Blood pressure measuring device

Abstract

The present invention provides a blood pressure measuring device that provides blood pressure values ​​measured under the same conditions for the actions of going to bed and getting up. [Solution] The blood pressure monitor 10 includes a blood pressure measuring means (pump 20, exhaust valve 22, pressure sensor 24, calculation unit 26, etc.) that measures the blood pressure of a person by supplying air to a cuff 12 attached to the upper arm of the person being measured and detecting the pressure, an action detection unit 36 ​​that detects the act of going to bed or getting up by detecting the movement of the upper arm, a control unit 34 that controls the blood pressure measuring means to automatically measure the post-act blood pressure value after a predetermined waiting time after detecting the act, a management unit 38 that sets the waiting time, and a storage unit 28 that stores the post-act blood pressure value in association with the waiting time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a blood pressure measuring device, and particularly to a blood pressure measuring device that measures blood pressure values while wearing a cuff on the upper arm and performing activities such as going to bed or waking up.

Background Art

[0002] Blood pressure values are often used to assess a person's health. It is known that blood pressure values constantly fluctuate with human activities, especially significantly before and after going to bed or waking up. Therefore, even if blood pressure values are measured and compared daily, if the conditions are different, such as before and after waking up, the comparison is meaningless and the health status cannot be accurately grasped. Thus, it is recommended to measure blood pressure values under the same conditions at all times and assess the health status based on the comparison of these values. For example, it is recommended to measure blood pressure values daily in a resting state within 30 minutes after waking up and assess the health status based on the comparison of these values. However, it is very difficult for the person being measured to self-manage and measure under the same conditions every day, and it is difficult to continue.

[0003] In contrast, blood pressure monitors proposed in recent years are designed to automatically measure blood pressure before and after going to bed or waking up. Specifically, the scheduled wake-up time is input in advance, and this time is regarded as the wake-up time, and the blood pressure value is measured a certain time before the wake-up time. Also, in Patent Document 1, when blood pressure measurement is performed before going to bed, this time is regarded as the bedtime, and the blood pressure value is measured a certain time after the bedtime (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to such a blood pressure monitor, it is possible to measure blood pressure values without fail before and after going to bed or waking up every day.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, with the aforementioned blood pressure monitors, if the actual time of going to bed or waking up deviates from the scheduled time, the blood pressure readings would be taken under completely different conditions, making them unhelpful for understanding one's health status. For example, if one wakes up earlier than the scheduled time, the blood pressure reading that should have been taken before waking up would actually be the reading taken after waking up. As a result, the readings would end up comparing the blood pressure readings taken before waking up on previous days with the blood pressure readings taken after waking up on the following day. Thus, with conventional blood pressure monitors, the measured blood pressure values ​​were not taken under the same conditions, making it difficult to accurately understand one's health status.

[0006] This invention was made in view of these circumstances, and aims to provide a blood pressure measuring device that can obtain blood pressure values ​​measured under the same conditions for the actions of going to bed and getting up. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first embodiment provides a blood pressure measuring device that, in order to achieve the above objective, comprises: a blood pressure measuring means for measuring the blood pressure of a person by supplying air to a cuff attached to the upper arm of the person to be measured and detecting the pressure; an action detection means for detecting the action of the person to go to bed or get up by detecting the movement of the upper arm; a control means for controlling the blood pressure measuring means to automatically measure the blood pressure value after a predetermined waiting time after the action detection means detects the action; a waiting time setting means for setting the waiting time; and a storage means for storing the blood pressure value after the action in association with the waiting time.

[0008] According to the first embodiment, the act of getting up or going to bed is detected, and blood pressure is automatically measured after a predetermined waiting period following that act, so that blood pressure values ​​measured under the same conditions can be obtained. Therefore, blood pressure values ​​can be accurately compared, and the health status of the person being measured can be accurately judged from the blood pressure values.

[0009] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, the act of going to bed or getting up is detected by the movement of the upper arm to which the cuff is attached, and the act of going to bed or getting up can be correctly determined. Moreover, according to the first embodiment, the act of getting up, etc. is determined by the movement of the upper arm to which the cuff is attached, i.e., the upper arm where blood pressure is measured, so movements that directly affect changes in blood pressure are detected and determined, and the measurement conditions can be correctly set.

[0010] The second embodiment is characterized in that, in the first embodiment, it is equipped with analytical means for performing an analysis based on the waiting time and the blood pressure value after the action. According to the second embodiment, since the analysis is performed based on the waiting time and the blood pressure value after the action (for example, comparing blood pressure values ​​during the same waiting time, or calculating the average blood pressure value for each of the same waiting times to determine the trend), it is possible to make an accurate judgment about the blood pressure value.

