Sphygmomanometer and blood pressure measurement method

Abstract

To provide a sphygmomanometer which can increase reliability of a measurement result at blood pressure measurement which starts automatically.SOLUTION: A sphygmomanometer includes a blood pressure measurement part which carries out automatic blood pressure measurement in accordance with a predetermined schedule by one of a plurality of blood pressure measurement modes. The plurality of the blood pressure measurement modes include a normal measurement mode and a plurality of measurement modes which are more reliable than the normal measurement mode. The sphygmomanometer further includes a determining part for determining whether one of a plurality of phenomena occurs in a user or not in the time of blood pressure measurement and a mode setting part for setting a performing measurement mode out of the plurality of the blood pressure measurement modes based on a determined result. The mode setting part sets the normal measurement mode as the performing measurement mode when no phenomenon occurs, and sets one of the plurality of the measurement modes as the performing measurement mode when one of the phenomena occurs.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a blood pressure monitor and a blood pressure measurement method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, blood pressure monitors having a nighttime (sleep) blood pressure measurement mode are known. For example, Patent Document 1 (JP 2021-69444 A) discloses a technology for appropriately setting the time of remeasurement according to a phenomenon occurring in a subject when the current blood pressure value measured in the nighttime blood pressure measurement mode may include a measurement error. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-69444 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When blood pressure measurement is performed over a long period of time (e.g., overnight while sleeping), various phenomena that may affect blood pressure measurement may occur in the subject, such as the occurrence of irregular pulse waves and body movements. When such phenomena occur, there is a possibility that the blood pressure value may not be measured properly during blood pressure measurement. In addition, when an irregular pulse wave is detected during blood pressure measurement, it is desirable to determine whether or not the irregular pulse wave is an arrhythmia such as atrial fibrillation. Therefore, there is a demand for a technology that improves the reliability of the measurement results (e.g., blood pressure value, presence or absence of arrhythmia, etc.) obtained during blood pressure measurement that is automatically started while the subject is sleeping, etc.

[0005] In one aspect, the present disclosure has an object to provide a blood pressure monitor and a blood pressure measurement method that are capable of improving the reliability of measurement results when blood pressure measurement is started automatically. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In one example of the present disclosure, a blood pressure monitor is provided that measures blood pressure by compressing a measurement site of a user with a cuff. The blood pressure monitor includes a blood pressure measurement unit that automatically performs blood pressure measurement according to a predetermined schedule in one of a plurality of blood pressure measurement modes. The plurality of blood pressure measurement modes include a normal measurement mode and a plurality of measurement modes having a higher reliability of the measurement result than the normal measurement mode. The blood pressure monitor further includes a determination unit that determines whether or not any of a plurality of predetermined phenomena has occurred in the user when blood pressure measurement is performed by the blood pressure measurement unit, and a mode setting unit that sets an execution measurement mode to be performed by the blood pressure measurement unit from among the plurality of blood pressure measurement modes based on the determination result of the determination unit. The mode setting unit sets the normal measurement mode as the execution measurement mode when none of the plurality of phenomena has occurred, and sets one of the plurality of measurement modes as the execution measurement mode when any of the plurality of phenomena has occurred.

[0007] According to the above configuration, it is possible to improve the reliability of the measurement results when blood pressure measurement is started automatically.

[0008] In another example of the present disclosure, the plurality of measurement modes includes a first measurement mode in which blood pressure measurement is performed multiple times or more in succession. The determination unit determines whether or not the user has arrhythmia based on a pulse wave signal obtained when blood pressure measurement is performed by the blood pressure measurement unit. The mode setting unit sets the normal measurement mode or the first measurement mode as the actual measurement mode based on the presence or absence of arrhythmia.

[0009] According to the above configuration, the highly reliable first measurement mode is set depending on the presence or absence of arrhythmia.

[0010] In another example of the present disclosure, the mode setting unit sets the normal measurement mode as the effective measurement mode when arrhythmia is not occurring, and sets the first measurement mode as the effective measurement mode when arrhythmia is occurring.

[0011] According to the above configuration, blood pressure measurement is performed in the first measurement mode for a user suffering from arrhythmia, so that highly reliable measurement results can be obtained.

[0012] In another example of the present disclosure, the mode setting unit sets the normal measurement mode as the active measurement mode when arrhythmia is not occurring, and sets the first measurement mode as the active measurement mode when arrhythmia has occurred in the most recent specified number of blood pressure measurements and the number of times that arrhythmia has occurred is equal to or greater than a reference number.

[0013] According to the above configuration, blood pressure measurement is performed in the first measurement mode for a user prone to arrhythmia, so that highly reliable measurement results can be obtained.

[0014] In another example of the present disclosure, the mode setting unit sets the normal measurement mode as the effective measurement mode when arrhythmia does not occur, and sets the first measurement mode as the effective measurement mode when arrhythmia occurs a predetermined number of consecutive times.

[0015] According to the above configuration, blood pressure measurement is performed in the first measurement mode for a user prone to arrhythmia, so that highly reliable measurement results can be obtained.

[0016] In another example of the present disclosure, when the first measurement mode is set, the blood pressure measurement unit determines whether a predetermined period has passed since the previous blood pressure measurement, and if the predetermined period has not passed, performs blood pressure measurement according to the first measurement mode, and if the predetermined period has passed, performs blood pressure measurement according to the normal measurement mode.

[0017] According to the above configuration, when a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the actual measurement mode can be automatically switched from the first measurement mode to the normal measurement mode.

[0018] In another example of the present disclosure, the plurality of measurement modes includes a second measurement mode. In the normal measurement mode, the blood pressure measurement unit measures the user's blood pressure based on a pulse wave signal in a first pressurization process in which a cuff pressure indicating an internal pressure of a cuff attached to a measurement site of the user is applied. The determination unit determines whether or not an irregular pulse wave is occurring in the user based on the pulse wave signal in the first pressurization process. The mode setting unit sets the normal measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when an irregular pulse wave is not occurring, and sets the second measurement mode when an irregular pulse wave is occurring.

[0019] According to the above configuration, blood pressure measurement is performed in the second measurement mode for a user with an irregular pulse wave, so that highly reliable measurement results can be obtained.

[0020] In another example of the present disclosure, in the second measurement mode, the blood pressure measurement unit measures the user's blood pressure based on the pulse wave signal during the first pressurization process, and continues the first pressurization process until the user's first pulse wave number acquired based on the pulse wave signal during the first pressurization process reaches or exceeds a threshold value. The determination unit determines whether the user has arrhythmia based on the pulse wave signal during the first pressurization process.

[0021] According to the above configuration, blood pressure measurement is performed in the second measurement mode, and therefore a larger number of pulse wave numbers are obtained, allowing for highly reliable arrhythmia determination.

[0022] In another example of the present disclosure, the plurality of measurement modes include a third measurement mode. In the normal measurement mode, the blood pressure measurement unit measures the user's blood pressure based on the pulse wave signal in a depressurization process in which the cuff pressure, which indicates the internal pressure of the cuff attached to the user's measurement site, is depressurized after a second pressurization process in which the cuff pressure is depressurized. The determination unit determines whether or not the user has an irregular pulse wave based on the pulse wave signal in the depressurization process. If an irregular pulse wave is not occurring, the mode setting unit sets the normal measurement mode as the actual measurement mode, and if an irregular pulse wave is occurring, sets the third measurement mode.

[0023] According to the above configuration, blood pressure measurement is performed in the third measurement mode for a user with an irregular pulse wave, so that highly reliable measurement results can be obtained.

[0024] In another example of the present disclosure, in the third measurement mode, the blood pressure measurement unit measures the user's blood pressure based on the pulse wave signal during the depressurization process after the second pressurization process, and continues the second pressurization process until the second pulse wave number of the user acquired based on the pulse wave signal during the second pressurization process reaches or exceeds a threshold value. The determination unit determines whether the user has arrhythmia based on the pulse wave signal during the depressurization process.

[0025] According to the above configuration, blood pressure measurement is performed in the third measurement mode, and therefore a larger number of pulse wave numbers are obtained, enabling arrhythmia determination to be performed with high reliability.

[0026] In another example of the present disclosure, the plurality of measurement modes includes a fourth measurement mode in which blood pressure is remeasured when a user's body movement occurs. The determination unit determines whether or not body movement has occurred based on a pulse wave signal obtained when the blood pressure measurement unit performs blood pressure measurement. The mode setting unit sets the normal measurement mode or the fourth measurement mode as the actual measurement mode based on the presence or absence of body movement.

[0027] According to the above configuration, the highly reliable fourth measurement mode is set depending on the presence or absence of body movement.

[0028] In another example of the present disclosure, the mode setting unit sets the normal measurement mode as the actual measurement mode if no body movement occurs during the current blood pressure measurement, and sets the fourth measurement mode as the actual measurement mode if body movement occurs during the current blood pressure measurement and the cumulative number of blood pressure measurements is less than the first number.

[0029] According to the above configuration, blood pressure measurement is performed in the fourth measurement mode for a user who is moving, so that highly reliable measurement results can be obtained.

[0030] In another example of the present disclosure, a blood pressure measurement method using a blood pressure monitor that measures blood pressure by compressing a measurement site of a user with a cuff is provided. The blood pressure measurement method includes a step of automatically performing blood pressure measurement according to a predetermined schedule in one of a plurality of blood pressure measurement modes. The plurality of blood pressure measurement modes include a normal measurement mode and a plurality of measurement modes having a higher reliability of the measurement result than the normal measurement mode. The blood pressure measurement method further includes a step of determining whether or not any of a plurality of predetermined phenomena has occurred in the user while the blood pressure measurement is being performed, and a step of setting an execution measurement mode to be executed in the execution step from among the plurality of blood pressure measurement modes based on the determination result in the determination step. The setting step includes setting the normal measurement mode as the execution measurement mode when none of the plurality of phenomena has occurred, and setting one of the plurality of measurement modes as the execution measurement mode when any of the plurality of phenomena has occurred.

