Sphygmomanometer and communication control method thereof

The blood pressure monitor addresses communication risks during sleep by automating mode transitions and communication control based on user activity, ensuring safety and convenience.

JP7716167B1Active Publication Date: 2025-07-31A&D CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2025038061
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-03-11
Publication Date
2025-07-31
Estimated Expiration
2045-03-11

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Recent blood pressure monitors that communicate wirelessly during sleep pose risks of malfunction, unauthorized access, and inconvenience due to unexpected communication, necessitating a safer communication control mechanism.

Method used

A blood pressure monitor with modes for normal, sleep, and wake-up states, using motion detection to switch between these modes and control communication, ensuring communication is off during sleep and on after waking, with optional notifications and temporary communication resumption.

Benefits of technology

Ensures safety during sleep by preventing unauthorized communication and eliminating the need for manual operation, maintaining convenience by automating communication state changes based on user activity.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

A blood pressure monitor and a communication control method therefor are provided that ensure safety during sleep by controlling the communication state of the blood pressure monitor. [Solution] A blood pressure monitor (10A to 10C) comprises a blood pressure measuring means for measuring blood pressure using a cuff (14) attached to the subject, a communication means (26) for advertising communication with an external communication device capable of wireless communication, a mode switching means (34) for switching between a normal mode in which blood pressure is measured by operation of the subject, a sleep mode in which the blood pressure of the subject is automatically measured, and a wake-up mode in which the blood pressure of the subject upon waking up is measured, and a communication control means (36) for turning off the communication means when the mode switching means switches to the sleep mode or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the mode switching means switched to the sleep mode, thereby turning off communication with an external communication device (50) during the sleep mode.
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Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication-capable blood pressure monitor and a communication control method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, blood pressure monitors that automatically measure blood pressure while sleeping according to a set schedule have been proposed. For example, the blood pressure monitor disclosed in Patent Document 1 can automatically measure blood pressure while sleeping by switching to sleep mode using an operation switch provided on the main unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7400342 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Furthermore, recent blood pressure monitors can transmit measurement data to external communication devices such as smartphones via wireless communication, and can also perform settings for the blood pressure monitor (for example, inputting a schedule for automatically measuring blood pressure while sleeping) from the external communication device via wireless communication.

[0005] Such blood pressure monitors are capable of communicating even while the user is asleep, making it possible for the monitor to transmit data to an external communication device while the user is asleep, and also for the external communication device to operate the blood pressure monitor while the user is asleep.

[0006] Since the subject being measured is unconscious during sleep, it is desired to prevent malfunction due to unexpected communication. For this purpose, for example, a switching operation to a mode that does not perform transmission and reception such as the in-flight mode may be required, but this may increase the operation procedure before going to bed and may impair convenience. In addition, if the communicable state during sleep is allowed, there is also a risk of abnormal operation due to unexpected communication or extraction of measurement data due to unauthorized access.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to ensure safety during sleep by controlling the communication state of a sphygmomanometer.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, a sphygmomanometer according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a blood pressure measuring means for measuring the blood pressure of the subject being measured by sending air to a cuff attached to the subject being measured and detecting the pressure, a communication means for performing an advertisement communication with an external communication device capable of wireless communication, a normal mode for measuring blood pressure by an operation of the subject being measured, a sleep mode for automatically measuring the blood pressure of the subject being measured, a mode switching means for switching between a wake-up mode for measuring the blood pressure of the subject being measured when waking up, and a communication control means for turning off the communication means when the mode switching means switches to the sleep mode or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the mode switching means switched to the sleep mode.

[0009] In the sphygmomanometer according to the second aspect, in the first aspect, a motion detection means for detecting the motion of the subject being measured and an action determination means for determining the bedding behavior of the subject being measured based on the detection result of the motion detection means are provided, and the mode switching means switches from the normal mode to the sleep mode when the action determination means determines the bedding behavior, and the communication control means also preferably turns off the communication means when the mode switching means switches to the sleep mode or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the mode switching means switched to the sleep mode.

