Sphygmomanometer system and sphygmomanometry method

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of measuring the blood pressure with low cuff pressure without increasing an arithmetic load on a sphygmomanometer.SOLUTION: A sphygmomanometer system includes: a cuff to be wound around a measured part; a pressure detection unit for detecting a cuff pressure within the cuff; a pressure controlling unit for controlling the cuff pressure; a pulse wave acquisition unit for acquiring pulse wave information of a measured person from the cuff pressure; a first blood pressure calculation unit for calculating the measured person's first blood pressure on the basis of the pulse wave information; a first communication part for sending at least the pulse wave information acquired by the pulse wave acquisition unit to an information processing device while controlling the cuff pressure; a display for displaying at least information regarding the measured person's blood pressure; a second blood pressure calculation unit for calculating the measured person's second blood pressure on the basis of the received pulse wave information in a method different from the one used by the first blood pressure calculation unit; and a second communication part for sending the second blood pressure. The system displays the second blood pressure and executes the control for stopping the application of pressure to the cuff when it receives the second blood pressure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In recent years, health management has become commonplace by measuring information about an individual's physical and health, such as blood pressure values, using measuring devices and recording and analyzing the measurement results. One example of such a measuring device is a sphygmomanometer, which measures blood pressure, including systolic blood pressure, based on a pressure pulse wave acquired in the process of inflating a cuff attached to the subject's upper arm, wrist, or other part of the body to be measured (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] The blood pressure monitor disclosed in Patent Document 1 estimates blood pressure values ​​at cuff pressures lower than systolic blood pressure by machine learning the relationship between the pressure pulse wave acquired based on the cuff pressure and the blood pressure value. Specifically, by setting the cuff pressure to, for example, less than 130 mmHg, blood pressure can be measured at a relatively low cuff pressure (lower than systolic blood pressure) even for a subject with high blood pressure, thereby reducing discomfort during blood pressure measurement. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0383579 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 03-280932 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, advanced estimation processing using machine learning models imposes a large computational load, and there is a problem in that it is difficult to implement such estimation models in a relatively simple device such as a blood pressure monitor.

[0006] In view of the problems with the conventional technology as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology that can measure blood pressure at a low cuff pressure without increasing the computational load of the processing implemented in the sphygmomanometer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention is a blood pressure measurement system as follows: A blood pressure measurement system including a blood pressure measurement device and an information processing device configured to be communicatively connected to the blood pressure measurement device, The blood pressure measuring device is a cuff that is wrapped around the part to be measured; a pressure detection unit that detects a cuff pressure in the cuff; a pressure control unit that controls the cuff pressure; a pulse wave acquiring unit that acquires pulse wave information of the subject from the cuff pressure; a first blood pressure calculation unit that calculates a first blood pressure of the subject based on the pulse wave information; a first communication unit that transmits at least the pulse wave information acquired by the pulse wave acquisition unit to the information processing device while controlling the cuff pressure; a display unit that displays information related to at least the blood pressure of the subject, The information processing device includes: Based on the received pulse wave information, the subject is a second blood pressure calculation unit that calculates a second blood pressure of the subject; a second communication unit that transmits the second blood pressure to the blood pressure measurement device, the display unit displays the second blood pressure when the blood pressure measurement device receives the second blood pressure; the pressure control unit performs control to stop inflation of the cuff if inflation of the cuff is being performed when the blood pressure measurement device receives the second blood pressure. A blood pressure measurement system.

[0008] The "pulse wave information" referred to here may include not only pulse wave amplitude data over time, but also the envelope of the pulse wave amplitude obtained based on the data (hereinafter simply referred to as the envelope).

[0009] With this configuration, the sphygmomanometer performs blood pressure calculations that do not require advanced calculations, while an information processing device (e.g., a PC, tablet device, smartphone, etc.) equipped with an advanced calculation processor concurrently performs advanced calculations to estimate blood pressure based only on pulse wave information at low compression, and cuff inflation can be stopped when blood pressure estimation is complete. In other words, once blood pressure estimation is completed through advanced calculations by the information processing device, cuff inflation can be stopped early (at the point of low compression), reducing user discomfort. Furthermore, because the sphygmomanometer itself calculates blood pressure values ​​using a method with a relatively low computational load, blood pressure measurement can be performed without any problems even if blood pressure estimation by the information processing device is not completed due to a communication error or other reason.

[0010] Moreover, the information processing device The device further includes a determination means for determining whether a stop condition for stopping the inflation of the cuff is satisfied, When it is determined that the stop condition is satisfied, the second communication unit transmits a cuff stop signal to the blood pressure measurement device, The pressure control unit may perform control to stop inflation of the cuff if the cuff is being inflated when the blood pressure measurement device receives the stop signal.

[0011] The "stop condition" here may be, for example, when the amount of pulse wave information required to calculate the second blood pressure has been acquired. With this configuration, the cuff inflation can be stopped before the blood pressure calculation process in the information processing device is completed (i.e., earlier), thereby further reducing discomfort to the user.

[0012] Furthermore, the display unit displays the first blood pressure when the first blood pressure is calculated, The pressure control unit may perform control to stop pressurizing the cuff if the cuff is being pressurized when the first blood pressure is calculated.

[0013] With this configuration, even if the blood pressure calculation process in the information processing device is not completed before the blood pressure calculation process in the blood pressure monitor main body is completed, the blood pressure measurement value can be displayed without waiting for the blood pressure calculation process in the information processing device, and there is also no need to continue inflating the cuff unnecessarily.

