Blood pressure measurement cuff, blood pressure measurement device, and wearable device

By designing airbag wall structures with different resistance to deformation, the problem of measurement inaccuracy caused by the reduction in the width of the airbag in wrist-worn blood pressure devices was solved, thereby improving the accuracy and precision of blood pressure measurement and simplifying the manufacturing process.

CN119564178BActive Publication Date: 2026-07-10HUAWEI TECH CO LTD

Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
Filing Date
2023-09-07
Publication Date
2026-07-10

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The reduced width of the air bladder in existing wrist-worn blood pressure devices leads to a smaller pressure area on the wrist, affecting the accuracy of blood pressure measurement.

Method used

Design a blood pressure measuring balloon whose balloon wall is composed of three parts with different deformation resistance along the width direction. The central part has a lower deformation resistance, while the edge part has a higher deformation resistance. By superimposing a reinforcing layer on the edge part or using a highly elastic material, the uneven pulse wave signal is blocked or attenuated, thereby improving the uniformity of the pulse wave signal inside the balloon.

Benefits of technology

It improves the accuracy and precision of blood pressure measurement, simplifies the manufacturing process, and maintains the simple appearance and mass production capability of the airbag.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The application relates to the field of blood pressure measurement, and discloses a blood pressure measurement air bag, a blood pressure measurement device and a wearable device. The air bag comprises an air bag wall in contact with a user, the air bag wall is composed of a first part, a second part and a third part arranged in sequence along the width direction of the air bag wall; wherein the first part and the third part correspond to the edge positions of the air bag wall along the width direction, and the second part corresponds to the middle position of the air bag wall; when the air bag wall is in contact with the user, the user is mainly pressed by the second part; since the anti-deformation ability of the first part and / or the third part is greater than that of the second part, that is, when the second part is bent, the first part and / or the third part are not easily deformed, so that the effective compression area is only the second part, so that the pulse wave signal at the edge position can be avoided from being transmitted into the air chamber of the air bag, the consistency of the pulse wave signal in the air chamber of the air bag is good, and then the pulse wave signal quality obtained by a pressure sensor can be improved, and the accuracy of blood pressure measurement is improved.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of blood pressure measurement technology, and in particular to a blood pressure measuring airbag, a blood pressure measuring device, and a wearable device. Background Technology

[0002] Hypertension is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Blood pressure measurement is a primary means of understanding blood pressure levels, diagnosing and guiding hypertension treatment, and evaluating the effectiveness of antihypertensive therapy. Among these, the accuracy of blood pressure measurement is fundamental to the treatment and management of hypertension.

[0003] In recent years, in order to further improve the comfort, convenience and user experience of measurement, wearable blood pressure measurement technology has begun to emerge, and there are already wearable blood pressure devices that have passed medical certification standards, such as wrist-worn wearable blood pressure devices.

[0004] Currently, the air bladder width of wrist-worn blood pressure monitors is narrower than that of traditional blood pressure monitors, sometimes even less than 37% of the wrist circumference. The reduction in air bladder width leads to a smaller pressure area on the wrist, which poses a challenge to the accuracy of blood pressure measurement in wrist-worn blood pressure monitors.

[0005] Therefore, improvements to the structure of the airbag are needed to enhance the accuracy of blood pressure measurements in wearable blood pressure devices. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a blood pressure measuring balloon, a blood pressure measuring device, and a wearable device to improve the accuracy of blood pressure measurement.

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides a blood pressure measuring airbag, the airbag including an airbag wall for contact with a user, the airbag wall being composed of a first part, a second part and a third part arranged sequentially along its width direction; wherein, the deformation resistance of the first part is greater than that of the second part, and / or, the deformation resistance of the third part is greater than that of the second part.

[0008] According to an embodiment of this application, the first and third portions correspond to the edge portions of the airbag wall along its width, and the second portion corresponds to the middle portion of the airbag wall. Since the pulse wave signal corresponding to the central portion has better uniformity, while the pulse wave signal corresponding to the edge portion has poorer uniformity, this embodiment sets the central portion to have lower deformation resistance, allowing the uniform pulse wave signal to be smoothly transmitted into the airbag chamber; while setting the edge portion to have higher deformation resistance can block or attenuate the transmission of non-uniform pulse wave signals into the airbag chamber, thereby improving the uniformity of the pulse wave signal within the airbag chamber and ultimately improving the accuracy of blood pressure measurement.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the airbag wall includes a main body layer and a first material layer, which is stacked on the inner or outer surface of the main body layer corresponding to the first part, so that the deformation resistance of the first part is greater than that of the second part.

[0010] Understandably, for the insufficiently compressed edges of the airbag wall, namely the first and third parts, stacking the first and second material layers on the outer or inner surface of their respective main body layers can attenuate the signals of the first and third parts with poor consistency, thereby reducing their impact on the overall signal.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the elastic modulus of the first material layer is greater than that of the main material layer.

[0012] It is understandable that by stacking a first material layer with greater resistance to deformation on the outer or inner surface of the main body layer corresponding to the first part, the resistance to deformation of the first part can be greater than that of the second part.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the material of the main layer includes polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, or silicone, and the material of the first material layer includes nylon, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, or silicone.

[0014] Understandably, for the convenience of blood pressure measurement, the main body layer is generally made of flexible material, so the first material layer can be made of a material with greater resistance to deformation than any of the above-mentioned flexible materials, such as nylon.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the first material layer includes a plurality of perforations spaced apart along the length of the airbag.