[0010] In the sphygmomanometer according to the third aspect, in the second aspect, the action determination means determines the waking-up action of the subject based on the detection result of the movement detection means, and the mode switching means switches from the sleep mode to the waking-up mode when the action determination means determines the waking-up action. After the elapse of the waiting time after waking up from the waking-up action, the waking-up blood pressure is measured by the blood pressure measurement means. It is also preferable that the communication control means turns on the communication means when the mode switching means switches to the waking-up mode, after the elapse of a predetermined time since the mode switching means switches to the waking-up mode, or when the blood pressure measurement means measures the waking-up blood pressure.

[0011] In the sphygmomanometer according to the fourth aspect, in any one of the first to third aspects, it is also preferable that the communication control means communicates with the external communication device when the mode switching means switches to the sleep mode and notifies the external communication device that the communication means is turned off.

[0012] In the sphygmomanometer according to the fifth aspect, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, it is also preferable that the communication control means temporarily turns on the communication means when a predetermined action related to the subject is detected during the sleep mode.

[0013] In order to solve the above problems, a communication control method for a sphygmomanometer according to a sixth aspect of the present invention includes a blood pressure measurement means for measuring the blood pressure of a subject by sending air to a cuff worn by the subject and detecting the pressure, a communication means for performing advertisement communication with an external communication device capable of wireless communication, a normal mode for measuring blood pressure by the operation of the subject, a sleep mode for automatically measuring the blood pressure of the subject, and a mode switching means for switching between a waking-up mode for measuring the waking-up blood pressure of the subject. The method includes a step of switching the mode switching means to the sleep mode, and a step of turning off the communication means when the mode switching means switches to the sleep mode, or after the elapse of a predetermined time since the mode switching means switches to the sleep mode.

[0014] The communication control method of the blood pressure monitor according to the seventh aspect of the present invention is, in the sixth aspect, movement detection means for detecting the movement of the subject, and behavior determination means for determining the behavior of going to bed and getting up of the subject based on the detection result of the movement detection means. When the behavior determination means determines the behavior of going to bed, the step of switching from the normal mode to the sleep mode, the step of turning off the communication means when switching to the sleep mode or after a predetermined time has elapsed since switching to the sleep mode, and when the behavior determination means determines the behavior of getting up, the step of switching from the sleep mode to the wake-up mode, the step of measuring the waking blood pressure by the blood pressure measurement means after the standby time after getting up from the waking behavior, and the step of turning on the communication means when switching to the wake-up mode, after a predetermined time has elapsed since switching to the wake-up mode, or when the blood pressure measurement means measures the waking blood pressure, is also preferable.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, by controlling the communication state of the blood pressure monitor, the safety during sleep can be ensured.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blood pressure monitor 10A according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram of the blood pressure monitor 10A. The blood pressure monitor 10A is composed of a main body 12 and a cuff 14. As shown in FIG. 1, the cuff 14 is formed in a belt shape and is detachably wound around the upper arm or wrist of the subject. The main body 12 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is fixed to the surface of the cuff 14 so that the longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the winding direction of the cuff 14. When the cuff 14 is attached to the arm of the subject, the longitudinal direction is arranged to coincide with the extending direction of the arm.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, a display unit 27 and an operation button 28 are provided on the outer surface of the main body 12. As shown in FIG. 2, a contractible air bag 18 is provided inside the cuff 14. Inside the housing of the main body 12, a pump 21, an on-off valve 22, a pressure sensor 23, a motion detection unit 24, a storage unit 25, a communication unit 26, and a control unit 30 are provided.

[0020] The operation button 28 is a switch for turning the power on and off, and in the "normal mode" described later, it is also used as a button for starting / interrupting blood pressure measurement and user selection. In this embodiment, the display unit 27 and the operation button 28 are provided separately, but a touch panel that combines both may also be used. In addition to the operation button 28, a plurality of operation buttons may be provided, and different operation functions may be assigned to these operation buttons.

