the living body due to elasticity of the bald; and

an engaging position of the band relative to the band insertion hole of each of the at least one band anchoring portion is unshiftable unless an external force greater than a predetermined value is applied to the band.

10. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the measurement arrangement of the sensor main unit is curved.

11. The body condition measuring device according to claim 10, wherein the curved surface of the measurement arrangement of the sensor main unit is curved in a predetermined single direction in conformity with a shape of a surface of the attachment region of the living body.

12. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of longitudinal ends of the band is prevented from passing through the band insertion hole of each of the at least one band anchoring portion.

13. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein an engaging position of the band relative to the band insertion hole of the at least one band anchoring portion is adjustable in at least one of longitudinal ends of the band.

14. The body condition measuring device according to claim 13, wherein:

the attachment region of the living body is a wrist of the living body; and

the engaging position of the band is adjustable on a thumb-side of the wrist of the living body in an installed state of the band relative to the wrist.

15. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the sensor main unit is asymmetrical in one of a first direction and a second direction;

the first direction extends in a left-right direction of a plane of the sensor main unit; and

the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction in the plane of the sensor main unit.

16. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of longitudinal ends of the band is securable.

17. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a longitudinal free end of the band is received through and is secured to a ring member, which is fitted around the band.

18. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the band is secured in such a manner that the band covers an outer side of the sensor main unit.

19. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the sensor main unit includes a hollow portion, which penetrates through the sensor main unit and thereby connects between the opposed ends of the sensor main unit; and

the band passes through the hollow portion of the sensor main unit and is secured.

20. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a side of the sensor main unit includes an operating portion for operating the body condition measuring device.

21. The body condition measuring device according to claim 20, wherein:

the side of the sensor main unit includes a recess; and

the operating portion is arranged in the recess of the side of the sensor main unit.

22. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the band is a single elongated strip-shaped member.

23. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

a width of the band is not constant along a length of the band; and

an opposite portion of the band, which is opposite from the measurement arrangement, is wider than an adjacent portion of the band, which is adjacent to the measurement arrangement.

24. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein an opposite portion of the band, which is opposite from the measurement arrangement, is provided with an auxiliary pad, which has a width that is greater than that of the opposite portion of the band.

25. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the band includes an inner band portion and an outer band portion, which are overlapped with each other; and

a material of the inner band portion and a material of the outer band portion differ from one another.

26. The body condition measuring device according to claim 25, wherein the inner band portion has greater flexibility in comparison to the outer band portion.

27. The body condition measuring device according to claim 25, wherein the inner band portion has greater stretchability in comparison to the outer band portion.

28. The body condition measuring device according to claim 25, wherein the inner band portion has greater water absorbability in comparison to the outer band portion.

29. The body condition measuring device according to claim 25, wherein the inner band portion has greater air permeability in comparison to the outer band portion.

30. The body condition measuring device according to claim 25, wherein the inner band portion has a greater degree of adhesion relative to the living body in comparison to the outer band portion.

31. The body condition measuring device according to claim 25, wherein the inner band portion exhibits higher light blocking effect in comparison to the outer band portion.

32. The body condition measuring device according to claim 25, wherein a majority of the inner band portion has a width greater than that of a majority of the outer band portion.

33. The body condition measuring device according to claim 25, wherein the inner band portion and the outer band portion are separable from each other.

34. The body condition measuring device according to claim 25, wherein the inner band portion and the outer band portion are separately fixed to the sensor main unit.

35. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a detecting arrangement that detects a state of attachment of the measurement arrangement relative to the attachment region of the living body; and

a notifying arrangement that notifies a detected result of the detecting arrangement when the state of the attachment of the measurement arrangement is detected by the detecting arrangement.

36. The body condition measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement arrangement detects pulse waves of the living body.

37. The body condition measuring device according to claim 36, wherein the measurement arrangement includes:

a light emitter that projects light to a measurement region of the living body; and

a light receiver that receives the projected light reflected by the living body and generates a living body information signal, which corresponds to an amount of the light received by the light receiver.

38. A body condition measuring device comprising:

a sensor main unit having a measurement arrangement, wherein the measurement arrangement contacts a living body and measures a condition of the living body; and

a band, that is wrapped around an attachment region of the living body and attaches the sensor main unit to the attachment region of the living body, wherein;

the sensor main unit has at least one band anchoring portion, each of which is positioned at a corresponding one of opposed ends of the sensor main unit and has a band insertion hole for receiving the band therethrough;

the band is substantially made of a flexibly deformable elastic material;

an inner surface of the band and an inner surface of the sensor main unit form a concave section, which tightly contacts the attachment region of the living body.

39. A body condition measuring device comprising:

a sensor main unit having a measurement arrangement, wherein the measurement arrangement contacts a living body and measures a condition of the living body; and

a band that is wrapped around an attachment region of the living body and attaches the sensor main unit to the attachment region of the living body, wherein;

the sensor main unit has at least one band anchoring portion, each of which is detachable relative to the rest of the sensor main unit and has a band insertion hole for receiving the band therethrough;

the band is substantially made of a flexibly deformable elastic material; and

the band urges the measurement arrangement against the living body due to an elastic force generated upon deformation of the band in a state where the at least one band anchoring portion is installed to the rest of the sensor main unit.

40. A body condition measuring device comprising:

a sensor main unit having a measurement arrangement, wherein the measurement arrangement contacts a living body and measures a condition of the living body; and

a band that is wrapped around an attachment region of the living body and attaches the sensor main unit to the attachment region of the living body, wherein;

the sensor main unit has at least one band insertion hole for receiving the band therethrough;

the band is substantially made of a flexibly deformable elastic material and is anchored in the band insertion hole of each of the at least one band anchoring portion due to an elastic force generated upon deformation of the band; and

the band urges the measurement arrangement against the living body due to the elastic force generated upon deformation of the band.

41. A body condition measuring device comprising:

a measurement arrangement that contacts a living body and measures a condition of the living body; and

a band that is wrapped around an attachment region of the living body and urges the measurement arrangement against the attachment region of the living body, wherein at least one component required for measuring of the condition of the living body is provided to the band.

42. The body condition measuring device according to claim 41, wherein the at least one component includes at least one of the measurement arrangement, a display portion, a battery and an operating portion.

43. The body condition measuring device according to claim 41, wherein the measurement arrangement is provided separately from the band, and the at least one component provided to the band is electrically connected to the measurement arrangement through a connecting structure.

44. A body condition measuring device comprising:

a sensor main unit having a measurement arrangement, wherein the measurement arrangement contacts a living body and measures a condition of the living body; and

a band that is wrapped around an attachment region of the living body and urges the measurement arrangement against the attachment region of the living body, wherein the sensor main unit is secured to an inner side of the band through a fixing structure.

45. A body condition measuring device comprising:

a planar sensor main unit, which receives a measurement arrangement, wherein the measurement arrangement contacts a living body and measures a condition of the living body;

a band that is substantially made of a flexible deformable elastic material and is wrapped around an attachment region of the living body, wherein the band urges the measurement arrangement against the attachment region of the living body; and

a fixing structure that is provided in one of opposed surfaces of the sensor main unit, which are opposed to each other in a thickness direction of the sensor main unit, wherein the fixing structure fixes the sensor main unit to the band.