The present invention relates to a pulse wave measurement device and a pulse wave measurement method, and more specifically, relates to a pulse wave measurement device and pulse wave measurement method for non-invasively measuring the transit time of pulse waves propagating in an artery (pulse transit time; PTT).
In addition, the present invention relates to a blood pressure measurement device that includes this pulse wave measurement device and calculates the blood pressure by using a correspondence equation between pulse transit time and blood pressure.
Conventionally, for example, as disclosed in Patent Literature 1 (JP H02-213324 A), there is known a technique for fixedly arranging a small cuff 13 and a middle cuff 12 in a cuff 10 in a state of being separated from each other in the width direction of the cuff 10 (corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the upper arm) to measure a time difference between the respective pulse wave signals detected by the small cuff 13 and the middle cuff 12 (pulse transit time). In the cuff 10, a large cuff 11 for blood pressure measurement by oscillometric method is arranged along the space between the small cuff 13 and the middle cuff 12.
When continuous measurements of pulse wave or blood pressure over a fixed period are to be obtained, since it is necessary to keep pressing the measurement site of the subject, the subject is physically burdened.
On the other hand, when the subject of the pulse wave is not in a resting state, there may be a case where a component resulting from the body motion of the subject is superimposed on the pulse wave signal, and the pulse transit time cannot be accurately measured. Therefore, when there is a body motion of the subject (when the pulse transit time cannot be measured), for example, it is conceivable to stop the pressing at the measurement site to relieve the physical burden of the subject. Thus, relieving the physical burden as much as possible when the pulse wave or the blood pressure is measured improves the convenience of the subject.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a pulse wave measurement device and a pulse wave measurement method for controlling pressing force on a measurement site with a novel control method so as to improve the convenience of the subject in consideration of the body motion of the subject.
In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a blood pressure measurement device that includes this pulse wave measurement device and calculates the blood pressure by using a correspondence equation between pulse transit time and blood pressure.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a pulse wave measurement device of the present disclosure comprises:
a belt to be mounted around a measurement site of a subject;
at least one pulse wave sensor mounted on the belt, the at least one pulse wave sensor configured to detect a pulse wave of an artery passing through the measurement site;
a pressing member mounted on the belt, the pressing member configured to vary a pressing force to press the at least one pulse wave sensor against the measurement site;
a body motion detection unit configured to detect presence or absence of body motion of the subject; and
a control unit configured to set a pressing force of the pressing member to a first pressing force when there is no body motion of the subject to measure a pulse wave with the at least one pulse wave sensor, the control unit configured to set a pressing force of the pressing member to a second pressing force lower than the first pressing force and higher than zero when there is body motion of the subject and interrupt measurement of a pulse wave.
In the present specification, “measurement site” refers to a site through which an artery passes. The measurement site may be, for example, an upper limb such as a wrist or an upper arm, or a lower limb such as an ankle or a thigh.
In addition, “belt” refers to a band-shaped member mounted around a measurement site regardless of the name. For example, instead of the belt, the name may be “band”, “cuff”, or the like.
In addition, the “width direction” of the belt corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the measurement site.
In addition, the “body motion” refers to the motion of the subject's body which brings significant variation in the pulse wave signal detected by at least one pulse wave sensor.
In addition, the “first pressing force” is the force of strength that can appropriately measure the pulse wave with at least one pulse wave sensor.
In addition, the “second pressing force” is the force of strength to the extent that an unnecessary physical load is not placed on the subject and to the extent that the position of at least one pulse wave sensor does not deviate from the measurement site as long as the body motion of the subject is not excessively violent.