[0031] According to the above configuration, it is possible to improve the reliability of the measurement results when blood pressure measurement is started automatically. Effect of the Invention

[0032] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the reliability of the measurement results when blood pressure measurement is started automatically. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0033] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an application example of a sphygmomanometer. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a sphygmomanometer. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the sphygmomanometer. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the sphygmomanometer. [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for setting a measurement mode depending on whether or not arrhythmia has occurred. [Figure 6]10 is a flowchart showing an example of a blood pressure measurement process in a normal mode of the sphygmomanometer. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the blood pressure measurement process in the normal mode of the sphygmomanometer. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of blood pressure processing in a first measurement mode of the sphygmomanometer. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart showing another example of blood pressure processing in the first measurement mode of the sphygmomanometer. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the procedure for setting the measurement mode depending on whether or not arrhythmia has occurred. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart showing yet another example of the measurement mode setting process procedure according to the occurrence or non-occurrence of arrhythmia. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for setting a measurement mode depending on whether or not an irregular pulse wave occurs. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of blood pressure processing according to a second measurement mode of the sphygmomanometer. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the procedure for setting the measurement mode depending on whether or not an irregular pulse wave occurs. [Figure 15] 13 is a flowchart showing yet another example of the procedure for setting the measurement mode depending on whether or not an irregular pulse wave occurs. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of blood pressure processing according to a third measurement mode of the sphygmomanometer. [Figure 17] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for setting a measurement mode depending on the presence or absence of body movement. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0034] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0035] [Example of application] An application example of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an application example of a blood pressure monitor 100.

[0036] With reference to Fig. 1, blood pressure monitor 100 is a wrist-type blood pressure monitor that measures blood pressure by applying pressure to a measurement site of a user (i.e., a subject) with a cuff. When measuring blood pressure, blood pressure monitor 100 is worn with the cuff wrapped around the user's wrist. Blood pressure monitor 100 has a main body and a cuff (arm band) as main components. Note that blood pressure monitor 100 may be an upper arm blood pressure monitor in which the main body and the cuff (arm band) are integrated. Hereinafter, the processing contents will be described with reference to Fig. 1.

[0037] 1, it is assumed that the blood pressure monitor 100 automatically measures the blood pressure of a user while the user is sleeping. The blood pressure monitor 100 automatically starts blood pressure measurement according to a predetermined schedule (corresponding to (1) in FIG. 1).

[0038] The blood pressure monitor 100 measures the user's blood pressure by the oscillometric method in a normal measurement mode (hereinafter also simply referred to as "normal mode") (corresponding to (2) in FIG. 1). Based on a pulse wave signal obtained during blood pressure measurement, the blood pressure monitor 100 determines whether or not arrhythmia such as atrial fibrillation, which is one of the phenomena that can affect blood pressure measurement, has occurred. Here, it is assumed that arrhythmia has occurred (corresponding to (3) in FIG. 1).

[0039] Next, when arrhythmia occurs, the blood pressure monitor 100 switches the measurement mode (hereinafter also referred to as the "executive measurement mode") executed during blood pressure measurement from the normal mode to the continuous measurement mode (corresponding to (4) in FIG. 1). The continuous measurement mode is a measurement mode in which a series of processes from the start to the end of blood pressure measurement performed in the normal mode is repeated multiple times (e.g., three times). Therefore, the blood pressure value obtained by blood pressure measurement in the continuous measurement mode (e.g., the average blood pressure value of three times) is more reliable than the blood pressure value obtained by one blood pressure measurement in the normal mode. In other words, the continuous measurement mode can be said to be a measurement mode in which the measurement result (blood pressure value in this case) is more reliable (more appropriate blood pressure value can be obtained) than the normal mode. If arrhythmia does not occur, the active measurement mode remains in the normal mode.

[0040] Next, the sphygmomanometer 100 performs blood pressure measurement using the continuous measurement mode at the next blood pressure measurement (corresponding to (5) in FIG. 1).

[0041] According to the above application example, if arrhythmia occurs during blood pressure measurement in the normal mode (corresponding to (3) in FIG. 1), the blood pressure value obtained by the blood pressure measurement may be unreliable. Therefore, in (4) in FIG. 1, the actual measurement mode is switched from the normal mode to the more reliable continuous measurement mode. Then, as in (5) in FIG. 1, the blood pressure monitor 100 performs blood pressure measurement using the continuous measurement mode.

[0042] As a result, for a user in whom arrhythmia has been detected during sleep, the next blood pressure measurement is performed using a more reliable measurement mode, so that even a user in whom arrhythmia has been detected can obtain a highly reliable measurement result.

[0043] On the other hand, for users who do not have arrhythmia detected during sleep, reliable measurement results can be obtained even in the normal mode, so the next blood pressure measurement is performed in the normal mode as well, which can avoid cumbersome situations for the user, such as a longer measurement time.

[0044] As described above, according to the blood pressure monitor 100 of the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the reliability of the measurement result when blood pressure measurement is started automatically.

[0045] [Configuration example] <Appearance> 2 is a diagram showing the external appearance of the blood pressure monitor 100. The blood pressure monitor 100 includes a cuff 20 for measuring blood pressure to be worn on the wrist as a measurement site, and a main body 10 attached integrally to the cuff 20.

[0046] The cuff 20 has a long, thin, band-like shape that surrounds the wrist in the circumferential direction. A fluid bag for compressing the wrist is contained within the cuff 20. Note that a curler having appropriate flexibility may be provided within the cuff 20 to constantly maintain the cuff 20 in a ring shape.

[0047] The main body 10 is attached integrally to the belt-shaped cuff 20 at a location approximately at the center in the longitudinal direction. The main body 10 has a flattened, approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape that conforms to the outer circumferential surface of the cuff 20. The main body 10 is formed small and thin so as not to disturb the user's sleep. The corners of the main body 10 are rounded.

[0048] On the outer surface of main body 10, the surface (top surface) farthest from the wrist, a display 50 forming a display screen and an operation unit 52 for inputting instructions from the user are provided.

[0049] The display 50 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and displays various information according to control signals from the processor. In the example of Fig. 2, the systolic blood pressure (unit: mmHg), diastolic blood pressure (unit: mmHg), and pulse rate (unit: beats / min) are displayed. The display 50 may be an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display or may include an LED (Light Emitting Diode).

[0050] The operation unit 52 inputs an operation signal corresponding to an instruction from a user to the processor. The operation unit 52 includes a measurement switch 52A for accepting a blood pressure measurement instruction (e.g., a manual measurement instruction) from the user, and an automatic measurement switch 52B for accepting an automatic measurement instruction.

[0051] Here, "manual measurement" means a measurement method in which, when a blood pressure measurement instruction is input by the measurement switch 52A, blood pressure measurement is performed according to the blood pressure measurement instruction. "Automatic measurement" means a measurement method in which blood pressure measurement is automatically started according to a predetermined schedule so that the user can measure blood pressure values ​​while sleeping. The predetermined schedule refers to, for example, a plan to measure at fixed times such as 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 in the middle of the night, or a plan to measure, for example, once every two hours after the automatic measurement switch 52B is pressed. Therefore, when the user wants blood pressure measurement to start automatically, not limited to at night or while sleeping, the user only needs to press the automatic measurement switch 52B.

[0052] When the measurement switch 52A is pressed, the measurement site is temporarily compressed by the cuff 20, and blood pressure measurement is performed by the oscillometric method. When the measurement switch 52A is pressed again during blood pressure measurement (for example, while the cuff 20 is being inflated), the blood pressure measurement is stopped.

[0053] Furthermore, when the automatic measurement switch 52B is pressed, blood pressure measurement by the oscillometric method is automatically started according to a predetermined schedule. When the automatic measurement switch 52B is pressed again while the blood pressure monitor 100 is performing automatic measurement, the blood pressure monitor 100 stops the automatic measurement.

[0054] <Hardware configuration> Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the blood pressure monitor 100. Referring to Fig. 3, the blood pressure monitor 100 includes, as main components, a main body 10 and a cuff 20. The cuff 20 contains a fluid bag 22. The main body 10 includes a processor 110, an air system component 30 for blood pressure measurement, an acceleration sensor 34, A / D conversion circuits 310 and 340, a pump drive circuit 320, a valve drive circuit 330, a display 50, a memory 51, an operation unit 52, a communication interface 53, and a power supply unit 54.

[0055] The processor 110 is an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Multi Processing Unit). The processor 110 realizes each of the processes (steps) of the sphygmomanometer 100 described later by reading and executing a program stored in the memory 51. For example, the processor 110 controls the driving of the pump 32 and the valve 33 in response to an operation signal from the operation unit 52. The processor 110 also calculates a blood pressure value using an algorithm for calculating blood pressure by the oscillometric method, and displays the calculated blood pressure value on the display 50.

[0056] The memory 51 is realized by a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read-Only Memory), a flash memory, etc. The memory 51 stores a program for controlling the sphygmomanometer 100, data used for controlling the sphygmomanometer 100, setting data for setting various functions of the sphygmomanometer 100, and data on measured blood pressure values, pulse wave number, pulse wave interval, etc. The memory 51 is also used as a work memory, etc. when the program is executed.

[0057] The air system component 30 supplies or exhausts air through air piping to the fluid bag 22 contained in the cuff 20. The air system component 30 includes a pressure sensor 31 for detecting the pressure inside the fluid bag 22, and a pump 32 and a valve 33 as an inflation / deflation mechanism for inflating and deflating the fluid bag 22.

[0058] The pressure sensor 31 detects the pressure (cuff pressure) in the fluid bag 22 and outputs a signal (cuff pressure signal) corresponding to the detected pressure to the A / D conversion circuit 310. The pressure sensor 31 is, for example, a piezo-resistance type pressure sensor, and is connected to the pump 32, the valve 33, and the fluid bag 22 contained in the cuff 20 via an air pipe. The pump 32 supplies air as a fluid to the fluid bag 22 through the air pipe to increase the cuff pressure. The valve 33 is opened and closed to control the cuff pressure by discharging air from the fluid bag 22 through the air pipe or by sealing air in the fluid bag 22.

