Wrist-worn portable device and a wrist-worn pulse wave measuring device

• US 5,766,132 A
• Filed: 06/26/1996
• Issued: 06/16/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group), Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group), Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Hayakawa, Motomu, Nakamura, Chiaki, Yasukawa, Naoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen, Lee S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUANG, STEPHEN D
• Application Number:
  US08/672,466
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 128/690, 128/687, 128/689, 128/633, 600/503, 600/500, 600/502, 600/310
• US Class Current: 600/503
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02427 Details of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient

Abstract

The invention provides a wrist-worn pulse wave measuring device capable of outputting data measured by the wrist-worn pulse wave measuring device to an external data processing device without using a large device body. In the pulse information processing apparatus, a connector piece of a sensor unit is mounted to a connector of a wrist-worn pulse wave measuring device when measuring the pulse. A data transmission connector piece is mounted to the connector of the pulse wave measuring device when transmitting data with a data processor. Whether the operating mode is the pulse measurement mode or the data transmission mode is determined by a signal discriminator which discriminates the signal input from the connector of the pulse wave measuring device.

Claims

1. A wrist-worn pulse wave measuring device, comprising:

a device body;

a wrist band, coupled to said device body, for holding said device body on a wrist of a living body;

a sensor unit

(1) adapted to be mounted on the living body for measuring a pulse wave signal from the living body, and

(2) adapted to be coupled to an external device for enabling communications between said device body and the external device;

a connector removably coupling said sensor unit to the external device; and

signal discrimination means for selectively

enabling data communication between said device body and the external device when said sensor unit is coupled to the external device, and

measuring the pulse wave signal by said device body from the living body when said sensor unit is mounted on the living body.

2. The wrist-worn pulse wave measuring device of claim 1,

wherein a data transmission connector of the external device is coupled to said connector;

and

wherein data transmissions between said device body and the external device are through said connector and the data transmission connector.

3. The wrist-worn pulse wave measuring device of claim 1,

wherein said device body comprises storage means for storing at least pulse information derived from the pulse wave signal measured by said sensor unit;

and

wherein said device body outputs the pulse information from said storage means to the external device via said connector.

4. The wrist-worn pulse wave measuring device of claim 1, wherein said sensor unit comprises a light emitter and a receptor adapted to face a surface of the living body.

5. The wrist-worn pulse wave measuring device of Claim 4,

wherein said light emitter and the external device form a first photocoupler, and said receptor and the external device form a second photocoupler;

wherein data transmissions between said device body and the external device are through said first and second photocouplers and said connector.

6. A pulse information processing apparatus, comprising:

a data processor; and

a wrist-worn pulse wave measuring device comprising

a device body;

a wrist band, coupled to said device body, for holding said device body on a wrist of a living body;

a sensor unit

(1) adapted to be mounted on the living body for measuring a pulse wave signal from the living body, and

(2) adapted to be coupled to said data processor for enabling communications between said device body and with said data processor;

a connector removably coupling said sensor unit to said data processor; and

signal discrimination means for selectively

enabling data communication between said device body and said data processor when said sensor unit is coupled to said data processor, and

measuring the pulse wave signal by said device body from the living body when said sensor unit is mounted on the living body.

7. The wrist-worn pulse wave measuring device of claim 6, wherein said sensor unit comprises a light emitter and a receptor adapted to face a surface of the living body.

8. The wrist-worn pulse wave measuring device of claim 7,

wherein said light emitter and the external device form a first photocoupler, and said receptor and said data processor form a second photocoupler;

wherein data transmissions between said device body and said data processor are through said first and second photocouplers and said connector.

9. The wrist-worn pulse wave measuring device of claim 6,

wherein said data processor comprises a data transmission connector coupled to said connector;

and

wherein data transmissions between said device body and said data processor are through said data transmission connector and said connector.

10. The wrist-worn pulse wave measuring device of claim 6, wherein said device body comprises storage means for storing at least pulse information derived from the pulse wave signal measured by said sensor unit;

and

wherein said device body outputs the pulse information from said storage means to said data processor via said connector.