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Air flow control apparatus and method for an automatic blood pressure gauge

  • US 5,337,751 A
  • Filed: 09/30/1991
  • Issued: 08/16/1994
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1991
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. Apparatus suitable for use in an automatic blood pressure gauge having a cuff which contains a pressurizing fluid, comprising:

  • pressure measuring means, coupled to the cuff, for measuring an instantaneous pressure level of the pressurizing fluid in the cuff at a plurality of instants corresponding to starting points of a respective plurality of time periods to produce a pressure signal;

    valve means, coupled to the cuff and having an aperture which may be changed in response to an applied control signal, for venting the pressurizing fluid from the cuff at a flow rate determined by said control signal; and

    flow control means, communicating with said pressure measuring means so as to be responsive to the pressure signal, for generating successive predictive values for the control signal applied to the valve means at respective ones of the instants corresponding to the starting points of the plurality of time periods, to produce a reduction in the instantaneous pressure level of the pressurizing fluid in the cuff during a time interval which includes the plurality of time periods, and at a rate which approximates a predetermined desired rate of pressure reduction;

    and wherein said flow control means includes a table of possible predictive values for the control signal, each value in said table being associated with a respective value of the pressure signal; and

    means for indexing the table of possible predictive values using the pressure signal to obtain a next predictive value of the control signal to be used during a corresponding next one of the plurality of time periods.

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