In another aspect, a pulse wave measurement method of the present disclosure is a pulse wave measurement method includes:
using
to measure a pulse wave of the measurement site, the pulse wave measurement method comprising:
setting a pressing force of the pressing member to a first pressing force when there is no body motion of the subject to measure a pulse wave with the at least one pulse wave sensor; and
setting a pressing force of the pressing member to a second pressing force lower than the first pressing force and higher than zero when there is body motion of the subject and interrupting measurement of a pulse wave.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
Hereinafter, a blood pressure measurement device including a pulse wave measurement device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As illustrated in these drawings, the sphygmomanometer 1 roughly includes a belt 20 to be worn around a user's left wrist 90 and a main body 10 integrally attached to the belt 20.
As well understood from
The main body 10 is integrally provided at one end portion 20e of the belt 20 in the circumferential direction by integral molding in this example. It should be noted that the belt 20 and the main body 10 may be separately formed, and the main body 10 may be integrally attached to the belt 20 via an engaging member (for example, a hinge or the like). In this example, the site where the main body 10 is disposed is intended to correspond to the back side surface of the left wrist 90 (the surface on the back side of the hand) 90b in the mounted state (see
As well understood from
A display 50 serving as a display screen is provided on the top surface of the main body 10 (the surface on a side farthest from the measurement site) 10a. In addition, an operation unit 52 for inputting instructions from the user is provided along the side surface 10f of the main body 10 (side surface on the left front side in
An impedance measurement unit 40 constituting at least one pulse wave sensor is provided in a site between one end 20e and the other end 20f in the circumferential direction of the belt 20. In the present embodiment, the case where the impedance measurement unit 40 constitutes first and second pulse wave sensors will be described. Of the belt 20, on the inner peripheral surface 20a of the site where the impedance measurement unit 40 is disposed, six plate-shaped (or sheet-shaped) electrodes 41 to 46 (all of which are referred to as “electrode group” and denoted by reference numeral 40E) are arranged in a state of being separated from each other in the width direction Y of the belt 20 (described in detail below). In this example, the site where the electrode group 40E is disposed is intended to correspond to the radial artery 91 of the left wrist 90 in the mounted state (see
As illustrated in
When mounting the sphygmomanometer 1 on the left wrist 90, the user inserts the left hand into the belt 20 in the direction indicated by the arrow A in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
This electrode group 40E can be configured to be flat. Therefore, in the sphygmomanometer 1, the belt 20 can be configured to be thin as a whole.
The display 50 includes an organic electro luminescence (EL) display in this example, and displays information related to blood pressure measurement such as blood pressure measurement results and other information in accordance with a control signal from the CPU 100. It should be noted that the display 50 is not limited to the organic EL display, and may include another type of display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD).
The operation unit 52 includes a push switch in this example, and inputs an operation signal corresponding to the user's instructions to start or stop blood pressure measurement into the CPU 100. It should be noted that the operation unit 52 is not limited to the push switch, and may be, for example, a pressure-sensitive (resistive) or proximity (capacitive) touch panel switch. In addition, the operation unit 52 may include a microphone (not shown) to input a blood pressure measurement start instructions in response to the user's voice.
The memory 51 non-transitorily stores data of a program for controlling the sphygmomanometer 1, data used for controlling the sphygmomanometer 1, setting data for setting various functions of the sphygmomanometer 1, data of measurement results of blood pressure values, and the like. In addition, the memory 51 is used as a work memory or the like when a program is executed.
The CPU 100 executes various functions as a control unit in accordance with a program for controlling the sphygmomanometer 1 stored in the memory 51. For example, when blood pressure measurement is performed by oscillometric method, the CPU 100 drives the pump 32 (and the valve 33) based on a signal from the pressure sensor 31 in response to instructions to start blood pressure measurement from the operation unit 52. In addition, the CPU 100 calculates the blood pressure value based on the signal from the pressure sensor 31 in this example.
The communication unit 59 is controlled by the CPU 100 to transmit predetermined information to an external device via the network 900, receives information from an external device via the network 900, and delivers the information to the CPU 100. The communication via the network 900 may be wireless or wired. In this embodiment, the network 900 is the Internet, but is not limited thereto, and may be another type of network such as a hospital local area network (LAN), or may be one-to-one communication using a USB cable or the like. The communication unit 59 may include a micro USB connector.