[0016] Considering that the airbag requires more pressure to deform and bend during inflation when the first material layer is stacked, a larger air volume and higher air pressure are required. Therefore, in order to reduce the required pressure, the shape of the first material layer is designed to be hollow, and the hollow part is used for bending and deformation, which can effectively reduce the air pressure and air volume required during inflation.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the dimensions of each hollowed-out portion along the length direction gradually decrease from the first side of the first portion to the second side of the first portion, wherein the first side and the second side are two sides of the first portion that are arranged opposite each other along the width direction, and the second side is closer to the center of the airbag wall than the first side.

[0018] The above design can further reduce the air pressure and volume required for inflation.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the shape of each cutout includes any of the following: rectangle, rhombus, triangle, circle, ellipse.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the main body layer and the first material layer are an integral structure.

[0021] Understandably, by using a specific mold during the membrane forming stage of the airbag wall, the edge of the airbag wall can be thickened quickly through a one-piece molding process. This not only effectively attenuates edge pulse wave signals with poor consistency, but also the one-piece molding process can effectively improve the mass production and yield of airbags.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the thickness of the first material layer gradually decreases from the first side of the first portion to the second side of the first portion.

[0023] Understandably, since the parts of the airbag that actually come into contact with the user, such as the wrist, have a certain curvature, the structure of the airbag wall gradually decreasing in thickness from the edge to the center can make the airbag wall fit the user's wrist and other parts better, resulting in a good fit between the airbag and the user, thereby improving the accuracy of blood pressure detection.

[0024] In one possible implementation, along the length of the airbag wall, the first material layer extends from one end of the airbag wall to the other.

[0025] Understandably, the first material layer extends from one end of the airbag wall to the other, covering the entire edge of the airbag, thus more comprehensively preventing signals with poor consistency at the edge from entering the airbag chamber.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the width of the airbag wall is 15cm to 35cm, the width of the first part is 0.1 to 0.4 times the width of the airbag wall, and / or, the width of the third part is 0.1 to 0.4 times the width of the airbag wall.

[0027] Understandably, the ratio between the width of the first part and / or the width of the third part and the width of the air bladder wall needs to be determined based on the actual width of the air bladder wall. Relatively speaking, within the above range, better blood pressure measurement accuracy can be achieved.

[0028] Secondly, this application provides a blood pressure measuring device, including a pressure sensor and an airbag according to the first aspect of this application, wherein the pressure sensor is used to measure the pressure in the air chamber of the airbag.

[0029] Thirdly, this application provides a wearable device, including a main body and an airbag according to the first aspect of the embodiments of this application, wherein the airbag is disposed on the surface of the main body facing the user when worn.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the wearable device is a wristband-type device. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1AThis is a schematic diagram of a wristband device according to some embodiments of this application;

[0032] Figure 1B This is a schematic diagram of a pressurized airbag according to some embodiments of this application;

[0033] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a multi-airbag structure according to some embodiments;

[0034] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an airbag with a sensor, shown according to some embodiments;

[0035] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a pulse wave signal transmission path according to some embodiments of this application;

[0036] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a first type of airbag according to some embodiments of this application;

[0037] Figure 6 This is a side view of a first type of airbag according to some embodiments of this application;

[0038] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first material layer according to some embodiments of this application;

[0039] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the second material layer according to some embodiments of this application;

[0040] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a second type of first material layer according to some embodiments of this application;

[0041] Figure 10A This is a schematic diagram of the first type of hollowed-out portion according to some embodiments of this application;

[0042] Figure 10B This is a schematic diagram of a second type of hollowed-out portion according to some embodiments of this application.

[0043] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a third type of cutout portion according to some embodiments of this application;

[0044] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a fourth type of cutout portion according to some embodiments of this application;

[0045] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a fifth type of hollowed-out portion according to some embodiments of this application;

[0046] Figure 14This is a schematic diagram illustrating a first thickness reduction method according to some embodiments of this application;

[0047] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a second thickness reduction method according to some embodiments of this application;

[0048] Figure 16A This is a schematic diagram illustrating a third thickness reduction method according to some embodiments of this application;

[0049] Figure 16B This is a schematic diagram illustrating a second type of airbag according to some embodiments of this application;

[0050] Figure 17 This is a side view of a third type of airbag according to some embodiments of this application;

[0051] Figure 18 This is a side view of a fourth type of airbag according to some embodiments of this application;

[0052] Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a fifth type of airbag according to some embodiments of this application;

[0053] Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a reinforcing structure according to some embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0054] The specific embodiments of this application will now be described using terms commonly used by those skilled in the art.

[0055] To facilitate understanding of this solution, some basic concepts and technical terms involved in this application will be introduced first.

[0056] Human blood pressure refers to the lateral, perpendicular pressure exerted on the blood vessel walls by the pulsating blood flow. The peak pressure is called systolic pressure, also known as high pressure, and the trough pressure is called diastolic pressure, also known as low pressure. The pressure signal generated by the pulsating blood flow can be called the "pulse wave signal." Blood pressure is an important indicator for health monitoring, reflecting a person's health status. Therefore, how to conveniently and accurately measure blood pressure has become a hot topic.

[0057] Oscillometric method: A method for measuring blood pressure. In practice, an air bladder or similar device is strapped to the person's limb. By inflating (or deflating) the air bladder, arterial blood flow is gradually blocked (or released), allowing the pulse wave signal to be transmitted to the air bladder chamber, creating pressure fluctuations. By analyzing these pressure fluctuations, the user's blood pressure (e.g., systolic and diastolic pressure) can be obtained. This method is commonly used when measuring blood pressure with wearable devices.

