Optical Pulse Wave Measurement Without Cuff Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional blood pressure measuring apparatuses apply significant pressure to the body using cuffs, causing discomfort and requiring time for pressurization and depressurization, which limits their usability and accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A pulse wave measuring apparatus that optically acquires pulse waveform information from a living body using a camera, allowing for non-contact, real-time blood pressure estimation without the need for a cuff, by calculating pulse wave feature amounts from the acquired video data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a cuff is used to measure blood pressure, then measurement can be performed, but significant pressure is applied to the body causing discomfort and burden
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical cuff-based measurement system with an optical measurement system. A camera captures video images of the measurement target, and pulse wave information is extracted optically from these images, eliminating the need for mechanical pressure application while achieving blood pressure measurement functionality
2Measurement precision
If a cuff is used to measure blood pressure, then measurement can be performed, but time is required for pressurization and depressurization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical cuff system that requires pressurization and depressurization cycles with an optical video-based measurement system. The camera continuously captures images, and pulse wave information is extracted in real-time from the video data, eliminating the time-consuming mechanical pressurization and depressurization processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables continuous blood pressure measurement by continuously capturing video images and continuously extracting pulse wave information. This continuous optical measurement process eliminates the intermittent nature of cuff-based measurements, providing uninterrupted data without repeated pressurization cycles
3Measurement precision
If a cuff is used to measure blood pressure, then measurement can be performed, but accuracy is limited due to body burden
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical cuff system with an optical measurement system that extracts pulse wave information from video images. This substitution eliminates the measurement errors introduced by mechanical pressure application and body movement, improving measurement reliability and accuracy
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a non-invasive, real-time, and continuous measurement of blood pressure with reduced burden on the body, improving user comfort and accuracy compared to traditional methods.
Implementation Method 1
a pulse waveform information acquiring unit that optically acquires pulse waveform information from a region of a living body
Data Source
AI summary
A pulse wave measuring apparatus is provided, the pulse wave measuring apparatus including: a cardiac pulse waveform information acquiring unit that optically acquires cardiac pulse waveform information from a region of a living body; and a pulse wave feature amount calculating unit that calculates a pulse wave feature amount based on the pulse waveform information, wherein the pulse waveform information acquiring unit has a video input unit that receives an input of a video of the region of the living body, and the pulse waveform information acquiring unit outputs a window signal that includes first sample data from the pulse waveform information, and outputs, from the video, the window signal whose sampling rate is fixed to a predetermined rate based on a reference signal indicating time.