The pump 32 and the valve 33 are connected to the pressing cuff 21 via the air pipe 39, and the pressure sensor 31 is connected to the pressing cuff 21 via the air pipe 38. It should be noted that the air pipes 39 and 38 may be one common pipe. The pressure sensor 31 detects the pressure in the pressing cuff 21 via the air pipe 38. The pump 32 includes a piezoelectric pump in this example and supplies air as a fluid for pressurization to the pressing cuff 21 through the air pipe 39 in order to raise the pressure in the pressing cuff 21 (cuff pressure). The valve 33 is mounted on the pump 32, and is configured to be controlled in opening/closing as the pump 32 is turned on/off. That is, when the pump 32 is turned on, the valve 33 closes and air is filled into the pressing cuff 21, while when the pump 32 is turned off, the valve 33 opens and the air in the pressing cuff 21 is discharged into the atmosphere through the air pipe 39. It should be noted that the valve 33 has a function of a check valve so that the discharged air does not flow back. The pump drive circuit 320 drives the pump 32 based on a control signal supplied from the CPU 100.
The pressure sensor 31 is a piezoresistive pressure sensor in this example, and detects the pressure of the belt 20 (pressing cuff 21), a pressure with the atmospheric pressure as a reference (zero) in this example, through the air pipe 38 to output the detected result as a time-series signal. The oscillation circuit 310 oscillates based on an electrical signal value based on a change in electrical resistance due to the piezoresistive effect from the pressure sensor 31, and outputs a frequency signal having a frequency corresponding to the electrical signal value of the pressure sensor 31 to the CPU 100. In this example, the output of pressure sensor 31 is used for controlling the pressure of the pressing cuff 21, and for calculating the blood pressure value (including systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP)) by oscillometric method.
The acceleration sensor 60 measures the acceleration applied to the sphygmomanometer 1 to work as a body motion detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of body motion of the subject.
The battery 53 supplies power to elements mounted on the main body 10, in this example, to each element of the CPU 100, the pressure sensor 31, the pump 32, the valve 33, the display 50, the memory 51, the communication unit 59, the oscillation circuit 310, the pump drive circuit 320, and the acceleration sensor 60. In addition, the battery 53 also supplies power to the energization and voltage detection circuit 49 of the impedance measurement unit 40 through the wiring line 71. This wiring line 71 is provided to extend between the main body 10 and the impedance measurement unit 40 along the circumferential direction of the belt 20 in a state of being sandwiched between the strip 23 of the belt 20 and the pressing cuff 21 together with the signal wiring line 72.
The energization and voltage detection circuit 49 of the impedance measurement unit 40 is controlled by the CPU 100, and supplies a high frequency constant current i having a frequency of 50 kHz and a current value of 1 mA, in this example, between the current electrode pair 41 and 46 disposed on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the wrist (corresponding to the width direction Y of the belt 20) during the operation, as illustrated in
It should be noted that assuming that the pulse wave velocity (PWV) of the blood flow of the radial artery 91 is in the range of 1000 cm/s to 2000 cm/s, since the substantial space D between the first pulse wave sensor 40-1 and the second pulse wave sensor 40-2 is 20 mm, the time difference Δt between the first pulse wave signal PS1 and the second pulse wave signal PS2 is in the range of 1.0 ms to 2.0 ms.
When the user gives an instruction to measure blood pressure by oscillometric method with the push switch of the operation unit 52 provided in the main body 10 (step S1), the CPU 100 starts operation to initialize the processing memory area (step S2). In addition, the CPU 100 turns off the pump 32 via the pump drive circuit 320, opens the valve 33, and discharges the air in the pressing cuff 21. Subsequently, the current output value of the pressure sensor 31 is set as a value corresponding to the atmospheric pressure (0 mmHg adjustment).
