Sphygmomanometer arm band

Abstract

To provide an arm band for a blood-pressure meter, the arm band that stably implements a folding / winding shape with a compact size at the storage while preventing damage of a cover fabric.SOLUTION: An arm band 10 for a blood-pressure meter includes a cover 11, a core 20, a first hook-and-loop fastener 17, and a second hook-and-loop fastener 18. The core 20 has a core body part 21 for surrounding a subject A in the winding direction P, and a core extension guide part 22 opened in the direction of going away from one end 21b of the winding direction P in the core body part 21 to the core body part 21. The cover 11 has a folding part 31 where a tip vicinity of the core extension guide part 22 is formed in an area crossing in the width direction Dw, and a third hook-and-loop fastener 32 provided covering a cover inner surface of an area being near to the core body part 21 from the folding part 31. The folding part 31 is arranged in a position being sandwiched between the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 and the third hook-and-loop fastener 32, in which the bending stiffness is set lower than the bending stiffness of both side areas.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cuff for a blood pressure monitor. [Background technology]

[0002] Some blood pressure monitors are equipped with a blood pressure monitor arm band (also called a blood pressure monitor cuff) that is wrapped around the subject's arm, wrist, finger, etc. when measuring blood pressure. The blood pressure monitor arm band is worn by the subject so that the inflation of the contained air bag appropriately compresses the subject.

[0003] The blood pressure monitor includes a main body and a cuff having an elastic core. A cuff is known that has a first hook-and-loop fastener provided on the other end side of the main body in the longitudinal direction, and a second hook-and-loop fastener provided on the main body and detachable from the first hook-and-loop fastener (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This document describes that this blood pressure monitor can be easily attached to the arm or wrist in a predetermined desired orientation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6718000 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, the cuff having the core in the blood pressure monitor may be stored in a storage case or the like while the cuff is attached to the main body, or while the cuff is detachable from the main body. When storing the cuff in this manner, if the storage section of the storage case is narrow, it is necessary to make the cuff as compact as possible in its wrapped shape. In a typical cuff, the shape of the cuff is made by a cover fabric in which the outer and inner linings are sewn around the outer periphery. In cases where the storage section of the cuff is narrow, there is a demand for a folded wrapped shape in which the cuff is partially folded at an acute angle at a desired position of the cover during storage according to the shape of the storage section, thereby making the stored shape compact.

[0006] However, because the inner surface of the wrap-around cover is provided with a first hook-and-loop fastener made of a thick strip-shaped female material, even if the cover is bent at an acute angle from a desired position, it bulges out in an arc. This makes it impossible to meet the demand for bending the cover at an acute angle at a desired position. As a result, when the cover is folded and wrapped around the cover, it becomes large in size, compromising compactness, and the folded and wrapped shape is unstable due to variations in the bulging position and amount.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a cuff for a blood pressure monitor that can be folded and wrapped stably to a compact size when stored while preventing damage to the cover fabric. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The blood pressure monitor arm band of the present invention includes a band-shaped cover that is wrapped around a subject and whose wrapping direction is longer than the width direction, a core that is housed in the cover, has elasticity, and is curved in the wrapping direction, a first hook-and-loop fastener that is provided on the inner surface of the cover other than the core-housing range, and a second hook-and-loop fastener that is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the cover within the core-housing range and to which the first hook-and-loop fastener can be attached and detached. The core has a core body that surrounds the subject in the wrapping direction, and a mounting guide that opens from one end of the core body in the wrapping direction in a direction away from the core body. The cover has a bent portion formed in a region that crosses the vicinity of the tip of the mounting guide in the width direction, and a cover fabric protection member that is provided to cover the inner surface of the cover in a region closer to the core body than the bent portion. The bent portion is located between the first hook-and-loop fastener and the cover fabric protection member, and has a bending rigidity that is set lower than the bending rigidity of both side regions. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the blood pressure monitor arm band of the present invention, damage to the cover fabric can be prevented, and a folded and wrapped shape with a compact size can be stably achieved when stored. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which measurement is performed using the blood pressure monitor arm cuff of the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration obtained along line II shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a blood pressure monitor arm band according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an inner view of a cover of the blood pressure monitor cuff of the first embodiment, showing the configuration of the cover. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a cover showing a main configuration of the arm band for a blood pressure monitor of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cover taken along line II-II in FIG. 5, illustrating the configuration of the bent portion. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a core showing a configuration of a core of the arm band for a blood pressure monitor of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a core end view showing the configuration of the core as viewed in the width direction. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the core is brought closer to the arm. [Figure 10] 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the core extension guide portion is applied to the arm. FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is an end view showing the core in the same scene as in FIG. 10 as seen from the width direction. [Figure 12] 12 is an end view showing a state in which the right side (other end side) of the core (its core body) is being held and the core is being opened from the scene in FIG. 11. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 12 is an end view showing the state in which the core is pressed against the arm from the scene in FIG. 11. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is an end view showing the core being fitted onto the arm. [Figure 15] 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the core is brought closer to the arm while being tilted relative to the arm; FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 4 is an inner view of a cover of a blood pressure monitor cuff of a comparative example; [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a folded and wrapped shape when the blood pressure monitor arm band is stored in the comparative example. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a folded and wrapped shape when the blood pressure monitor arm band is stored in the first embodiment. [Figure 19] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the arm band for a blood pressure monitor of the first embodiment is stored in an arm band storage section provided on a blood pressure monitor main body. FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of a cover showing a main configuration of the arm band for a blood pressure monitor of the second embodiment. [Figure 21] 21 is a cross-sectional view of the cover taken along line III-III in FIG. 20, illustrating the configuration of the bent portion. [Figure 22] FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of a cover showing a main configuration of the arm band for a blood pressure monitor of the third embodiment. [Figure 23]23 is a cross-sectional view of the cover showing the configuration of the bent portion taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 22. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a blood pressure monitor arm band according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Examples 1, 2, and 3 shown in the drawings. EXAMPLES