[0058] The embodiments of this application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0059] This application provides a wearable device including a blood pressure measuring airbag (hereinafter referred to as "airbag"). The airbag includes an airbag wall that is in contact with the user. The edge portion of the airbag wall is configured to have strong anti-deformation properties, thereby blocking or attenuating the transmission of the non-uniform pulse wave signal corresponding to the edge portion of the airbag wall to the airbag chamber, so as to improve the accuracy of blood pressure measurement.

[0060] In this embodiment, the wearable device can be any one of the following, depending on the part of the device worn or worn: a wristband device (e.g., a smartwatch, a smart bracelet, etc.), a cuff device (e.g., a cuff device worn on the upper arm or wrist), a headband device, and a finger-wearing device. For ease of description, the following description will use a wristband device as an example.

[0061] Figure 1A This is a schematic diagram of a wristband device 100 according to some embodiments of this application.

[0062] like Figure 1A As shown, the wristband device 100 may include a main body 101 and a blood pressure measuring device disposed on the main body. The main body 101 includes a watch body 1011 and a wristband 1012. The watch body 1011 is used to implement the main functions of the wristband device 100, such as display, audio playback, and communication. The wristband 1012 is used to wear the watch body 1011 on the user's wrist. For example, the wristband 1012 can be made of flexible materials such as knitted fabric, leather, or plastic, so that it can extend around the user's wrist to wear the watch body 1011. The connection method between the watch body 1011 and the wristband 1012 can be various methods such as snap-fit, adhesive, or clamp connection. It can be a detachable connection or a fixed connection; this application does not limit this.

[0063] The blood pressure measuring device includes an air bladder 102, an air pump, and a pressure sensor (not shown). The air bladder 102 is disposed on the surface of the wristband device 100 facing the user's wrist when worn. In some possible embodiments, the air bladder 102 is detachably mounted to the main body 101. Thus, the air bladder 102 can be flexibly installed and removed according to actual user needs. For example, one end of the air bladder 102 can be connected to the watch body 1011, and the other end to the wristband 1012. Furthermore, the ratio of the length of the portion of the air bladder 102 that contacts the wristband 1012 to the total length of the air bladder 102 can exceed a certain threshold (e.g., 90%), so that the air bladder 102 can change shape accordingly with the bending of the wristband, thereby better conforming to the user's wrist.

[0064] It should be noted that, in this application, the length direction of the airbag 102 is the direction in which the wearable device wraps around the user's wrist when worn (which can also be understood as the direction of the wrist circumference, the X direction in each figure); the width direction of the airbag 102 is the direction in which the user's arm extends when the wearable device is worn (which can also be understood as the length direction of the arm, the Y direction in each figure). The thickness direction of the airbag 102 is the direction perpendicular to its length and width directions (the Z direction in each figure).

[0065] In addition, in this application, the length, width, and thickness of a component refer to the dimensions of the component along the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction, respectively.

[0066] Furthermore, the aforementioned air pump is connected to the air chamber of the airbag 102, and the air pump is used to inflate or deflate the air chamber. Furthermore, the aforementioned pressure sensor is connected to the air chamber of the airbag 102, and the pressure sensor is used to detect the pressure signal within the air chamber during the inflation or deflation process of the air pump. Furthermore, the wristband device 100 can calculate the user's blood pressure based on the oscillometric principle using this pressure signal (e.g., by calculating the user's blood pressure using a blood pressure detection chip built into the watch body 1011). Exemplarily, the air pump and pressure sensor can be integrated into the watch body 1011, thus improving the user's comfort when wearing the wristband device for extended periods.

[0067] Currently, devices for measuring blood pressure using the oscillometric method include wristband devices, home wrist blood pressure monitors, and upper arm blood pressure monitors. In oscillometric blood pressure measurement devices, the bladder is a key component of the technology. In the oscillometric method, the bladder is inflated to compress the blood vessel, obtaining pulse wave signals at different levels of pressure. Blood pressure is then calculated based on the correspondence between the pulse wave signal and the pressure curve. The design of the bladder structure directly affects both the pressure curve and the pulse wave signal; therefore, the bladder structure is a crucial hardware component affecting the accuracy of oscillometric blood pressure measurement.

[0068] Among them, home-use wrist blood pressure monitors and wristband devices can measure blood pressure at the wrist, offering users a high level of comfort and a good experience, and are currently widely used. However, the size of the air bladder in wrist blood pressure monitors and wristband devices, especially its width, is smaller than that of upper arm blood pressure monitors. To adapt to wearable scenarios, the width of the air bladder in wristband devices may even be less than 37% of the wrist circumference, which poses a greater challenge to the design of the air bladder structure.

[0069] This is because, under continuous pressure on the user's blood vessels, the pulse wave signal from the skin surface is transmitted to the air chambers inside the air bladder through different areas of the bladder surface. Oscillometric methods require that the pressure on the blood vessels be as uniform as possible across different areas of the air bladder to improve the accuracy of blood pressure measurement. However, as the width of the air bladder narrows, the unevenness of pressure on the blood vessels increases, thus affecting the accuracy of blood pressure measurement.

[0070] For example, Figure 1B A cross-sectional view of the airbag 102 after pressurization is shown (the cross-sectional direction is perpendicular to the X direction). Reference Figure 1B Along the Y-direction, the degree of expansion of different parts of the air bladder 102 is not uniform, with the central region expanding more than the outer regions. In other words, the air bladder 102 has a shape that is thicker in the middle and thinner at the sides. Thus, along the Y-direction, the compression effect of different parts of the air bladder 102 on the blood vessels is inconsistent or asymmetrical. Specifically, compared to the central region of the air bladder 102, the peripheral region exerts less pressure on the blood vessels. Consequently, the uniformity of the pulse wave signal received in the central region of the air bladder 102 is better, while the uniformity is poorer in the peripheral regions. Furthermore, as the width of the air bladder 102 narrows, the unevenness of the compression on the blood vessels becomes more pronounced, thereby increasing the unevenness of the pulse wave signal received by different parts of the air bladder 102, ultimately affecting the accuracy of blood pressure measurement.

