Blood pressure meter using viscoelasticity of cuff and mobile terminal having the same

• US 7,682,314 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2006
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Hyouk-ryeol, Kim, Ki-wang, Koo, Ja-choon, Kim, Kyung-ho, Shin, Sang-hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Mallari; Patricia C
• Application Number:
  US11/410,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20060253041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: 600/499, 606/202
• US Class Current: 600/499
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02208 using the Korotkoff method
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02225 using the oscillometric method
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02233 Occluders specially adapted therefor tourniquets A61B17/132
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02241 of small dimensions, e.g. adapted to fingers

Abstract

A blood pressure meter using a viscoelastic cuff, and a mobile terminal having the blood pressure meter. The blood pressure meter includes a blood pressure sensor for measuring variation in blood pressure, a blood flow sensor for measuring variation in blood flow, a cuff that elastically compresses a body part and decompresses the body part due to its viscoelasticity, and a control unit that analyzes signals measured by the blood pressure sensor and the blood flow sensor and calculates blood pressure. The blood pressure meter is detachably connected to a mobile terminal body, and can be small and portable. It is possible to measure the blood pressure precisely even when the cuff is fitted onto a finger, thereby improving the reliability of the blood pressure measurement. By using the viscoelasticity of the cuff and auxiliary decompressing, it is possible to check the blood pressure at all times.

Claims

1. A blood pressure meter comprising:

a pressure adjusting member comprising a cuff that is elastically deformed at a time of fitting the cuff onto a body part of a testee to compress the body part and impede blood flow, and whose compressing pressure to the body part is decreased over time due to its viscoelasticity;

a blood pressure sensor that measures the pressure of the body part at a time of compression and decompression of the pressure adjusting member; and

a control unit that analyzes a signal measured by the blood pressure sensor at the time of compression and decompression of the pressure adjusting member and calculates the blood pressure of the testee,

wherein the pressure adjusting member further includes a cuff fitting member having first and second pieces with lockers provided at one end of each piece, and of which the other ends are coupled to each other with a hinge member,

wherein the first and second pieces are locked to each other though the lockers at the time of fitting the cuff, and the first and second pieces are unlocked and opened about the hinge member at the time of removing the cuff,

wherein the pressure adjusting member further includes a cuff interference member that is rotatably provided in the cuff fining member, that contacts and interferes with the cuff in a direction in which it is adapted to come in close contact with the body part at the initial time of fining the cuff, and that is rotated in the inversed direction over time, and

wherein the cuff interference member further enhances the amount of decompression of the cuff.

4. The blood pressure meter according to claim 1, wherein the pressure adjusting member further includes an auxiliary decompressing means for further enhancing the amount of decompression of the cuff.

2. A blood pressure meter comprising:

a pressure adjusting member comprising a cuff that is elastically deformed at a time of fining the cuff onto a body part of a testee to compress the body part and impede blood flow, and whose compressing pressure to the body part is decreased over time due to its viscoelasticity;

a blood pressure sensor that measures the pressure of the body part at a time of compression and decompression of the pressure adjusting member; and

a control unit that analyzes a signal measured by the blood pressure sensor at the time of compression and decompression of the pressure adjusting member and calculates the blood pressure of the testee,

wherein the pressure adjusting member further includes a cuff fining member having first and second pieces with lockers provided at one end of each piece, and of which the other ends are coupled to each other with a hinge member,

wherein the first and second pieces are locked to each other through the lockers at the time of fining the cuff, and the first and second pieces are unlocked and opened about the hinge member at the time of removing the cuff,

wherein the pressure adjusting member further includes a cuff interference member that is slidably provided in the cuff fitting member, that contacts and interferes with the cuff in a direction in which it is adapted to come in close contact with the body part at the initial time of fitting the cuff, and that is slid in the inversed direction over time, and

wherein the cuff interference member further enhances the amount of decompression of the cuff.

3. A blood pressure meter comprising:

a pressure adjusting member comprising a cuff that is elastically deformed at a time of fitting the cuff onto a body part of a testee to compress the body part and impede blood flow, and whose compressing pressure to the body part is decreased over time due to its viscoelasticity;

a blood pressure sensor that measures the pressure of the body part at a time of compression and decompression of the pressure adjusting member; and

a control unit that analyzes a signal measured by the blood pressure sensor at the time of compression and decompression of the pressure adjusting member and calculates the blood pressure of the testee,

wherein the pressure adjusting member further includes a cuff fitting member having first and second pieces with lockers provided at one end of each piece, and of which the other ends are coupled to each other with a hinge member,

wherein the first and second pieces are locked to each other through the lockers at the time of fitting the cuff, and the first and second pieces are unlocked and opened about the hinge member at the time of removing the cuff,

wherein the cuff is composed of a pair of bands, with one end of each of respective bands of the pair of bands fixed respectively to one end of the first and second pieces, and the other end of each of the respective bands free,

wherein the pressure adjusting member further includes;

a cuff hole formed in the hinge member so as to pass the free ends; and

a cuff cam formed in the hinge member so as to compress the free ends when the first and second pieces are unlocked and release the free ends when the first and second pieces are locked, and

wherein the cuff hole and the cuff cam further enhance the amount of decompression of the cuff.

5. A blood pressure meter comprising:

a pressure adjusting member comprising a cuff that is elastically deformed at a time of fitting the cuff onto a body part of a testee to compress the body part and impede blood flow, and whose compressing pressure to the body part is decreased over time due to its viscoelasticity;

a blood pressure sensor that measures the pressure of the body part at a time of compression and decompression of the pressure adjusting member; and

a control unit that analyzes a signal measured by the blood pressure sensor at the time of compression and decompression of the pressure adjusting member and calculates the blood pressure of the testee,

wherein the cuff is composed of a pair of bands, and one end of the cuff is free, and

wherein the pressure adjusting member further includes a cuff fitting member that fixes the other end of the cuff; and

a cuff driving unit that pulls the free end so as to compress the body part fitted with the cuff at the initial time of fitting the cuff, and releases the free end over so as to further enhance the amount of decompression of the cuff due to the viscoelasticity,

wherein the cuff driving unit includes a cuff driving axis around which the free end of the cuff is wound, and

wherein the cuff driving unit adjusts the compressing pressure and the decompressing pressure by rotating the cuff driving axis.