Electronic sphygmomanometer

• US 9,161,702 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2011
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamashita, Shingo, Ariga, Hiroyasu, Tsuji, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Kahelin, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alter, Mitchell E
• Application Number:
  US13/162,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20110245696A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,587 Days
• Field of Search: 600485-525
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0204 of power management
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02233 Occluders specially adapted therefor tourniquets A61B17/132
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/23 The load being a medical device, a medical implant, or a life supporting device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0025 Sequential battery discharge in systems with a plurality of batteries

Abstract

A power supply unit of an electronic sphygmomanometer includes a dry cell as a primary battery, a rechargeable battery as a secondary battery, and a power supply control circuit. A voltage detector detects a voltage (characteristic value) of the rechargeable battery, and a voltage detector detects the voltage of the dry cell. A switching control unit performs switching control of the dry cell and the rechargeable battery based on a detection result by the voltage detectors.

Claims

1. An electronic sphygmomanometer adapted to measure a blood pressure of a person to be measured, comprising:

a cuff to be wrapped around a predetermined body site of the person to be measured;

a pressure sensor that detects a pressure inside the cuff;

a measurement controller that controls a blood pressure measurement of the person to be measured based on a signal from the pressure sensor;

a power supplier comprising a primary battery and a secondary battery;

a voltage detector that detects a voltage of the primary battery;

a pressurizer that pressurizes the cuff using power supplied from the power supplier;

a switching controller that selects a supply source of the power to operate the electronic sphygmomanometer by switching the primary battery and the secondary battery,

wherein the switching controller firstly compares the voltage of the primary battery detected by the voltage detector with a first threshold upon startup of the electronic sphygmomanometer, selects the primary battery when the voltage of the primary battery is greater than the first threshold, after the startup and before pressurization by the pressurizer, the switching controller secondly compares the voltage of the primary battery detected by the voltage detector with a second threshold, which is larger than the first threshold and higher than a required voltage necessary to drive the pressurizer, and selects the secondary battery when the voltage of the primary battery is less than the second threshold.

2. The electronic sphygmomanometer according to claim 1, wherein the switching controller makes a weather forecast based on the signal from the pressure sensor and selects the primary battery or the secondary battery based on a weather forecast result.

3. The electronic sphygmomanometer according to claim 2, wherein when the voltage of the secondary battery is larger than a first threshold upon startup of the electronic sphygmomanometer, the switching controller selects the secondary battery, and when the voltage of the secondary battery is equal to or smaller than the first threshold, the switching controller selects the primary battery or the secondary battery in accordance with the weather forecast result.

4. The electronic sphygmomanometer according to claim 1,

wherein when the voltage of the primary battery is larger than the first threshold upon startup of the electronic sphygmomanometer, the switching controller selects the primary battery, and when the voltage of the primary battery is equal to or smaller than the first threshold, the switching controller selects the secondary battery.

5. The electronic sphygmomanometer according to claim 4,

wherein when the primary battery is selected upon startup of the electronic sphygmomanometer, the switching controller further switches from the primary battery to the secondary battery when the switching controller determines that the voltage of the primary battery detected by the voltage detector before pressurization by the pressurizer is equal to or smaller than the second threshold.

6. The electronic sphygmomanometer according to claim 5, wherein when the secondary battery is selected before pressurization, the switching controller further switches from the secondary battery to the primary battery again when the switching controller determines that the voltage of the primary battery during the pressurization by the pressurizer is larger than a third threshold that is smaller than the second threshold.

7. The electronic sphygmomanometer according to claim 1, wherein the switching controller preferentially selects the battery specified by a user in advance of the primary battery and the secondary battery.

8. The electronic sphygmomanometer according to claim 1, further comprising a generator that generates an alarm sound in a specific timing specified by a user,

wherein when the specific timing comes, the switching controller further switches the primary battery and the secondary battery based on the detection result by the voltage detector.