[0071] To improve the accuracy of blood pressure measurement, in one implementation, such as Figure 2 As shown, a multi-airbag design is employed, in which the airbag structure consists of at least two independent airbags stacked together. The ultra-narrow airbag, which fits tightly against the skin, is the sensing airbag 301, used to receive pulse wave signals from the skin surface. A wider airbag, 302, covers this sensing airbag for applying sufficient pressure. This design, by separating the pressure and sensing airbags, can transmit only high-quality signals from a uniform area to the pressure sensor. However, the airbag structure of this design is relatively complex, increasing the processing flow and manufacturing difficulty, and the airbag's appearance is not aesthetically pleasing.

[0072] In another implementation, such as Figure 3As shown, the airbag 401 serves as a pressurizing device, used solely to compress blood vessels, with the pulse wave signal read by the pressure sensor 402. The pressure sensor 402 can be a single point or an array. The size of the pressure sensor 402 can be small enough to just cover the area of ​​the blood vessel (such as the radial or ulnar artery in the forearm) under uniform pressure. This ensures that the pressure sensor 402 reads a pulse wave signal with good consistency. However, this solution is highly dependent on whether the pressure sensor 402 can accurately locate the blood vessel, and the location of blood vessels varies from person to person, making it difficult for the pressure sensor 402 to accurately locate the blood vessel for each user. Furthermore, the structure of the airbag 401 plus the pressure sensor 402 is relatively complex, which also increases the processing flow and manufacturing difficulty, making mass production difficult, and the appearance is not simple enough.

[0073] Therefore, embodiments of this application provide an airbag and a wearable device containing the airbag. The placement of the airbag on the wearable device can be referred to the above description (e.g., the above description regarding...). Figure 1A The description of the previous section is omitted here. The airbag includes an airbag wall for contact with the user. Along its width, the deformation resistance of the edge portion of the airbag wall is greater than that of its central portion. As mentioned above, the pulse wave signal corresponding to the central portion has better uniformity. Therefore, setting the central portion to have lower deformation resistance allows the uniform pulse wave signal to be smoothly transmitted into the airbag chamber. Conversely, the pulse wave signal corresponding to the edge portion has poorer uniformity. Therefore, setting the edge portion to have higher deformation resistance can block or attenuate the transmission of non-uniform pulse wave signals into the airbag chamber, thereby improving the uniformity and consistency of the pulse wave signal within the airbag chamber and ultimately improving the accuracy of blood pressure measurement.

[0074] Figure 4 The pulse wave signal transmission path provided in an embodiment of this application is illustrated. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the pulse wave signal within the airbag chamber includes the pulse wave signal at the pressure center and the pulse wave signal at the pressure edge. The pulse wave signal at the pressure center originates from the central part of the airbag wall, while the pulse wave signal at the pressure edge originates from the edge part of the airbag wall. Since the central part of the airbag wall is designed to have low deformation resistance, the pulse wave signal originating from this central part can be effectively transmitted into the air chamber and thus detected by the pressure sensor. On the other hand, since the edge part of the airbag wall is designed to have high deformation resistance, the pulse wave signal originating from this edge part is attenuated and its transmission into the air chamber is blocked. This ensures that the pulse wave signal that ultimately enters the air chamber is of higher quality and better consistency.

[0075] It is understandable that this application only needs to enhance the deformation resistance of the edge part of the airbag wall to improve the quality of the pulse wave signal. The overall processing difficulty is low, and the original airbag main structure and appearance can be maintained.

[0076] In this application, the method to enhance the deformation resistance of the edge portion of the airbag wall can be one or more of the following: superimposing a reinforcing layer on the edge portion, using a material with a high elastic modulus as the material for the edge portion, increasing the thickness of the edge portion, and setting a reinforcing structure (e.g., reinforcing ribs) on the edge portion, etc., which are not limited in this application. The following is a further description with reference to specific embodiments.

[0077] The first embodiment of the airbag of this application is described below. In this embodiment, a reinforcing layer is added to the edge portion of the airbag wall to improve the deformation resistance of the edge portion of the airbag wall.

[0078] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of an airbag 500 according to some embodiments of this application. Figure 6 This is a side view of the Airbag 500.

[0079] refer to Figure 5 The airbag 500 includes multiple airbag walls, such as airbag walls 500a, 500b, 500c, ... These multiple airbag walls together form an air chamber within the airbag. In this embodiment, a partition wall 500d is also provided within the air chamber, dividing it into sub-air chambers 504 and 505. Sub-air chambers 504 and 505 are interconnected. The pulse wave signal is first transmitted to sub-air chamber 504, where it is homogenized to a certain extent before being transmitted to sub-air chamber 505. The pressure sensor is connected to sub-air chamber 505, thereby enabling the measurement of a more uniform pressure signal. In other words, by setting two sub-air chambers, the pulse wave signal distribution within the air chamber can be made more uniform, thus improving the accuracy of blood pressure measurement.

[0080] It is understood that in other embodiments, the airbag may have only one air chamber (i.e., no partition wall is provided inside the airbag) or it may have multiple sub-air chambers (for example, two partition walls are provided inside the airbag, which can divide the air chamber of the airbag into 3 sub-air chambers).