Subsequently, the CPU 100 works as a pressure control unit and drives the pump 32 via the pump drive circuit 320 to send air to the pressing cuff 21, which closes the valve 33 to inflate the pressing cuff 21, gradually pressurizing the cuff pressure Pc (see
In this pressurization process, the CPU 100 monitors the cuff pressure Pc with the pressure sensor 31 in order to calculate the blood pressure value, and acquires, as a pulse wave signal Pm as illustrated in
Next, in step S4 in
At this time, if the blood pressure value cannot be calculated yet because of insufficient data (NO in step S5), unless the cuff pressure Pc reaches the upper limit pressure (for safety, for example, 300 mmHg is predetermined), the processing of steps S3 to S5 is repeated.
If the blood pressure value can be calculated in this manner (YES in step S5), the CPU 100 stops the pump 32, opens the valve 33, and discharges the air in the pressing cuff 21 (step S6). Then, lastly, the measurement result of the blood pressure value is displayed on the display 50 and recorded in the memory 51 (step S7).
It should be noted that the calculation of the blood pressure value may be performed not only in the pressurization process, but also in the depressurization process.
When the user gives an instruction to perform the PTT-based blood pressure measurement with a push switch of the operation unit 52 provided on the main body 10, the CPU 100 starts operation. First, the CPU 100 detects the presence or absence of body motion of the subject by using the acceleration sensor 60 (step S11 in
When there is no body motion of the subject (NO in step S11 in
Next, the CPU 100 measures the first and second pulse wave signals PS1 and PS2 with the first pulse wave sensor 40-1 and the second pulse wave sensor 40-2, and acquires a time difference Δt between the first and second pulse wave signals PS1 and PS2 (see
Next, the CPU 100 works as a first blood pressure calculation unit, and calculates (estimates) the blood pressure based on the pulse transit time (PTT) acquired in step S13 by using the predetermined correspondence equation Eq between pulse transit time and blood pressure (step S14 in
The measurement result of the blood pressure value is displayed on the display 50 and recorded in the memory 51.
On the other hand, when there is body motion of the subject (YES in step S11 in
Next, the CPU 100 determines whether the standby time after interrupting the measurement of the pulse wave (that is, the standby time after setting the standby cuff pressure (second pressing force)) exceeds a threshold value T1 having a predetermined length (step S16 in
In this example, if measurement stop is not instructed by the push switch of the operation unit 52 in step S17 in
If the user gives an instruction to stop measurement with the push switch of the operation unit 52 provided on the main body 10 (YES in step S17 in
According to the sphygmomanometer 1, it is possible to control the pressing force on the measurement site by a novel control method in consideration of the body motion of the subject, and to improve the convenience of the subject. According to the sphygmomanometer 1, when there is body motion of the subject, reducing the pressing force of the pressing cuff allows the physical burden on the subject to be relieved. In addition, according to the sphygmomanometer 1, when the pressing force of the pressing cuff is reduced, setting the pressing force higher than zero allows the positional deviation of the pulse wave sensors 40-1 and 40-2 to be reduced and the pressurization time when measurement is resumed to be shortened.
According to the sphygmomanometer 1, the blood pressure measurement based on the pulse transit time (PTT) allows blood pressure to be measured continuously over a long period of time with a reduced physical burden on the user.
In addition, according to the sphygmomanometer 1, the blood pressure measurement (estimation) based on pulse transit time and the blood pressure measurement by oscillometric method can be performed by an integrated device. Therefore, the convenience of the user can be enhanced.
The measurement cuff pressure (first pressing force) set in step S12 in
According to experiments by the inventor, it has been found that when the pressing force of the first pulse wave sensor 40-1 (including the first detection electrode pair 42 and 43) and the second pulse wave sensor 40-2 (including the second detection electrode pair 44 and 45) on the left wrist 90 as the measurement site (equal to the cuff pressure Pc by the pressing cuff 21) gradually increases from zero, the cross-correlation coefficient r between the waveforms of the first and second pulse wave signals PS1 and PS2 gradually increases along with that, indicates the maximum value rmax, and then gradually decreases. This operation flow is based on the idea that a range in which the cross-correlation coefficient r exceeds a predetermined threshold value Th (in this example, Th=0.99) is an appropriate range of the pressing force (this is referred to as an “appropriate pressing range”).