[0012] Hereinafter, a blood pressure monitor arm band 10 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 19. The blood pressure monitor arm band 10 of the first embodiment is applied to an upper arm electronic blood pressure monitor (one example of a blood pressure monitor) that is worn and wrapped around the upper arm of a subject (hereinafter simply referred to as "arm A") to measure blood pressure (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure) and heart rate. In the following description, the direction in which the arm is wrapped around the arm A is referred to as a wrapping direction P, and the direction perpendicular to the wrapping direction P (the direction along the arm A in the wrapped state) is referred to as a width direction Dw. In addition, the vertical direction when the arm A is in a position where it is appropriately attached to the arm A in a state where the palm of the arm A to be wrapped around is facing upward (vertically upward), is referred to as a vertical direction Dv, and the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction Dv and the width direction Dw is referred to as a left-right direction Dh.

[0013] First, a schematic configuration of an upper arm type electronic blood pressure monitor to which a blood pressure monitor arm band 10 of the first embodiment is applied will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. The upper arm type electronic blood pressure monitor includes a blood pressure monitor arm band 10 and a blood pressure monitor main body 50.

[0014] The blood pressure monitor arm band 10 is called an upper arm hard cuff, and is wrapped around the arm A of a subject as shown in FIG. 1, and is configured by housing an air bag 12 and a core 20 inside a cover 11 as shown in FIG. 2.

[0015] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, cover 11 has a long strip shape with wrapping direction P relative to width direction Dw, and has front cloth 13 and back cloth 14 (see Fig. 2). Front cloth 13 is arranged on the outer periphery side when wrapped around arm A, and back cloth 14 is arranged on the inner periphery side when wrapped around arm A. Front cloth 13 and back cloth 14 are made of flexible materials such as cloth or resin, and are sewn together around the entire periphery by peripheral fabric 30. As a result, cover 11 has storage space 15 between front cloth 13 and back cloth 14 for storing air bag 12 and core 20.

[0016] The cover 11 has a partition cloth 16 provided in the storage space 15. The partition cloth 16 divides the storage space 15 into an outer side, i.e., the outer cloth 13 side, and an inner side, i.e., the lining cloth 14 side, and is disposed parallel to the outer cloth 13 and the lining cloth 14 and sewn together. Therefore, the storage space 15 is divided into an outer storage space 15a located between the outer cloth 13 and the partition cloth 16, and an inner storage space 15b located between the lining cloth 14 and the partition cloth 16. Of the storage space 15, the outer storage space 15a contains the core 20, and the inner storage space 15b contains the air bag 12.

[0017] Air bag 12 is made of, for example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and has a rectangular bag shape with a two-layer structure in which two bags are stacked, as shown in Fig. 2. Air bag 12 is connected to air tube 19 (see Figs. 1, 3, etc.), and is inflated when air is supplied to the inside of air bag 12 from blood pressure monitor main body 50 through air tube 19. Air bag 12 is deflated when air inside the air bag is discharged to blood pressure monitor main body 50 through air tube 19.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, blood pressure monitor main body 50 includes a main body case 51 and an arm band storage case 52, and is connected to blood pressure monitor arm band 10 by an air tube 19.

[0019] The front of the main body case 51 is provided with a display unit 51a such as a liquid crystal panel that displays blood pressure measurements (maximum and minimum values) and pulse rate, and an operation switch unit 51b that is located below the display unit 51a and allows various commands to be input. An air tube connection unit 51c for connecting the air tube 19 is located on the side of the case. Although not shown, the main body case 51 has various built-in devices such as a pump that supplies air, a pressure sensor that detects the pressure of the air bag 12, a control unit that controls the pump operation and calculates blood pressure values ​​and the like from the detected pressure values, and a memory unit that stores necessary data.

[0020] Arm band storage case 52 is attached to the lower back surface of main case 51, and stores blood pressure monitor arm band 10 in a folded, wrapped shape (see FIG. 19). In addition to storing the arm band, arm band storage case 52 also functions as a stand that keeps main case 51 in an inclined placement position at a predetermined angle when placed on a plate surface.

[0021] Next, the configuration of cover 11, excluding air bag 12 and core 20, in blood pressure monitor arm cuff 10 of Example 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 6. As shown in Fig. 3, cover 11 includes first hook-and-loop fastener 17, second hook-and-loop fastener 18, peripheral edge fabric 30, folded portion 31, and third hook-and-loop fastener 32 (an example of a cover fabric protection member).

[0022] 3 and 4, the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 is provided over a wide range from the folded portion 31 to the cover end region on the inner surface of the cover 11 (the surface on the lining cloth 14 side) other than the core housing area. The first hook-and-loop fastener 17 is a female hook-and-loop fastener, and has densely packed loop-shaped naps formed over the entire surface.

[0023] 3 and 4, the second hook-and-loop fastener 18 is provided in a partial area of ​​the outer circumferential surface of the cover 11 in the core housing range (the surface on the outer cloth 13 side), and allows the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 to be attached and detached. The second hook-and-loop fastener 18 is a male hook-and-loop fastener, and has hook-shaped naps formed on the entire surface.