[0081] The airbag wall 500a is the airbag wall 500 that comes into contact with the user; that is, when the wristband device is worn, the airbag 500 fits against the user's wrist through the airbag wall 500a. The airbag wall 500a consists of a first part A, a second part B, and a third part C arranged sequentially along its Y direction. It can be understood that the first part A and the third part C are the edge portions of the airbag wall 500a, and the second part B is the central portion of the airbag wall 500a.

[0082] refer to Figure 6 The airbag wall 500a includes a main body layer 501, a first material layer 502, and a second material layer 503. The first material layer 502 is stacked on the outer surface of the main body layer 501 corresponding to the first part A (i.e., the surface of the main body layer 501 facing away from the air chamber), so that the deformation resistance of the first part A is greater than that of the second part B. The second material layer 503 is stacked on the outer surface of the main body layer 501 corresponding to the third part C, so that the deformation resistance of the third part C is greater than that of the second part B.

[0083] It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the first material layer 502 may also be stacked on the inner surface of the main body layer 501 corresponding to the first part A (i.e., the surface of the main body layer 501 facing the air chamber), which can also make the deformation resistance of the first part A greater than that of the second part B; similarly, the second material 503 may be stacked on the inner surface of the main body layer 501 corresponding to the third part C, which can also make the deformation resistance of the third part C greater than that of the second part B.

[0084] In this embodiment, for the signal source with superior signal quality and good consistency on the airbag wall 500a, namely the second part B, only the main body layer 501 is provided, thus having a smaller thickness and stiffness (corresponding to a smaller resistance to deformation), so as to facilitate the effective passage of pulse wave signals. For the edge parts of the airbag wall 500a that are not sufficiently compressed, namely the first part A and the third part C, a first material layer 502 and a second material layer 503 are respectively stacked on their respective main body layers 501, which can improve the resistance to deformation of the first part A and the third part C, thereby attenuating the signals with poor consistency in the first part A and the third part C and reducing their impact on the overall signal.

[0085] Generally, for convenient blood pressure measurement, the main body layer 501 is made of a flexible material, including but not limited to polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, or silicone.

[0086] In some possible embodiments, the first material layer 502 and the second material layer 503 may be made of the same material as the main body layer 501, that is, by thickening the edge of the airbag wall 500a, the signal with poor consistency can be attenuated.

[0087] Alternatively, in some other possible embodiments, the material of the first material layer 502 is different from the material of the main body layer 501. For example, the elastic modulus of the first material layer 502 is greater than that of the main body layer 501, and the elastic modulus of the second material layer 503 is greater than that of the main body layer 501. For instance, the first material layer 502 and the second material layer 503 may be made of materials with an elastic modulus greater than any of the aforementioned flexible materials, such as nylon. Furthermore, since nylon has a better feel against the skin, using nylon as the first material layer 502 and the second material layer 503 also helps to improve the user's wearing experience.

[0088] The above embodiments, by simply adding a first material layer 502 and / or a second material layer 503 to the outer or inner surface of the main body layer 501 of the airbag wall 500a, do not increase the complexity of the structure and process, and have little impact on mass production and appearance.

[0089] In this embodiment, the airbag wall 500a may include a first material layer 502 and a second material layer 503. In other embodiments, the airbag 500a may include one of the first material layer 502 and the second material layer 503.

[0090] For example, in some possible embodiments, such as Figure 7 As shown, the airbag wall 500a may consist only of a main body layer 501 and a first material layer 502. The first material layer 502 is stacked on the outer surface of the main body layer 501 corresponding to the first part A, so that the deformation resistance of the first part A is greater than that of the second part B. In this way, the signal with poor consistency at the first part A can be attenuated, and the quality of the pulse wave signal can also be improved.

[0091] Similarly, such as Figure 8 As shown, the airbag wall 500a may consist only of a main body layer 501 and a second material layer 503. The second material layer 503 is stacked on the outer surface of the main body layer 501 corresponding to the third part C, so that the deformation resistance of the third part C is greater than that of the second part B. In this way, the signal with poor consistency at the third part C can be attenuated, and the quality of the pulse wave signal can also be improved.

[0092] In actual processing, a thicker, more rigid membrane material can be cut into strips, and then fused or bonded to the corresponding position of the main body layer 501 using high-temperature welding or adhesive bonding (hot melt adhesive, UV adhesive, etc.), forming the first material layer 502 and / or the second material layer 503. The first material layer 502 and the second material layer 503 are solidified on the part of the airbag wall 500a near the edge, corresponding precisely to the area where the blood vessel is not fully compressed when compressed, thus attenuating the signal with poor consistency between the first and third parts. Specifically, when the first material layer 502 or the second material layer 503 is made of the same material as the main body layer 501, high-temperature welding can be used; when the first material layer 502 or the second material layer 503 is made of a different material than the main body layer 501, adhesive bonding can be used.

[0093] Alternatively, in the actual processing, the width (dimension along the Y direction) of the partition wall 500d can be processed to be greater than the width of the airbag wall 500a, so that both sides of the partition wall 500d along the Y direction are longer than the airbag wall 500a. Then, the slightly longer parts on both sides of the partition wall 500d are turned onto the outer surface of the airbag wall 500a, so that a material layer 502 and a second material layer 503 can be directly formed on the two sides of the airbag wall 500a.

[0094] After adding the first and second material layers, the airbag requires more pressure to deform and bend during inflation, thus requiring a larger air volume and higher air pressure. Therefore, in some embodiments, the first material layer 502 and / or the second material layer 503 can be designed with a hollow shape, utilizing the hollowed-out area for bending deformation, which can effectively reduce the air pressure required for inflation.

