Surgery – Truss – Pad
Patent
1995-05-15
1998-01-06
Bahr, Jennifer
Surgery
Truss
Pad
A61B 502
Patent
active
057043639
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pressure sensor suitable for detecting pulses by installation in a wristwatch, a pressure vibration detector for detecting pressure vibrations using said pressure sensor, and a pulse detector for detecting a patient's pulse using said pressure sensor.
2. Description of the Related Art
The word "pulse" refers to the waves of blood which has been pumped out from the heart and propagates through the blood vessels, and it is known that by detecting these pulses and analyzing them, it is possible to obtain various types of medical information. For example, a patient's physical/psychological information may be obtained from the mathematical parameters (such as the maximum point, minimum point, or points of inflection) of the pulse waveform, furthermore, a blood pressure value having a positive correlation (a proportional relationship) with the propagation speed may be determined.
As sensors for detecting these types of pulses, in the past, there were in principle two forms. That is,
(1) a form in which a patient's fingertip was irradiated with infrared light, and the amount of reflection of said infrared light (due to blood) was measured, and
(2) a form in which a pressure sensor was placed so as to apply pressure to a patient's artery, for example the radial artery, and a measurement signal was obtained.
Form (1) works by placing an infrared light emitting diode and a photosensor in the appropriate light emitting and detection directions.
In recent years, the demand for the ability to diagnose, simply and accurately, as well as continuously, one's physical and psychological condition based on one's detected pulse, has been increasing.
In order to meet this demand, one can conceive of prodding a sensor for detecting pulses in an object, such as a wristwatch, which the patient holds during everyday activity, and adding a function to diagnose his physical and psychological condition from the detected pulse.
However, in providing a sensor on a wristwatch, and measuring a pulse using the above forms (1) and (2), the following problems existed. That is,
(1) In the form in which the amount of infrared reflection of blood was detected, a region needed to be provided on the surface of the watch case for allowing contact of the patient's fingertip. On the surface of the watch case, a display section is normally provided, and it is difficult to provide a region for detecting pulses in the limited space on a wristwatch, so there was a problem in that it introduced a severe restriction on the outward design of the wristwatch.
(2) Furthermore, in the case of using a common pressure sensor of the prior art, the measurement region of said sensor and the radial artery must come into contact. The style of wearing wristwatches differs with the user, and the variation in the position of the radial artery is also large. Therefore, there was the problem that it was difficult to align the measurement region of the pressure sensor with everybody's radial artery.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Consequently, the objective of the present invention is to offer a new type of pressure sensor with which it is possible to detect pulses, as well as to offer a pressure vibration detector using this pressure sensor and a pulse detector in which this pressure vibration detector is applied, and which solves the above problems in addition to having almost no effect on the outward design of wristwatches.
Therefore, Invention 1 is characterized in that it measures the various pressures at different positions on a flat surface, is provided with at least three pressure measurement means for outputting signals based on the pressures at each position, and an elastic member which attaches to the aforementioned flat surface, being convex in shape, such that the bottom surfaces cover the measurement positions of the aforementioned at least three pressure measurement means, and by pressing the exposed surface of the aforementioned elastic member in the direction of the sur
REFERENCES:
patent: 3535067 (1970-10-01), Lesher et al.
patent: 4802488 (1989-02-01), Eckerle
patent: 5131400 (1992-07-01), Harada et al.
patent: 5381797 (1995-01-01), Pak et al.
Bahr Jennifer
Gilbert Samuel
Seiko Epson Corporation
Watson Mark P.
LandOfFree
Pressure sensor, pressure fluctuation detector and pulse detecto does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Pressure sensor, pressure fluctuation detector and pulse detecto, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Pressure sensor, pressure fluctuation detector and pulse detecto will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2321209