[0024] 3 to 6, the bent portion 31 is formed in a rectangular region that crosses in the width direction near the tip portion of a core extension guide portion 22 (an example of a mounting guide portion) of the core 20 described later, and has a long side in the width direction Dw and a short side in the winding direction P. The bent portion 31 is disposed at a position sandwiched between the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 and the third hook-and-loop fastener 32, and the bending rigidity of the bent portion 31 is set lower than the bending rigidity of the regions on both sides, that is, the region of the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 and the region of the third hook-and-loop fastener 32.

[0025] The third hook-and-loop fastener 32 is provided to cover the inner surface of the cover in an area closer to the core body 21 than the bent portion 31. The third hook-and-loop fastener 32 is a female hook-and-loop fastener that is detachable from the second hook-and-loop fastener 18, and thus has a bonding force securing function for securing the bonding force when the subject's arm A is thin in addition to the function of protecting the cover fabric.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 4, the cover 11 has a first cover fabric 33, a second cover fabric 34, a third cover fabric 35, and a peripheral fabric 30. The first cover fabric 33 is a fabric in which a first hook-and-loop fastener 17 is sewn to a single outer fabric 13 according to the overall shape of the cover. The second cover fabric 34 is a fabric in which a lining fabric 14 is sewn to a single outer fabric 13 in an area excluding the air bag 12 and the core 20. The third cover fabric 35 is a fabric in which a lining fabric 14 and a third hook-and-loop fastener 32 are sewn to a single outer fabric 13. The peripheral fabric 30 is a fabric that is sewn around the entire periphery of the cover. The peripheral fabric 30 is provided with a mark 36 for identifying the position of the air tube 19.

[0027] Here, in the process of manufacturing only the cover 11, the lining 14 and the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 are made to have a partial overlap at the center position in the winding direction P. Then, in the process of inserting the air bag 12 and the core 20, the air bag 12 and the core 20 are inserted from the pocket-like opening end of the lining 14 whose outer periphery on three sides is closed by the peripheral fabric 30, and then the overlapping portion is sewn to position the air bag 12 and the core 20.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 5, the folding portion 31 is disposed between a first cover fabric 33 having a first hook-and-loop fastener 17 and a third cover fabric 35 having a third hook-and-loop fastener 32. As shown in Fig. 6, the folding portion 31 is set by a second cover fabric 34 in which the front cloth 13 and the back cloth 14 are sewn together by a peripheral fabric 30. That is, the folding portion 31 is made of a fabric in which the front cloth 13 and the back cloth 14 are merely sewn together by the peripheral fabric 30, without disposing the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 or the third hook-and-loop fastener 32, which have thickness. This allows the bending rigidity of the folding portion 31 to be set lower than the bending rigidity of the both side regions, ensuring the bending property of bending at an acute angle.

[0029] Next, the configuration of core 20 in blood pressure monitor arm band 10 of Example 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. Core 20 is formed of an elastic plate material made of, for example, polypropylene (PP), and has core main body portion 21 and core extension guide portion 22.

[0030] Core body 21 is a portion that is fitted around arm A so as to be wound by its own elasticity in order to facilitate wrapping of blood pressure monitor arm cuff 10 around arm A. Core body 21 is in the form of a substantially rectangular thin plate, and is curved into a substantially cylindrical shape. Even if a load is applied to core body 21 such that the substantially cylindrical shape opens into a flat plate shape, core body 21 will return to its original substantially cylindrical shape when the load is removed. The curvature of core body 21 is set from the viewpoint of assisting wrapping around arm A of the subject.

[0031] The core body 21 has cutouts 23 provided at four corners 21a. The four corners 21a are located at the corners of the substantially rectangular core body 21, and are two ends in the width direction Dw at two edges (hereinafter, one of them is referred to as one end 21b and the other as the other end 21c) located in the winding direction P. The cutouts 23 are of equal size, and the corresponding corners 21a are cut out in an L-shape by two sides that are substantially parallel to the contour line of the core body 21.

[0032] Each of the cutout portions 23 has rounded corners formed during cutting. In detail, each of the cutout portions 23 has two convex corners 23a and one concave corner 23b due to the cutout shape as described above, and each of the corners (23a, 23b) is rounded.

[0033] By providing the four cutouts 23, the core body 21 has a wide portion 24 having a relatively large dimension in the width direction Dw at its center in the winding direction P, and narrow portions 25 having a relatively small dimension in the width direction Dw near both end edges (one end 21b, the other end 21c) in the winding direction P. These two narrow portions 25 are located at the center in the width direction Dw and protrude from the wide portion 24 in the winding direction P.

[0034] Core body 21 also has air hole 26. Air hole 26 is for supplying air to air bag 12 and discharging air from air bag 12, and penetrates core body 21. Air hole 26 is provided at upper end position 21U of core body 21. Upper end position 21U is a position that faces the upper end of arm A in the wrapping direction P when the palm of arm A to be wrapped faces upward (vertically upward). Therefore, air bag 12 inflates toward both sides in wrapping direction P, centered between the upper end of arm A and upper end position 21U, and inflates efficiently while appropriately compressing arm A from the viewpoint of measuring blood pressure.