[0014] The first blood pressure may be calculated by an oscillometric method, and the second blood pressure may be calculated by an estimation model based on machine learning. This allows the sphygmomanometer body to perform a blood pressure calculation process with high accuracy and a low computational load, and allows cuff inflation to be stopped quickly when blood pressure calculation using the estimation model is completed early, making this suitable for a blood pressure measurement system.

[0015] The estimation model is calculated by the first blood pressure calculation unit using an oscillometric method. When the first blood pressure is calculated, the pulse wave information used in calculating the first blood pressure may be used as a training sample, and the value of the first blood pressure may be used as a correct label for re-learning. With this configuration, when a blood pressure value is calculated with high accuracy using the oscillometric method, this data can be effectively used.

[0016] In addition to the first blood pressure calculation unit that uses an oscillometric method, the blood pressure measurement device a third blood pressure calculation unit that calculates a third blood pressure of the subject based on the pulse wave information acquired while the cuff is inflated until the cuff pressure reaches a cuff pressure that is lower than the cuff pressure corresponding to the systolic blood pressure of the subject, the display unit displays the third blood pressure when the third blood pressure is calculated; The pressure control unit may perform control to stop pressurizing the cuff if the cuff is being pressurized when the third blood pressure is calculated.

[0017] With this configuration, it may be possible to calculate blood pressure in a manner that places a relatively low computational load on the blood pressure monitor body and earlier than when communicating with an information processing device.In such cases, cuff inflation can be stopped as early as possible (at low pressure) by stopping cuff inflation as soon as blood pressure calculation is completed by the third blood pressure calculation unit.

[0018] The present invention can also be understood as a blood pressure measurement method as follows: In the blood pressure measuring device, detecting a cuff pressure in a cuff wrapped around the measurement target part; applying pressure to the cuff; Stopping the pressurization; acquiring pulse wave information of the subject from the cuff pressure; executing a process of calculating a first blood pressure of the subject based on the pulse wave information; transmitting the pulse wave information to an information processing device; displaying the measured blood pressure values; In the information processing device, executing a process for calculating a second blood pressure of the subject by a method different from that used to calculate the first blood pressure, based on the received pulse wave information; When the second blood pressure is calculated, transmitting the second blood pressure to the blood pressure measurement device; It contains When the blood pressure measurement device receives the second blood pressure, it displays the second blood pressure as the measured blood pressure value, and if the cuff is being inflated when the second blood pressure is received, it stops the inflating.

[0019] The blood pressure measurement method further includes, in the information processing device, a step of determining whether a stop condition for stopping the pressurization is satisfied, and a step of transmitting a stop signal for the pressurization to the blood pressure measurement device when it is determined that the stop condition is satisfied, If the pressure is being applied when the blood pressure measurement device receives the stop signal, the pressure may be stopped.

[0020] The blood pressure measurement method may also include, in the blood pressure measurement device, displaying the first blood pressure when the first blood pressure is calculated, and stopping the pressurization if the pressurization is being performed when the first blood pressure is calculated.

[0021] Moreover, in the blood pressure measurement method, the first blood pressure may be calculated by an oscillometric method, and the second blood pressure may be calculated by an estimation model that has undergone machine learning.

[0022] The blood pressure measurement method further includes a step of executing, in the blood pressure measurement device, a process of calculating a third blood pressure of the subject based on the pulse wave information acquired while the inflation reaches the cuff pressure that is lower than the cuff pressure corresponding to a systolic blood pressure of the subject, The blood pressure measuring device may display the third blood pressure when the third blood pressure is calculated, and may stop the inflation of the cuff if the cuff is being inflated when the third blood pressure is calculated.

[0023] The present invention can also be understood as a program for causing a computer to execute the above method, or a computer-readable recording medium on which such a program is non-temporarily recorded. Furthermore, the above configurations and processes can be combined to constitute the present invention as long as no technical contradiction occurs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] According to the present invention, blood pressure can be measured at a low cuff pressure without increasing the calculation load on the sphygmomanometer. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a blood pressure measurement system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional module included in the blood pressure measurement device according to Example 1. FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional module included in the smartphone according to Example 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the cuff pressure and the pressure pulse wave in the blood pressure measurement device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a blood pressure measurement process in the blood pressure measurement system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional module included in the smartphone according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a blood pressure measurement process in the blood pressure measurement system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional module included in the blood pressure measurement device of the third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a blood pressure measurement process in the blood pressure measurement system according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Example 1 Specific examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, unless otherwise specified, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described in these examples are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0027] (System Configuration) Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a blood pressure measurement system 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the blood pressure measurement system 1 includes a blood pressure measurement device 10 and a smartphone 50 as an example of an information processing device, which are configured to be communicably connected.

[0028] (blood pressure measuring device) As shown in FIG. 1, the blood pressure measurement device 10 includes, as its hardware configuration, a cuff 11, a pressure sensor 12, a pressure pump 13, an exhaust valve 14, an air tube 15, an oscillator circuit 21, a pump drive circuit 22, a valve drive circuit 23, a display 25, a memory 27, an operation switch 26, a power supply 24, a communication IF (Interface) 28, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 100.

[0029] Cuff 11 includes air bag 11a containing air. Pressure sensor 12 detects the pressure inside air bag 11a of cuff 11 (hereinafter referred to as "cuff pressure") via air tube 15. Pressure pump 13 supplies air to air bag 11a via air tube 15. Exhaust valve 14 is a valve that opens and closes to maintain the pressure inside air bag 11a or to exhaust air from air bag 11a.

