Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Cardiovascular
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-28
2002-02-12
Winakur, Eric F. (Department: 3736)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Cardiovascular
C600S498000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06346082
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a fluid flow rate regulation device capable of fine flow rate regulation and an evacuation device for a sphygmomanometer whereby the air that is supplied to an armband can be evacuated with fixed speed, and to a sphygmomanometer of small power consumption, that is capable of miniaturization, and that is capable of measuring with high precision.
BACKGROUND ART
As shown in
FIG. 8
, a constructional example of a sphygmomanometer comprises: an armband
1
mounted so as to be wound on to an arm or neck or a finger etc. of a human body; a pump
2
that supplies compressed air to this armband
1
; a pressure meter
3
that detects air pressure within this armband
1
; an electrically-operated evacuation device
4
that evacuates the air within armband
1
; and a microcomputer
5
that supplies air of fixed pressure into armband
1
by controlling operation of pump
2
in accordance with a detection signal from pressure meter
3
and that evacuates air with fixed speed from armband
1
by controlling the operation of electrically-operated evacuation device
4
.
Conventionally, as shown in FIG.
9
and
FIG. 10
, electrically-operated evacuation device
4
comprises: a bobbin
6
having a through-hole
6
a
and with a coil
6
b
wound at its periphery; a practically U-shaped yoke
7
arranged so as to cover one end and the sides of this bobbin
6
; a cover
8
that abuts the other end of bobbin
6
and is fixed in the open end of yoke
7
, co-operating with this yoke
7
to form a magnetic path from the center of bobbin
6
to one end face and from the sides of bobbin
6
to the other end face; a movable element
9
comprising a magnetic element freely slidably mounted within a through-hole
6
a
of bobbin
6
; a main valve body
10
mounted passing through this yoke
7
in a portion of yoke
7
covering one end of bobbin
6
and that is inserted from one end thereof into the through-hole
6
a
of bobbin
6
and is arranged facing movable element
9
; a valve element
11
made of resilient material that effects opening/closing of an evacuation port
10
a
by contacting or being separated from this evacuation port
10
a
formed in main valve body
10
, by sliding action of movable element
9
, being mounted at the end of movable element
9
facing main valve body
10
; and a resilient member
12
interposed between movable element
9
and main valve body
10
that biases movable element
9
in the direction away from main valve body
10
.
The conventional electrically-operated evacuation device for a sphygmomanometer constructed in this way is arranged such that, by supplying drive current to coil
6
b,
movable element
9
is slid against the resilient force of resilient member
12
by the magnetic force which is then generated, causing valve element
11
that is mounted on this movable element
9
to be pressed against main valve body
10
, thereby blocking its evacuation port
10
a
and such that the pressure within this armband
1
is raised to a fixed pressure by supplying a prescribed quantity of air to armband
1
by driving pump
2
, after which pump
2
is stopped and [the supply of current] to coil
6
b
of electrically-operated evacuation device
4
is stopped, thereby causing movable element
9
to be slid in the direction away from main valve body
10
by the resilient force of resilient member
12
, opening evacuation port
10
a
and allowing air to be evacuated from armband
1
.
Also, it is arranged to keep the rate of evacuation constant by controlling the mode of current passage or stoppage thereof to coil
6
b.
However, in a conventional electrically-operated evacuation device for a sphygmomanometer constructed in this way, movable element
9
can move freely in the radial direction of bobbin
6
; as a result this movable element
9
comes into contact with the inside wall of bobbin
6
, generating a frictional force on sliding of movable element
9
. There is therefore considerable hysteresis in the opening/closing drive of valve element
11
by microcomputer
5
, resulting in poor accuracy of pressure reduction control of armband
1
and so imposing limitations on the precision of the sphygmomanometry.
Since this frictional resistance changes depending on the attitude of the electrically-operated evacuation device for a sphygmomanometer, there is also the inconvenience that the precision of the sphygmomanometry varies depending on the attitude in which the sphygmomanometer is arranged.
Also, in order to cause movable element
9
to slide in the direction such as to block evacuation portion
10
a,
it was necessary to generate in coil
6
b
sufficient attractive force to overcome the resilient force of resilient member
12
and the frictional resistance, so the drive current supplied to coil
6
b
became large, causing an increase in power consumption.
Also, movable element
9
being formed by a magnetic body, its weight is considerable and this also tends to increase the drive current.
Furthermore, although, in order to miniaturize the electrically-operated evacuation device for a sphygmomanometer it is necessary to make the number of turns of coil
6
b
small and the external diameter of bobbin
6
small, if the number of turns of coil
6
b
is made small, its attractive force becomes small, with the result that the large attractive force which is necessary to move movable element
9
as described above cannot be obtained.
Also, although it might be thought that miniaturization of the electrically-operated evacuation device for a sphygmomanometer could be achieved while maintaining the number of turns of coil
6
b
by reducing the weight of movable element
9
by making it smaller and employing an external diameter of small dimensions, making movable element
9
small reduces the attractive force on movable element
9
for the same magnetic flux density; this therefore tends to result in incomplete operation of the movable element
9
and so is not an effective remedy.
With the foregoing in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fluid flow rate regulation device capable of fine flow rate regulation and an evacuation device for a sphygmomanometer whereby the air that is supplied into an armband can be evacuated with a constant speed, and a sphygmomanometer whose power consumption is small, which can be made of small size, and which is capable of measurement with high accuracy.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
A fluid flow rate regulation device according to a first invention for solving the above problem is provided comprising a fluid passage port and a valve element that effects opening/closure of this fluid passage port, in which the flow rate of fluid flowing through said fluid passage port is regulated by regulating the degree of opening/closure of this valve element wherein: fine irregularities are formed in said fluid passage port and/or valve element in at least a portion where the fluid passage port and valve element make contact.
Also, a second invention constituting an aspect of this first invention is provided wherein the portion in said fluid passage port and/or valve element where at least the fluid passage port and valve element make contact is constituted by a resilient member.
Also an evacuation device for a sphygmomanometer according to a third invention is provided whereby air that is fed into an armband comprised by the sphygmomanometer is gradually evacuated, comprising:
an evacuation port whereby the air that is fed into said armband is evacuated and a valve element that performs opening/closure of this evacuation port, wherein:
fine irregularities are formed on a portion in said evacuation port and/or valve element where at least the evacuation port and valve element make contact.
According to a fourth invention constituting an aspect of this third invention there is provided an evacuation device for a sphygmomanometer according to claim
3
wherein the portion in said evacuation port and/or valve element where at least the evacuation port and valve element make contac
Carter Ryan
Nihon Seimitsu Sokki Co., Ltd.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Winakur Eric F.
LandOfFree
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