[0035] Furthermore, the core body 21 has a return portion 27 at the other end 21c. The return portion 27 is formed by folding back from the other end 21c to the outside, and is provided over the entire area of ​​the other end 21c in the width direction Dw. As shown in Fig. 8, the return portion 27 forms an inclined surface 27a inclined so as to face radially outward from the curvature center C, which is the center of curvature of the core body 21. This inclined surface 27a generates a component force in a direction that opens both end edges (one end 21b, the other end 21c) of the core body 21 when the core body 21 is applied to the arm A (see Fig. 13).

[0036] The core extension guide portion 22 is a portion that guides the position and moving direction of the core body portion 21 relative to the arm A in order to facilitate fitting the core body portion 21 to the arm A. The core extension guide portion 22 is a substantially rectangular thin plate-like plate that is flat along a substantially flat surface. The core extension guide portion 22 extends from the center position of the narrow portion 25 in the width direction Dw, and has a smaller dimension in the width direction Dw than the narrow portion 25 of the core body portion 21. For this reason, even if the core extension guide portion 22 is formed integrally with the core body portion 21 from the same material, the core extension guide portion 22 has a weaker elastic force than the core body portion 21, i.e., is more flexible than the core body portion 21.

[0037] The core extension guide part 22 protrudes from one end 21b of the core body part 21 along a tangent direction Dt of the core body part 21. The tangent direction Dt is along a tangent to a circle centered on the center C of curvature at the base (one end 21b of the narrow width part 25) of the core extension guide part 22 on a plane (see FIG. 8) perpendicular to the center C of curvature. As a result, the core extension guide part 22 extends from the one end 21b of the core body part 21 so as to gradually increase the distance between the core body part 21 and the core extension guide part 22, i.e., in a direction away from the core body part 21.

[0038] The two corners of the tip 22a, which is the protruding end, of the core extension guide portion 22 are rounded. In detail, the tip 22a has two convex corners because the core extension guide portion 22 is substantially rectangular, but the corners are rounded to form a substantially semicircular shape.

[0039] The core extension guide portion 22 extends outward beyond the end of the core body portion 21 as viewed in the tangential direction Dt on a plane perpendicular to the curvature center C. In detail, the core extension guide portion 22 has the tip 22a positioned lower than the lower end position 21D at least in the tangential direction Dt when the upper end position 21U is positioned upward. The lower end position 21D is a position facing the upper end position 21U through the curvature center C of the core body portion 21 as viewed on a plane perpendicular to the curvature center C. For this reason, the straight line connecting the upper end position 21U, the curvature center C, and the lower end position 21D is parallel to the vertical direction Dv, and if a plane perpendicular to the straight line and including the lower end position 21D is defined as a lower end reference plane Pr, the core extension guide portion 22 is considered to intersect with the lower end reference plane Pr, and the tip 22a is positioned lower than the lower end reference plane Pr. Therefore, the lower end position 21D is the end of the core body 21 in the tangent direction Dt at the one end 21b.

[0040] Core extension guide portion 22 extends to a position where it intersects with tilt limit line SL (see FIG. 15). This tilt limit line SL is a line indicating the limit at which core main body portion 21 can be tilted with respect to arm A when blood pressure monitor arm cuff 10 is wrapped around arm A by providing cutout portion 23 in core main body portion 21. When core main body portion 21 is viewed in left-right direction Dh, tilt limit line SL connects two convex corner portions 23a at cutout portion 23. When core extension guide portion 22 is viewed in left-right direction Dh, it is arranged to intersect with tilt limit line SL, and tip end 22a is positioned below tilt limit line SL beyond tilt limit line SL.

[0041] Next, the wrapping operation of blood pressure monitor cuff 10 during blood pressure measurement will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0042] When wrapping the blood pressure monitor arm band 10 around the arm A, both ends (one end 21b and the other end 21c of the core 20) of the blood pressure monitor arm band 10 rolled up by the core 20 in the wrapping direction P are opened, and the rolled core main body 21 of the blood pressure monitor arm band 10 is attached to the arm A. Then, with the core main body 21 attached to the arm A, the remaining part of the blood pressure monitor arm band 10 is wrapped around the arm A, and the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 is attached to the second hook-and-loop fastener 18 of the rolled part, thereby maintaining the blood pressure monitor arm band 10 wrapped around the arm A. Thereafter, air is supplied to the blood pressure monitor arm band 10 through the air tube 19, and when the air bag 12 is inflated, the air bag 12 is pressed from the outside, so that the compression of the arm A due to the inflation is appropriate.

[0043] Next, the action of core 20 in guiding the wearing of blood pressure monitor arm band 10 on arm A will be described with reference to Figs. 9 to 15. In Figs. 9 to 15, in order to facilitate understanding of the action of core 20 on arm A within cover 11, cover 11, which is a member other than core 20 in blood pressure monitor arm band 10, is omitted and only core 20 and arm A are shown.

[0044] When putting the blood pressure monitor arm band 10 on the arm A, the core 20 is brought close to the arm A so as to push the arm A between both ends (one end 21b, the other end 21c) of the core main body 21, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 9. At this time, the core 20 protrudes downward from one end 21b of the core main body 21 and is provided with a core extension guide portion 22 extending to the outside of the core main body 21. Therefore, when the core extension guide portion 22 is brought close to a position where it contacts the arm A, the core extension guide portion 22 is applied to the arm A, and the one end 21b and the other end 21c, which are the breaks in the core main body 21, can be brought close to the arm A, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11.

