BIOELECTRICAL IMPEDANCE MEASURING APPARATUS

• US 20110237926A1
• Filed: 10/01/2010
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seca Ag (seca GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Seca Ag (seca GmbH & Co. KG)
• Inventors: Jensen, Björn
• Granted Patent: US 8,548,556 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/393
• 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 5/6825 Hand

Abstract

The present invention provides bioelectrical impedance measuring apparatus for determining composition data of a human body, the apparatus including a plurality of electrodes and measuring circuitry which inject, through two electrodes, alternating current into the body, and which determine, with two other electrodes on different limbs, the resulting voltages, and which determine therefrom the impedance of body segments. In one apparatus, two hand contact bodies are disclosed, each of which is shaped in such a manner and provided with two electrodes in such a manner that a user when contacting the hand contact bodies with his hands comes into contact with two electrodes for each hand at the respective hand contact body. Each hand contact body includes a hand seating surface for placement of a hand inner surface thereon, each hand seating surface includes an electrically insulating separating wall extending over a part of the length of the hand seating surface, the separating wall being adapted to project into the space between middle and ring finger when a hand is placed on the hand seating surface, and on both sides of the separating wall an electrode is included such that, when a hand is placed on the hand seating surface, one electrode comes into contact with the small finger and/or ring finger at the other electrode comes into contact with middle finger and/or index finger.

Claims

1. Bioelectrical impedance measuring apparatus for determining composition data of a human body, said apparatus comprising:

a plurality of electrodes;

measuring circuitry including alternating current sources, voltage measuring circuits, and a control and analysis unit,

said control and analysis unit being configured to inject an alternating current from one of the alternating current sources, based on predetermined measuring programs, through two electrodes into the body, which electrodes are specific for the specific measuring program, and to determine with two other electrodes on different limbs the resulting voltages using the voltage measuring circuits, and to determine therefrom the impedance of body segments; and

two hand contact bodies, each of which is shaped in such a manner and provided with two electrodes in such a manner that a user, when contacting the hand contact bodies with hands, comes into contact with two electrodes for each hand on each respective hand contact body,

each hand contact body including a hand seating surface for placement of a hand inner surface thereon,

each hand seating surface including an electrically insulating separating wall extending over a part of the length of the hand seating surface,

said separating wall being configured to project into a space between middle and ring finger when a hand is placed on the hand seating surface,

selected ones of said electrodes being disposed on each side of the separating wall such that, when a hand is placed on the hand seating surface, one electrode comes into contact with the small finger and/or ring finger and the other electrode comes into contact with middle finger and/or index finger.

2. Bioelectrical impedance measuring apparatus according to claim 1, said hand seating surface being essentially formed as a plane.

3. Bioelectrical impedance measuring apparatus according to claim 1,

said hand seating surface being at least partially curved such that it may be grasped by a hand.

4. Bioelectrical impedance measuring apparatus according to claim 1,

each electrode including a projection which extends essentially parallel to the separating wall and which is configured to, when a hand is placed on the hand seating surface, abut against a side surface of a finger.

5. Bioelectrical impedance measuring apparatus according to claim 4,

each electrode including two elongated finger depressions extending essentially parallel to the separating wall,

said finger depressions being configured to establish contact to finger side surfaces of two fingers placed therein.