[0030] CPU 100 is an example of an arithmetic processing device for controlling each part of the device. Memory 27 includes a main storage device such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and an auxiliary storage device such as flash memory, and stores programs executed for blood pressure measurement processing, as well as data such as cuff pressure, pressure pulse wave, and blood pressure measurement results.

[0031] Display 25 is an example of a display device that displays various information such as blood pressure measurement results, and may be, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). Operation switch 26 is an example of an input device for inputting various instructions related to the operation of the device, including the execution of blood pressure measurement. A touch panel display or the like may also be used as display 25 and operation switch 26. Power supply 24, which supplies power to each component of the device, such as the CPU, may receive power from an outlet via a wired connection, or may be a battery.

[0032] The communication IF 28 serves to establish a communication connection with the smartphone 50, and may employ an appropriate communication interface, such as a wired communication port or a wireless communication antenna, depending on the communication network to be connected. The communication IF 28 corresponds to the first communication unit in the present invention. Note that the communication method between the blood pressure measurement device 10 and the smartphone 50 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy (BLE) communication.

[0033] The oscillator circuit 21 outputs a signal having an oscillation frequency corresponding to the output value of the pressure sensor 12 to the CPU 100. The pump drive circuit 22 controls the drive of the pressure pump 13 based on a control signal output from the CPU 100. The valve drive circuit 23 controls the opening and closing of the exhaust valve 14 based on the control signal output from the CPU 100.

[0034] 2A is a functional block diagram showing functional modules included in the CPU 100 of the blood pressure measurement device 10. As shown in FIG. 2A, the CPU 100 includes functional modules of a pressure detection unit 110, a pressure control unit 120, and a first blood pressure calculation unit 130.

[0035] An output signal from oscillator circuit 21 is input to pressure detection unit 110. Pressure detection unit 110 detects the oscillation frequency of the input signal and converts the detected oscillation frequency into a pressure value signal. Pressure detection unit 110 includes an HPF (High Pass Filter) unit 111 that extracts and outputs a pressure pulse wave signal by HPF (High Pass Filter) processing the pressure value signal, and an LPF unit 112 that extracts and outputs a cuff pressure signal by LPF (Low Pass Filter) processing the pressure value signal. The pressure pulse wave signal detected in time series by HPF unit 111 of pressure detection unit 110 and the cuff pressure signal indicating the cuff pressure detected in time series by LPF unit 112 are stored in a predetermined area of ​​memory 27 and are also sent to smartphone 50 via communication IF 28. The HPF unit 111 corresponds to the pulse wave acquisition unit of the present invention.

[0036] 3 is a graph that schematically shows the relationship between the cuff pressure and the pressure pulse wave detected by the pressure detection unit 110. Generally, as shown in FIG. 3, a diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and a systolic blood pressure (SBP) are calculated as the cuff pressure corresponding to a specific fluctuation pattern of the pressure pulse wave.

[0037] The pressure control unit 120 controls the operation of the pump drive circuit 22 and the valve drive circuit 23 to control the cuff pressure of the cuff 11 .

[0038] The first blood pressure calculation unit 130 receives the pressure pulse wave signal extracted by the HPF unit 111 of the pressure detection unit 110 and processes the received pressure pulse wave signal according to an oscillometric method of measurement under pressure to calculate the diastolic blood pressure (minimum blood pressure, DBP) and the systolic blood pressure (maximum blood pressure, SBP). The oscillometric method is a well-known technique, so a detailed description will be omitted.

[0039] (Smartphone) As shown in FIG. 1, the smartphone 50 includes, as hardware components, a CPU 500, a memory 51, a touch panel display 52, a communication IF 53, a power supply 54, and the like.

[0040] The CPU 500 is an example of an arithmetic processing device for controlling each part of the device. The memory 51 includes a main storage device such as a RAM and an auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory, and stores various programs and various information such as pressure pulse wave data transmitted from the blood pressure measurement device 10 as described below.

[0041] The touch panel display 52 functions as an operation unit that accepts various input instructions and also functions as a display unit that displays information. The communication IF 53 serves to establish a communication connection with the blood pressure measurement device 10, and can employ an appropriate communication interface depending on the communication network to be connected. The communication IF 53 corresponds to the second communication unit in the present invention. The power supply 54 that supplies power to each unit of the device can employ a secondary battery, such as a lithium-ion battery.

[0042] 2B is a functional block diagram showing functional modules included in the CPU 500 of the smartphone 50. As shown in FIG. 2B, the CPU 500 includes a second blood pressure calculation unit 510 functional module.

[0043] The second blood pressure calculation unit 510 is an estimation model (so-called AI) that has been trained using, for example, a machine learning method. The second blood pressure calculation unit 510 receives pressure pulse wave data acquired by the pressure detection unit 110 from the blood pressure measurement device 10 via the communication IF 53, and calculates a blood pressure value based on the pressure pulse wave data up to the point where the amplitude of the pressure pulse wave reaches a maximum value. An example of a blood pressure value calculation method in the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 will be described below.

[0044] As shown in Figure 3, when the cuff is inflated to measure blood pressure and the cuff pressure is increased, the amplitude of the measured pressure pulse wave first gradually increases and reaches a maximum value (envelope peak). After the amplitude of the pressure pulse wave reaches its maximum value, as the cuff pressure is further increased, the amplitude of the measured pressure pulse wave gradually decreases. The diastolic blood pressure appears after the cuff is inflated and before the amplitude of the pressure pulse wave reaches its maximum value. On the other hand, the systolic blood pressure appears after the amplitude of the pulse wave reaches its maximum value but before the pulse wave completely stops (the amplitude becomes 0).