[0011] A third embodiment is the first embodiment, wherein the waiting time setting means can set multiple waiting times, and the control means measures the blood pressure value after the action multiple times based on the multiple waiting times. According to the third embodiment, blood pressure values ​​can be stably measured under multiple conditions. A fourth embodiment is characterized in that, in the first embodiment, a main body is fixed to the cuff, and the main body is provided with the blood pressure measuring means, the activity detection means, the control means, the standby time setting means, and the storage means. According to the fourth embodiment, the configuration is simple, with the main body fixed to the cuff, and the person being measured can sleep with the main body attached to their arm. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, blood pressure is automatically measured after a predetermined waiting period following actions such as getting up or going to bed. Therefore, blood pressure values ​​measured under the same conditions can be obtained, and the health status of the person being measured can be accurately determined from the measured blood pressure values. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] Perspective view showing a home blood pressure monitor to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] Block diagram showing the schematic configuration of a home blood pressure monitor to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 3] Flowchart explaining night mode [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] A preferred embodiment of the blood pressure measuring device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a home blood pressure monitor 10 to which the present invention is applied, and Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the blood pressure monitor 10.

[0015] As shown in these figures, the blood pressure monitor 10 mainly consists of a main body 12 and a cuff 14. The main body 12 is cylindrical and fixed to the surface of the cuff 14. The main body 12 is positioned parallel to the upper arm when the cuff 14 is attached to the upper arm of the person being measured.

[0016] The cuff 14 is belt-shaped and can be easily attached to and removed from the upper arm of the person being measured. Inside the cuff 14 is a retractable air bladder 18 (see Figure 2). The air bladder 18 is connected to a pump 20 and an on-off valve 22 inside the main body 12. Air can be supplied from the pump 20 to inflate the air bladder 18, or deflated by releasing air from the on-off valve 22. The air bladder 18 is also connected to a pressure sensor 24 inside the main body 12, and the pressure inside the air bladder 18 is measured by the pressure sensor 24. The pressure sensor 24 is connected to a pressure value calculation unit 26, which calculates blood pressure from the measurement value of the pressure sensor 24.

[0017] The blood pressure monitor 10 in this embodiment is an oscillometric type. It measures the pressure of the air bladder 18 by inflating the air bladder 18 of the cuff 14 to compress the blood vessels in the upper arm, and then deflating the air bladder 18 to release the compression. The pressure sensor 24 measures the pressure of the air bladder 18, and the calculation unit 26 calculates the blood pressure value from the measured value. The pressure value calculation unit 26 is connected to a storage unit 28 and a display unit 30. The calculated pressure value is stored in the storage unit 28 and displayed on the display unit 30.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the display unit 30 is provided on the outer surface of the main body 12 (i.e., the surface opposite to the portion fixed to the cuff 14), and the calculated blood pressure value is displayed on this display unit 30. Also, on the main body 12, an operation button 32 is provided beside the display unit 30. The operation button 32 is a switch for turning on and off the power supply, and is also used as a means for setting the blood pressure measurement mode. In this embodiment, the display unit 32 and the operation button 30 are provided separately, but a touch panel that combines both may also be used. Also, in addition to the operation button 30, a plurality of operation buttons may be provided, and different operation functions may be assigned to these operation buttons.

[0019] Inside the main body 12, a control unit 34 is provided. The control unit 34 is connected to the aforementioned pump 20, on-off valve 22, and pressure sensor 24, and the pump 20 and the on-off valve 22 are controlled by the control unit 34.

[0020] Also, inside the main body 12, a motion detection unit 36 is provided. The motion detection unit 36 is, for example, an acceleration sensor that detects the movement of the main body 12 (the amount of movement in three axial directions), and the movement of the main body 12 is detected by this motion detection unit 36. As described above, the main body 12 is fixed to the cuff 14 and is arranged to be parallel to the upper arm when the cuff 14 is worn on the upper arm. Therefore, by detecting the movement of the main body 12 with the motion detection unit 36 inside the main body 12, the movement of the upper arm can be detected. The motion detection unit 36 is adapted to determine the actions of "waking up" and "going to bed" based on the detected movement of the upper arm. For example, it is determined as "going to bed" when the movement of the upper arm decreases. Also, it is determined as "waking up" when the movement of the upper arm increases. In this embodiment, the motion detection unit 36 is provided inside the main body 12 fixed to the cuff 14, but it is not limited to this, and the motion detection unit 36 may be provided on the cuff 14.

[0021] The motion detection unit 36 ​​is connected to the measurement time management unit 38, which is connected to the control unit 34. The management unit 38 is configured with the "waiting time after going to bed" and "waiting time after waking up," which will be described later. When the motion detection unit 36 ​​detects the act of going to bed or waking up, it sends a control signal to the control unit 34 to start blood pressure measurement after the waiting time for each act. Specifically, when the motion detection unit 36 ​​detects the act of going to bed, it starts blood pressure measurement after the waiting time after going to bed from that act. Similarly, when it detects the act of waking up, it starts blood pressure measurement after the waiting time after waking up from that act. The management unit 38 is connected to the communication unit 40 in the main unit 12, and the "waiting time after going to bed" and "waiting time after waking up" are set via this communication unit 40.