[0059] The A / D conversion circuit 310 converts the output value of the pressure sensor 31 (for example, a voltage value corresponding to a change in electrical resistance due to the piezoresistance effect) from an analog signal to a digital signal and outputs it to the processor 110. The processor 110 acquires a signal representing the cuff pressure according to the output value of the A / D conversion circuit 310. The pump drive circuit 320 controls the drive of the pump 32 based on a control signal provided by the processor 110. The valve drive circuit 330 controls the opening and closing of the valve 33 based on a control signal provided by the processor 110.

[0060] The processor 110 performs blood pressure measurement using a pressurization measurement method in which the user's blood pressure is measured based on a pulse wave signal during a pressurization process in which the cuff pressure is increased, or a depressurization measurement method in which the user's blood pressure is measured based on a pulse wave signal during a depressurization process in which the cuff pressure is decreased after a pressurization process in which the cuff pressure is increased to a pressure greater than the estimated systolic blood pressure.

[0061] For example, when a measurement is performed using the reduced pressure measurement method, the following operation is generally performed. A cuff is wrapped around the user's measurement site (wrist, arm, etc.) in advance, and when a measurement is performed, pump 32 and valve 33 are controlled to increase the cuff pressure higher than the estimated systolic blood pressure, and then the pressure is gradually reduced. During this reduction process, the cuff pressure is detected by pressure sensor 31, and the change in arterial volume occurring in the artery at the measurement site is extracted as a pulse wave signal. The maximum blood pressure (systolic blood pressure) and minimum blood pressure (diastolic blood pressure) are calculated based on the change in amplitude of the pulse wave signal (mainly the rise and fall) accompanying the change in cuff pressure at that time.

[0062] The A / D conversion circuit 340 converts the output of the acceleration sensor 34 from an analog signal to a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the processor 110. For example, the acceleration sensor 34 is used to detect the body movement of the user.

[0063] The display 50 displays various information including blood pressure measurement results based on a control signal from the processor 110. The communication interface 53 exchanges various information with an external device. The power supply unit 54 supplies power to the processor 110 and each piece of hardware.

[0064] The operation unit 52 inputs an operation signal according to an instruction from a user to the processor 110. As described in Fig. 2, the operation unit 52 includes a measurement switch 52A and an automatic measurement switch 52B.

[0065] <Functional configuration> Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the sphygmomanometer 100. Referring to Fig. 4, the sphygmomanometer 100 includes, as main functional components, a blood pressure measurement unit 210, a pulse wave number measurement unit 215, a determination unit 220, a mode setting unit 225, and an output control unit 230. Each of these functions is realized, for example, by the processor 110 of the sphygmomanometer 100 executing a program stored in the memory 51. Some or all of these functions may be configured to be realized by hardware.

[0066] The blood pressure measurement unit 210 controls the cuff pressure, which indicates the internal pressure of the cuff 20, in accordance with a measurement start instruction (e.g., a manual measurement instruction) from the user via the operation unit 52. Specifically, the blood pressure measurement unit 210 drives the pump 32 via the pump drive circuit 320, and controls the drive of the valve 33 via the valve drive circuit 330. The valve 33 is opened and closed to discharge or seal air in the fluid bag 22 to control the cuff pressure.

[0067] The blood pressure measurement unit 210 receives the cuff pressure signal detected by the pressure sensor 31 and extracts a pulse wave signal representing the pulse wave at the measurement site superimposed on the cuff pressure signal. That is, the blood pressure measurement unit 210 detects, from the cuff pressure signal, a pulse wave, which is a pressure component that is superimposed on the cuff pressure signal in synchronization with the beating of the user's heart.

[0068] The blood pressure measurement unit 210 calculates blood pressure information of the user based on the cuff pressure signal and the pulse wave signal superimposed on the cuff pressure signal. The blood pressure measurement unit 210 measures the blood pressure of the user according to the oscillometric method.

[0069] Meanwhile, the blood pressure measurement unit 210 automatically performs blood pressure measurement according to a predetermined schedule in response to pressing of the automatic measurement switch 52B. During automatic measurement, the blood pressure measurement unit 210 performs blood pressure measurement in one of a plurality of blood pressure measurement modes. The plurality of blood pressure measurement modes include a normal mode and a plurality of measurement modes M1 to M4 having higher reliability of the measurement results than the normal mode. The measurement results include the blood pressure value and the determination result of the presence or absence of arrhythmia.

[0070] The measurement mode M1 is a mode in which blood pressure measurement is repeated consecutively multiple times (eg, three times), and corresponds to the continuous measurement mode described above.

[0071] The measurement mode M2 ​​is a mode in which blood pressure measurement is performed by the pressurization measurement method, and the pressurization process in the pressurization measurement method is continued until a pulse wave number equal to or greater than a threshold value Th1 is obtained. During the execution of the measurement mode M2, the blood pressure measurement unit 210 measures the user's blood pressure based on the pulse wave signal in the first pressurization process in which the cuff pressure is increased, and continues the first pressurization process until the user's pulse wave number N1 obtained based on the pulse wave signal in the first pressurization process reaches the threshold value Th1 or greater. As a result, in the measurement mode M2, a larger number of pulse waves can be obtained during blood pressure measurement than in the normal mode, and therefore a highly reliable arrhythmia determination result can be obtained.

[0072] The measurement mode M3 is a mode in which blood pressure measurement is performed by a reduced pressure measurement method, and the pressurization process in the reduced pressure measurement method is continued until a pulse wave number equal to or greater than the threshold value Th2 is obtained. During the execution of the measurement mode M3, the blood pressure measurement unit 210 measures the user's blood pressure based on the pulse wave signal in the depressurization process in which the cuff pressure is reduced after the second pressurization process in which the cuff pressure is pressurized to a pressure greater than the estimated systolic blood pressure, and continues the second pressurization process until the user's pulse wave number N2 obtained based on the pulse wave signal in the second pressurization process reaches the threshold value Th2 or greater. As a result, in the measurement mode M3, a larger number of pulse waves can be obtained during blood pressure measurement than in the normal mode, and therefore a highly reliable arrhythmia determination result can be obtained.

[0073] The measurement mode M4 is a mode for re-measuring blood pressure if the user's body moves during blood pressure measurement. Detailed processes executed in the above five measurement modes (i.e., normal mode, measurement modes M1 to M4) will be described later.

[0074] The pulse wave number measuring unit 215 measures the user's pulse wave number N1 based on the pulse wave signal in a first pressurization process when blood pressure measurement using the pressurization measurement method is performed by the blood pressure measuring unit 210. Moreover, the pulse wave number measuring unit 215 measures the user's pulse wave number N2 based on the pulse wave signal in a second pressurization process when blood pressure measurement using the depressurization measurement method is performed.

[0075] The determination unit 220 determines whether or not any of a plurality of predetermined phenomena has occurred to the user while automatic blood pressure measurement is being performed by the blood pressure measurement unit 210. The plurality of phenomena include an irregular pulse wave, an arrhythmia, and a body movement.

[0076] In one aspect, the determination unit 220 determines whether or not an irregular pulse wave occurs in the user based on a pulse wave signal obtained when blood pressure measurement is performed by the blood pressure measurement unit 210. A known method is used to determine whether or not an irregular pulse wave occurs. For example, the determination unit 220 determines that an irregular pulse wave has occurred when a pulse wave deviates by ±25% or more from the average value of the pulse wave interval obtained when blood pressure measurement is performed.

[0077] In another aspect, the determination unit 220 determines whether or not the user has an arrhythmia (a type of irregular pulse wave) based on a pulse wave signal obtained when the blood pressure measurement unit 210 performs blood pressure measurement. A known method is used to determine arrhythmia. For example, the determination unit 220 determines whether or not an arrhythmia has occurred based on the regularity of pulse wave intervals. Therefore, a sufficient number of pulse wave intervals are required to perform the arrhythmia determination with high accuracy.

[0078] In still another aspect, the determination unit 220 determines whether or not a body movement has been detected based on a pulse wave signal acquired during blood pressure measurement. For example, the determination unit 220 determines that a body movement has occurred when the difference between the magnitude (amplitude) of a certain pulse wave and the magnitude of the pulse wave before and after the certain pulse wave is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. Alternatively, the determination unit 220 determines that a body movement has occurred when the cuff pressure changes by a predetermined pressure or more within a predetermined time (for example, within one second).

[0079] Typically, when blood pressure measurement is performed by the blood pressure measurement unit 210 using the pressurized measurement method, the determination unit 220 determines whether or not irregular pulse waves, arrhythmia, and body movement have occurred, based on the pulse wave signal during the pressurization process of the pressurized measurement method. When blood pressure measurement is performed by the blood pressure measurement unit 210 using the depressurized measurement method, the determination unit 220 determines whether or not irregular pulse waves, arrhythmia, and body movement have occurred, based on the pulse wave signal during the depressurization process of the depressurized measurement method.

[0080] The determination unit 220 may determine whether or not a body movement of the user has occurred based on a change in the output value obtained from the acceleration sensor 34. The determination unit 220 calculates the average value of the output of the acceleration sensor 34 for each unit period (e.g., one second or several seconds), and further calculates the amount of fluctuation of the acceleration output at each time during the unit period from the average value. Then, the determination unit 220 determines that a body movement has occurred when the square root of the sum of the squares of the amount of fluctuation exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

[0081] The mode setting unit 225 sets an actual measurement mode to be executed by the blood pressure measurement unit 210 from among a plurality of blood pressure measurement modes based on the determination result of the determination unit 220. Specifically, the mode setting unit 225 sets the normal mode as the actual measurement mode when none of a plurality of phenomena (e.g., irregular pulse wave, arrhythmia, body movement) occurs. When any of the phenomena occurs, the mode setting unit 225 sets one of the first to fourth measurement modes as the actual measurement mode. Hereinafter, the first to fourth measurement modes are also referred to as measurement modes M1 to M4, respectively.