[0045] Thereafter, with the core extension guide part 22 still facing the arm A, the right side (the other end 21c side) of the core body part 21 is held and pulled to the right in Fig. 11. At this time, since the core extension guide part 22 of the core 20 is facing the arm A and prevented from moving, the other end 21c moves in a direction opening relative to the one end 21b as shown in Fig. 12, and the core body part 21 opens and deforms. Thus, the core extension guide part 22 exhibits a positioning guiding action of positioning the arm A between the one end 21b and the other end 21c, which are the gaps in the curved core body part 21.

[0046] Then, the core body 21 is moved in the opening direction until the one end 21b and the other end 21c are separated by more than a predetermined distance, and then the core body 21 is moved in a direction approaching the arm A (downward when viewed from the front in FIG. 13). At this time, the one end 21b side of the core body 21 is prevented from moving relative to the arm A by the core extension guide 22, so that, as shown in FIG. 13, a component force is applied to the other end 21c side by the inclined surface 27a of the return portion 27 of the other end 21c in a state where the inclined surface 27a of the return portion 27 of the other end 21c is in contact with the arm A. Due to the application of this component force, the other end 21c of the core body 21 moves along the outer periphery of the arm A while the intervals between both ends are pushed apart so as to move away from the one end 21b. Therefore, the core extension guide 22 exhibits a movement guide action that moves in a direction that assists in pushing apart the space between the one end 21b and the other end 21c when the core body 21 is attached to the arm A.

[0047] Thereafter, by moving the core body part 21 further downward and approaching the arm A, the arm A is guided inside the core body part 21, and the core body part 21 can be attached so as to surround the arm A, as shown in Fig. 14. As a result, the core 20 is attached to the arm A with the upper end position 21U positioned upward. Therefore, if the arm A to be wrapped around is in a state in which the palm faces upward (vertically upward), the upper end position 21U of the core 20 can be positioned near the artery of the arm A.

[0048] Blood pressure monitor arm cuff 10 has air hole 26 at upper end position 21U, and air tube 19 passed through air hole 26 is attached to the center of air bag 12 in winding direction P, so that the center can be located near the artery of arm A. Therefore, blood pressure monitor arm cuff 10 can compress the artery at the center of air bag 12 in winding direction P, and there is no directionality in the direction of compression (strength of compression) of the artery, making it possible to suppress the influence of variations in the directionality of compression of the artery for each measurement. As a result, blood pressure monitor arm cuff 10 can be wrapped around arm A in a position that allows arm A to be appropriately compressed from the perspective of measuring blood pressure.

[0049] In addition, the core 20 has a notch 23 at each end (one end 21b, the other end 21c) in the winding direction P of the core body 21. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, the core body 21 does not contact the arm A and the inclination of the core 20 is permitted up to the inclination limit line SL where the two convex corners 23a, 23a of the notch 23 of the core 20 contact the arm A. Therefore, even if the core 20 is inclined with respect to the arm A from a state in which the lower end edge 25a of the core 20 is in contact with the arm A, as long as the inclination angle of the core 20 is an angle equal to or less than the inclination limit, the core extension guide 22 provides a position guide action and a movement guide action, and the core 20 can be easily attached to the arm A. Note that the core 20 can be easily attached to the arm A in the same manner even if the inclination direction of the core 20 is opposite to that of FIG. 15.

[0050] Next, the arm band storing operation in which blood pressure monitor arm band 10 is removed from arm A and folded and wrapped around to store will be described with reference to Figs. 16 to 19.

[0051] Since the cuff having the core in the blood pressure monitor needs to be as compact as possible when stored, the shape of the cuff is made of a cover fabric with the outer and inner fabrics sewn around their outer peripheries. As a specific example, as shown in Fig. 16, there is a first cover fabric with a first hook-and-loop fastener sewn to one piece of outer fabric, a second cover fabric with an inner fabric sewn to one piece of outer fabric, and an outer peripheral fabric that encloses and sews the entire periphery of the cover.

[0052] On the other hand, the core, which is the core material, has a cylindrical core body and a mounting guide part that opens in a direction away from the core body, and the mounting guide part guides the cuff when it is mounted on the upper arm, wrist, etc. Figure 16 shows the core unfolded along with the cover.

[0053] Therefore, when storing a cuff having a core, the cover is folded from the vicinity of the tip of the core's attachment guide, which is the portion that avoids the attachment guide, and the remaining cover is wrapped around the open shape of the cylindrical core body and the attachment guide. However, the vicinity of the tip of the core's attachment guide is made of a strip-shaped female hook-and-loop fastener with a thick fabric, and has bending rigidity that makes it difficult to bend and deform. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 17, even if you try to fold the tip of the core's attachment guide at an acute angle, the inner side of the cover at the folded portion will sag inward and bulge in an arc (arc-shaped bulging portion). If it bulges in an arc, the bending radius of the folded portion will increase, and the folded and wrapped shape of the cover will become large, and the folded and wrapped shape will be unstable due to variations in the bulging position and amount. As a result, it becomes difficult to store the cuff in the case.

[0054] On the other hand, in order to prevent the core from expanding in an arc shape, it is conceivable to remove the thick female hook-and-loop fastener from near the tip of the core's mounting guide. However, removing the female hook-and-loop fastener exposes the cover fabric near the tip of the core's mounting guide. Therefore, the exposed cover fabric becomes entangled and rubs against the male hook-and-loop fastener arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the core body, causing damage to the cover fabric.