[0021] The airbag 18 is connected to the pump 21 and the on-off valve 22, and can inflate the airbag 18 by sending air from the pump 21 and deflate the airbag 18 by exhausting air through the on-off valve 22. The airbag 18 is connected to the pressure sensor 23 inside the main body 12, and the pressure inside the airbag 18 is measured by the pressure sensor 23.

[0022] The motion detection unit 24 is a three-axis acceleration sensor that detects the motion of the main body 12. Since the main body 12 is arranged to be parallel to the arm when the cuff 14 is worn on the arm, one of the x-axis, y-axis, or z-axis, for example, the x-axis, is set to coincide with the direction parallel to the arm (see FIG. 1), and by detecting the motion of the main body 12 with the motion detection unit 24, the motion of the arm (the amount of movement in the three-axis directions) can be detected. In this embodiment, the motion detection unit 24 is provided inside the main body 12, but the motion detection unit 24 may be provided on the cuff 14.

[0023] The control unit 30 is embodied as a microcomputer in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs arithmetic processing, a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) as auxiliary storage units are implemented in an integrated circuit. The control unit 30 includes an air supply and exhaust control unit 31, a blood pressure calculation unit 32, an action determination unit 33, a mode switching unit 34, a measurement control unit 35, and a communication control unit 36. These functional units 31 to 36 are constituted by logic circuits and dedicated circuits formed in an integrated circuit or the like. These circuits may be realized by one or a plurality of integrated circuits, and a plurality of processes may be realized by one integrated circuit.

[0024] The blood pressure monitor 10A is oscillometric. It inflates the airbag 18 of the cuff 14 to compress the blood vessel, and while deflating the airbag 18 to release the compression of the blood vessel, it measures the pressure of the airbag 18 with the pressure sensor 23 and calculates the blood pressure value from the measured value. The air supply and exhaust control unit 31 controls the pump 21, the on-off valve 22, and the pressure sensor 23. The blood pressure calculation unit 32 calculates the blood pressure value from the measured value of the pressure sensor 23, stores it in the storage unit 25, and displays the blood pressure value on the display unit 27.

[0025] Here, the sphygmomanometer 10A has a "normal mode," a "sleep mode," and a "wake-up mode." The "normal mode" measures blood pressure during the active period after waking up, and measures blood pressure when the subject operates the operation button 28. The "sleep mode" measures blood pressure during the nighttime sleep period, and when the subject switches to the sleep mode or when the activity determination unit 33, described later, determines that the subject has gone to bed, the blood pressure during sleep is automatically measured according to a set schedule (post-bed waiting time, described later). The "wake-up mode" automatically measures blood pressure after the wake-up act (wake-up blood pressure) according to a set waiting time (post-wake-up waiting time, described later) when the activity determination unit 33, described later, determines that the subject has woken up.

[0026] The mode switching unit 34 controls switching between the normal mode, sleep mode, and wake-up mode.

[0027] During "sleep mode," the behavior determination unit 33 monitors the subject's movements (detection values of the movement detection unit 24) using, for example, two items, arm posture and arm activity level, detects increased arm movements based on a preset wake-up threshold for the two items, and determines that a "wake-up behavior" has occurred if the increased arm movements continue for a predetermined time or reach a predetermined number of times. The behavior determination unit 33 stores the time at which it detects increased arm movements as the "wake-up time."

[0028] During "normal mode," the activity determination unit 33 monitors the subject's movements (detection values of the movement detection unit 24), for example, at least the amount of arm activity, detects a decrease in arm movement based on a preset bedtime threshold, and determines that "bedtime activity" has occurred if the decrease in arm movement continues for a predetermined time or reaches a predetermined number of times. The activity determination unit 33 stores the time at which it detects a decrease in arm movement as the "bedtime."

