Impedance measuring device and health care guideline advising device

• US 20050090760A1
• Filed: 10/22/2004
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Tatsuya
• Application Number:
  US10/969,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20050090760A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/547
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/053 Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of a portion of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/25 Bioelectric electrodes therefor

Abstract

The electrode supporting portion 11 is formed of the base 12 attached to the belt and the electrode portion 13 having the electrode 130. The pillar portion 132 of the electrode portion 13 is inserted into the hole 122 formed through the cover 121, and is oscillatably supported via the gap formed between the outer peripheral surface of the pillar portion 132 and the inner peripheral edge of the hole 122. There is provided the coiled spring 14 disposed between the hollow inside of the pillar portion 132 and the bottom plate 124, and the pressure sensing element 15 is provided in the center of the bottom plate 124 which receives the load of the end portion of the spring 14. The expansion and contraction of the spring 14 and the oscillation of the electrode portion 13 allows the electrode 130 to follow the movement of the body surface, thereby reducing changes in the contact condition between the electrode 130 and the subject'"'"'s body.

Claims

1. An impedance measuring device comprising:

an electrode which is to get in contact with a subject'"'"'s body;

an electrode supporting portion for supporting the electrode;

a belt-shaped member for supporting the electrode supporting portion and being worn on the subject'"'"'s body, wherein

the impedance measuring device comprises;

pressing force generating unit to generate a pressing force against a surface of the subject'"'"'s body which is in contact with the electrode; and

pressing force detecting unit to detect the pressing force.

2. An impedance measuring device according to claim 1 further comprising:

contact condition determining unit to determine a contact condition between the electrode and the surface of the subject'"'"'s body, based on the detected pressing force.

3. An impedance measuring device according to claim 2 further comprising:

notifying unit to notify the subject of a contact error when the contact condition determining unit has determined the contact condition to be an error.

4. An impedance measuring device according to claim 2 further comprising:

notifying unit to notify the subject of an appropriate contact when the contact condition determining unit has determined the contact condition to be appropriate.

5. An impedance measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 further comprising:

fluctuation detecting and notifying unit detect fluctuations in the pressing force with the pressing force detecting unit and then notifying the subject of detection of the fluctuations in the pressing force.

6. An impedance measuring device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein an impedance measurement gets started when the contact condition determining unit has determined the contact condition to be appropriate.

7. An impedance measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the electrode supporting portion supports the electrode in such a manner that the electrode is oscillatable with respect to the belt-shaped member.

8. A health care guideline advising device which is provided with the impedance measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and which provides guideline information useful for health care, based on measured impedance.