[0022] The communication unit 40 has a function of performing short-range communication with an external communication device 50 such as a smartphone, and is disposed inside the mark 42 in FIG. 1. Therefore, communication with the communication unit 40 is performed by bringing the external communication device 50 close to the mark 42. The blood pressure value data stored in the aforementioned storage unit 28 is transmitted to the external communication device 50 via this communication unit 40, and the blood pressure value is displayed on the display unit of the external communication device 50. Also, if the "waiting time after going to bed" and "waiting time after waking up" are input in the external communication device 50, the data is input to and stored in the management unit 38 via the communication unit 40. Here, the "waiting time after going to bed" is the time from going to bed until starting blood pressure measurement. Usually, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 1 hour 30 minutes, etc. are set as defaults, and one can be selected and set from them. On the other hand, the "waiting time after waking up" is the time from waking up until starting blood pressure measurement. Similar to the "waiting time after going to bed", 30 minutes, 1 hour, 1 hour 30 minutes, etc. are set as defaults, and one can be selected and set from them. In this embodiment, an example of separately setting the "waiting time after going to bed" and the "waiting time after waking up" is described, but it is not limited to this, and they may be set together at the same time. Also, in this embodiment, the "waiting time after going to bed" and the "waiting time after waking up" are each one example, but a plurality of times may be set. For example, measurement may be performed three times at 30-minute intervals after going to bed. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the "waiting time after going to bed" and the "waiting time after waking up" are set via the external communication device 50, but an operation unit may be provided on the main body 12 and set with that operation unit.

[0023] In the blood pressure monitor 10 configured as described above, the blood pressure measurement mode is selected by long-pressing the operation button 32. In this embodiment, two modes are selectable: "normal mode" for normal blood pressure measurement and "night mode" for measuring blood pressure when going to bed or waking up. In "normal mode," blood pressure measurement is started by pressing the operation button 32, and when the measurement is finished, the blood pressure value is displayed on the display unit 30. At that time, by bringing the external communication device 50 close to the mark 42, the blood pressure value data is transmitted to the external communication device 50 via the communication unit 40, the blood pressure value is displayed on the external communication device 50, and the data is stored. On the other hand, in "night mode," when the operation button 32 is pressed, the device first enters a bedtime standby state. Then, when the motion detection unit 36 ​​detects the act of going to bed, blood pressure measurement is started after the bedtime standby period. When the post-bedtime blood pressure value is measured in this way, the data is stored in the storage unit 28 in association with the post-bedtime standby period, and the device returns to the standby state. Subsequently, when the motion detection unit 36 ​​detects the act of getting up, blood pressure measurement begins after a waiting period following waking. Once the blood pressure value after waking is measured, the data is stored in the memory unit 28 in association with the waiting period after waking. Then, by bringing the external communication device 50 close to the mark 42, the data of the blood pressure value after going to bed, the blood pressure value after waking up, the waiting period after going to bed, and the waiting period after waking up are transmitted to the external communication device 50 via the communication unit 40 and stored in the external communication device 50.

[0024] Figure 3 shows the detailed flow of "night mode". When the operation button 32 is pressed to set the device to night mode (step S1), it first enters a standby state until the act of going to bed is detected (step S2). Then, when the motion detection unit 36 ​​detects the act of "going to bed" (step S3), the measurement time management unit 38 determines whether the post-bedtime waiting period has elapsed (step S4), and after the period has elapsed, it measures the "post-bedtime blood pressure value" (step S5). In other words, after detecting the act of "going to bed," it waits for the "post-bedtime waiting period" from the act of "going to bed" before starting blood pressure measurement. The "post-bedtime blood pressure value" obtained in this way is stored in the memory unit 28 in association with the "post-bedtime waiting period." Note that the cuff temporarily inflates during measurement, but deflates when the measurement is complete, so the subject can go to sleep without feeling uncomfortable.

[0025] After measuring the "post-bedtime blood pressure," the system returns to a standby state (step S6). This state is the waiting period until the act of getting up is detected. When the motion detection unit 36 ​​detects the act of "getting up" (step S7), the measurement time management unit 38 determines whether the post-getting-up standby time has elapsed (step S8), and after the time has elapsed, it measures the "post-getting-up blood pressure" (step S9). In other words, after detecting the act of "getting up," the system waits for the "post-getting-up standby time" from the act of "getting up" before starting blood pressure measurement. The "post-getting-up blood pressure" obtained in this way is stored in the storage unit 28, associated with the "post-getting-up standby time."

