Blood pressure measuring apparatus and method of measuring blood pressure

• US 7,771,361 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2008
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shin, Kun-soo, Bae, Sang-kon, Kim, Youn-ho, Kim, Jong-pal
• Primary Examiner(s): Mallari; Patricia C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Toth; Karen E
• Application Number:
  US12/025,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20090069698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 600481-507
• 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 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/043 in a linear array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02116 of pulse wave amplitude A61B5/02225 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/061 Determining position of a probe within the body employing means separate from the probe, e.g. sensing internal probe position employing impedance electrodes on the surface of the body A61B1/00158 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence

Abstract

Provided is a blood pressure measuring apparatus and a method of measuring blood pressure. The blood pressure measuring apparatus includes a plurality of blood pressure measuring units disposed on a substrate, a plurality of optical sensors disposed on the substrate to correspond to the blood pressure measuring units, and a control unit that measures blood pressure by analyzing signals received from the optical sensors and the blood pressure measuring units, wherein each of the blood pressure measuring units comprises a plurality of blood pressure sensors.

Claims

1. A blood pressure measuring apparatus comprising:

a plurality of blood pressure measuring units disposed on a substrate;

a plurality of optical sensors disposed on the substrate, each optical sensor corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of blood pressure measuring units; and

a control unit that measures blood pressure by analyzing signals received from at least one of the plurality of optical sensors and at least one of the plurality of blood pressure measuring units,

wherein each of the plurality of blood pressure measuring units comprises a plurality of blood pressure sensors,

wherein the plurality of the optical sensors measure optical signals by emitting and receiving light,

wherein the plurality of blood pressure sensors of the blood pressure measuring unit of the plurality of blood pressure measuring units that corresponds to an optical sensor of the plurality of optical sensors showing a maximum variation of the measured optical signal each measure an artery pulse according to blood pressure, and

wherein the blood pressure sensor of the plurality of blood pressure sensors of the blood pressure measuring unit used to measure artery pulses that shows a maximum artery pulse is determined, and the determined blood pressure sensor is used to measure blood pressure.

2. The blood pressure measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a flexible printed circuit board on which wires electrically connected to the plurality of blood pressure sensors and the plurality of optical sensors are formed.

3. The blood pressure measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the blood pressure sensor is a piezoresistor.

4. The blood pressure measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of optical sensors comprises a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, wherein the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are respectively disposed on both sides of corresponding blood pressure measuring units.