[0095] The following description uses the example of setting a hollow area on the first material layer. The second material layer can be described in the same way.

[0096] refer to Figure 9 In some possible embodiments, the first material layer 502 includes a plurality of perforations 502a spaced apart along the length of the airbag. The length of each perforation 502a and the spacing between adjacent perforations 502a can be designed according to the actual size of the airbag, and this application does not limit this.

[0097] Furthermore, the shape of each cutout portion 502a includes any of the following: rectangle, rhombus, triangle, circle, and ellipse.

[0098] Taking the rectangular shape of the hollowed-out part 502a as an example, such as Figure 9 As shown, Figure 9This is a schematic diagram of a first material layer according to some embodiments of this application, wherein the rectangles can be spaced apart by a distance of one rectangular width.

[0099] like Figure 10A and Figure 10B As shown, Figure 10A and Figure 10B This illustrates a case where both the first material layer 502 and the second material layer 503 include rectangular cutouts 502a. Wherein... Figure 10A In the example shown, along the Y direction, each cutout 502a does not penetrate the first material layer 502. It can be understood that in this example, the first material layer 502 is a continuous structure and can be adhered as a single sheet of film to the surface of the main body layer 501, thereby simplifying the formation process of the airbag 500. Figure 10B In the example shown, each perforation 502a penetrates the first material layer along the Y direction. That is, in this example, the first material layer 502 is divided into multiple discrete sub-membranes 502b by the perforations 502a, and the first material layer 502 can be understood as being composed of multiple sub-membranes 502b. In this example, since each perforation 502a penetrates the first material layer along the Y direction, the area corresponding to the perforation 502a is more prone to bending deformation, which can further reduce the air pressure required for the airbag 500 to inflate.

[0100] like Figure 11 As shown, Figure 11 This illustrates a case where both the first material layer 502 and the second material layer 503 include a circular cutout portion 502a.

[0101] In some possible embodiments, such as Figure 12 As shown, the first part A includes a first side A1 and a second side A2. The first side A1 and the second side A2 are two sides of the first part A that are arranged opposite each other along the width direction, and the second side A2 is closer to the center of the airbag wall 500a than the first side A1.

[0102] Each of the hollow portions 502a in the first material layer 502 can gradually decrease in size along the length direction from the first side A1 of the first part A to the second side A2 of the first part A. For ease of understanding, Figure 12 The hollowed-out portion 502a is a regular triangle, and its size along the length direction gradually decreases from the first side A1 of the first part A to the second side A2 of the first part A; in practical applications, the hollowed-out portion 502a may not be a regular shape.

[0103] like Figure 13 As shown, Figure 13Another possible cutout shape for the cutout portion 502a is shown. The cutout shape can be semi-circular. Similarly, the dimensions of each cutout portion 502a along the length direction gradually decrease from the first side A1 of the first portion A to the second side A2 of the first portion A.

[0104] Understandable. Figure 12 and Figure 13 In this process, each cutout portion 503a of the second material layer 503 can maintain the same shape and features as each cutout portion 502a of the first material layer 502 to ensure overall aesthetics. The cutout portions 503a of the second material layer 503 can refer to the embodiments of the cutout portions 502a of the first material layer 502, and will not be repeated here.

[0105] In the above embodiments, by designing the shape of the first material layer 502 and / or the second material layer 503 as hollow, and utilizing the hollow areas for bending deformation, the reduction in the degree of bending deformation can be achieved. Figure 5 The amount of air and air pressure required to achieve the same compression effect shown.

[0106] In the actual processing, the desired perforation shape is first made on a thicker, more rigid membrane material. Then, the membrane material is fused or bonded to the corresponding position of the main body layer 501 by high-temperature welding or adhesive bonding (hot melt adhesive, UV adhesive, etc. can be selected), forming the first material layer 502 and / or the second material layer 503. The first material layer 502 and the second material layer 503 are solidified on the part of the airbag wall 500a near the edge, which corresponds to the area where the blood vessel is not fully compressed when compressed. This achieves attenuation of the signal with poor consistency between the first and third parts, without increasing the pressure required for the airbag to bend.

[0107] In some possible embodiments, such as Figure 14 As shown, the thickness of the first material layer 502 gradually decreases from the first side A1 of the first part A to the second side A2 of the first part A.

[0108] Specifically, Figure 14 The diagram illustrates how the thickness of the first material layer 502 decreases linearly from the first side A1 of the first portion A to the second side A2 of the first portion A. In other embodiments, such as... Figure 15 As shown, the thickness of the first material layer 502 decreases in a curved manner from the first side A1 of the first portion A to the second side A2 of the first portion A; or, as... Figure 16A As shown, the thickness of the first material layer 502 decreases in a stepwise manner from the first side A1 of the first part A to the second side A2 of the first part A.

[0109] Understandable. Figure 14 , Figure 15 and Figure 16AIn this embodiment, the thickness of the second material layer 503 can be referenced to that of the first material layer 502, gradually decreasing in the opposite direction. Whether this decrease is linear, curvilinear, or step-like can be the same as that of the first material layer 502 to ensure overall aesthetics. The thickness of the second material layer 503 can also be referenced to an embodiment of the thickness of the first material layer 502, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0110] The advantage of this is that it can not only effectively attenuate edge pulse wave signals with poor consistency, but also, since the part of the airbag 500 that actually contacts the user, such as the wrist itself, has a certain curvature, the structure of the airbag wall 500a gradually decreasing in thickness from the edge to the center can make the airbag wall 500a fit the user's wrist and other parts better, so that the airbag 500 fits the user well and can improve the accuracy of blood pressure detection.