[0082] First, a configuration for setting the measurement mode based on the occurrence of arrhythmia will be described. In this case, the mode setting unit 225 sets the normal mode or the measurement mode M1 as the actual measurement mode based on the occurrence of arrhythmia of the user.

[0083] Specifically, the mode setting unit 225 sets the normal mode as the execution measurement mode when arrhythmia does not occur, and sets the measurement mode M1 as the execution measurement mode when arrhythmia occurs. In another example, the mode setting unit 225 may set the measurement mode M1 as the execution measurement mode when arrhythmia occurs and the number of times that arrhythmia has occurred is equal to or greater than a reference number (e.g., 3 times) in the most recent specified number of blood pressure measurements (e.g., 5 times) including the current blood pressure measurement.

[0084] In still another example, the mode setting unit 225 may set the measurement mode M1 as the actual measurement mode when arrhythmia occurs during the current blood pressure measurement and arrhythmia also occurs during a predetermined number of blood pressure measurements (e.g., two) immediately preceding the current blood pressure measurement. That is, the mode setting unit 225 may set the measurement mode M1 as the actual measurement mode when arrhythmia occurs a predetermined number of times in succession.

[0085] Next, a configuration for setting the measurement mode based on the presence or absence of an irregular pulse wave will be described. In this case, the mode setting unit 225 sets the normal mode or one of the measurement modes M1 to M3 as the actual measurement mode based on the presence or absence of an irregular pulse wave of the user.

[0086] Specifically, the mode setting unit 225 sets the normal mode as the actual measurement mode when an irregular pulse wave is not occurring, and sets one of the measurement modes M1 to M3 when an irregular pulse wave is occurring. For example, one of the measurement modes M1 to M3 is selected according to the patterns X1 to X3 set in the sphygmomanometer 100. When the pattern X1 is set, the mode setting unit 225 selects (sets) the measurement mode M1 when an irregular pulse wave occurs. Similarly, the mode setting unit 225 selects the measurement mode M2 ​​when the pattern X2 is set, and selects the measurement mode M3 when the pattern X3 is set.

[0087] When any one of the measurement modes M1 to M3 is set by the mode setting unit 225 as described above, the blood pressure measurement unit 210 judges whether or not a predetermined period has elapsed since the previous blood pressure measurement. When the predetermined period has not elapsed, the blood pressure measurement unit 210 performs blood pressure measurement according to the measurement mode set among the measurement modes M1 to M3. When the predetermined period has elapsed, the mode setting unit 225 switches the actual measurement mode to the normal mode. Therefore, the blood pressure measurement unit 210 performs blood pressure measurement according to the normal mode.

[0088] When the blood pressure measurement unit 210 performs blood pressure measurement according to the measurement mode M2, the determination unit 220 further determines whether or not the user has arrhythmia based on the pulse wave signal in the first pressurization process during the blood pressure measurement. When the blood pressure measurement unit 210 performs blood pressure measurement according to the measurement mode M3, the determination unit 220 further determines whether or not the user has arrhythmia based on the pulse wave signal in the depressurization process during the blood pressure measurement.

[0089] Next, a configuration for setting the measurement mode based on the occurrence or absence of body movement will be described. In this case, the mode setting unit 225 sets the normal mode or the measurement mode M4 as the actual measurement mode based on the occurrence or absence of the user's body movement.

[0090] Specifically, if no body movement occurs during the current blood pressure measurement, the mode setting unit 225 sets the normal mode as the actual measurement mode, and if body movement occurs during the current blood pressure measurement and the cumulative number of blood pressure measurements is less than J times (e.g., 3 times), the mode setting unit 225 sets the measurement mode M4 as the actual measurement mode. When the measurement mode M4 is set, the blood pressure measurement unit 210 executes remeasurement of the blood pressure. The cumulative number of measurements is the cumulative number of times blood pressure measurements have been performed since the blood pressure measurement unit 210 started automatic measurement.

[0091] The output control unit 230 displays the measurement results (e.g., systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure values) of the blood pressure measurement unit 210 and the judgment results (e.g., judgment results on the presence or absence of arrhythmia, irregular pulse waves, and body movement) of the judgment unit 220 on the display 50. The output control unit 230 may transmit the measurement results and the judgment results to an external device via the communication interface 53, or may be configured to output the measurement results and the judgment results as audio via a speaker (not shown).

[0092] <Processing Procedure> (Mode setting process according to the occurrence of arrhythmia: Part 1) Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for setting a measurement mode according to the occurrence or absence of arrhythmia. At the start of the process shown in Fig. 5, the user is assumed to be wearing the cuff 20 of the blood pressure monitor 100. In Fig. 5, the normal mode or the measurement mode M1 is set as the actual measurement mode. This is the same in Figs. 10 and 11 described later.

[0093] 5, processor 110 determines whether an instruction to start automatic measurement has been received (i.e., whether selection of automatic measurement switch 52B has been received) (step S10). If the instruction to start has not been received (NO in step S10), processor 110 repeats step S10. If the instruction to start has been received (YES in step S10), processor 110 determines whether the currently set execution measurement mode is the normal mode (step S12).

[0094] If the execution measurement mode is the normal mode (YES in step S12), the processor 110 executes blood pressure measurement according to the normal mode (step S20). The blood pressure measurement process in the normal mode will be described later.

[0095] If the actual measurement mode is not the normal mode (i.e., the actual measurement mode is the measurement mode M1) (NO in step S12), the processor 110 judges whether or not a predetermined period (e.g., a predetermined number of days such as one day or two days) has passed since the previous blood pressure measurement (step S14). If the predetermined period has passed (YES in step S14), the processor 110 switches the actual measurement mode to the normal mode (step S16) and performs blood pressure measurement in the normal mode (step S20). If the predetermined period has not passed (NO in step S14), the processor 110 performs blood pressure measurement in the measurement mode M1 (step S18). The blood pressure measurement process according to the measurement mode M1 will be described later.

[0096] Next, processor 110 determines whether or not arrhythmia occurs based on the pulse wave signal obtained during blood pressure measurement in step S18 or S20 (step S22). If arrhythmia occurs (YES in step S22), processor 110 sets measurement mode M1 as the actual measurement mode (step S24). If arrhythmia does not occur (NO in step S22), processor 110 sets normal mode as the actual measurement mode (step S26).

[0097] Here, the blood pressure measurement process in the normal mode in step S20 of FIG. 5 will be described. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a blood pressure measurement process in the normal mode of the sphygmomanometer 100. The process shown in Fig. 6 is a process for measuring blood pressure by a pressurization measurement method.

[0098] 6, the processor 110 of the sphygmomanometer 100 initializes the pressure sensor 31 (step S102). Specifically, the processor 110 initializes the processing memory area, turns off (stops) the pump 32, and adjusts the pressure sensor 31 to 0 mmHg (sets the atmospheric pressure to 0 mmHg) with the valve 33 open.

[0099] Next, the processor 110 closes the valve 33 via the valve drive circuit 330 (step S104), and turns on (starts) the pump 32 via the pump drive circuit 320 to start pressurizing the cuff 20 (fluid bag 22) (step S106). At this time, the processor 110 controls the pressurization speed of the cuff pressure, which is the pressure inside the fluid bag 22, based on the output of the pressure sensor 31 while supplying air from the pump 32 to the fluid bag 22 through the air piping.

[0100] Next, the processor 110 extracts a pulse wave signal from the cuff pressure signal detected by the pressure sensor 31, and attempts to calculate the maximum blood pressure (systolic blood pressure) and minimum blood pressure (diastolic blood pressure) based on the pulse wave signal, and determines whether the blood pressure calculation is complete (step S108).

[0101] If the blood pressure calculation cannot be completed due to insufficient data (NO in step S108), the processor 110 repeats the processes of steps S106 and S108 unless the cuff pressure reaches a predetermined upper limit pressure (e.g., 300 mmHg). If the blood pressure calculation is completed (YES in step S108), the processor 110 stops the pump 32 (step S110) and opens the valve 33 (step S112) to exhaust the air from the cuff 20. The processor 110 displays the blood pressure value measured in the blood pressure measurement on the display 50 (step S114).

[0102] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing another example of the blood pressure measurement process in the normal mode of the sphygmomanometer 100. The process shown in Fig. 7 is a process for measuring blood pressure by the reduced pressure measurement method.

[0103] 7, the processes in steps S122 to S126 are similar to those in steps S102 to S106 in FIG. 6, respectively, and therefore will not be described in detail.

[0104] The processor 110 estimates the systolic blood pressure based on the pulse wave signal obtained during inflation (step S128). The processor 110 determines whether the cuff pressure reaches or exceeds pressure P1 (step S130). Typically, pressure P1 is set to a value that is a fixed value (e.g., 40 mmHg) higher than the estimated systolic blood pressure value.

[0105] If the cuff pressure is less than pressure P1 (NO in step S130), the processor 110 returns to step S126. If the cuff pressure is equal to or greater than P1 (YES in step S130), the processor 110 stops the pump 32 (step S132) and controls the valve 33 to gradually open (step S134). This causes a transition from the pressurization process to the depressurization process, and the cuff pressure is gradually reduced.

[0106] During this decompression process, processor 110 extracts a pulse wave signal from the cuff pressure signal detected by pressure sensor 31, and attempts to calculate systolic and diastolic blood pressures based on the pulse wave signal to determine whether or not blood pressure calculation is complete (step S136). If blood pressure calculation is not complete (NO in step S136), processor 110 repeats the processes of steps S134 and S136. If blood pressure calculation is complete (YES in step S136), processor 110 fully opens valve 33 (step S138) to perform control to rapidly exhaust air from within cuff 20. Processor 110 displays the blood pressure value measured in the blood pressure measurement on display 50 (step S140).