[0026] The data stored in the memory unit 28 is transmitted to the external communication device 50 via the communication unit 40 by bringing the external communication device 50 close to the mark 42 on the main unit 12 (step S10). This completes the end of the night mode. In the example described above, blood pressure values ​​after going to bed and after waking up were measured once each, but they may be measured multiple times. In that case, multiple waiting times after going to bed and waiting times after waking up are set in the control unit 38, and steps S4-S5 and S8-9 in Figure 3 are repeated. This will provide multiple blood pressure values ​​after going to bed and after waking up.

[0027] In this embodiment, the blood pressure monitor 10 actually detects the act of going to bed using the motion detection unit 36 ​​and measures the blood pressure value a certain period of time after that act. The blood pressure value after going to bed is then stored in the memory unit 28 in association with the waiting time after going to bed and transmitted to the external communication device 50. Therefore, the blood pressure value can be measured under the same conditions (=waiting time) for the act of going to bed, and the data of the blood pressure value and waiting time is stored in the external communication device 50.

[0028] Similarly, the blood pressure monitor 10 in this embodiment actually detects the act of getting up using the motion detection unit 36 ​​and measures the blood pressure value a certain period of time after that act. The blood pressure value after getting up is then stored in the memory unit 28 in association with the waiting time after getting up and transmitted to the external communication device 50. Therefore, the blood pressure value can be measured under the same conditions (=waiting time) for the act of getting up, and the data of the blood pressure value and waiting time is stored in the external communication device.

[0029] The external communication device 50 can display blood pressure values ​​graphed for each waiting period by downloading a dedicated app (program). For example, it can extract and graph only the blood pressure values ​​for a 30-minute waiting period after waking up. This allows for comparison of blood pressure values ​​30 minutes after waking up. By comparing blood pressure values ​​measured under the same conditions in this way, it is possible to accurately understand one's health status and detect, for example, an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

[0030] As described above, this embodiment detects the act of going to bed and getting up, and measures blood pressure values ​​after a certain period of time based on the detection results. This allows for comparison of blood pressure values ​​correctly measured under the same conditions, which can be useful in determining one's health status.

[0031] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, waking up and going to bed are determined by detecting the movement of the upper arm using a motion detection unit 36 ​​located within the main body 12, which is fixed to a cuff 14 worn on the upper arm. By making the determination based on the movement of the upper arm, which is close to the torso, it is possible to detect the act of waking up and going to bed more accurately than when the determination is made using other parts of the body such as the arm.

[0032] In the embodiment described above, the external communication device 50 was used to set the waiting time after going to bed and the waiting time after waking up, and to analyze (graph) the accumulated data. However, the functions of the external communication device 50 may also be provided in the main unit 12, and these functions may be performed by the main unit 12.

[0033] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the selection and execution of the blood pressure measurement mode were performed using the operation button 32, but this may also be done by operating the external communication device 50.

[0034] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the communication function of the communication unit 40 was explained assuming short-range communication such as FeliCa®, but wireless communication such as BLUETOOTH® may also be applied. In that case, even if the external communication device 50 does not need to be brought close to the mark 42, communication can be performed automatically as long as it is within a predetermined range from the main unit 12, and for example, the selection and execution of the blood pressure measurement mode can be operated from the external communication device 50. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 10...Blood pressure monitor, 12...Main unit, 14...Cuff, 18...Air bag, 20...Pump, 22...Exhaust valve, 24...Sensor, 26...Calculation unit, 28...Storage unit, 30...Display unit, 32...Operation buttons, 34...Control unit, 36...Motion detection unit, 38...Management unit, 40...Communication unit, 42...Mark, 50...External communication device

Claims

1. A blood pressure measuring means for measuring the blood pressure of a person by supplying air to a cuff attached to the upper arm of the person being measured and detecting the pressure, An action detection means for detecting the act of the person being measured getting into bed or getting up by detecting the movement of the upper arm, Control means for controlling the blood pressure measurement means to automatically measure the blood pressure value after the action after the action detection means detects the action and a predetermined waiting period of time; A waiting time setting means for setting the aforementioned waiting time, A blood pressure measuring device characterized by comprising a storage means for storing the blood pressure value after the aforementioned action in relation to the aforementioned waiting time.

2. The blood pressure measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is equipped with an analytical means for performing an analysis based on the waiting time and the blood pressure value after the action.

3. The blood pressure measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the waiting time setting means can set a plurality of waiting times, and the control means measures the blood pressure value after the action a plurality of times based on the plurality of waiting times.

4. The blood pressure measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a main body is fixed to the cuff, and the main body is provided with the blood pressure measuring means, the action detection means, the control means, the standby time setting means, and the storage means.

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