[0045] Based on the characteristics of the relationship between the time series data of the pressure pulse wave and the blood pressure value, Blood pressure is measured using the pressure measuring device 10, and the pulse wave signal up to when the envelope of the pressure pulse wave reaches its peak is used as training (sample) data. Blood pressure measurements (SBP, DBP) calculated by the oscillometric method based on the pulse wave signal obtained when the envelope of the pressure pulse wave exceeds the point corresponding to the systolic blood pressure are used as correct labels (teaching data) for learning, thereby obtaining the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 as an estimation model.

[0046] Then, the diastolic and systolic blood pressure values ​​can be obtained by inputting the pressure pulse wave data up until the envelope reaches its peak to second blood pressure calculation unit 510 (trained estimation model). That is, second blood pressure calculation unit 510 can calculate blood pressure if it has the pressure pulse wave data up until the envelope reaches its peak. Therefore, when the value calculated by second blood pressure calculation unit 510 is used as the measured value, it is possible to stop inflating the cuff at a low cuff pressure before inflating the cuff until the cuff pressure becomes equal to the systolic blood pressure value.

[0047] (Blood pressure measurement process) Next, the flow of blood pressure measurement processing by the blood pressure measurement system 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of blood pressure measurement processing by the blood pressure measurement system 1 in this embodiment. In the blood pressure measurement system 1, the blood pressure measurement device 10 and the smartphone 50 send and receive data and perform blood pressure measurement in cooperation. That is, the following description will be given on the assumption that the blood pressure measurement device 10 and the smartphone 50 are paired and communication between them is established.

[0048] In addition, before the flow starts, the description will be given assuming that the subject wraps cuff 11 around the part to be measured (for example, the upper arm), performs predetermined settings using operation switch 26, and issues a command to start blood pressure measurement. Upon receiving the command to start blood pressure measurement, blood pressure measurement device 10 performs predetermined initialization, such as opening exhaust valve 14 and setting the cuff pressure to atmospheric pressure (initial pressure).

[0049] When blood pressure measurement is started in the blood pressure measurement device 10, the pressure control unit 120 starts inflation control to inflate the cuff 11 (S111). Furthermore, during the inflation control process, the HPF unit 111 of the pressure detection unit 110 acquires a pressure pulse wave (S112). Then, based on the pressure pulse wave acquired over time, the first blood pressure calculation unit 130 executes a process to calculate a blood pressure value by the oscillometric method (S113). The blood pressure value calculated by the first blood pressure calculation unit 130 corresponds to the first blood pressure of the present invention.

[0050] Meanwhile, the pressure pulse wave acquired in step S112 is transmitted to the smartphone 50 via the communication IF 28, and the communication IF 53 of the smartphone 50 receives the pressure pulse wave data (S121). The second blood pressure calculation unit 510 of the smartphone 50 executes a process of calculating (estimating) the blood pressure value using the received pressure pulse wave data as input data (S122). That is, in the blood pressure measurement system 1, measurement of the blood pressure value by the blood pressure measurement device 10 and measurement by the smartphone 50 are executed in parallel.

[0051] Following step S122, the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 determines whether or not the estimation of the blood pressure value has been completed (S123). If it is determined that the estimation of the blood pressure value has not yet been completed, the process continues with receiving a pressure pulse wave and executing the blood pressure estimation process (steps S121 and S122). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S123 that the estimation of the blood pressure value has been completed, the CPU 500 transmits the calculated estimated blood pressure value to the blood pressure measurement device 10 via the communication IF 53 (S124), and the series of processes on the smartphone 50 side are temporarily terminated. In this embodiment, the estimated blood pressure value calculated (estimated) by the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 corresponds to the second blood pressure of the present invention.

[0052] Returning to the explanation of the processing of the blood pressure measurement device 10, after calculation of the blood pressure value is started in step S113, the pressure control unit 120 determines whether or not calculation of the blood pressure value has been completed in step S114 (S114). If it is determined that calculation of the blood pressure value has been completed, the pressure control unit 120 controls the pump drive circuit 22 to stop inflating the cuff 11 (S115), and the process proceeds to step S118.

[0053] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S114 that the calculation of the blood pressure value has not yet been completed, the pressure control unit 120 then determines whether or not an estimated blood pressure value has been received from the smartphone 50 (S116). If it is determined that an estimated blood pressure value has not been received, the process of acquiring the pressure pulse wave and calculating the blood pressure value continues (S112, S113). That is, the pressure control unit 120 continues inflating the cuff 11 so that DBP and SBP can be calculated.

[0054] If it is determined in step S116 that the estimated blood pressure value has been received, the pressure control unit 120 controls the pump drive circuit 22 to stop pressurization (S117), and the process proceeds to step S118. That is, if the blood pressure calculation process by the first blood pressure calculation unit 130 is ongoing when the blood pressure measurement device 10 receives the estimated blood pressure value, the calculation process is stopped.