[0107] Next, the blood pressure measurement process in the measurement mode M1 in step S18 of FIG. 5 will be described. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of blood pressure processing in the measurement mode M1 of the sphygmomanometer 100. The processing shown in Fig. 8 is processing for measuring blood pressure by the pressurization measurement method.

[0108] 8, the processes in steps S102 to S112 are similar to those in FIG. 6, and therefore will not be described in detail.

[0109] Processor 110 opens valve 33 (step S112) and determines whether the series of blood pressure measurement processes from steps S104 to S112 have been performed K times (where K≧2) in succession (step S150). If they have not been performed K times (NO in step S150), processor 110 returns to the process of step S104. If they have been performed K times (YES in step S150), processor 110 displays the measured blood pressure values ​​on display 50 (step S152). At this time, processor 110 may display each blood pressure value for the K times, or may display the average blood pressure value for the K times.

[0110] Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing another example of blood pressure processing in the measurement mode M1 of the sphygmomanometer 100. The processing shown in Fig. 9 is processing for measuring blood pressure by the reduced pressure measurement method.

[0111] 9, the processes in steps S122 to S138 are similar to those in FIG. 7, and therefore will not be described in detail.

[0112] Processor 110 fully opens valve 33 (step S138), and determines whether the series of blood pressure measurement processes from steps S124 to S138 have been performed K times (where K≧2) in succession (step S160). If they have not been performed K times (NO in step S160), processor 110 returns to the process of step S124. If they have been performed K times (YES in step S160), processor 110 displays the measured blood pressure values ​​on display 50 (step S162). At this time, processor 110 may display each blood pressure value for the K times, or may display the average blood pressure value for the K times.

[0113] According to the above flowchart in Fig. 5, for a user who has experienced arrhythmia during automatic measurement, the next blood pressure measurement is performed using the measurement mode M1 in which multiple consecutive measurements are performed, and multiple blood pressure values ​​or their average value can be obtained. Therefore, the blood pressure monitor 100 can perform highly reliable blood pressure measurement even for that user.

[0114] (Mode setting process in response to arrhythmia occurrence: Part 2) FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the procedure for setting the measurement mode depending on the occurrence or non-occurrence of arrhythmia.

[0115] 10, the processes from step S10 to step S22 are similar to those in FIG. 5, and therefore will not be described in detail.

[0116] When processor 110 determines that arrhythmia has not occurred (NO in step S22), it sets the normal mode as the actual measurement mode (step S26).When processor 110 determines that arrhythmia has occurred (YES in step S22), it determines whether the number of times that arrhythmia has occurred in the most recent specified number of blood pressure measurements (e.g., five times) including the current blood pressure measurement is equal to or greater than a reference number (e.g., three times) (step S30).

[0117] If the number of times is equal to or greater than the reference number (YES in step S30), the processor 110 sets the measurement mode M1 as the actual measurement mode (step S24). If the number of times is less than the reference number (NO in step S30), the processor 110 sets the normal mode as the actual measurement mode (step S26).

[0118] (Mode setting process in response to arrhythmia occurrence: Part 3) FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing yet another example of the procedure for setting the measurement mode depending on the occurrence of arrhythmia.

[0119] 11, the processes from step S10 to step S22 are similar to those in FIG. 5, and therefore will not be described in detail.

[0120] When processor 110 determines that arrhythmia has not occurred (NO in step S22), it sets the normal mode as the actual measurement mode (step S26). When processor 110 determines that arrhythmia has occurred (YES in step S22), it determines whether arrhythmia has occurred a predetermined number of times (e.g., twice) in succession (step S40). When the predetermined number is two, processor 110 determines whether arrhythmia also occurred during the previous blood pressure measurement. When the predetermined number is three, processor 110 determines whether arrhythmia also occurred during the previous and the blood pressure measurements before that.

[0121] If arrhythmia occurs a predetermined number of times in succession (YES in step S40), the processor 110 sets the measurement mode M1 as the actual measurement mode (step S24). If arrhythmia does not occur a predetermined number of times in succession (NO in step S40), the processor 110 sets the normal mode as the actual measurement mode (step S26).

[0122] (Mode setting process according to the occurrence of irregular pulse waves: Part 1) Fig. 12 is a flow chart showing an example of a procedure for setting a measurement mode according to the presence or absence of an irregular pulse wave. In Fig. 12, it is assumed that the normal mode or the measurement mode M2 ​​is set as the actual measurement mode. This is the same as in Figs. 14 and 15 described later.

[0123] 12, the processes of steps S10 to S16 and S20 are similar to those of Fig. 5, and therefore will not be described in detail. In step S12, if the currently set execution measurement mode is not the normal mode (NO in step S12), processor 110 determines that the execution measurement mode is the measurement mode M2.

[0124] When the processor 110 determines that a predetermined period has not elapsed since the previous blood pressure measurement (NO in step S14), it executes blood pressure measurement in the measurement mode M2 ​​(step S50). The blood pressure measurement process in the measurement mode M2 ​​will be described later. Then, the processor 110 executes an arrhythmia determination process (step S58). Specifically, the processor 110 determines whether or not an arrhythmia has occurred based on a pulse wave signal obtained during the pressurization process during blood pressure measurement in the measurement mode M2. In this case, the processor 110 may display the arrhythmia determination result on the display 50.

[0125] Furthermore, the processor 110 determines whether or not an irregular pulse wave is occurring based on the pulse wave signal obtained during the blood pressure measurement in step S20 (step S52). If an irregular pulse wave is occurring (YES in step S52), the processor 110 sets the measurement mode M2 ​​as the actual measurement mode (step S54). If an irregular pulse wave is not occurring (NO in step S52), the processor 110 sets the normal mode as the actual measurement mode (step S56).

[0126] Here, a description will be given of the blood pressure measurement process according to the measurement mode M2 ​​in step S50 in Fig. 12. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the blood pressure process according to the measurement mode M2 ​​of the sphygmomanometer 100. The process shown in Fig. 13 is a process for measuring blood pressure by the pressurization measurement method.

[0127] 13, the processes in steps S202 to S206 are similar to those in steps S102 to S106 in FIG. 6, respectively, and therefore will not be described in detail.

[0128] During the pressurization process, the processor 110 measures (counts) the pulse wave number N1 based on the pulse wave signal extracted from the cuff pressure signal detected by the pressure sensor 31 (step S208). The processor 110 determines whether the pulse wave number N1 is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th1 (step S210). If the pulse wave number N1 is less than the threshold value Th1 (NO in step S210), the processor 110 returns to the process of step S206 and continues pressurizing the cuff 20 as long as the cuff pressure does not reach the pressure upper limit value Pmax (e.g., 300 mmHg). If the pulse wave number N1 is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th1 (YES in step S210), the processor 110 attempts to calculate the maximum blood pressure (systolic blood pressure) and minimum blood pressure (diastolic blood pressure) and determines whether the blood pressure calculation is completed (step S212).

[0129] If the blood pressure calculation is not completed (NO in step S212), the processor 110 repeats the processes of steps S206 to S212 to continue the pressurization process unless the cuff pressure reaches the predetermined upper pressure limit value Pmax.

[0130] When the blood pressure calculation is completed (YES in step S212), the processor 110 performs control to stop the pump 32 (i.e., stop the pressurization process) (step S214) and open the valve 33 (step S216) to exhaust the air from the cuff 20. The processor 110 displays the blood pressure value obtained in step S212 on the display 50 (step S218).

[0131] Instead of the processes in steps S208 to S212 described above, the following processes may be executed.

[0132] Specifically, after step S206, the processor 110 attempts to calculate the systolic blood pressure and the diastolic blood pressure to determine whether the blood pressure calculation is complete. If the blood pressure calculation is not complete, the processor 110 repeats the process from step S206 to continue the pressurization process as long as the cuff pressure has not reached the upper pressure limit value Pmax.

[0133] When the blood pressure calculation is completed, the processor 110 judges whether the cuff pressure is equal to or greater than a pressure P1 that is greater than the measured systolic blood pressure. Typically, the pressure P1 is set to a value that is a predetermined value (e.g., 40 mmHg) greater than the systolic blood pressure. If the cuff pressure is less than the pressure P1, the processor 110 returns to step S206 and continues inflating the cuff 20. If the cuff pressure is equal to or greater than the pressure P1, the processor 110 measures a pulse wave number N1 based on the pulse wave signal during the inflation process.

[0134] The processor 110 determines whether the pulse wave rate N1 is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th1. If the pulse wave rate N1 is less than the threshold value Th1, the processor 110 returns to the process of step S206 and continues inflating the cuff 20 unless the cuff pressure reaches the upper pressure limit value Pmax. If the pulse wave rate N1 is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th1, the processor 110 executes the process of step S214. The process from step S214 onwards is the same as that in FIG. 13.

[0135] According to the above flowchart of Fig. 12, for a user who has an irregular pulse wave during automatic measurement, the next blood pressure measurement is performed using the measurement mode M2 ​​in which the pressurization process is continued until the pulse wave number N1 becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value Th1. Therefore, in the process of measuring blood pressure, a sufficient pulse wave number is obtained and a sufficient number of pulse wave intervals are obtained to accurately detect arrhythmia determination. Therefore, the blood pressure monitor 100 can more accurately perform arrhythmia determination performed after blood pressure measurement according to the measurement mode M2.

[0136] For example, if arrhythmia is not detected based on the pulse wave signal obtained during blood pressure measurement in accordance with measurement mode M2, the user is unlikely to have arrhythmia. On the other hand, if arrhythmia is detected based on the pulse wave signal obtained during blood pressure measurement in accordance with measurement mode M2, the user is likely to have arrhythmia, and a warning or other alert can be issued to the user. In this way, blood pressure monitor 100 can perform arrhythmia determination with high reliability.

[0137] (Mode setting process according to the occurrence of irregular pulse waves: Part 2) FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing another example of the procedure for setting the measurement mode depending on whether or not an irregular pulse wave occurs.

