1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a blood pressure measurement device and, more specifically, to a blood pressure measurement device storing measurement data in a removable portion mounted thereon.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, information associated with blood pressures measured at home and blood pressure measurement is sometimes recorded in a sphygmomanometer (a blood pressure gauge) for disclosure thereof in an external medical institution such as a hospital to receive treatment or guidance. As a method of disclosure of the information, a user writes on a sheet of paper the information associated with the blood pressure measurement recorded in the sphygmomanometer and then takes the paper, or takes a main body of the sphygmomanometer recording the information to the external medical institution such as a hospital to show a doctor the recorded information to receive treatment or guidance.
In the conventional method as such, however, incorrect information may be written by mistake, or complicated data processing may be subsequently required. In addition, the main body of the sphygmomanometer recording the information is heavy and bulky for carrying.
Therefore, a patent reference 1 (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-127587), for example, proposes a technique enabling information of blood pressure record to be read in another facility or with another system using a memory card. In addition, a patent reference 2 (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-83912) proposes a sphygmomanometer including a sphygmomanometer main body unit and an arm band (a cuff) unit which can be used integrally or separately using a cable.
The sphygmomanometer having a removable memory card as disclosed in patent reference 1 is not practical because, to remove the memory card from the sphygmomanometer and read stored data with another system or the like, an additional mechanism for another system for accessing the memory card and displaying read data is required.
In addition, in a construction having the cuff unit and the main body unit separate from each other as disclosed in patent reference 2, the main body unit includes a display unit, an operation unit for the sphygmomanometer, and a control unit for controlling each portion of the sphygmomanometer which has a CPU (central processing unit) and a memory storing any kind of data including measurement data. For a use wherein the main body unit as such is carried to the aforementioned another system to display and ensure contents of the memory, the main body unit is heavy and bulky for carrying because the main body unit integrally has portions not needed for such use, such as the control unit for a whole sphygmomanometer and the operation unit for operating the sphygmomanometer.
An object of the present invention is to provide a blood pressure measurement device having enhanced practical utility to display measurement data stored in a removable portion in a removed state of the portion.
A blood pressure measurement device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a main body unit fixed to the blood pressure measurement device and a display unit removably mounted on the blood pressure measurement device.
The main body unit includes a cuff mounted on a region for measurement of a living body, a control unit for measuring a blood pressure with adjusting a pressure of the cuff for blood pressure measurement, and a main body operation unit operated to externally provide instructions for a blood pressure measurement operation of the control unit. The cuff is integrally or separately attached to the main body unit.
The display unit includes a storage unit for storing data of blood pressure measured by the control unit, a display portion for displaying measurement data in the storage unit, and a display operation unit operated to externally provide instructions for a display operation of the display portion.
Therefore, since the measurement data in the storage unit can be displayed on the display portion by an operation of the display operation unit, the measurement data can be displayed and ensured without preparation of a specific display device when the display unit is removed and carried to a medical institution or the like for displaying.
In addition, since the display unit including the storage unit storing the measurement data of blood pressure measurement can be removed from the blood pressure measurement device, one can easily go to an external medical institution or the like carrying only the display unit which is smaller and lighter than the blood pressure measurement device.
Furthermore, as the main body operation unit for providing instructions for the blood pressure measurement operation and the display operation unit for providing instructions for the display operation are separately provided and only the display operation unit is provided on the display unit to be removed, reduction in size and weight of the display unit is enabled.
In addition, removing of the display unit during the blood pressure measurement is practical because the display unit can be moved to a certain position according to a posture for the measurement so that the display can be easily seen.
The display unit preferably further includes a display-side interface for communicating with an external portion and reads the measurement data in the storage unit for transmission to the external portion via the display-side interface. Therefore, the measurement data can be received and displayed with an external device of a transmitted side.
The display unit preferably updates the measurement data in the storage unit based on an instruction received from the external portion via the display-side interface.