[0055] In step S118, the CPU 100 displays the measurement results (hereinafter also simply referred to as the measurement results) including either the blood pressure value calculated by the first blood pressure calculation unit 130 or the estimated blood pressure value calculated by the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 on the display 25 of the blood pressure measurement device 10 (S118). Specifically, if the processing of step S118 is performed after step S115, the DBP and SBP calculated by the first blood pressure calculation unit 130 are displayed, and if the processing of step S118 is performed after step S117, the DBP and SBP calculated by the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 are displayed. The CPU 100 further records the measurement results in a predetermined area of ​​the memory 27 of the blood pressure measurement device 10, and ends the series of blood pressure measurement processes.

[0056] (Effects of this Example) While the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 can estimate blood pressure values ​​(DBP, SBP) based on pressure pulse wave data up until the pulse wave envelope reaches its peak, the first blood pressure calculation unit 130 cannot calculate SBP unless the cuff is inflated until the systolic blood pressure and the cuff pressure become equal, and therefore the blood pressure estimate by the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 is usually calculated earlier. That is, according to the flow of the series of processes in the blood pressure measurement system 1 in this embodiment described above, the pressure control unit 120 can stop inflating in step S117 at a stage where the cuff pressure is relatively low before the systolic blood pressure and the cuff pressure become equal.

[0057] The second blood pressure calculation unit 510 is an estimation model based on machine learning, and therefore requires advanced calculations. However, the CPU 500 of the smartphone 50 has sufficient performance as an information processing device, and therefore there is no problem in performing calculations using the estimation model.

[0058] However, since the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 is a functional module of the smartphone 50 separate from the blood pressure measurement device 10, if there is a communication problem or if blood pressure measurement is performed using only the blood pressure measurement device 10, the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 cannot calculate the blood pressure (or it takes longer than expected to send and receive data).

[0059] Even in such a case, the blood pressure measurement device 10 is equipped with the first blood pressure calculation unit 130, and therefore can calculate the blood pressure value by the normal oscillometric method. If the first blood pressure calculation unit 130 calculates the blood pressure value for some reason, the pressure pulse wave data acquired during the calculation and the calculated blood pressure value can be used as re-learning data for the second blood pressure calculation unit 510. Specifically, the pressure pulse wave data (up to the envelope peak) is used as a training sample, and the calculated blood pressure value is used as a correct answer label, and the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 A re-learning of 510 may be performed.

[0060] <Example 2> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. The blood pressure measurement system according to this embodiment has a system configuration substantially similar to that of the first embodiment, and includes a blood pressure measurement device 10 and a smartphone 50, and the hardware configurations of these devices are also similar to those of the first embodiment. For this reason, the drawings will be reused for components common to the first embodiment, such as the hardware configuration of the system, and the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment will be used, and repeated explanations will be omitted.

[0061] As shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. 5 , the smartphone 50 according to the present embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it includes an inflation stop determination unit 520 as a functional module of the CPU 500. The inflation stop determination unit 520 determines whether a stop condition for stopping inflation of the cuff 11 during blood pressure measurement is satisfied. Specifically, it determines whether the amount of pressure pulse wave data required for the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 to calculate the blood pressure value, i.e., the pressure pulse wave data up to the peak of the pulse wave envelope, has been received from the blood pressure measurement device 10. If the inflation stop determination unit 520 further determines that the stop condition is satisfied, it generates an inflation stop signal for the pressure control unit 120 of the blood pressure measurement device 10.

[0062] Next, the flow of the blood pressure measurement process in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the blood pressure measurement process in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the blood pressure measurement process is generally similar to that in Example 1. That is, the blood pressure measurement device 10 and the smartphone 50 cooperate to execute the blood pressure measurement process.

[0063] First, when blood pressure measurement is started in the blood pressure measurement device 10, the pressure control unit 120 starts inflation control to inflate the cuff 11 (step S211). Furthermore, during the inflation control process, the HPF unit 111 of the pressure detection unit 110 acquires a pressure pulse wave (step S212). Then, based on the pressure pulse wave acquired over time, the first blood pressure calculation unit 130 executes a process of calculating a blood pressure value by the oscillometric method (S213).

[0064] Meanwhile, the pressure pulse wave acquired in step S212 is transmitted to the smartphone 50 via the communication IF 28, and the communication IF 53 of the smartphone 50 receives the pressure pulse wave data (S221). Then, the inflation stop determination unit 520 of the smartphone 50 performs a calculation process for the inflation stop condition of the cuff 11 of the blood pressure measurement device 10 based on the received pressure pulse wave data. Specifically, a calculation is performed to find the peak of the pulse wave envelope based on the pressure pulse wave data (S222), and it is determined whether pressure pulse wave data up to the peak of the pulse wave envelope has been acquired (S223).

[0065] If it is determined in step S223 that pressure pulse wave data up to the peak of the pulse wave envelope has not yet been acquired, reception of pressure pulse wave data and calculation to determine the envelope peak are continued (S221, S222).On the other hand, if it is determined in step S223 that pressure pulse wave data up to the peak of the pulse wave envelope has been acquired, the inflation stop determination unit 520 generates a command signal to stop inflation of the cuff 11 and transmits it to the blood pressure measurement device 10 via the communication IF 53 (S224).

[0066] Next, the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 executes a process of calculating an estimated blood pressure value using the acquired pressure pulse wave data as input data (S225), and transmits the calculated blood pressure value to the blood pressure measurement device 10 via the communication IF 53 (S226), and the series of processes on the smartphone 50 side is temporarily terminated.

[0067] Returning to the explanation of the processing of the blood pressure measurement device 10, after calculation of the blood pressure value is started in step S213, the pressure control unit 120 determines whether or not calculation of the blood pressure value has been completed in step S214 (S214). If it is determined that calculation of the blood pressure value has been completed, the pressure control unit 120 controls the pump drive circuit 22 to stop inflating the cuff 11 (S215), and the process proceeds to step S219.