[0111] like Figures 5 to 13 As shown, along the length of the airbag wall 500a, the first material layer 502 can extend from one end of the airbag wall 500a to the other end; that is, the first material layer 502 can cover the edge of the entire compression area, so as to more comprehensively prevent signals with poor consistency at the edge position from entering the airbag chamber.

[0112] In practical applications, the airbag wall 500a of the wristband device 100 has a width of 15cm to 35cm. Therefore, the width of the first part A can be 0.1 to 0.4 times the width of the airbag wall 500a, and / or the width of the third part C can be 0.1 to 0.4 times the width of the airbag wall 500a. These specific values ​​are derived from practical experience, and within these ranges, relatively good blood pressure measurement accuracy can be achieved. It should be noted that the ratio between the width of the first part A and / or the width of the third part C and the width of the airbag wall 500a needs to be determined based on the actual width of the airbag wall 500a; the above data is merely an example.

[0113] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first material layer 502 and the second material layer 503 may not be solid structures, but rather take the form of airbags. For example... Figure 16B As shown, cavities are formed inside the first material layer 502 and the second material layer 503, respectively, so that the first material layer 502 and the second material layer 503 respectively form airbags 502b and 503b. It can be understood that since airbags 502b and 503b have strong resistance to deformation, after stacking airbags 502b and 503b on the corresponding main body layers 501 of the first part A and the third part C respectively, the resistance to deformation of the first part A and the third part C can be improved, thereby blocking or attenuating the transmission of uneven pulse wave signals to the air chamber of airbag 500.

[0114] The second embodiment of the airbag of this application is described below. In this embodiment, by integrally molding the reinforcing layer with the main body layer, the deformation resistance of the edge portion of the airbag wall is improved while the manufacturing process is simplified.

[0115] In the first embodiment described above (for example, Figures 5 to 16B In the corresponding embodiment, during the processing of the airbag 500, the main body layer 501 of the airbag wall 500a needs to be prepared first, and then the first material layer 502 and the second material layer 503 are respectively stacked on the outer surface of the main body layer 501 corresponding to the first part A and the third part C by means of welding or bonding.

[0116] In this embodiment, to further simplify the processing steps and reduce the process difficulty, reference is made to... Figure 17 The main body layer 501, the first material layer 502, and the second material layer 503 can be integrally formed, that is, the main body layer 501, the first material layer 502, and the second material layer 503 are an integral structure.

[0117] In some possible embodiments, by means of integral molding, during the membrane material forming stage of the airbag wall 500a, a specific mold can be used to form such a structure. Figures 14-16A The structure shown is thick at the edges and thin in the middle. Additionally, Figures 14-16A In the example shown, the first material layer 502 is disposed on the outer surface of the main body layer 501. In other examples, the first material layer 502 may also be disposed on the inner surface of the main body layer 501.

[0118] Thus, by adopting a one-piece molding method, the 500a edge of the airbag wall can be thickened quickly. This not only effectively attenuates the edge pulse wave signal with poor consistency, but also the one-piece molding process can effectively improve the mass production and yield of the airbag.

[0119] Other configurations of the airbag wall (e.g., the shape and size of the airbag wall) are substantially the same as the configuration of the airbag wall 500a in the first embodiment above. Therefore, please refer to the description of the airbag wall 500a above, and we will not repeat it here.

[0120] The following describes a third embodiment of the airbag of this application. In this embodiment, a material with a high elastic modulus is used at the edge of the airbag wall to improve the deformation resistance of the edge portion of the airbag wall.

[0121] like Figure 18 As shown, Figure 18 This is a side view of an airbag 600 according to some embodiments of this application. The airbag 600 includes an airbag wall 600a for contact with a user, the airbag wall 600a being composed of a first portion A', a second portion B', and a third portion C' arranged sequentially along its width direction.

[0122] The first part A' is formed by material layer 601, the second part B' is formed by material layer 602, and the third part C' is formed by material layer 603. Figure 18 Different materials are represented by different line colors.

[0123] The deformation resistance of material layer 601 is greater than that of material layer 602, thus making the deformation resistance of the first part A' greater than that of the second part B'. The deformation resistance of material layer 603 is greater than that of material layer 602, thus making the deformation resistance of the third part C' greater than that of the second part B'.

[0124] In some possible embodiments, the material layer 602 corresponding to the second part B' can be any one of polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride or silicone; the material layer 601 corresponding to the first part A' and the material layer 603 corresponding to the third part C' can be nylon.

[0125] It should be noted that in other possible embodiments, the material layer 601 corresponding to the first part A' and the material layer 602 corresponding to the second part B' can be made of the same material, while the material layer 603 corresponding to the third part C' can be made of a material with an elastic modulus greater than that of the material layer 602 corresponding to the second part B'; or, the material layer 603 corresponding to the third part C' and the material layer 602 corresponding to the second part B' can be made of the same material, while the material layer 601 corresponding to the first part A' can be made of a material with an elastic modulus greater than that of the material layer 602 corresponding to the second part B'.

[0126] In some embodiments, such as Figure 18 As shown, the first part A', the second part B', and the third part C' have substantially the same thickness. In other embodiments, the thicknesses of the parts may also be different; for example, the thickness of the first part A' may be greater than the thickness of the second part B', and / or the thickness of the third part C' may be greater than the thickness of the second part B'. In some possible embodiments, the thickness of the material layer 601 corresponding to the first part A', and / or the thickness of the material layer 603 corresponding to the third part C', may refer to the embodiments of the first material layer 502 and the second material layer 503 in the first embodiment, so that the airbag wall 600a can form a structure in which the thickness gradually decreases from the edge to the center. In this way, not only can the edge pulse wave signal with poor consistency be effectively attenuated, but the airbag 600 can also have a good fit with the user, thereby improving the accuracy of blood pressure detection.

