Blood pressure measuring apparatus

• US 7,572,227 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2007
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha (Terumo Corporation)
• Inventors: Asama, Koichiro, Watanabe, Takashi, Mino, Shinji, Ozawa, Hitoshi, Nakanishi, Masaru, Oonishi, Shuichi, Kondo, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Marmor, II; Charles A
• Assistant Examiner(s): JANG, CHRISTIAN YONGKYUN
• Application Number:
  US11/902,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20080091112A1
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 600/309, 600/310, 600/485, 600/490, 600492-496, 600500-502
• US Class Current: 600/485
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0233 Special features of optical sensors or probes classified in A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02225 using the oscillometric method
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02241 of small dimensions, e.g. adapted to fingers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6815 Ear
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6838 Clamps or clips

Abstract

This invention provides a blood pressure measuring apparatus capable of stably measuring the blood pressure in even the tragus while suppressing the degree of invasion.

An attaching portion (3) of the blood pressure measuring apparatus has an inner cuff (6), an outer cuff (7), and a holding member (10) which holds the inner cuff (6) and outer cuff (7), and the holding member has a “U” shape. The end portions of the holding member (10) where the inner cuff (6) and outer cuff (7) are arranged are almost parallel to each other, and the inner cuff (6) and outer cuff (7) oppose each other. An auxiliary member (80) which comes in contact with a predetermined position of the ear of a person to be measured and increases the attachment stability of the inner cuff (6) and outer cuff (7) at the tragus is attached to the holding member (10).

Claims

1. A blood pressure measuring apparatus comprising:

an inner cuff to be inserted into an ear hole, and an outer cuff to be positioned outside a tragus;

holding means for holding said inner cuff and said outer cuff;

pulse wave detecting means incorporated into at least one of said inner cuff and said outer cuff to detect a pulse wave signal obtained by light from blood flowing through a blood vessel;

pressurizing/depressurizing means for pressurizing and depressurizing said inner cuff and said outer cuff by using a fluid, after said inner cuff and said outer cuff clamp the tragus;

a tube connected from said inner cuff and said outer cuff to said pressurizing/depressurizing means to supply the fluid;

pressure detecting means connected to said tube to detect pressures of said inner cuff and said outer cuff; and

blood pressure measurement control means for measuring a blood pressure value from the pulse wave signal,

wherein said inner cuff and said outer cuff oppose each other, and a thickness of a lid portion of each of said inner cuff and said outer cuff is made larger than a thickness of a cylindrical portion.

2. A blood pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

one end of said holding means is open, end portions of said holding means where said inner cuff and said outer cuff are arranged are substantially parallel, and and

an auxiliary member adapted to be in contact with a predetermined position of an ear of a person to be measured and increases attachment stability of said inner cuff and said outer cuff at the tragus is attached to said holding means.

3. A blood pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said auxiliary member protrudes from said holding means, and a length of the protrusion from said holding means is adjustable by a protrusion length adjusting mechanism.

4. A blood pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an ear hook which has a tube holding portion which holds the tube connected to said inner cuff and said outer cuff, and adapted to guide said tube to said pressurizing!depressurizing means through a back of the ear of the person to be measured.

5. A blood pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said ear hook and said holding means are independent members except for portions integrated via said tube.

6. A blood pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said ear hook has a shape portion adapted to press at least an anti-helix of the ear of the person to be measured.

7. A blood pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a stopper member which regulates a length to be pulled in a predetermined direction is attached to said tube.

8. A blood pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said tube holding portion of said ear hook has a plurality of Lube holding portions, and

said stopper member is attached to a position of a tube holding portion closest to said holding means.

9. A blood pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said holding means includes a first holding member which holds said outer cuff and a second holding member which holds said inner cuff, said first holding member is pivotally connected to said second holding member, and

when said first holding member is in a steady position without pivoting, said first holding member and an end portion of said second holding member at which said inner cuff is placed are substantially parallel to each other in said holding means.

10. A blood pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a clamping width adjusting mechanism which adjusts a clamping width between said outer cuff and said inner cuff.

11. A blood pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a head turn mechanism attaches at least one of said outer cuff and said inner cuff to said holding means.

12. A blood pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a circumferential surface of each of said outer cuff and said inner cuff, except for a contact surface adapted to be in direct contact with the tragus, is formed into bellows.

13. A blood pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a numbers of steps of said bellows of said outer cuff and said inner cuff are the same.

14. A blood pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein sectional shapes of said outer cuff and said inner cuff are different

15. A blood pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a sectional shape of said outer cuff is substantially a circle, and a sectional shape of said inner cuff is substantially one of an ellipse and an oval.

16. A blood pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one of said inner cuff and said outer cuff into which is incorporated the pulse wave detecting means has a light-shielding layer which prevents disturbance light.