Therefore, the measurement data stored in the storage unit of the display unit can be updated by transmission of an instruction from the external portion.
It is preferable that the instruction include additional data for storing in the storage unit. That is, the measurement data stored in the storage unit of the display unit can be updated with the additional data transmitted from the external portion.
It is preferable that the instruction instruct to delete the measurement data in the storage unit. That is, the measurement data stored in the storage unit of the display unit can be deleted with the instruction transmitted from the external portion.
The main body unit preferably further includes a main body-side interface for communicating with an external portion and reads the measurement data in the storage unit via the main body-side interface for transmission to the external portion.
Therefore, the measurement data in the storage unit of the display unit can be read from the main body unit and transmitted to an external device or the like.
The display unit preferably further includes a display-side interface for communicating with an external portion. The main body unit updates the measurement data in the storage unit via the main body-side interface and the display-side interface based on an instruction received from the external portion via the main body-side interface.
Therefore, the measurement data in the storage unit of the display unit can be updated based on the instruction received by the main body unit from the external portion.
Preferably, the display unit communicates with the main body unit via wire or wireless. Therefore, the display unit can communicate with the main body unit for transmitting or receiving measurement data or the like even when it is removed. In addition, use of the wireless increases flexibility in a location of the removed display unit because a run of a cable is not required.
The measurement data stored in the storage unit is preferably data corresponding to one or a plurality of blood pressure measurements.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Each embodiment of the present invention will be described in the following referring to the drawings.
In a blood pressure measurement device according to a first embodiment, a memory storing information associated with blood pressure measurement, a display portion for displaying the information associated with blood pressure measurement, an operation unit for the blood pressure measurement device, and an operation unit for the display portion are provided integrally and can be removed from the blood pressure measurement device.
Referring to
Operation and display unit 20 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 23 for centralized control and monitoring of each portion of blood pressure measurement device 60, a display portion 22 for displaying various information regarding blood pressure measurement, a main body operation unit 11 for providing instructions for a measurement operation of blood pressure measurement device 60 from an external portion by a key operation or the like, a display memory 12 storing information for display on display portion 22, and a display-side I/F 25 for communicating with an external portion.
CPU 23 includes a timer 231 and a process memory 24 storing various programs and data for controlling operations such as the measurement operation of blood pressure measurement device 60 and a display operation via display portion 22. Timer 231 counts current time to output time information. Display portion 22 includes a display operation unit 16 having a key operated from an external portion for providing instructions for switching of displayed information or ON/OFF switching of the display. While operation and display unit 20 is mounted on blood pressure measurement device 60, main body-side I/F 19 and display-side I/F 25 are connected with each other. With this, data and signals can be transmitted and received between A/D converter 8, pump drive circuit 6 and valve drive circuit 7 on a side of main body unit 30 and CPU 23 on a side of operation and display unit 20.
Each of
After the blood pressure measurement, when the subject desires to show the result of the measurement in an external medical institution such as a hospital to receive a diagnosis, blood pressure measurement device 60 is used in a manner as shown in
As such, the subject can remove operation and display unit 20 from blood pressure measurement device 60 and carry operation and display unit 20 alone to the external medical institution such as a hospital. When display operation unit 16 of operation and display unit 20 is operated at the medical institution to instruct to display the result of the measurement, CPU 23 reads the measurement data previously stored in display memory 12 or process memory 24 responsive to this instruction, manipulates the data to obtain a format for displaying and displays the result via display portion 22.
Though the instruction regarding display for display portion 22 is provided to CPU 23 via display operation unit 16, the instruction may be provided by operation of main body operation unit 11. In addition, though the blood pressure measurement data is stored in display memory 12 or process memory 24, the data may be stored in only one of the memories.
When operation and display unit 20 is removed from blood pressure measurement device 60 as shown in
In the manner shown in
It is to be noted that, though operation and display unit 20 and main body unit 30 are connected to each other with cable 40 to enable communication therebetween in
In addition, though cuff 1 is integrally attached to main body unit 30 in this embodiment, it may be attached separately via air tube 1A.
