BLOOD PRESSURE MONITOR

• US 20170055856A1
• Filed: 01/12/2016
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: NOH, Seungwoo, KIM, Youn-ho, PARK, Sangyun
• Granted Patent: US 10,238,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/022 by applying pressure to close blood vessels, e.g. against the skin; Ophthalmodynamometers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02233 Occluders specially adapted therefor tourniquets A61B17/132
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0235 Valves specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6824 Arm or wrist

Abstract

A blood pressure monitor including a manually operable pressurizer is disclosed. The blood pressure monitor may include a cuff configured to apply a pressure to a target portion of a body of a user, a pressurizer, a depressurizer, and a sensor to measure a blood pressure. The pressurizer may include a rotator, and be configured to supply a fluid to the cuff, to cause the cuff to apply the pressure, through rotation of the rotator caused by an external rotational force applied to the blood pressure monitor to rotate the rotator. The depressurizer may be configured to reduce the applied pressure applied by the cuff to the target portion.

Claims

1. A blood pressure monitor, comprising:

a cuff configured to apply a pressure to a target portion of a body of a user;

a pressurizer including a rotator, the pressurizer configured to supply a fluid to the cuff, to cause the cuff to apply the pressure, through rotation of the rotator caused by an external rotational force applied to the blood pressure monitor to rotate the rotator;

a depressurizer configured to reduce the applied pressure applied by the cuff to the target portion; and

a sensor configured to measure a pressure of the target portion.

2. The monitor of claim 1, wherein the pressurizer comprises:

a tube connected to the cuff; and

the rotator is configured to supply the fluid to the cuff by rotating in a state in which at least a portion of the tube is blocked.

3. The monitor of claim 2, wherein the pressurizer comprises:

a string configured to apply the rotational force to rotate the rotator upon an external pulling of the string by the user.

4. The monitor of claim 1, wherein the pressurizer is a manually operable peristaltic pump operated by the rotation of the rotator.

5. The monitor of claim 1, wherein the pressurizer comprises:

a ratchet configured to selectively maintain a rotation direction to be constant.

6. The monitor of claim 1, wherein the depressurizer comprises:

a rotary damper configured to reduce the pressure applied by the cuff to the target portion at a constant rate by controlling a rotating of the rotator in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the rotator caused by the external force, when the external force is ceased.

7. The monitor of claim 1, further comprising:

a tube configured to supply the fluid to the cuff, and

wherein the depressurizer comprises a valve configured to maintain a speed at which the fluid is discharged from the cuff to be constant when the external rotational force is ceased.

8. The monitor of claim 7, wherein the valve comprises:

a ring configured to obstruct a flow of the fluid; and

a support configured to support the ring based on the flow of the fluid and in which a taper, inclined in a direction in which the fluid flows, is formed.

9. The monitor of claim 1, further comprising:

a controller configured to generate, with respect to a determined change in a blood flow of the target portion, a first feedback signal based on a determination of when pressure should be increased by application of the external force and a second feedback signal based on a determination of when the applied pressure should be decreased.

20. A blood pressure monitoring method, the method comprising:

generating a feedback signal to a user to indicate when a user should cease manual application of an external force to the blood pressure monitor of claim 1;

measuring pressure of a corresponding target portion of the user based on a determined change in blood flow; and

outputting a calculated blood pressure of the user based on measured pressure.

10. A blood pressure monitor, comprising:

a band configured to cover a target portion of a body of a user and configured to apply pressure to the target portion through movement of a constrictor device of the band;

a pressure adjuster configured to cause the band to adjust the movement of the constrictor device to control the applying of the pressure to the target portion; and

a sensor configured to measure a pressure of the target portion.

11. The monitor of claim 10, wherein the pressure adjuster comprises:

a support axis winding at least a portion of the band to cause the constrictor device to constrict; and

a ratchet configured to selectively maintain a rotation direction of the support axis in a first direction by an external force applied to the blood pressure monitor.

12. The monitor of claim 11, wherein the pressure adjuster comprises:

a rotary damper configured to maintain a rotation speed of the support axis in a second direction at a constant speed when the application of the external force ceases and the ratchet does not maintain the rotation direction of the support axis in the first direction.

13. The monitor of claim 10, wherein the constrictor device is a string within the band, and wherein the pressure adjuster comprises:

a support axis configured to wind at least a portion of the string to cause the band to constrict in response to an external force applied to the blood pressure monitor; and

a ratchet configured to selectively maintain a rotation direction of the support axis in a first direction that winds the string around the support axis.

14. The monitor of claim 13, wherein the pressure adjuster comprises:

a rotary damper configured to maintain a rotation speed of the support axis in a second direction at a constant speed when the application of the external force ceases and the ratchet does not maintain the rotation direction of the support axis in the first direction.

15. The monitor of claim 10, further comprising:

a controller configured to generate, with respect to a determined change in a blood flow of the target portion, a first feedback signal based on a determination of when pressure should be increased by application of an external force to the pressure adjuster and a second feedback signal based on a determination of when the applied pressure should be decreased.

16. A blood pressure monitor, comprising:

a support system including at least two support elements to at least partially surround a target portion of a body of a user;

a pressure adjuster configured to adjust a pressure to be applied to the target portion by the support system by selective control of movement directions of at least one of the two support elements relative to each other, to apply pressure to the target portion by the at least one of the two support elements by being caused, by application of at least one external force to the blood pressure monitor, to move in a respective first movement direction; and

a sensor configured to measure a pressure of the target portion.

17. The monitor of claim 16, wherein the pressure adjuster comprises:

a ratchet configured to perform selective control of the at least one of the two support elements to move in the first direction so that an angle between the at least two support elements decreases through the application of the external force.

18. The monitor of claim 16, wherein the pressure adjuster comprises:

at least one hinge damper configured to adjust a speed at which at least one of the two support elements releases to increase an angle between the two support elements at a constant speed to decrease the applied pressure.

19. The monitor of claim 16, further comprising

a controller configured to generate, with respect to a determined change in a blood flow of the target portion, a first feedback signal based on a determination of when pressure should be increased by the application of the external force and a second feedback signal based on a determination of when the applied pressure should be decreased.