[0138] 14, the processes in steps S10 to S52, S58 are similar to those in FIG. 12, and therefore will not be described in detail.

[0139] When the processor 110 determines that an irregular pulse wave is not occurring (NO in step S52), it sets the normal mode as the actual measurement mode (step S56).When the processor 110 determines that an irregular pulse wave is occurring (YES in step S52), it determines whether the number of times that an irregular pulse wave has occurred is equal to or greater than a reference number (e.g., 3 times) among the most recent specified number of times (e.g., 5 times) (step S60).

[0140] If the number of times is equal to or greater than the reference number (YES in step S60), the processor 110 sets the measurement mode M2 ​​as the actual measurement mode (step S54). If the number of times is less than the reference number (NO in step S60), the processor 110 sets the normal mode as the actual measurement mode (step S56).

[0141] (Mode setting process according to the occurrence of irregular pulse waves: Part 3) FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing yet another example of the procedure for setting the measurement mode depending on whether or not an irregular pulse wave occurs.

[0142] 11, the processes in steps S10 to S52, S58 are similar to those in FIG. 12, and therefore will not be described in detail.

[0143] When the processor 110 determines that an irregular pulse wave is not occurring (NO in step S52), it sets the normal mode as the actual measurement mode (step S56).When the processor 110 determines that an irregular pulse wave is occurring (YES in step S52), it determines whether an irregular pulse wave is occurring a predetermined number of times (e.g., twice) in succession (step S70).

[0144] If an irregular pulse wave occurs a predetermined number of times in succession (YES in step S70), the processor 110 sets the measurement mode M2 ​​as the actual measurement mode (step S54). If an irregular pulse wave does not occur a predetermined number of times in succession (NO in step S70), the processor 110 sets the normal mode as the actual measurement mode (step S56).

[0145] (Another example of mode setting according to the occurrence of irregular pulse waves) In the mode setting process of Fig. 12, Fig. 14 and Fig. 15, the measurement mode M2 ​​is set as the effective measurement mode when an irregular pulse wave occurs, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The measurement mode M1 or M3 may be set as the effective measurement mode when an irregular pulse wave occurs. That is, the "measurement mode M2" in steps S12, S50 and S54 in Fig. 12, Fig. 14 and Fig. 15 may be replaced with "measurement mode M1" or "measurement mode M3". The blood pressure measurement process according to the measurement mode M1 is as described in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. Here, the blood pressure measurement process according to the measurement mode M3 will be described.

[0146] Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of blood pressure processing in accordance with measurement mode M3 of the sphygmomanometer 100. The processing shown in Fig. 16 is processing for measuring blood pressure by a reduced pressure measurement method.

[0147] 16, steps S232 to S236 are similar to steps S122 to S126 in FIG 7, and therefore will not be described in detail. Note that the pressurization process in the reduced pressure measurement mode is started by the process of step S236. At this time, the blood pressure monitor 100 controls the pressurization speed to be constant.

[0148] The processor 110 measures the pulse wave number N2 based on the pulse wave signal obtained during the pressurization process in the reduced pressure measurement mode (step S238). The processor 110 determines whether the pulse wave number N2 is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th2 (step S240). If the pulse wave number N2 is less than the threshold value Th2 (NO in step S240), the processor 110 returns to the process of step S236 and continues pressurizing the cuff 20 as long as the cuff pressure does not reach the pressure upper limit value Pmax. If the pulse wave number N2 is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th2 (YES in step S240), the processor 110 estimates the systolic blood pressure based on the pulse wave signal obtained during the pressurization process (step S242). The systolic blood pressure is estimated by a known method. The processor 110 determines whether the cuff pressure is equal to or greater than the pressure P2 (step S244). Typically, the pressure P2 is set to a value that is greater than the estimated systolic blood pressure by a predetermined value (for example, 40 mmHg).

[0149] If the cuff pressure is less than pressure P2 (NO in step S244), the processor 110 returns to step S236 and continues pressurizing the cuff 20. If the cuff pressure is equal to or greater than pressure P2 (YES in step S244), the processor 110 stops the pump 32 (i.e., stops the pressurization process) (step S246) and controls the valve 33 to gradually open (step S248). This causes a transition from the pressurization process to a depressurization process, and the cuff pressure is gradually reduced. At this time, the processor 110 controls the depressurization speed to be constant.

[0150] During this decompression process, processor 110 extracts a pulse wave signal from the cuff pressure signal detected by pressure sensor 31, and attempts to calculate the systolic and diastolic blood pressures based on the pulse wave signal to determine whether or not blood pressure calculation has been completed (step S250). If blood pressure calculation has not been completed (NO in step S250), processor 110 repeats the processes of steps S248 and S250. If blood pressure calculation has been completed (YES in step S250), processor 110 fully opens valve 33 (step S252) to perform control to rapidly exhaust air from within cuff 20. Processor 110 displays the blood pressure value obtained in step S250 on display 50 (step S254).

[0151] Instead of the processes in steps S238 to S244 described above, the following processes may be executed.

[0152] Specifically, after step S236, processor 110 estimates the systolic blood pressure based on the pulse wave signal obtained during the pressurization process in the reduced pressure measurement mode. Then, processor 110 determines whether the cuff pressure is equal to or higher than pressure P2.

[0153] If the cuff pressure is less than pressure P2, processor 110 returns to step S236 and continues inflating cuff 20. If the cuff pressure is equal to or greater than pressure P2, processor 110 measures pulse wave number N2 based on the pulse wave signal obtained during the inflation process. Processor 110 then determines whether pulse wave number N2 is equal to or greater than threshold value Th2.

[0154] If the pulse wave rate N2 is less than the threshold value Th2, the processor 110 returns to the process of step S236 and continues inflating the cuff 20 unless the cuff pressure reaches the upper pressure limit value Pmax. If the pulse wave rate N2 is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th2, the processor 110 executes the process of step S246. The process after step S246 is the same as that in FIG.

[0155] In FIG. 12, when "measurement mode M2" is replaced with "measurement mode M3", for a user who has an irregular pulse wave during automatic measurement, blood pressure measurement is performed using measurement mode M3, which continues the pressurization process until the pulse wave number N2 reaches or exceeds the threshold value Th2, at the next blood pressure measurement. In measurement mode M3, the cuff is pressurized until the pulse wave number N2 reaches or exceeds the threshold value Th2 during the pressurization process, so that the cuff pressure at the start of the depressurization process is set higher than usual. As a result, assuming that the depressurization speed of the cuff is constant, the pulse wave number obtained during the depressurization process increases, and as a result, a sufficient number of pulse wave intervals are obtained. Therefore, arrhythmia determination performed after blood pressure measurement according to "measurement mode M3" as well as "measurement mode M2" can be performed with higher accuracy. That is, the sphygmomanometer 100 can perform arrhythmia determination with high reliability.

[0156] 12, when "measurement mode M2" is replaced with "measurement mode M1", multiple consecutive blood pressure measurements are performed, making it possible to obtain a larger number of pulse wave numbers in one measurement. Therefore, in this case as well, the blood pressure monitor 100 can perform highly reliable arrhythmia determination.

[0157] (Mode setting process according to occurrence of body movement) Fig. 17 is a flow chart showing an example of a procedure for setting the measurement mode depending on the presence or absence of body movement. In Fig. 17, the normal mode or the measurement mode M4 is set as the actual measurement mode.

[0158] 17, the processes in steps S10 and S20 are similar to those in FIG. 5, and therefore will not be described in detail.

[0159] When an instruction to start the automatic measurement is received (YES in step S10), processor 110 determines whether the currently set execution measurement mode is the normal mode (step S80).

[0160] If the actual measurement mode is the normal mode (YES in step S80), blood pressure measurement is performed in the normal mode (step S20). If the actual measurement mode is not the normal mode (i.e., the actual measurement mode is the measurement mode M4) (NO in step S80), the processor 110 determines whether a predetermined period (e.g., several tens of minutes) has passed since the previous blood pressure measurement (step S82). If the predetermined period has not passed (NO in step S84), the processor 110 repeats the process of step S82. If the predetermined period has passed (YES in step S84), the processor 110 performs blood pressure measurement in the measurement mode M4 (step S84). That is, the processor 110 performs remeasurement of blood pressure according to the same blood pressure measurement process as in the normal mode (e.g., the flowchart in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7).

[0161] Next, the processor 110 determines whether or not the user has made a body movement during blood pressure measurement (step S86). If no body movement has occurred (NO in step S86), the processor 110 sets the normal mode as the actual measurement mode (step S92). If a body movement has occurred (YES in step S86), the processor 110 determines whether or not the cumulative number of measurements since the start of automatic measurement is less than J times (e.g., 3 times) (step S88).

[0162] If the cumulative number of measurements is equal to or greater than J (NO in step S88), the processor 110 sets the normal mode as the actual measurement mode (step S92). If the cumulative number of measurements is less than J (YES in step S88), the processor 110 sets the measurement mode M4 as the actual measurement mode (step S90) and returns to the process of step S80. That is, blood pressure remeasurement is performed.

[0163] 17, for a user who experiences a body movement during automatic measurement, measurement mode M4 is set and blood pressure is automatically remeasured, allowing the sphygmomanometer 100 to perform highly reliable blood pressure measurement.

[0164] <Other embodiments> (1) In the above-described embodiment, the measurement mode M1 is set in step S24 in Fig. 5, Fig. 10, and Fig. 11, and blood pressure measurement according to the measurement mode M1 is performed in step S18 during the next automatic measurement. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, when the measurement mode M1 is set in step S24 in Fig. 5, Fig. 10, and Fig. 11, the blood pressure monitor 100 may be configured to perform blood pressure measurement according to the measurement mode M1 immediately after step S24.

[0165] 12, 14, and 15, the sphygmomanometer 100 may be configured to execute blood pressure measurement according to the measurement mode M2 ​​immediately after step S54. As described above, the measurement mode M1 or the measurement mode M3 may be set instead of the measurement mode M2.

