Finger clip pulse oximeter

• US 5,490,523 A
• Filed: 06/29/1994
• Issued: 02/13/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: First Bank National Association
• Original Assignee: Nonin Medical Incorporated
• Inventors: Johnson, Timothy L., Isaacson, Philip O., Gadtke, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sykes, Angela D.
• Application Number:
  US08/268,202
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 128/633, 128/664-667, 356/39-41
• US Class Current: 600/323
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02427 Details of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6838 Clamps or clips

Abstract

The invention is directed to Apparatus for measuring a physical parameter, such as the saturation percentage of oxygen in blood. The pulse oximeter is built into the finger clip, and therefore the device is small, lightweight and very portable, as well as more reliable.

Claims

1. Apparatus for measuring the blood oxygen saturation of arterial blood inside a body portion, comprising:

gripping means for releasably gripping a body portion, wherein the gripping means is comprised of finger gripping means for releasably gripping a finger;

a pulse oximeter means for sensing and determining the blood oxygen saturation of the arterial blood inside the gripped body portion, the pulse oximeter means being completely carried by the gripping means;

a display means for displaying the sensed and determined physical parameter, the display means being attached to the gripping means;

power means for providing power to the pulse oximeter means and the display means; and

program means operatively connected to the pulse oximeter means and display means for sensing the presence of a finger and switching the apparatus from a low power state to a normal power state.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the program means senses the absence of a finger and switches the apparatus from a normal power state to a low power state to conserve power.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 including transmission means for transmitting the determined blood oxygen saturation level to a remote display.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the transmission to the remote display is wireless.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the program means switches the apparatus from a normal power state to a low power state after a predetermined time interval to conserve power.

6. Apparatus for measuring the blood oxygen saturation of arterial blood inside a body portion, comprising:

gripping means for releasably gripping a body portion, wherein the gripping means is comprised of finger gripping means for releasably gripping a finger, wherein the finger gripping means comprises;

a first housing;

a second housing; and

pivot means interconnecting the first and second housings for allowing the first and second housings to pivot relative to one another to releasably grip a finger inserted between the first and second housings, the pivot means being constructed and arranged to allow the first and second housings to separate from one another, wherein the pivot means urges the two housings towards each other, thereby applying pressure to releasably grip the finger inserted between the first and second housings and wherein the pivot means is a spring means comprised of two generally U-shaped spring elements, each generally U-shaped spring element having an upper end and a lower end, the two lower ends being connected in a side by side manner a predetermined distance apart by an elongate spring element such that the two generally U-shaped spring elements are positioned on either side of the first and second housings and oriented such that the open end of the generally U-shaped spring elements faces in the same direction as the finger receiving ends of the first and second housings, and wherein the upper ends of the spring means are pivotally attached to the sides of the first housing and the elongate spring element is releasably received by a groove in a bottom of the second housing, whereby the first and second housings pivot and separate relative to one another to grippingly receive a finger inserted between the first and second housings, and where the first and second housings may be unconnected from one another for ease of cleaning by releasing the elongate spring element from the groove in the bottom of the second housing, enabling the spring means to pivot around its upper ends;

a pulse oximeter means for sensing and determining the blood oxygen saturation of the arterial blood inside the gripped body portion, the pulse oximeter means being completely carried by the gripping means; and

a display means for displaying the sensed and determined physical parameter, the display means being attached to the gripping means.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein each generally U-shaped spring element includes an additional loop to increase the resilience in the spring means.

8. A pulse oximeter, comprising:

a housing having a portion of its outer surface contoured to receive the forehead of a patient pressed against the housing;

pulse oximeter means for sensing and determining the blood oxygen saturation of the arterial blood inside the forehead, the pulse oximeter means carried by the housing and further comprising;

radiation emitting means for directing radiation of at least two discrete wavelengths through the arterial blood inside the forehead;

photosensor means for intercepting radiation reflected by the arterial blood inside the forehead;

computation means for determining the blood oxygen saturation level, connected to the photosensor means;

power means for providing power to the radiation emitting means and a display means, and

a display means carried by the housing for displaying the blood oxygen saturation level determined by the pulse oximeter means.

9. A pulse oximeter, comprising:

pulse oximeter means for sensing and determining blood oxygen saturation in the arterial blood in a body portion, the pulse oximeter means being in a normally low power state, and wherein the pulse oximeter means is constructed and arranged for sensing and determining the blood oxygen saturation in the arterial blood of a forehead; and

power conservation means operatively connected to the pulse oximeter means for sensing the presence of the body portion and which switches the pulse oximeter from a low power state to a normal power state, whereby the pulse oximeter means senses and determines the blood oxygen saturation in the arterial blood in the body portion.

10. A medical device of the type being housed in first and second housings, each housing being generally rectangular shaped having back, front, top, bottom and side ends and wherein the two housings are connected by a pivot means such that the two housings are stacked one on top of the other, the improvement comprising:

a pivot means wherein the pivot means is a spring means comprised of two generally U-shaped spring elements, each generally U-shaped spring element having an upper end and a lower end, the two lower ends being connected in a side by side manner a predetermined distance apart by an elongate spring element such that the two generally U-shaped spring elements are positioned on either side of the first and second housings and oriented such that the open end of the generally U-shaped spring elements faces towards the front wall of the ends of the first and second housings, and wherein the upper ends of the spring means are pivotally attached to the sides of the first housing and the elongate spring element is releasably received by a groove in the bottom of the second housing, whereby the first and second housings may be unconnected from one another for ease of cleaning by releasing the elongate spring element from the groove in the bottom of the second housing, enabling the spring means to pivot around its upper ends.

11. Apparatus for measuring a physical parameter, comprising:

gripping means for releasably gripping a body portion;

electronic means for sensing and determining a physical parameter, carried by the gripping means;

power means for providing power to the electronic means, and

non-mechanical automatic on/off means operatively connected to the electronic means which non-mechanically senses the presence of a body portion gripped by the gripping means and switches the apparatus from a low power state to a normal power state, whereby the apparatus senses and determines the physical parameter.