[0055] The inventors focused on the cross-sectional structure of the cover near the tip of the core attachment guide section, which requires bending at an acute angle. The inventors adopted the following configuration for blood pressure monitor arm band 10. Cover 11 has bent portion 31 formed in an area that crosses the tip of core extension guide section 22 in the width direction, and third hook-and-loop fastener 32 provided to cover the inner surface of the cover in an area closer to core body section 21 than bent portion 31. Bent portion 31 is located between first hook-and-loop fastener 17 and third hook-and-loop fastener 32, and its bending rigidity is set lower than that of both side areas.

[0056] When the blood pressure monitor arm band 10 is removed from the arm A and stored, the core 20 is folded from the portion avoiding the core extension guide portion 22, specifically, from the tip of the core extension guide portion 22, and then wound around the shape defined by the cylindrical core main body portion 21 and the core extension guide portion 22. In contrast, a folding portion 31 is formed in the region that crosses the vicinity of the tip of the core extension guide portion 22 in the width direction, which is the portion avoiding the core extension guide portion 22 of the core 20, and the bending rigidity of this folding portion 31 is set lower than the bending rigidity of the both side regions. Therefore, the cover 11 is easily bent and deformed from the folding portion 31 without applying a force in the folding direction. Therefore, when the blood pressure monitor arm band 10 is stored, the cover 11 is folded at an acute angle from the folding portion 31 formed in the portion avoiding the core extension guide portion 22 of the core 20, and then the remaining cover 11 is wound around the cylindrical core main body portion 21 and the core extension guide portion 22. 18, the folded and wrapped shape of blood pressure monitor arm band 10 when stored is a compact and orderly shape in which a slightly separated large circle (the outer circumference circle formed by core body 21) and a small circle (the circle formed by folding portion 31) are connected in the tangential direction. Therefore, when blood pressure monitor arm band 10 is stored, the folded and wrapped shape of the cover is compact and small in size, and the folded and wrapped shape is always kept stable by folding from the same position by folding portion 31. As a result, when blood pressure monitor arm band 10 is stored, blood pressure monitor arm band 10 in the folded and wrapped shape can be smoothly stored without being forcibly pushed into arm band storage case 52 as shown in FIG.

[0057] In addition, instead of removing the thick female hook-and-loop fastener from the portion overlapping with the core extension guide portion 22 of the core 20 to expose the cover fabric, a third hook-and-loop fastener 32 is provided to cover the inner surface of the cover in an area closer to the core body portion 21 than the folded portion 31. Therefore, the third hook-and-loop fastener 32 receives the second hook-and-loop fastener 18 arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the core body portion 21, and a cover fabric protecting function is exerted to prevent the cover fabric from being damaged by the second hook-and-loop fastener 18.

[0058] Furthermore, the member covering the inner surface of the cover in the region closer to the core body 21 than the bent portion 31 is the third hook-and-loop fastener 32 that is surface-bonded to the second hook-and-loop fastener 18. For example, in the case where the core extension guide portion 22 extends long from the core body 21 as in the first embodiment, when the bent portion 31 is formed near the tip of the core extension guide portion 22, the length of the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 in the winding direction P is shortened. When the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 is shortened, in the case of the arm A having a short perimeter, the bonding area between the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 and the second hook-and-loop fastener 18 is narrowed, and the bonding force may be insufficient for the required bonding force. In response to this, by setting the third hook-and-loop fastener 32 that is surface-bonded to the second hook-and-loop fastener 18, the third hook-and-loop fastener 32 complements the insufficient bonding area of ​​the hook-and-loop fastener, thereby exerting a bonding area complementing function that eliminates the bonding force deficiency.

[0059] As described above, blood pressure monitor arm band 10 of the first embodiment provides the following effects.

[0060] (1) A blood pressure monitor arm band 10 including a cover 11, a core 20, a first hook-and-loop fastener 17, and a second hook-and-loop fastener 18. The core 20 has a core main body 21 surrounding a subject in a wrapping direction P, and a mounting guide (core extension guide 22) that opens from one end of the core main body 21 in the wrapping direction P in a direction away from the core main body 21. The cover 11 has a bent portion 31 formed in a region that crosses the vicinity of the tip of the mounting guide in the width direction Dw, and a cover fabric protection member (third hook-and-loop fastener 32) provided to cover the inner surface of the cover in a region closer to the core main body 21 than the bent portion 31. The bent portion 31 is disposed at a position sandwiched between the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 and the cover fabric protection member (third hook-and-loop fastener 32), and the bending rigidity is set lower than the bending rigidity of both side regions. This makes it possible to provide a blood pressure monitor arm band 10 that can be folded and wrapped stably to a compact size when stored while preventing damage to the cover fabric.

[0061] (2) The cover fabric protection member is a third hook-and-loop fastener 32 that is detachable from the second hook-and-loop fastener 18. Therefore, by using the third hook-and-loop fastener 32 as the cover fabric protection member provided to cover the inner surface of the cover in the region closer to the core body 21 than the bent portion 31, it is possible to exert a bonding area supplementing function that eliminates insufficient bonding strength in addition to the cover fabric protection function.

[0062] (3) The attachment guide portion is a core extension guide portion 22 that extends further outward than the end portion (21D) of the core body portion 21 in the tangential direction at one end 21b relative to the curvature of the core body portion 21 and has a width dimension smaller than that of the core body portion 21. The bending portion 31 crosses the vicinity of the tip portion of the core extension guide portion 22 in the width direction Dw and is formed in a rectangular region with the side in the width direction Dw as the long side and the side in the winding direction P as the short side. Therefore, by having the core extension guide portion 22 in the core 20, it is possible to ensure bending at an acute angle from the bending portion 31 of the cover 11 while ensuring ease of attachment to the subject.