[0068] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S214 that the calculation of the blood pressure value has not yet been completed, the pressure control unit 120 then determines whether or not a cuff inflation stop signal has been received from the smartphone 50 (S216). If it is determined that the stop signal has not been received, the process of acquiring the pressure pulse wave and calculating the blood pressure value continues (S212, S213). That is, the pressure control unit 120 continues inflating the cuff 11 so that DBP and SBP can be calculated.

[0069] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S216 that the stop signal has been received, the pressure control unit 120 controls the pump drive circuit 22 to stop pressurization (S217). That is, if the blood pressure calculation process by the first blood pressure calculation unit 130 is ongoing when the blood pressure measurement device 10 receives the stop signal, the calculation process is stopped.

[0070] Next, the estimated blood pressure value calculated by the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 of the smartphone 50 and transmitted from the communication IF 53 is received by the communication IF 28 (S218), and the process proceeds to step S219.

[0071] In step S219, the CPU 100 displays the measurement results, including either the blood pressure value calculated by the first blood pressure calculation unit 130 or the estimated blood pressure value calculated by the second blood pressure calculation unit 510, on the display 25 of the blood pressure measurement device 10 (S219). Specifically, if the processing of step S219 is performed after step S215, the DBP and SBP calculated by the first blood pressure calculation unit 130 are displayed, and if the processing of step S219 is performed after step S218, the DBP and SBP calculated by the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 are displayed. The CPU 100 further records the measurement results in a predetermined area of ​​the memory 27 of the blood pressure measurement device 10, and ends the series of blood pressure measurement processes.

[0072] As described above, in the present embodiment, when the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 of the smartphone 50 has acquired enough pressure pulse wave data to estimate the blood pressure value, a signal to stop inflation of the cuff 11 in the blood pressure measurement device 10 is transmitted (S225) before the estimation of the blood pressure value is completed, thereby stopping inflation of the cuff 11 (S217). That is, compared to the first embodiment, it is possible to stop inflation of the cuff 11 of the blood pressure measurement device 10 more quickly.

[0073] Even if the inflation of the cuff 11 stops, the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 has already acquired the amount of pressure pulse wave data necessary for blood pressure estimation, so the calculation (estimation) of the blood pressure value is not hindered, and the calculated blood pressure estimate is subsequently transmitted to the blood pressure measurement device 10 (S218, S226), and the blood pressure estimate is displayed on the display 25.

[0074] Example 3 Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. The blood pressure measurement system according to this embodiment has a system configuration substantially similar to that of the first embodiment, and includes a blood pressure measurement device 10 and a smartphone 50, and the hardware configurations of these devices are also similar to those of the first embodiment. For this reason, the drawings will be reused for components common to the first embodiment, such as the hardware configuration of the system, and the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment will be used, and repeated description will be omitted.

[0075] As shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. 7, the blood pressure measurement device 10 according to this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a third blood pressure calculation unit 140 as a functional module of the CPU 100. The third blood pressure calculation unit 140 does not calculate blood pressure by the oscillometric method, but calculates (estimates) the blood pressure value based on the pressure pulse wave acquired while the cuff pressure of the cuff 11 reaches a cuff pressure lower than the cuff pressure corresponding to the systolic blood pressure of the subject. However, the third blood pressure calculation unit 140 does not perform advanced calculations like a machine-learned estimation model.

[0076] Here, the "cuff pressure lower than the cuff pressure corresponding to the systolic blood pressure" can be any cuff pressure, and for example, it may be determined based on DBP. Specifically, the cuff pressure can be determined by the following method, for example.

[0077] As disclosed in Patent Document 2, RAV, WID, and DFN are known as indices obtained based on pressure pulse wave information. These indices are calculated for each beat of the pressure pulse wave, and RAV, WID, and DFN respectively indicate the area, width, and slope of the pulse wave for one beat. Specifically, RAV is the pulse wave area for each beat normalized by amplitude, and is expressed as (pulse wave area / pulse wave amplitude within one beat) × 100. WID is the waveform width, which is the time width from the maximum amplitude until it drops to a threshold, normalized by the pulse wave period, and is expressed as (waveform width / pulse wave period) × 100. DFN is the minimum value of the first derivative of the pressure pulse wave normalized by the pulse wave amplitude, and is expressed as (minimum value from 0 of the first derivative of the pulse wave / pulse wave amplitude of the first derivative of the pulse wave) × 100.

[0078] When the cuff pressure that becomes DBP is Pd, it is expressed as a function of RAV, WID, and DFN, such as Pd=f(RAV, WID, DFN). Here, Pd is expressed as a function of the three indices RAV, WID, and DFN, but it may be expressed as any one or any two of the indices. The form of the function f is not particularly limited, but by calculating these indices for each beat of the pressure pulse wave acquired by the HPF unit 111, it is possible to determine whether the cuff pressure has reached DBP.

[0079] Based on the DBP thus calculated, the third blood pressure calculation unit 140 can calculate a "cuff pressure lower than the cuff pressure corresponding to the systolic blood pressure" for estimating the blood pressure value. When the cuff pressure is P1, the relationship between the cuff pressure and DBP is expressed by a predetermined relational expression, such as P1 = g(Pd). The form of the function g is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, P1 = αPd, where α is a constant.