[0029] The measurement control unit 35 controls the blood pressure measurement means according to the above normal mode, sleep mode, and wake-up mode. In the normal mode, if an instruction to start measurement is received from the subject via the operation switch 28, the blood pressure measurement means is controlled to measure the blood pressure, and the blood pressure value is stored in the storage unit 25 together with the measurement date and time, etc. In the sleep mode, the blood pressure measurement means is controlled to measure the blood pressure according to a preset schedule (waiting time after going to bed), and the blood pressure value is stored in the storage unit 25 together with the measurement date and time, etc. In the wake-up mode, if the behavior determination unit 33 determines that there is a wake-up behavior, after the set waiting time (waiting time after waking up) has elapsed, the blood pressure measurement means is controlled to measure the blood pressure, and the blood pressure value is stored in the storage unit 25 together with the measurement date and time, etc. The "waiting time after going to bed" is the time from when the subject switches the mode or when the behavior determination unit 33 determines the behavior of going to bed until the blood pressure is automatically measured. Default settings include 30 minutes, 1 hour, 1 hour 30 minutes, etc., and the user can select from among them. The "waiting time after waking up" is the time from when the behavior determination unit 33 determines the wake-up behavior until the blood pressure is automatically measured. Default settings include, for example, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 1 hour 30 minutes, etc., and the user can select from among them. Multiple waiting times, such as measuring three times at 30-minute intervals after going to bed, may be set for the waiting time after waking up and the waiting time after going to bed.

[0030] The storage unit 25 is realized by a small storage medium such as a solid state drive (SSD) or a flash memory, for example. The storage unit 25 stores the measured blood pressure values. Also, when there are multiple subjects, the storage unit 25 identifies and stores the users.

[0031] The communication unit 26 has a function of performing short-range wireless communication with the communication unit 52 of the external communication device 50 described later, and is disposed inside the mark 29 in FIG. 1. As the communication standard, for example, FeliCa (registered trademark), BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) are suitable. In addition, LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), FRA (Future Radio Access), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), etc. can be mentioned. Also, other appropriate systems or next-generation systems extended based on these may be applied. Also, a combination of a plurality of systems may be applied.

[0032] The communication control unit 36 controls the advertisement communication between the communication unit 26 of the blood pressure monitor 10A and the communication unit 52 of the external communication device 50. This method will be described in the communication control method described later.

[0033] The external communication device 50 is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc., and as shown in FIG. 2, includes at least a control unit 51, a communication unit 52, and a display unit 53. The control unit 51 includes at least a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. A dedicated application for blood pressure measurement is installed in the external communication device 50 in advance, and data such as blood pressure values stored in the storage unit 25 of the blood pressure monitor 10A is transmitted to the external communication device 50. The above-described waiting time after lying down and waiting time after getting up are set from the external communication device 50 and stored in the storage unit 25 of the blood pressure monitor 10A.

[0034] The cuff 14, the pump 21, the on-off valve 22, the pressure sensor 23, and the blood pressure calculation unit 32 are the "blood pressure measurement means" referred to in the claims, and the movement detection unit 24, which is a three-axis acceleration sensor, is the "movement detection means" referred to in the claims. The action determination unit 33, the mode switching unit 34, and the communication control unit 36, which are constituted by the control unit 30, are the "action determination means", "mode switching means", and "communication control means" referred to in the claims, respectively, and the communication unit 26 is the "communication means" referred to in the claims.

[0035] Next, a communication control method for the blood pressure monitor 10A having the above configuration will be described.

[0036] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a communication control method associated with blood pressure measurement in the blood pressure monitor 10A, and is a communication control method when the blood pressure monitor 10A shifts from the "normal mode" to the "sleep mode".

[0037] In step S1 of the program, it is in the "normal mode". In the normal mode, when the subject starts the measurement by operating the operation switch 28, the blood pressure is measured by the blood pressure measurement means, and the blood pressure value is stored in the storage unit 25 as the blood pressure during activity. During the "normal mode", the communication control unit 36 is constantly performing advertisement communication with the external communication device 50 (communication on). During the "normal mode", when the blood pressure monitor 10A receives a connection request signal from the external communication device 50, it accepts the settings from the external communication device 50 and also transmits the measurement data to the external communication device 50.