[0063] (4) The cover 11 has a first cover fabric 33 to which the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 is sewn, a second cover fabric 34 to which the lining fabric 14 is sewn, a third cover fabric 35 to which the lining fabric 14 and a cover fabric protection member (third hook-and-loop fastener 32) are sewn, and a peripheral fabric 30 to which the entire periphery of the cover is wrapped and sewn, for one outer fabric 13. The folding portion 31 is disposed at a position sandwiched between the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 and the cover fabric protection member, and is set in the second cover fabric 34 in which the outer fabric 13 and the lining fabric 14 are sewn together with the peripheral fabric 30. For this reason, the folding portion 31 that can obtain an acute folding angle can be easily formed by the second cover fabric 34 in which the outer fabric 13 and the lining fabric 14 are sewn together with the peripheral fabric 30. EXAMPLES

[0064] In the second embodiment, the folded portion is set in the fabric of the second cover fabric in which the outer fabric and the inner fabric are sewn together by the peripheral fabric, excluding the inner fabric.

[0065] The configuration of the bent portion 31' of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 20 and 21. As shown in Fig. 20, the bent portion 31' is disposed between the first cover fabric 33 having the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 and the third cover fabric 35 having the third hook-and-loop fastener 32. As shown in Fig. 21, the bent portion 31' is set in the fabric obtained by removing the lining fabric 14 from the second cover fabric 34 in which the outer fabric 13 and the lining fabric 14 are sewn together by the peripheral fabric 30. That is, the bent portion 31' is made of fabric in which the peripheral fabric 30 is merely sewn to the outer fabric 13 without disposing the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 or the third hook-and-loop fastener 32, which have thickness. As a result, the bending rigidity of the bent portion 31' is set lower than the bending rigidity of the both side regions, and the bending property of bending at an acute angle is ensured. The other configurations and functions are the same as those of the first embodiment, and therefore illustrations and explanations are omitted.

[0066] In addition to the effects (1) to (3) of the first embodiment, the blood pressure monitor arm band 10 of the second embodiment has the following effects.

[0067] (5) The folded portion 31' is disposed at a position sandwiched between the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 and the cover fabric protection member (third hook-and-loop fastener 32), and is set in the fabric obtained by excluding the lining fabric 14 from the second cover fabric 34 obtained by sewing the front and back fabrics 13 and 14 together with the peripheral fabric 30. Therefore, the folded portion 31', which can obtain an acute folding angle by not disposing a hook-and-loop fastener, can be easily formed from the fabric obtained by excluding the lining fabric 14 from the second cover fabric 34 (the front and back fabrics 13 and 30). In addition, the foldability of the folded portion 31' in Example 2 can be made higher than that of the folded portion 31 in Example 1 by the amount of the lining fabric 14 being removed. EXAMPLES

[0068] Example 3 is an example in which the folded portion is set in an opening space in which the fabric is removed from the inside of the peripheral fabric and only the peripheral fabric remains.

[0069] The configuration of the folding portion 31" of the third embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 22 and 23. As shown in Fig. 22, the folding portion 31" is disposed between the first cover fabric 33 having the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 and the third cover fabric 35 having the third hook-and-loop fastener 32. As shown in Fig. 23, the folding portion 31" is set in an open space in which the cloth is removed from the inside of the peripheral fabric 30 and only the peripheral fabric 30 remains. That is, the folding portion 31" is formed as an open space by simply connecting both ends of the first cover fabric 33 and the third cover fabric 35 by the peripheral fabric 30 without disposing the first hook-and-loop fastener 17, the third hook-and-loop fastener 32, the outer fabric 13, or the inner fabric 14. As a result, the bending rigidity of the folding portion 31" is set lower than the bending rigidity of the both side regions, and the bending property of bending at an acute angle is ensured. Note that other configurations and functions are the same as those of the first embodiment, and therefore illustrations and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0070] In addition to the effects (1) to (3) of the first embodiment, the blood pressure monitor arm band 10 of the third embodiment has the following effects.

[0071] (6) The folding portion 31" is positioned between the first hook-and-loop fastener 17 and the cover fabric protection member (third hook-and-loop fastener 32), and is set in the opening space where only the peripheral fabric 30 remains after removing the cloth from the inside of the peripheral fabric 30. Therefore, the folding portion 31", which can obtain an acute folding angle by not placing a hook-and-loop fastener, can be easily formed in the opening space where only the peripheral fabric 30 remains. In addition, the foldability of the folding portion 31" in Example 3 can be made even higher than the foldability of the folding portion 31 in Example 1 and the foldability of the folding portion 31' in Example 2 by the amount that the outer fabric 13 and the lining fabric 14 are removed.

[0072] The blood pressure monitor arm band of the present invention has been described above based on Examples 1 to 3. However, the specific configuration is not limited to these Examples, and design changes and additions are permitted as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the invention according to each claim in the scope of the claims.

[0073] In Example 1, an example was shown in which the folding portion 31 is set in the second cover fabric 34 in which the outer fabric 13 and the inner fabric 14 are sewn together by the peripheral fabric 30. In Example 2, an example was shown in which the folding portion 31' is set in the fabric of the second cover fabric 34 without the inner fabric 14. In Example 3, an example was shown in which the folding portion 31" is set in an opening space in which cloth is removed from the inside of the peripheral fabric 30 and only the peripheral fabric 30 remains. However, the folding portion is not limited to the configuration examples shown in Examples 1 to 3. For example, a fabric other than the cover fabric may be used without reusing the fabric that constitutes the cover. In short, the folding portion may be configured in any way as long as it can ensure foldability by setting the bending rigidity lower than the bending rigidity of both side regions.

