VISCERAL FAT MEASUREMENT DEVICE

• US 20100081962A1
• Filed: 03/17/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fukuda Denshi Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Inventors: Hamaguchi, Takehiro, Shiga, Toshikazu, Oshima, Yoshitake, Oku, Shojiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,259,169 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

Abstract

A visceral fat measurement device includes a first electrode pair and a second electrode pair to be arranged in a body axis direction at a back surface of an abdomen of a subject; a current generation unit for flowing current between electrodes of the first electrode pair; a potential difference detection unit for detecting a potential difference between electrodes of the second electrode pair current is flowed between the electrodes of the first electrode pair; and a visceral fat mass calculation part for calculating visceral fat mass of the subject based on the detected potential difference between the electrodes of the second electrode pair.

Claims

1. A visceral fat measurement device comprising:

a first electrode pair and a second electrode pair to be respectively arranged in a body axis direction at a back surface of an abdomen of a subject;

a current generation unit for flowing current between electrodes of the first electrode pair;

a potential difference detection unit for detecting a potential difference between electrodes of the second electrode pair when current is flowed between the electrodes of the first electrode pair; and

a visceral fat mass calculation part for calculating a visceral fat mass of the subject based on the detected potential difference between the electrodes of the second electrode pair.

2. The visceral fat measurement device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third electrode pair and a fourth electrode pair to be respectively arranged in the body axis direction at a front surface of the abdomen of the subject;

wherein

the current generation unit selectively flows current between the electrodes of the first electrode pair and between electrodes of the third electrode pair;

the potential difference detection unit detects a potential difference between the electrodes of the second electrode pair when current is flowed between the electrodes of the first electrode pair, and a potential difference between electrodes of the fourth electrode pair when current is flowed between the electrodes of the third electrode pair; and

the visceral fat mass calculation part calculates the visceral fat mass of the subject based on the detected potential difference between the electrodes of the second electrode pair and the detected potential difference between the electrodes of the fourth electrode pair.

3. The visceral fat measurement device according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode pair is arranged in the body axis direction spaced apart from an axis passing through the electrodes of the first electrode pair at the back surface of the abdomen of the subject.

4. The visceral fat measurement device according to claim 1, wherein each electrode of the second electrode pair and the corresponding electrode of the first electrode pair are arranged in a line in a direction substantially perpendicular to the body axis.

5. The visceral fat measurement device according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode pair is arranged on an axis passing through the electrodes of the first electrode pair at the back surface of the abdomen of the subject.

6. The visceral fat measurement device according to claim 5, wherein the second electrode pair is arranged on the axis passing through the electrodes of the first electrode pair and is arranged at a position sandwiched by the first electrode pair at the back surface of the abdomen of the subject.

7. The visceral fat measurement device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a fifth electrode pair to be arranged at a pair of different sites distant from the abdomen of the subject or a first site and a second site at positions sandwiching the abdomen of the subject;

wherein

the current generation unit selectively flows current between the electrodes of the first electrode pair and electrodes of the fifth electrode pair;

the potential difference detection unit detects a potential difference between the electrodes of the second electrode pair when current is flowed between the electrodes of the first electrode pair and the detected potential difference between the electrodes of the second electrode pair when current is flowed between the electrodes of the fifth electrode pair; and

the visceral fat mass calculation part calculates the visceral fat mass of the subject based on the potential difference between the electrodes of the second electrode pair detected when current is flowed between the electrodes of the first electrode pair, and the potential difference between the electrodes of the second electrode pair detected when current is flowed between the electrodes of the fifth electrode pair.

8. The visceral fat measurement device according to claim 7, wherein the first site includes an upper limb, and the second site includes a lower limb.

9. The visceral fat measurement device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sixth electrode pair and a seventh electrode pair to be arranged in the body axis direction at the back surface of the abdomen of the subject;

wherein

the current generation unit selectively flows current between the electrodes of the first electrode pair and between electrodes of the sixth electrode pair;

the potential difference detection unit detects a potential difference between electrodes of the second electrode pair, the sixth electrode pair, or the seventh electrode pair when current is flowed between the electrodes of the first electrode pair, and a potential difference between electrodes of the first electrode pair, the second electrode pair, or the seventh electrode pair when current is flowed between the electrodes of the sixth electrode pair; and

the visceral fat mass calculation part calculates the visceral fat mass of the subject based on the potential difference between the electrodes detected when current is flowed between the electrodes of the first electrode pair, and the potential difference between the electrodes detected when current is flowed between the electrodes of the sixth electrode pair.

10. The visceral fat measurement device according to claim 1, wherein the visceral fat mass calculation part calculates the visceral fat mass of the subject based on the detected potential difference between the electrodes of the second electrode pair and physical information of the subject.

11. The visceral fat measurement device according to claim 10, wherein the physical information includes an abdominal width and an abdominal thickness of the subject.

12. The visceral fat measurement device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an impedance calculating section for calculating an impedance of the subject corresponding to between the electrodes of the first electrode pair based on the detected potential difference between the electrodes of the second electrode pair;

wherein

the visceral fat mass calculation part calculates the visceral fat mass of the subject based on the calculated impedance.