[0038] Next, in step S2, when the mode switching unit 34 performs the switching setting to the sleep mode by an operation from the operation switch 28 or an operation from the external communication device 50, it switches from the "normal mode" to the "sleep mode".

[0039] Next, moving to step S3, the communication control unit 36 disconnects the advertisement communication with the external communication device 50 (communication off) simultaneously with step 2 (when the mode switching unit 34 switches to the "sleep mode") or after a predetermined time has elapsed from step 2 (for example, 30 minutes after the mode switching unit 34 switches to the "sleep mode").

[0040] Thereafter, the blood pressure monitor 10A is in the "sleep mode". In the sleep mode, blood pressure is automatically measured according to the set schedule (waiting time after going to bed), and is stored in the storage unit 25 together with the measurement date and time as the blood pressure during sleep. During the "sleep mode", since communication with the external communication device 50 is off, the blood pressure monitor 10A does not accept operations from the external communication device 50 and does not transmit measurement data to the external communication device 50.

[0041] FIG. 4 is, like FIG. 3, a communication control method when the blood pressure monitor 10A shifts from the "normal mode" to the "sleep mode", and is a communication control method that may be adopted instead of the communication control method of FIG. 3.

[0042] In step S11 of the program, it is in the "normal mode". In the normal mode, as described above, blood pressure is measured by the operation of the subject to be measured, and the communication control unit 36 always performs advertisement communication with the external communication device 50 (communication on).

[0043] In parallel with step S11, during the normal mode, the behavior determination unit 33 monitors the movement of the subject to be measured. In step S12, the behavior determination unit 33 determines the presence or absence of a "going-to-bed behavior" from the detection value of the movement detection unit 24. If it is determined that there is a going-to-bed behavior (YES), the process proceeds to step S13, and the mode switching unit 34 switches from the "normal mode" to the "sleep mode". If it is determined that there is no going-to-bed behavior (NO), the behavior determination unit 33 continues to monitor the movement of the subject to be measured.

[0044] Next, the process proceeds to step S14, and the communication control unit 36 disconnects the advertisement communication with the external communication device 50 (communication off) simultaneously with step 13 (when the mode switching unit 34 switches to the "sleep mode") or after a predetermined time has elapsed from step 13 (for example, 30 minutes after the mode switching unit 34 switches to the "sleep mode").

[0045] Thereafter, the blood pressure monitor 10A is in the "Sleep Mode". In the Sleep Mode, blood pressure is automatically measured according to the set schedule (waiting time after going to bed), but since communication with the external communication device 50 is off, the blood pressure monitor 10A does not accept operations from the external communication device 50 and does not transmit measurement data to the external communication device 50.

[0046] Next, FIG. 5 shows a communication control method associated with blood pressure measurement in the blood pressure monitor 10A, and is a communication control method when the blood pressure monitor 10A shifts from the "Sleep Mode" to the "Wake-up Mode".

[0047] In step S21 of the program, it is in the "Sleep Mode". In the Sleep Mode, blood pressure is automatically measured according to the set schedule (waiting time after going to bed), and communication with the external communication device 50 is off.

[0048] In parallel with this, during the Sleep Mode, the behavior determination unit 33 monitors the movement of the subject. In step S22, the behavior determination unit 33 determines "wake-up behavior" from the detection value of the movement detection unit 24. If it is determined that there is a wake-up behavior (YES), it proceeds to step S23, and the mode switching unit 34 switches from the "Sleep Mode" to the "Wake-up Mode". If there is no determination of wake-up behavior (NO), the behavior determination unit 33 continues to monitor the movement of the subject.