[0074] In the first to third embodiments, a preferred example is shown in which the cover fabric protection member is the second hook-and-loop fastener 18 and the detachable third hook-and-loop fastener 32. However, the cover fabric protection member is not limited to the configuration examples of the hook-and-loop fasteners shown in the first to third embodiments. For example, a reinforcing fabric such as a nylon fabric used as an outer fabric or a resin-coated fabric may be used. In short, the cover fabric protection member may be any member that can protect the cover fabric from damage without becoming entangled with the male hook-and-loop fastener.

[0075] In the first to third embodiments, the core 20 is fitted with a core extension guide 22 that extends outward from the end (21D) of the core body 21 in the tangential direction at one end 21b of the curvature of the core body 21 and has a smaller width dimension than the core body 21. However, the core fitting guide is not limited to the configuration of the core extension guide shown in the first to third embodiments. For example, the core fitting guide may be configured to open in a direction away from the core body without extending outward from the end of the core body and without becoming smaller in width dimension. In short, the fitting guide may be any part that has a function of guiding fitting to an arm, wrist, etc. by opening in a direction away from the core body from one end of the core body in the winding direction.

[0076] In the first to third embodiments, the blood pressure monitor arm band 10 of the present invention is applied to an upper arm electronic blood pressure monitor that is worn and wrapped around the upper arm of a subject to measure blood pressure and heart rate. However, the blood pressure monitor arm band of the present invention can also be applied to a wrist-type electronic blood pressure monitor that is worn and wrapped around the wrist of a subject to measure blood pressure and heart rate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 10 Blood Pressure Cuff 11 Cover 17 First hook-and-loop fastener 18 Second hook and loop fastener 20 cores 21 Core body 22 Core extension guide part (mounting guide part) 30 Edge fabric 31, 31', 31” bends 32 Third hook-and-loop fastener (cover fabric protection member)

Claims

1. a band-shaped cover that is wrapped around the subject and has a wrapping direction that is long relative to the width direction; a core housed in the cover, having elasticity and curved in the winding direction; a first hook-and-loop fastener provided on an inner surface of the cover other than a core receiving area; a second hook-and-loop fastener provided on an outer circumferential surface of the cover in a core accommodating range, the first hook-and-loop fastener being detachable; the core has a core body portion surrounding the subject in the winding direction, and a mounting guide portion that opens from one end of the core body portion in the winding direction in a direction away from the core body portion, The cover has a folded portion formed in a region crossing the vicinity of the tip end of the mounting guide portion in the width direction, and a cover fabric protection member provided to cover an inner surface of the cover in a region closer to the core body portion than the folded portion, The bent portion is disposed at a position sandwiched between the first hook-and-loop fastener and the cover fabric protection member, and the bending rigidity of the bent portion is set to be lower than the bending rigidity of the both side regions. A cuff for a blood pressure monitor.

2. The cover fabric protection member is a third hook-and-loop fastener that is detachable from the second hook-and-loop fastener.

2. The blood pressure monitor arm band according to claim 1.

3. When a direction along a tangent to a circle centered on the center of curvature on a plane perpendicular to the center of curvature of the core body portion is called a tangential direction, the mounting guide portion is a core extension guide portion that extends outside an end portion of the core body portion in the tangential direction at the one end with respect to the curvature of the core body portion and has a width dimension smaller than that of the core body portion, The bent portion is formed in a rectangular region that crosses the vicinity of the tip end portion of the core extension guide portion in the width direction and has a long side in the width direction and a short side in the winding direction.

3. The blood pressure monitor arm band according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The cover has a first cover fabric to which the first hook-and-loop fastener is sewn, a second cover fabric to which a lining fabric is sewn, a third cover fabric to which the lining fabric and the cover fabric protection member are sewn, and a peripheral fabric that encloses and sews the entire peripheral edge of the cover, The folded portion is disposed at a position sandwiched between the first hook-and-loop fastener and the cover fabric protection member, and is set to the second cover fabric in which the outer fabric and the inner fabric are sewn together by the peripheral fabric. The blood pressure monitor arm band according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The cover has a first cover fabric to which the first hook-and-loop fastener is sewn, a second cover fabric to which a lining fabric is sewn, a third cover fabric to which the lining fabric and the cover fabric protection member are sewn, and a peripheral fabric that encloses and sews the entire peripheral edge of the cover, The folded portion is disposed at a position sandwiched between the first hook-and-loop fastener and the cover fabric protection member, and is set to a fabric of the second cover fabric obtained by sewing the outer fabric and the lining fabric together with the peripheral fabric, excluding the lining fabric. The blood pressure monitor arm band according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. The cover has a first cover fabric to which the first hook-and-loop fastener is sewn, a second cover fabric to which a lining fabric is sewn, a third cover fabric to which the lining fabric and the cover fabric protection member are sewn, and a peripheral fabric that encloses and sews the entire peripheral edge of the cover, The folded portion is disposed at a position sandwiched between the first hook-and-loop fastener and the cover fabric protection member, and is configured to remove fabric from the inside of the peripheral fabric and leave only the peripheral fabric to form an opening space. The blood pressure monitor arm band according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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