Body fat measuring apparatus capable of measuring visceral fat with high accuracy

• US 20060224080A1
• Filed: 03/28/2006
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fukuda Denshi Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Inventors: Oshima, Yoshitaka, Shiga, Toshikazu, Oku, Shojiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,813,794 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/547
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0537 Measuring body composition by impedance, e.g. tissue hydration or fat content
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4869 Determining body composition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4872 Body fat

Abstract

In a body fat measuring apparatus, a constant electric-current is flowed between hand electric-current electrodes and leg electric-current electrodes. From two detected voltages generated between an annular-shaped voltage electrode placed on an abdominal portion and two voltage electrodes placed at the both sides of a lumbar portion, two abdominal impedances are determined. Two electric-current electrodes and two voltage electrodes are placed such that they are spaced apart by a small interval from one another at an umbilicus portion. A constant electric current is flowed between the two electric-current electrodes and the impedance in the vicinity of the subcutaneous of the abdominal portion is determined from the detected voltage generated between the two voltage electrodes. From the two abdominal impedances, the impedance in the vicinity of the subcutaneous of the abdominal portion, and the input physique information, a viscera impedance is calculated.

Claims

1. A body fat measuring apparatus comprising:

first plural electric-current electrodes placed at positions apart from an abdominal portion of a measurement subject;

first plural voltage electrodes placed on said abdominal portion of said measurement subject;

second plural electric-current electrodes placed on said abdominal portion of said measurement subject such that they are spaced apart from one another by an interval sufficiently smaller than a perimeter length of said abdominal portion;

second plural voltage electrodes placed on said abdominal portion such that they are spaced apart from one another by an interval sufficiently smaller than said perimeter length of said abdominal portion; and

a measurement control part for controlling a measuring operation of said body fat measuring apparatus, wherein

said measurement control part includes;

a first measurement part which causes an electric current to flow through said first plural electric-current electrodes and measures the impedance of a first abdominal portion from the electric-potential difference between said first plural voltage electrodes;

a second measurement part which causes an electric current to flow through said second plural electric-current electrodes and measures the impedance of a second abdominal portion from the electric-potential difference between said second plural voltage electrodes; and

a body fat calculation part which calculates the body fat of said measurement subject, from said impedance of said first abdominal portion, said impedance of said second abdominal portion and a characteristic value reflecting the size of the measurement subject.

2. The body fat measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said first plural voltage electrodes include at least one annular-shaped electrode.

3. The body fat measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said impedance of said first abdominal portion has plural measured values, and

said measurement control part further includes an impedance calculation part which calculates the average of said plural measured values and sets said average value as the impedance of said first abdominal portion.

4. The body fat measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said impedance of said second abdominal portion has plural measured values, and

said measurement control part further includes an impedance calculation part which calculates the average of said plural measured values and sets said average value as the impedance of said second abdominal portion.

5. The body fat measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said first plural electric-current electrodes are placed on four limbs.

6. The body fat measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said second plural electric-current electrodes and said second plural voltage electrodes are placed at a height in the vicinity of an umbilicus position of said measurement subject.

7. The body fat measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said characteristic value reflecting the size of said measurement subject includes at least one of the height, the weight and the abdominal-portion perimeter length of said measuring subject.

8. The body fat measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said body fat of said measurement subject includes at least one of a body fat area, a body fat volume, a subcutaneous fat area, a subcutaneous fat volume, a visceral fat area and a visceral fat volume.

9. The body fat measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display part which displays said body fat of said measuring subject.