[0080] As shown in Figure 3, DBP can be detected before the peak in the envelope of the pressure pulse wave, i.e., at a cuff pressure lower than the cuff pressure corresponding to the peak. Furthermore, the peak in the envelope of the pressure pulse wave occurs before SBP, i.e., the cuff pressure corresponding to the peak is lower than the cuff pressure corresponding to SBP. Taking these points into consideration, P1 may be set as the cuff pressure at which the pulse wave envelope peaks.

[0081] Next, the flow of the blood pressure measurement process in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the blood pressure measurement process in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the blood pressure measurement process is generally similar to that in the first embodiment. That is, the blood pressure measurement device 10 and the smartphone 50 cooperate to execute the blood pressure measurement process. In the following, the process executed by the smartphone 50 is similar to that in the first embodiment, and therefore the same reference numerals are used and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0082] First, when blood pressure measurement is started in the blood pressure measurement device 10, the pressure control unit 120 starts inflation control to inflate the cuff 11 (step S311). Furthermore, during the inflation control process, the HPF unit 111 of the pressure detection unit 110 acquires a pressure pulse wave (step S312). Then, based on the pressure pulse wave acquired over time, the third blood pressure calculation unit 140 executes a process to calculate (estimate) a blood pressure value (S313). Note that in this embodiment, the blood pressure value calculated by the third blood pressure calculation unit 140 corresponds to the third blood pressure in the present invention.

[0083] On the other hand, the pressure pulse wave acquired in step S312 is transmitted to the smartphone 50 via the communication IF 28, and the communication IF 53 of the smartphone 50 receives the pressure pulse wave data (S121). The subsequent processing performed in the smartphone 50 is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0084] Returning to the explanation of the processing of the blood pressure measurement device 10, after the blood pressure value estimation processing is started in step S313, the pressure control unit 120 determines whether or not the blood pressure value estimation is completed in step S314 (S314). If it is determined that the blood pressure value estimation is completed, the pressure control unit 120 controls the pump drive circuit 22 to stop inflating the cuff 11 (S315), and the process proceeds to step S318.

[0085] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S314 that the estimation of the blood pressure value has not yet been completed, the pressure control unit 120 then determines whether or not an estimated blood pressure value has been received from the smartphone 50 (S316). If it is determined that an estimated blood pressure value has not been received, the process of acquiring the pressure pulse wave and calculating the blood pressure value continues (S312, S313). That is, the pressure control unit 120 continues inflating the cuff 11 so that DBP and SBP can be calculated.

[0086] If it is determined in step S316 that the estimated blood pressure value has been received, the pressure control unit 120 controls the pump drive circuit 22 to stop pressurization (S317), and proceeds to step S318. That is, if the blood pressure calculation process by the third blood pressure calculation unit 140 is ongoing when the blood pressure measurement device 10 receives the estimated blood pressure value from the smartphone 50, the calculation process is stopped.

[0087] In step S318, the CPU 100 displays the measurement results (hereinafter also simply referred to as the measurement results) including either the blood pressure value calculated by the third blood pressure calculation unit 140 or the estimated blood pressure value calculated by the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 on the display 25 of the blood pressure measurement device 10 (S318). Specifically, if the processing of step S318 is performed after step S315, the DBP and SBP calculated by the third blood pressure calculation unit 140 are displayed, and if the processing of step S318 is performed after step S317, the DBP and SBP calculated by the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 are displayed. The CPU 100 further records the measurement results in a predetermined area of ​​the memory 27 of the blood pressure measurement device 10, and ends the series of blood pressure measurement processes.

[0088] As described above, in the blood pressure measurement process according to this embodiment, the blood pressure measurement device 10 calculates (estimates) the blood pressure value earlier than in the oscillometric method, without inflating the cuff 11 to a cuff pressure equal to the systolic blood pressure. Therefore, it may be possible to calculate the blood pressure earlier than when communicating with the smartphone 50 and obtaining the blood pressure estimation result of the second blood pressure calculation unit 510. In this case, inflation of the cuff 11 is stopped when the blood pressure calculation (estimation) by the third blood pressure calculation unit 140 is completed (S315), so inflation of the cuff 11 can be stopped earlier (at a low compression state).

[0089] Furthermore, the blood pressure measurement device 10 according to this embodiment also includes the first blood pressure calculation unit 130 that calculates blood pressure using the oscillometric method. Therefore, when the blood pressure calculation by the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 and the third blood pressure calculation unit 140 does not go well (when there is doubt about the accuracy of the estimated value) or when calibration is performed, it is also possible to measure blood pressure values ​​with high accuracy using the oscillometric method as appropriate.

[0090] <Other> The above examples are merely illustrative of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The present invention can be modified and combined in various ways within the scope of its technical concept. For example, the configuration of Example 2 can be combined with the invention of Example 3 to produce the configuration of Example 3. Smartphone 50 may be configured to include inflation stop determination unit 520 and to transmit a signal to stop inflation of cuff 11 before second blood pressure calculation unit 510 estimates the blood pressure value.

[0091] In addition, in the above examples, the first blood pressure calculation unit 130 is configured to measure blood pressure by the oscillometric method, but it may also be configured to measure blood pressure by other methods. Specifically, the first blood pressure calculation unit 130 may calculate blood pressure values ​​by, for example, the Korotkoff method (auscultation method), a volume compensation method, or the like.

