Heart-sound detecting apparatus and heart-sound detecting method

• US 7,022,084 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2005
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Colin Medical Technology Corporation (Omron Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogura, Toshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Hindenburg, Max F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MALLARI, PATRICIA C
• Application Number:
  US11/027,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20050124905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 600/528
• US Class Current: 600/528
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/043 in a linear array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02233 Occluders specially adapted therefor tourniquets A61B17/132
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0285 Measuring or recording phase velocity of blood waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/00 Instruments for auscultation

Abstract

An apparatus for detecting a heart sound of a living subject, including a pressure-pulse-wave sensor which is adapted to be worn on a body portion of the subject that is distant from a chest of the subject, detects a pressure pulse wave produced by an artery of the body portion, and generates a pressure-pulse-wave signal representing the detected pressure pulse wave; and a heart-sound extracting device for extracting, from the pressure-pulse-wave signal generated by the pressure-pulse-wave sensor, a heart-sound component representing the heart sound of the subject.

Claims

1. An apparatus for obtaining information relating to a velocity at which a pulse wave propagates through an artery of a body portion of a living subject, the apparatus comprising:

a heart-sound detecting apparatus comprising

a pressure-pulse-wave sensor which is adapted to be worn on the body portion of the subject that is distant from a chest of the subject, detects a pressure pulse wave produced by the artery of the body portion, and generates a pressure-pulse-wave signal representing the detected pressure pulse wave, and

a heart-sound extracting means for extracting, from the pressure-pulse-wave signal generated by the pressure-pulse-wave sensor, a heart-sound component representing a heart sound of the subject; and

an information obtaining means for obtaining said information based on a first timing at which the pressure-pulse-wave sensor of the heart-sound detecting apparatus detects a prescribed periodic portion of the heart sound, and a second timing at which the pressure-pulse-wave sensor detects a prescribed periodic portion of the pressure pulse wave;

wherein the information obtaining means comprises means for obtaining, as said information, a time difference between the first and second timings.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information obtaining means comprises means for obtaining, as said information, said velocity by dividing, by said time difference, a distance between a heart of the subject and the body portion thereof distant from the chest thereof.