[0049] When the blood pressure monitor 10A enters the "Wake-up Mode" in step S23, it proceeds to step S24, and the measurement control unit 35 automatically measures blood pressure when the waiting time after waking up has elapsed, and stores it in the storage unit 25 together with the measurement date and time, etc., as the waking blood pressure.

[0050] When the automatic measurement of the waking blood pressure is completed, it proceeds to step S25, and the communication control unit 36 resumes the advertisement communication with the external communication device 50 (turns on the communication). Since communication with the external communication device 50 is turned on, the blood pressure monitor 10A transmits an advertisement signal to the external communication device 50, and when it receives a connection request signal, it transmits the blood pressure data measured during the "Sleep Mode" and the waking blood pressure data measured in the "Wake-up Mode" to the external communication device 50.

[0051] Next, the process proceeds to step S26, where the mode switching unit 34 switches from the "wake-up mode" to the "normal mode" and ends the program. Thereafter, the blood pressure monitor 10A enters the "normal mode" and continuously performs advertisement communication with the external communication device 50, following the control flow shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4.

[0052] FIG. 6, similar to FIG. 5, shows another communication control method when the blood pressure monitor 10A transitions from the "sleep mode" to the "wake-up mode", and it is a communication control method that may be adopted in place of the communication control method shown in FIG. 5.

[0053] The program is in the "sleep mode" at step S31. In the sleep mode, blood pressure is automatically measured according to the set schedule (waiting time after going to bed), and communication with the external communication device 50 is turned off.

[0054] In parallel, during the sleep mode, the behavior determination unit 33 monitors the movement of the subject being measured. At step S32, the behavior determination unit 33 determines the "wake-up behavior" from the detection value of the movement detection unit 24. If it is determined that there is a wake-up behavior (YES), the process proceeds to step S33, where the mode switching unit 34 switches from the "sleep mode" to the "wake-up mode". If there is no wake-up behavior (NO), the behavior determination unit 33 continues to monitor the movement of the subject being measured.

[0055] Next, the process proceeds to step S34, where the communication control unit 36 resumes advertisement communication with the external communication device 50 (turns on the communication) either simultaneously with step S33 (when the mode switching unit 34 switches to the "wake-up mode") or after a predetermined time has elapsed since step S33 (for example, 30 minutes after the mode switching unit 34 switches to the "wake-up mode"). Since communication with the external communication device 50 is turned on, the blood pressure monitor 10A transmits an advertisement signal to the external communication device 50 and, upon receiving a connection request signal, transmits the measurement data measured during the "sleep mode" to the external communication device 50.

[0056] Next, the process proceeds to step S35, where the measurement control unit 35 automatically measures the blood pressure when the waiting time after waking up has elapsed, and stores it in the storage unit 25 as the waking blood pressure. Since the communication with the external communication device 50 is on, when the blood pressure monitor 10A receives the connection request signal from the external communication device 50, it transmits the measurement data of the waking blood pressure to the external communication device 50.

[0057] When the automatic measurement of the waking blood pressure is completed, the process proceeds to step S36, where the mode switching unit 34 switches from the "waking mode" to the "normal mode" and ends the program. Thereafter, the blood pressure monitor 10A returns to the "normal mode" again, constantly performs advertisement communication with the external communication device 50, and follows the control flow of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4.

[0058] As described above, according to the blood pressure monitor 10A of the present embodiment, the communication during sleep automatically turns off along with the switching operation to the sleep mode or the detection of the bedding behavior. Also, the communication after waking up automatically turns on along with the detection of the waking behavior. Therefore, during sleep, there will be no abnormal operations due to unexpected communication or extraction of measurement data due to unauthorized access, and the user can sleep safely. Also, at the time of going to bed / waking up, the communication state is automatically controlled according to the user's going to bed and waking up, and no additional operation for turning the communication on / off is required, so the convenience is not impaired.

[0059] Next, a preferred modification of the above embodiment will be described.

