BLOOD PRESSURE MEASURING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF MEASURING BLOOD PRESSURE

• US 20090069698A1
• Filed: 02/04/2008
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Youn-ho, SHIN, Kun-soo, KIM, Jong-pal, BAE, Sang-kon
• Granted Patent: US 7,771,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/485
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0233 Special features of optical sensors or probes classified in A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/043 in a linear array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02116 of pulse wave amplitude A61B5/02225 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/061 Determining position of a probe within the body employing means separate from the probe, e.g. sensing internal probe position employing impedance electrodes on the surface of the body A61B1/00158 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence

Abstract

Provided is a blood pressure measuring apparatus and a method of measuring blood pressure. The blood pressure measuring apparatus includes a plurality of blood pressure measuring units disposed on a substrate, a plurality of optical sensors disposed on the substrate to correspond to the blood pressure measuring units, and a control unit that measures blood pressure by analyzing signals received from the optical sensors and the blood pressure measuring units, wherein each of the blood pressure measuring units comprises a plurality of blood pressure sensors.

Claims

1. A blood pressure measuring apparatus comprising:

a plurality of blood pressure measuring units disposed on a substrate;

a plurality of optical sensors disposed on the substrate to correspond the blood pressure measuring units; and

a control unit that measures blood pressure by analyzing signals received from the optical sensors and the blood pressure measuring units,

wherein each of the blood pressure measuring units comprises a plurality of blood pressure sensors.

2. The blood pressure measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a flexible printed circuit board on which wires electrically connected to the blood pressure sensors and the optical sensors are formed.

3. The blood pressure measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the blood pressure sensor is a piezoresistor.

4. The blood pressure measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical sensor comprises a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, wherein the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are respectively disposed on both sides of the corresponding blood pressure measuring unit.

5. A method of measuring blood pressure using a blood pressure measuring apparatus that comprises:

a plurality of blood pressure measuring units, each comprising a plurality of blood pressure sensors on a substrate;

a plurality of optical sensors disposed on the substrate to correspond to the blood pressure measuring units; and

a control unit that measures blood pressure by analyzing signals received from the optical sensors and the blood pressure measuring units,

the method comprising;

(a) measuring an optical signal according to each of the optical sensors by emitting and receiving light from the optical sensors;

(b) measuring an artery pulse according to blood pressure using the blood pressure sensors of the blood pressure measuring unit that correspond to the optical sensor showing the largest variation of the optical signal;

(c) determining the blood pressure sensor that shows the largest artery pulse; and

(d) measuring blood pressure using the determined blood pressure sensor.

6. A method of measuring blood pressure, comprising:

(a) dividing a plurality of blood pressure sensors disposed in a row on a substrate into n groups, each group comprising a plurality of blood pressure sensors;

(b) determining a representative blood pressure sensor in each of the blood pressure sensor groups;

(c) determining a blood pressure sensor group that measures the maximum artery pulse by comparing the artery pulses measured by the representative blood pressure sensors;

(d) determining the blood pressure sensor that detects the maximum artery pulse by comparing the artery pulses measured by the blood pressure sensors that belong to the determined blood pressure sensor group; and

(e) measuring blood pressure using the determined blood pressure sensor.