[0166] According to the above configuration, if the user experiences some phenomenon (e.g., arrhythmia, irregular pulse waves, body movement) during automatic measurement, blood pressure measurement can be performed immediately in a more reliable measurement mode without waiting for the next measurement opportunity.

[0167] (2) In the above-described embodiment, a program for causing a computer to function and execute the control as described in the above-described flowchart can also be provided. Such a program can be provided as a program product by being recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), a secondary storage device, a main storage device, or a memory card that is attached to the computer. Alternatively, the program can be provided by being recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk built into the computer. The program can also be provided by downloading via a network.

[0168] (3) The configurations exemplified as the above-mentioned embodiments are merely examples of the configurations of the present invention, and may be combined with other known technologies, or may be modified, such as by omitting some parts, without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments may be implemented by appropriately adopting the processes and configurations described in other embodiments.

[0169] [Note] As described above, the present embodiment includes the following disclosure.

[0170] [Configuration 1] A blood pressure monitor (100) measures blood pressure by compressing a measurement site of a user with a cuff (20), comprising: a blood pressure measurement unit (210) that automatically performs blood pressure measurement in one of a plurality of blood pressure measurement modes according to a predetermined schedule, the plurality of blood pressure measurement modes including a normal measurement mode and a plurality of measurement modes having a higher reliability of measurement results than the normal measurement mode, a determination unit (220) that determines whether or not any of a plurality of predetermined phenomena has occurred in the user when blood pressure measurement is performed by the blood pressure measurement unit, and a mode setting unit (225) that sets an actual measurement mode to be performed by the blood pressure measurement unit from among the plurality of blood pressure measurement modes based on a determination result of the determination unit, wherein the mode setting unit (225) sets the normal measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when none of the plurality of phenomena has occurred, and sets one of the plurality of measurement modes as the actual measurement mode when any of the plurality of phenomena has occurred.

[0171] [Configuration 2] The blood pressure monitor (100) according to configuration 1, wherein the plurality of measurement modes includes a first measurement mode in which blood pressure measurement is performed consecutively a plurality of times or more, the determination unit (220) determines whether or not the user is experiencing arrhythmia based on a pulse wave signal obtained when blood pressure measurement is performed by the blood pressure measurement unit, and the mode setting unit (225) sets the normal measurement mode or the first measurement mode as the actual measurement mode based on the presence or absence of the arrhythmia.

[0172] [Configuration 3] The blood pressure monitor (100) according to configuration 2, wherein the mode setting unit (225) sets the normal measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when the arrhythmia does not occur, and sets the first measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when the arrhythmia occurs.

[0173] [Configuration 4] The blood pressure monitor (100) according to configuration 2, wherein the mode setting unit (225) sets the normal measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when the arrhythmia does not occur, and sets the first measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when the arrhythmia occurs and the number of times the arrhythmia has occurred in a specified number of most recent blood pressure measurements is equal to or greater than a reference number when the arrhythmia occurs.

[0174] [Configuration 5] The blood pressure monitor (100) according to configuration 2, wherein the mode setting unit (225) sets the normal measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when the arrhythmia does not occur, and sets the first measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when the arrhythmia has occurred a predetermined number of times in succession.

[0175] [Configuration 6] The blood pressure monitor (100) according to any one of configurations 2 to 5, wherein, when the first measurement mode is set, the blood pressure measurement unit (210) determines whether or not a predetermined period has elapsed since the previous blood pressure measurement, and performs blood pressure measurement according to the first measurement mode if the predetermined period has not elapsed, and performs blood pressure measurement according to the normal measurement mode if the predetermined period has elapsed.

[0176] [Configuration 7] The blood pressure monitor (100) according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, wherein the plurality of measurement modes include a second measurement mode, the blood pressure measurement unit (210) measures the blood pressure of the user based on a pulse wave signal in a first pressurization process in which a cuff pressure indicating an internal pressure of the cuff attached to a measurement site of the user is pressurized during the normal measurement mode, the determination unit (220) determines whether or not an irregular pulse wave is occurring in the user based on the pulse wave signal in the first pressurization process, and the mode setting unit (225) sets the normal measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when the irregular pulse wave is not occurring, and sets the second measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when the irregular pulse wave is occurring.

[0177] [Configuration 8] The blood pressure monitor (100) of configuration 7, wherein, in the second measurement mode, the blood pressure measurement unit (210) measures the blood pressure of the user based on the pulse wave signal during the first pressurization process and continues the first pressurization process until a first pulse wave number of the user acquired based on the pulse wave signal during the first pressurization process reaches a threshold value or more, and the judgment unit (220) judges whether or not the user is experiencing arrhythmia based on the pulse wave signal during the first pressurization process.

[0178] [Configuration 9] The blood pressure monitor (100) according to any one of configurations 1 to 8, wherein the plurality of measurement modes include a third measurement mode, and the blood pressure measurement unit (210) measures the blood pressure of the user based on a pulse wave signal in a depressurization process of depressurizing the cuff pressure, after a second pressurization process of pressurizing a cuff pressure indicating an internal pressure of the cuff attached to a measurement site of the user to a pressure higher than an estimated systolic blood pressure, during the normal measurement mode, and the determination unit (220) determines whether or not an irregular pulse wave is occurring in the user based on the pulse wave signal in the depressurization process, and the mode setting unit (225) sets the normal measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when the irregular pulse wave is not occurring, and sets the third measurement mode when the irregular pulse wave is occurring.

[0179] [Configuration 10] The blood pressure measurement unit (210), in the third measurement mode, measures the blood pressure of the user based on the pulse wave signal during the depressurization process after the second pressurization process, and continues the second pressurization process until a second pulse wave number of the user acquired based on the pulse wave signal during the second pressurization process reaches a threshold value or more, and the judgment unit (220) judges whether or not the user is experiencing arrhythmia based on the pulse wave signal during the depressurization process. The blood pressure monitor (100) of configuration 9.

[0180] [Configuration 11] The blood pressure monitor (100) according to any one of configurations 1 to 10, wherein the plurality of measurement modes includes a fourth measurement mode in which blood pressure is remeasured when a body movement of the user occurs, the determination unit (220) determines whether or not the body movement has occurred based on a pulse wave signal obtained when blood pressure measurement is performed by the blood pressure measurement unit, and the mode setting unit (225) sets the normal measurement mode or the fourth measurement mode as the actual measurement mode based on the presence or absence of the body movement.

[0181] [Configuration 12] The blood pressure monitor (100) according to configuration 11, wherein the mode setting unit (225) sets the normal measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when no body movement occurs during a current blood pressure measurement, and sets the fourth measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when body movement occurs during the current blood pressure measurement and the cumulative number of blood pressure measurements is less than a first number.

[0182] [Configuration 13] A blood pressure measurement method using a sphygmomanometer (100) for measuring blood pressure by compressing a measurement site of a user with a cuff (20), the method comprising: a step of automatically executing blood pressure measurement in one of a plurality of blood pressure measurement modes according to a predetermined schedule, the plurality of blood pressure measurement modes including a normal measurement mode and a plurality of measurement modes having a higher reliability of measurement results than the normal measurement mode; a step of determining whether or not any of a plurality of predetermined phenomena has occurred in the user while the blood pressure measurement is being executed; and a step of setting an execution measurement mode to be executed in the execution step from among the plurality of blood pressure measurement modes based on a determination result of the determining step, the setting step including setting the normal measurement mode as the execution measurement mode when none of the plurality of phenomena has occurred, and setting one of the plurality of measurement modes as the execution measurement mode when any of the plurality of phenomena has occurred.

[0183] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0184] 10 main body, 20 cuff, 22 fluid bag, 30 air system component, 31 pressure sensor, 32 pump, 33 valve, 34 acceleration sensor, 50 display, 51 memory, 52 operation unit, 52A measurement switch, 52B automatic measurement switch, 53 communication interface, 54 power supply unit, 100 sphygmomanometer, 110 processor, 210 blood pressure measurement unit, 215 pulse wave rate measurement unit, 220 judgment unit, 225 mode setting unit, 230 output control unit, 310, 340 A / D conversion circuit, 320 pump drive circuit, 330 valve drive circuit.

Claims

1. A blood pressure monitor that measures blood pressure by compressing a measurement site of a user with a cuff, a blood pressure measurement unit that automatically performs blood pressure measurement according to a predetermined schedule in one of a plurality of blood pressure measurement modes; the plurality of blood pressure measurement modes include a normal measurement mode and a plurality of measurement modes having a higher reliability of measurement results than the normal measurement mode, a determination unit that determines whether any one of a plurality of predetermined phenomena has occurred in the user while blood pressure measurement is being performed by the blood pressure measurement unit; and a mode setting unit that sets an execution measurement mode to be executed by the blood pressure measurement unit from among the plurality of blood pressure measurement modes based on a determination result of the determination unit, the mode setting unit sets the normal measurement mode as the execution measurement mode when none of the plurality of phenomena occurs, and sets one of the plurality of measurement modes as the execution measurement mode when any of the plurality of phenomena occurs, the plurality of measurement modes include first to third measurement modes, The blood pressure measurement unit When any one of the first to third measurement modes is set as the execution measurement mode, it is determined whether a predetermined period has elapsed since the previous blood pressure measurement; If the predetermined period has not elapsed, blood pressure measurement is performed in accordance with the measurement mode set as the execution measurement mode among the first to third measurement modes; If the predetermined period has elapsed, the normal measurement mode is set as the execution measurement mode, and blood pressure measurement is performed according to the normal measurement mode; In the normal measurement mode, the blood pressure measurement unit measuring the blood pressure of the user based on a pulse wave signal during a first inflation process of increasing a cuff pressure indicating an internal pressure of the cuff attached to the measurement site of the user; the determination unit determines whether or not an irregular pulse wave is occurring in the user based on the pulse wave signal during the first pressurization process; The mode setting unit If the irregular pulse wave is not occurring, the normal measurement mode is set as the actual measurement mode; If the number of times that the irregular pulse wave has occurred in the most recent specified number of blood pressure measurements is equal to or greater than a reference number, or if the irregular pulse wave has occurred a predetermined number of times in succession, the second measurement mode is set as the actual measurement mode; In the second measurement mode, the blood pressure measurement unit measuring the user's blood pressure based on the pulse wave signal during the first pressurization process; continuing the first pressurization process until a first pulse wave number of the user acquired based on the pulse wave signal during the first pressurization process reaches a threshold value or more; The determination unit determines whether or not the user is experiencing arrhythmia based on a pulse wave signal during the first pressurization process.