[0060] (Modification 1) In the blood pressure monitor 10B according to Modification 1, before the mode switching unit 34 switches from the "normal mode" to the "sleep mode" and turns off the communication, the communication control unit 36 communicates with the external communication device 50 and notifies that the communication will be turned off. Since the configuration of Modification 1 is the same as the configuration of the embodiment (FIGS. Ⅰ~Ⅱ), the illustration is omitted. On the display unit 53 of the external communication device 50, it is displayed that the communication is off. The user can know that no communication is being performed during the sleep mode, which relieves anxiety. Note that it is preferable that the display of the communication off is maintained until the communication is resumed.

[0061] (Modification Example 2) FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the sphygmomanometer 10C according to Modification Example 2. The sphygmomanometer 10C includes at least one or a combination of an illuminance sensor 41, a microphone 42, and an NFC communication unit 43. The communication control unit 36 turns off communication with the external communication device 50 during the "sleep mode", but when a predetermined operation related to the subject to be measured is detected, it controls to temporarily turn on communication with the external communication device 50 even during the sleep mode. The communication control unit 36 detects, as a predetermined operation related to the subject to be measured, for example, when the following detections occur during the sleep mode. · When there is a predetermined operation such as a double click of the operation switch 28 of the sphygmomanometer 10C · When there is a tap on the main body 12 of the sphygmomanometer 10C (detected by the detection level and operation duration of the motion detection unit 24) · When the change in the brightness around the sphygmomanometer 10C exceeds a certain amount (detecting that the room light has been turned on by the illuminance sensor 41) · When voice is recognized (detecting a predetermined amount of voice or a predetermined word by the microphone 42) · When there is NFC (Near Field Communication) communication from the external communication device 50 (magnetic field detection by the NFC communication unit 43) · When there is an operation for requesting resumption of communication from the external communication device 50 (in this case, set to permit limited communication. For example, permit advertising communication and permit normal communication only when the user information and device information, etc. of the last connected device match.) When there is the above-mentioned predetermined operation, communication is not performed during the sleep mode, so it is not possible to check the blood pressure during sleep, etc., but temporary resumption of communication enables confirmation. Note that the communication control unit 36 turns off communication again under predetermined conditions (for example, after 30 minutes have passed) after temporarily turning on communication.

[0062] (Modification Example 3) In the sphygmomanometer 10D according to Modification Example 3, it is a communication control method suitable for using one sphygmomanometer 10D by a plurality of subjects to be measured (users). Since the configuration of Modification Example 3 is the same as the configuration of the embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 2), the illustration is omitted.

[0063] For example, for one blood pressure monitor 10D in a household, a plurality of family users may be registered, and each user may possess their own external communication device 50. Or, in a hospital or the like, a plurality of medical staff may carry external communication devices 50 and use the blood pressure monitor 10D separately for each patient. If there are a plurality of external communication devices 50, the blood pressure monitor 10D may transmit blood pressure data to the external communication devices 50 of different users.

[0064] The communication unit 26 includes components such as a beacon, for example, and measures the radio wave intensity of the external communication device 50. The communication control unit 36 performs advertising communication only with the external communication device 50 having the highest received radio wave intensity and controls to perform the communication shown in FIGS. 3 to 6.

[0065] Alternatively, the communication unit 26 is configured to be able to adjust the output value of the radio wave, and the communication control unit 36 controls the magnitude of the output value of the radio wave output from the communication unit 26. When the communication control unit 36 detects a plurality of external communication devices 50, it controls to reduce the output value of the radio wave, performs advertising communication only with the external communication device 50 located nearby, and controls to perform the communication shown in FIGS. 3 to 6. Thereby, when the blood pressure monitor 10D can communicate with a plurality of external communication devices 50, it can be connected to only an appropriate one without any operation on the user side.