[0127] The fourth embodiment of the airbag of this application is described below. In this embodiment, the deformation resistance of the airbag wall edge portion is improved by providing a reinforcing structure (e.g., a reinforcing rib) at the edge portion of the airbag wall.

[0128] like Figure 19 As shown, Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram of an airbag 700 according to some embodiments of this application. The airbag 700 includes an airbag wall 700a for contact with a user, the airbag wall 700a being composed of a first portion A”, a second portion B” and a third portion C” arranged sequentially along its width direction;

[0129] The airbag wall 700a includes a main body layer 701. The inner surface of the main body layer 701 corresponding to the first part A” is provided with a reinforcing structure so that the deformation resistance of the first part A” is greater than that of the second part B”. The inner surface of the main body layer 701 corresponding to the third part C” is also provided with a reinforcing structure (not shown in the figure) so that the deformation resistance of the third part C” is greater than that of the second part B”.

[0130] Thus, for the signal source with better signal quality and better consistency on the airbag wall 700a, namely the second part B", the original rigidity of the main body layer 701 is maintained to facilitate effective signal transmission. For the edges on the airbag wall 700a that are not sufficiently compressed, namely the first part A" and the third part C", a reinforcing structure is provided on the inner surface of the corresponding main body layer 701 to attenuate the signals with poor consistency between the first part A" and the third part C".

[0131] The following example only shows the reinforcement structure of the inner surface of the main body layer 701 corresponding to the first part A”. The reinforcement structure of the inner surface of the main body layer 701 corresponding to the third part C” can refer to the same implementation method.

[0132] like Figure 19 As shown, in some possible embodiments, the above-mentioned reinforcing structure includes a plurality of reinforcing ribs 702 spaced apart along the length direction, and the shape of each reinforcing rib 702 includes any of the following: rectangular, rhomboid, triangular, circular, or elliptical.

[0133] Alternatively, in some other possible embodiments, such as Figure 20 As shown, the reinforcing structure on the inner surface of the main body layer 701 corresponding to the first part A” includes a reinforcing rod 703 extending from one end of the airbag wall 700a to the other end. The cross-sectional shape of the reinforcing rod 703 includes any of the following: rectangular, rhomboid, triangular, circular, or elliptical.

[0134] In this way, while ensuring the rigidity of the main body layer 701 corresponding to the first part A” and the main body layer 701 corresponding to the third part C”, a reinforcing structure is set on the inner surface, which can not only avoid the deformation of the edge of the airbag wall 700a, but also prevent the airbag wall 700a from thickening.

[0135] In summary, the airbag provided in this application embodiment enhances the deformation resistance of the first and / or third parts of the airbag wall, isolates edge signals with poor edge consistency of the airbag wall, optimizes the consistency of pulse wave signals entering the air chamber, and has a simple processing technology that does not affect the overall appearance and mass production of the airbag.

[0136] It should be noted that in the examples and description of this patent, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0137] Although this application has been illustrated and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and detail may be made thereto without departing from the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A blood pressure measuring airbag, characterized in that, The airbag includes an air chamber and an airbag wall for contact with the user. The airbag wall is composed of a first part, a second part, and a third part arranged sequentially along its width direction. The first part, the second part, and the third part are respectively arranged opposite to the air chamber along the thickness direction of the airbag. Wherein, the deformation resistance of the first part is greater than that of the second part, and / or, the deformation resistance of the third part is greater than that of the second part.

2. The airbag according to claim 1, characterized in that, The airbag wall includes a main body layer and a first material layer, wherein the first material layer is stacked on the inner or outer surface of the main body layer corresponding to the first part, so that the deformation resistance of the first part is greater than that of the second part.

3. The airbag according to claim 2, characterized in that, The elastic modulus of the material in the first material layer is greater than that of the material in the main body layer.

4. The airbag according to claim 2, characterized in that, The material of the main body layer includes polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, or silicone, and the material of the first material layer includes nylon, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, or silicone.

5. The airbag according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first material layer includes a plurality of hollow portions spaced apart along the length of the airbag.

6. The airbag according to claim 5, characterized in that, The dimensions of each of the hollow portions gradually decrease from the first side of the first portion to the second side of the first portion along the length direction, wherein the first side and the second side are two sides of the first portion that are arranged opposite to each other along the width direction, and the second side is closer to the center of the airbag wall than the first side.

7. The airbag according to claim 5, characterized in that, The shape of each of the said hollow parts includes any of the following: rectangle, rhombus, triangle, circle, and ellipse.

8. The airbag according to claim 2, characterized in that, The main body layer and the first material layer are an integral structure.

9. The airbag according to claim 6, characterized in that, The thickness of the first material layer gradually decreases from the first side of the first portion to the second side of the first portion.

10. The airbag according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that, Along the length of the airbag wall, the first material layer extends from one end of the airbag wall to the other end.

11. The airbag according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The width of the airbag wall is 15cm to 35cm, the width of the first part is 0.1 to 0.4 times the width of the airbag wall, and / or the width of the third part is 0.1 to 0.4 times the width of the airbag wall.

12. A blood pressure measuring device, characterized in that, It includes a pressure sensor and an airbag as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the pressure sensor is used to measure the pressure in the air chamber of the airbag.

13. A wearable device, characterized in that, It includes a main body and an airbag as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the airbag is disposed on the surface of the main body facing the user when worn.

14. The wearable device according to claim 13, characterized in that, The wearable device is a wristband-type device.