2. the first measurement mode is a measurement mode in which blood pressure measurements are performed multiple times or more consecutively, the determination unit determines whether or not the user has an arrhythmia based on a pulse wave signal obtained when the blood pressure measurement unit performs blood pressure measurement; The blood pressure monitor according to claim 1 , wherein the mode setting unit sets the normal measurement mode or the first measurement mode as the actual measurement mode based on whether or not the arrhythmia occurs.

3. 3. The blood pressure monitor according to claim 2, wherein the mode setting unit sets the normal measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when the arrhythmia does not occur, and sets the first measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when the arrhythmia occurs.

4. The mode setting unit If the arrhythmia does not occur, the normal measurement mode is set as the actual measurement mode; 3. The blood pressure monitor according to claim 2, wherein, when the arrhythmia occurs, the first measurement mode is set as the actual measurement mode if the number of times the arrhythmia has occurred in the most recent specified number of blood pressure measurements is equal to or greater than a reference number.

5. The mode setting unit If the arrhythmia does not occur, the normal measurement mode is set as the actual measurement mode; The blood pressure monitor according to claim 2 , wherein the first measurement mode is set as the actual measurement mode when the arrhythmia occurs a predetermined number of times in succession.

6. A blood pressure monitor that measures blood pressure by compressing a measurement site of a user with a cuff, a blood pressure measurement unit that automatically performs blood pressure measurement according to a predetermined schedule in one of a plurality of blood pressure measurement modes; the plurality of blood pressure measurement modes include a normal measurement mode and a plurality of measurement modes having a higher reliability of measurement results than the normal measurement mode, a determination unit that determines whether any one of a plurality of predetermined phenomena has occurred in the user while blood pressure measurement is being performed by the blood pressure measurement unit; and a mode setting unit that sets an execution measurement mode to be executed by the blood pressure measurement unit from among the plurality of blood pressure measurement modes based on a determination result of the determination unit, the mode setting unit sets the normal measurement mode as the execution measurement mode when none of the plurality of phenomena occurs, and sets one of the plurality of measurement modes as the execution measurement mode when any of the plurality of phenomena occurs, the plurality of measurement modes include first to third measurement modes, The blood pressure measurement unit When any one of the first to third measurement modes is set as the execution measurement mode, it is determined whether a predetermined period has elapsed since the previous blood pressure measurement; If the predetermined period has not elapsed, blood pressure measurement is performed in accordance with the measurement mode set as the execution measurement mode among the first to third measurement modes; If the predetermined period has elapsed, the normal measurement mode is set as the execution measurement mode, and blood pressure measurement is performed according to the normal measurement mode; In the normal measurement mode, the blood pressure measurement unit a second inflation process in which a cuff pressure indicating an internal pressure of the cuff attached to the measurement site of the user is increased to a pressure greater than an estimated systolic blood pressure, and then a depressurization process in which the cuff pressure is decreased is performed to measure the blood pressure of the user based on a pulse wave signal; the determination unit determines whether or not the user is experiencing an irregular pulse wave based on the pulse wave signal during the depressurization process; The mode setting unit If the irregular pulse wave is not occurring, the normal measurement mode is set as the actual measurement mode; If the number of times that the irregular pulse wave has occurred in the most recent specified number of blood pressure measurements is equal to or greater than a reference number, or if the irregular pulse wave has occurred a predetermined number of times in succession, the third measurement mode is set as the actual measurement mode; In the third measurement mode, the blood pressure measurement unit After the second pressurization step, measuring the user's blood pressure based on the pulse wave signal during the depressurization step; continuing the second pressurization process until a second pulse wave number of the user acquired based on the pulse wave signal during the second pressurization process reaches a threshold value or more; The determination unit determines whether or not the user is experiencing arrhythmia based on a pulse wave signal during the decompression process.

7. the plurality of measurement modes includes a fourth measurement mode in which blood pressure is remeasured when a body movement of the user occurs; the determination unit determines whether or not the body movement has occurred based on a pulse wave signal obtained when the blood pressure measurement unit performs blood pressure measurement; The blood pressure monitor according to claim 1, wherein the mode setting unit sets the normal measurement mode or the fourth measurement mode as the actual measurement mode based on whether or not the body movement has occurred.

8. The mode setting unit If the body movement does not occur during the current blood pressure measurement, the normal measurement mode is set as the actual measurement mode.

8. The sphygmomanometer according to claim 7, wherein the fourth measurement mode is set as the actual measurement mode when the body movement occurs during the current blood pressure measurement and the cumulative number of blood pressure measurements is less than a first number.

9. A blood pressure measurement method using a sphygmomanometer that measures blood pressure by compressing a measurement site of a user with a cuff, comprising: automatically performing blood pressure measurement in any of a plurality of blood pressure measurement modes according to a predetermined schedule; the plurality of blood pressure measurement modes include a normal measurement mode and a plurality of measurement modes having a higher reliability of measurement results than the normal measurement mode, determining whether any of a plurality of predetermined phenomena has occurred to the user while the blood pressure measurement is being performed; and further comprising a step of selecting an execution measurement mode to be executed in the executing step from among the plurality of blood pressure measurement modes based on a determination result in the determining step, the setting step includes setting the normal measurement mode as the execution measurement mode when none of the plurality of phenomena occurs, and setting any one of the plurality of measurement modes as the execution measurement mode when any one of the plurality of phenomena occurs, the plurality of measurement modes include first to third measurement modes, The performing step includes: When any one of the first to third measurement modes is set as the execution measurement mode, determining whether a predetermined period has elapsed since the previous blood pressure measurement; If the predetermined period has not elapsed, blood pressure measurement is performed according to the measurement mode set as the execution measurement mode among the first to third measurement modes; If the predetermined period has elapsed, the normal measurement mode is set as the execution measurement mode, and blood pressure measurement is performed in accordance with the normal measurement mode; The executing step is performed in the normal measurement mode. measuring the blood pressure of the user based on a pulse wave signal during a first inflation process of inflating a cuff pressure indicating an internal pressure of the cuff attached to the measurement site of the user; the determining step includes determining whether or not an irregular pulse wave is occurring in the user based on a pulse wave signal during the first pressurization process, The setting step includes: When the irregular pulse wave is not occurring, the normal measurement mode is set as the actual measurement mode. setting the second measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when the number of times the irregular pulse wave has occurred in the most recent specified number of blood pressure measurements is equal to or exceeds a reference number, or when the irregular pulse wave has occurred a predetermined number of times in succession; The executing step, in the second measurement mode, measuring the blood pressure of the user based on the pulse wave signal during the first pressurization process; continuing the first pressurization process until a first pulse wave number of the user acquired based on a pulse wave signal during the first pressurization process reaches or exceeds a threshold value; The blood pressure measurement method, wherein the determining step includes determining whether the user is experiencing arrhythmia based on a pulse wave signal during the first pressurization process.

10. A blood pressure measurement method using a sphygmomanometer that measures blood pressure by compressing a measurement site of a user with a cuff, comprising: automatically performing blood pressure measurement in any of a plurality of blood pressure measurement modes according to a predetermined schedule; the plurality of blood pressure measurement modes include a normal measurement mode and a plurality of measurement modes having a higher reliability of measurement results than the normal measurement mode, determining whether any of a plurality of predetermined phenomena has occurred to the user while the blood pressure measurement is being performed; and further comprising a step of selecting an execution measurement mode to be executed in the executing step from among the plurality of blood pressure measurement modes based on a determination result in the determining step, the setting step includes setting the normal measurement mode as the execution measurement mode when none of the plurality of phenomena occurs, and setting any one of the plurality of measurement modes as the execution measurement mode when any one of the plurality of phenomena occurs, the plurality of measurement modes include first to third measurement modes, The performing step includes: When any one of the first to third measurement modes is set as the execution measurement mode, determining whether a predetermined period has elapsed since the previous blood pressure measurement; If the predetermined period has not elapsed, blood pressure measurement is performed according to the measurement mode set as the execution measurement mode among the first to third measurement modes; If the predetermined period has elapsed, the normal measurement mode is set as the execution measurement mode, and blood pressure measurement is performed in accordance with the normal measurement mode; The executing step is performed in the normal measurement mode. measuring the user's blood pressure based on the pulse wave signal during a depressurization process of reducing the cuff pressure after a second depressurization process of increasing the cuff pressure indicating the internal pressure of the cuff attached to the measurement site of the user to a pressure greater than the estimated systolic blood pressure; the determining step includes determining whether or not the user is experiencing an irregular pulse wave based on a pulse wave signal during the depressurization process; The setting step includes: When the irregular pulse wave is not occurring, the normal measurement mode is set as the actual measurement mode. setting the third measurement mode as the actual measurement mode when the number of times the irregular pulse wave has occurred in the most recent specified number of blood pressure measurements is equal to or exceeds a reference number, or when the irregular pulse wave has occurred a predetermined number of times in succession; The executing step, in the third measurement mode, measuring the user's blood pressure based on the pulse wave signal during the depressurization process after the second pressurization process; continuing the second pressurization process until a second pulse wave number of the user acquired based on a pulse wave signal during the second pressurization process reaches or exceeds a threshold value; The blood pressure measurement method, wherein the determining step includes determining whether or not the user is experiencing arrhythmia based on a pulse wave signal during the decompression process.

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