A second embodiment shows a blood pressure measurement device having a display unit for displaying blood pressure measurement data provided in a removable form. Referring to
Display unit 18 includes display memory 12 storing data for display including data of blood pressure measurement, a display portion 13 for displaying data stored in display memory 12, and a display-side I/F 14 for communicating with an external portion. Display portion 13 includes a CPU 15 for monitoring and controlling a display operation and display operation unit 16 externally operated to provide instructions for switching of displayed information or ON/OFF switching of the display. When display unit 18 is mounted on blood pressure measurement device 50, main body-side I/F 9 and display-side I/F 14 are connected to each other and data communication between CPU 15 and CPU 10 is enabled.
When display unit 18 is removed from blood pressure measurement device 50, main body-side I/F 9 and display-side I/F 14 may be connected to each other with a cable as shown in
In addition, though cuff 1 is integrally attached to main body unit 51 in this embodiment, it may be attached separately via air tube 1A.
Each of
When the measurement data is stored in display memory 12 in the state shown in
After the blood pressure measurement operation, when the subject shows the result of the measurement in an external medical institution such as a hospital to receive a diagnosis, treatment or the like, a manner as shown in
In
According to the first and second embodiments, by removing operation and display unit 20 from blood pressure measurement device 60 or by removing display unit 18 from blood pressure measurement device 50, the subject can easily carry information regarding blood pressure measurement without being bulky, separately from a pressure level adjustment system for cuff 1 for the blood pressure measurement. Therefore, preparation of a specific separate display device is not required to display and ensure the information regarding blood pressure measurement on a place other than a place of the blood pressure measurement, for example, a place on which blood pressure measurement device 50 or 60 is located. It is practical because when the information is to be carried to an external institution for representation to a doctor to receive a diagnosis, for example, the doctor does not need to have a separate display device.
Display memory 12 of display unit 18 described in the second embodiment can store additional information provided from a separate device other than blood pressure measurement device 50. Though a thermometer is applied as the separate device in a third embodiment, it is not limited to a thermometer and may be a device for measuring another kind of physiological information.
Data for identifying the subject is previously attached to the body temperature data input by CPU 15. CPU 15 inputs the body temperature data and stores in association with the blood pressure measurement data which is previously measured and stored for each subject in display memory 12. The body temperature data and the blood pressure measurement data may be stored for each measurement time. Contents of display memory 12 additionally storing the body temperature data can be displayed on display portion 13 by an operation of display operation unit 16.
Though display unit 18 and thermometer main body 45 are connected to each other via cable 47 in
In addition, thermometer main body 45 can access to the contents of display memory 12 via cable 47. More specifically, when the subject operates an operation unit 48 of thermometer main body 45 to instruct to display the measurement data on a side of display unit 18, the microcomputer of thermometer main body 45 requests the measurement data of CPU 15 of display unit 18 based on this instruction. CPU 15 reads the measurement data from display memory 12 responsive to the request and outputs the data to a side of thermometer main body 45 via display-side I/F 14 and cable 47. The microcomputer of thermometer main body 45 inputs the measurement data output from display unit 18, performs prescribed processing and displays the result on a display unit 49.
In addition, thermometer main body 45 may be connected via cable 47 to blood pressure measurement device 50 having display unit 18 mounted thereon, as shown in
Though the body temperature data is stored in addition to the blood pressure measurement data in display memory 12 with thermometer main body 45 which is separate from blood pressure measurement device 50, the data in display memory 12 may be deleted. After the subject ensures the display on display unit 49, for example, the subject operates operation unit 48 to give an instruction to delete desired data of displayed data, which instruction is provided to CPU 15 of display unit 18. CPU 15 then deletes the desired data from display memory 12 based on the instruction. The instruction for deleting may be given by an operation of display operation unit 16 or main body operation unit 11.
Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2004-049913 | Feb 2004 | JP | national |