[0092] Moreover, the first blood pressure calculation unit 130 in the above-described first and second embodiments may be configured similarly to the third blood pressure calculation unit 140 in the third embodiment. That is, the first blood pressure calculation unit 130 that performs blood pressure measurement by the oscillometric method in the third embodiment may be omitted. Moreover, the second blood pressure calculation unit 510 in the above-described first and second embodiments may be configured similarly to the third blood pressure calculation unit 140 in the third embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1. Blood pressure measurement system 10. Blood pressure measuring device 11. Cuff 15. Air tube 28, 53...Communication IF 100, 500...CPU 110 Pressure detection unit 120 Pressure control section 130 First blood pressure calculation unit 140 Third blood pressure calculation unit 50···Smartphone 510 Second blood pressure calculation unit 520 Pressurization stop determination unit

Claims

1. A blood pressure measurement system including a blood pressure measurement device and an information processing device configured to be communicatively connected to the blood pressure measurement device, The blood pressure measuring device is a cuff that is wrapped around the part to be measured; a pressure detection unit that detects a cuff pressure in the cuff; a pressure control unit that controls the cuff pressure; a pulse wave acquiring unit that acquires pulse wave information of the subject from the cuff pressure; a first blood pressure calculation unit that calculates a first blood pressure of the subject based on the pulse wave information; a first communication unit that transmits at least the pulse wave information acquired by the pulse wave acquisition unit to the information processing device while controlling the cuff pressure; a display unit that displays information related to at least the blood pressure of the subject, The information processing device includes: a second blood pressure calculation unit that calculates a second blood pressure of the subject based on the received pulse wave information using a method different from that used by the first blood pressure calculation unit; a second communication unit that transmits the second blood pressure to the blood pressure measurement device, the display unit displays the second blood pressure when the blood pressure measurement device receives the second blood pressure; the pressure control unit performs control to stop inflation of the cuff if inflation of the cuff is being performed when the blood pressure measurement device receives the second blood pressure. Blood pressure measurement system.

2. The information processing device The device further includes a determination means for determining whether a stop condition for stopping the inflation of the cuff is satisfied, When it is determined that the stop condition is satisfied, the second communication unit transmits a cuff stop signal to the blood pressure measurement device, the pressure control unit performs control to stop inflation of the cuff if inflation of the cuff is being performed when the blood pressure measurement device receives the stop signal. The blood pressure measurement system according to claim 1 .

3. the display unit displays the first blood pressure when the first blood pressure is calculated; the pressure control unit performs control to stop pressurizing the cuff if pressurizing the cuff is being performed when the first blood pressure is calculated. The blood pressure measurement system according to claim 1 .

4. the first blood pressure is calculated by an oscillometric method, The second blood pressure is calculated using an estimation model that has undergone machine learning. The blood pressure measurement system according to claim 1 .

5. The blood pressure measuring device is a third blood pressure calculation unit that calculates a third blood pressure of the subject based on the pulse wave information acquired while the cuff is inflated until the cuff pressure reaches a cuff pressure that is lower than the cuff pressure corresponding to the systolic blood pressure of the subject, the display unit displays the third blood pressure when the third blood pressure is calculated; the pressure control unit performs control to stop pressurizing the cuff if the cuff is being pressurized when the third blood pressure is calculated. The blood pressure measurement system according to claim 4 .

6. The estimation model is When the first blood pressure is calculated by the first blood pressure calculation unit, the pulse wave information used in calculating the first blood pressure is used as a training sample, and the value of the first blood pressure is used as a correct label for re-learning. The blood pressure measurement system according to claim 4 .

7. In the blood pressure measuring device, detecting a cuff pressure in a cuff wrapped around the measurement target part; applying pressure to the cuff; Stopping the pressurization; acquiring pulse wave information of the subject from the cuff pressure; executing a process of calculating a first blood pressure of the subject based on the pulse wave information; transmitting the pulse wave information to an information processing device; displaying the measured blood pressure values; In the information processing device, executing a process of calculating a second blood pressure of the subject by a method different from that used to calculate the first blood pressure, based on the received pulse wave information; When the second blood pressure is calculated, transmitting the second blood pressure to the blood pressure measurement device; It contains When the blood pressure measurement device receives the second blood pressure, it displays the second blood pressure as the measured blood pressure value, and if the cuff is being inflated when the second blood pressure is received, it stops the inflating. How to measure blood pressure.

8. In the information processing device, determining whether a stop condition for stopping the pressurization is satisfied; transmitting a signal to stop the pressurization to the blood pressure measurement device when it is determined that the stop condition is satisfied; It further includes If the pressurization is being performed when the blood pressure measurement device receives the stop signal, the pressurization is stopped. The blood pressure measurement method according to claim 7.

9. In the blood pressure measurement device, when the first blood pressure is calculated, the first blood pressure is displayed, and when the pressurization is being performed when the first blood pressure is calculated, the pressurization is stopped. The blood pressure measurement method according to claim 7.

10. the first blood pressure is calculated by an oscillometric method, The second blood pressure is calculated using an estimation model that has undergone machine learning. The blood pressure measurement method according to claim 7.

11. In the blood pressure measuring device, a step of executing a process of calculating a third blood pressure of the subject based on the pulse wave information acquired while the pressurization is being continued until the cuff pressure reaches a value lower than the cuff pressure corresponding to the systolic blood pressure of the subject; It further includes the blood pressure measurement device displays the third blood pressure when the third blood pressure is calculated, and stops the inflation of the cuff when the third blood pressure is calculated and the cuff is being inflated. The blood pressure measurement method according to claim 10.

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