[0066] As described above, the preferred embodiments and modified examples of the present invention have been described, but it is possible to modify and combine them based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and such forms are also included in the scope of the present invention. Also, the blood pressure monitors 10A to 10D can be applied to both the type that wears the cuff 14 on the upper arm and the type that wears the cuff 14 on the wrist. However, in order to accurately detect the lying down and getting up actions of the subject to be measured, it is preferable to target the upper arm.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0067] 10A to 10C... Sphygmomanometer, 12... Main body, 14... Cuff, 21... Pump, 22... On-off valve, 23... Pressure sensor, 24... Motion detection unit, 25... Memory unit, 26... Communication unit, 27... Display unit, 28... Operation button, 29... Mark, 30... Control unit, 31... Exhaust control unit, 32... Blood pressure calculation unit, 33... Behavior determination unit, 34... Mode switching unit, 35... Measurement control unit, 36... Communication control unit, 50... External communication device

Claims

1. Blood pressure measuring means for measuring the blood pressure of the subject by supplying air to a cuff worn on the subject and detecting the pressure; Communication means for performing advertising communication with an external communication device capable of wireless communication; Mode switching means for switching between a normal mode for measuring blood pressure by the operation of the subject, a sleep mode for automatically measuring the blood pressure of the subject during sleep, and a wake-up mode for automatically measuring the wake-up blood pressure of the subject; Communication control means for turning off the communication means when the mode switching means switches to the sleep mode or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the mode switching means switched to the sleep mode; A sphygmomanometer characterized by comprising the above.

2. Movement detection means for detecting the movement of the subject; Action determination means for determining the subject's going-to-bed action based on the detection result of the movement detection means, and The mode switching means switches from the normal mode to the sleep mode when the action determination means determines the going-to-bed action, The communication control means turns off the communication means when the mode switching means switches to the sleep mode or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the mode switching means switched to the sleep mode. The sphygmomanometer according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The action determination means determines the subject's waking-up action based on the detection result of the movement detection means, The mode switching means switches from the sleep mode to the wake-up mode when the action determination means determines the waking-up action, and the wake-up blood pressure is measured by the blood pressure measuring means after the standby time after waking up from the waking-up action, The communication control means turns on the communication means when the mode switching means switches to the wake-up mode, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the mode switching means switched to the wake-up mode, or when the blood pressure measuring means measures the wake-up blood pressure. The sphygmomanometer according to claim 2, characterized by the above.

4. The communication control means according to claim 1, characterized in that it communicates with the external communication device when the mode switching means switches to the sleep mode and notifies that the communication means is turned off.

5. The communication control means according to claim 1, characterized in that it temporarily turns on the communication means when a predetermined action related to the subject is detected during the sleep mode.

6. Blood pressure measuring means for measuring the blood pressure of the subject by sending air to a cuff worn by the subject and detecting the pressure, communication means for performing advertising communication with an external communication device capable of wireless communication, a normal mode for measuring blood pressure by the operation of the subject, a sleep mode for automatically measuring the blood pressure of the subject during sleep, and a wake-up mode for automatically measuring the wake-up blood pressure of the subject, and mode switching means for switching between them. The step of the mode switching means switching to the sleep mode. The step of turning off the communication means when the mode switching means switches to the sleep mode or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the mode switching means switched to the sleep mode. A communication control method for a sphygmomanometer, characterized by comprising the above.

7. Movement detection means for detecting the movement of the subject, and behavior determination means for determining the subject's going-to-bed behavior and waking-up behavior based on the detection result of the movement detection means. When the behavior determination means determines the going-to-bed behavior, the step of switching from the normal mode to the sleep mode. The step of turning off the communication means when switching to the sleep mode or after a predetermined time has elapsed since switching to the sleep mode. When the behavior determination means determines the waking-up behavior, the step of switching from the sleep mode to the wake-up mode. The step of measuring the wake-up blood pressure by the blood pressure measuring means after the standby time after waking up from the waking-up behavior. The step of turning on the communication means when switching to the wake-up mode, after a predetermined time has elapsed since switching to the wake-up mode, or when the blood pressure measuring means measures the wake-up blood pressure. The communication control method for a sphygmomanometer according to claim 6, characterized by comprising the above.

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