In order to determine the first pressing force, first, the CPU 100 drives the pump 32 via the pump drive circuit 320 to send air to the pressing cuff 21, which closes the valve 33 to inflate the pressing cuff 21, gradually pressurizing the cuff pressure Pc (see
In this pressurization process, the CPU 100 acquires first and second pulse wave signals PS1 and PS2 respectively output in time series by the first pulse wave sensor 40-1 and the second pulse wave sensor 40-2, and calculates the cross-correlation coefficient r between the waveforms of the first and second pulse wave signals PS1 and PS2 in real time.
Along with that, the CPU 100 determines whether the calculated cross-correlation coefficient r exceeds a predetermined threshold value Th (=0.99). Here, if the cross-correlation coefficient r is not more than the threshold value Th, the CPU 100 repeats the pressurization of the cuff pressure Pc and the calculation of the cross-correlation coefficient r until the cross-correlation coefficient r exceeds the threshold value Th. Then, if the cross-correlation coefficient r exceeds the threshold value Th, the CPU 100 stops the pump 32 and sets the cuff pressure Pc to a value at that time, that is, a value when the cross-correlation coefficient r exceeds the threshold value Th.
Using the measurement cuff pressure (first pressing force) determined in this manner allows the measurement accuracy of the pulse transit time to be enhanced. In addition, since the cuff pressure Pc is set to a value when the cross-correlation coefficient r exceeds the threshold value Th, the pulse transit time can be acquired without unnecessarily increasing the cuff pressure Pc. Thus, the physical burden on the user can be reduced.
Hereinafter, a blood pressure measurement device including a pulse wave measurement device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The sphygmomanometer 1A includes a main body 10A and a belt 20A.
Instead of one system of the pressure sensor 31, the pump 32, the valve 33, the oscillation circuit 310, the pump drive circuit 320, and the CPU 100 for controlling them included in the main body 10 in
The belt 20A in
The other components of the sphygmomanometer 1A in
The sphygmomanometer 1A in
The cuff pressure Pc of the pressing cuffs 21a and 21b as the first pressing force is, for example, set to a value at which the cross-correlation coefficient of the first and second pulse wave signals respectively output in time series by the first and second pulse wave sensors exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Setting the first pressing force (cuff pressure) of the pressing cuffs 21a and 21b to individual values easily brings the cross-correlation coefficient close to 1, and therefore, easily improves the measurement accuracy of the pulse wave and the blood pressure.
The cuff pressures Pc of the pressing cuffs 21a and 21b when there is body motion of the subject may be the same value or different values.
In the above example, the acceleration sensor 60 is used to detect the presence or absence of body motion of the subject, but instead, for example, the pressure sensor 31 may be used to detect a change in cuff pressure caused by body motion of the subject. Both acceleration and a change in cuff pressure may be used to detect the presence or absence of body motion of the subject.
In the above example, the presence or absence of body motion of the subject is determined only in step S11 in
In addition, in the above example, in step S14 in
Furthermore, for example, as illustrated in the equation (Eq. 3) in
The blood pressure can be measured in the same manner as in the case of using equation (Eq. 1) also in the case of using these equations (Eq. 2) and (Eq. 3) as the correspondence equation Eq between pulse transit time and blood pressure. Naturally, correspondence equations other than these equations (Eq. 1), (Eq. 2), and (Eq. 3) may be used.
In the above embodiment, the first pulse wave sensor 40-1 and the second pulse wave sensor 40-2 detect the pulse wave of the artery (radial artery 91) passing through the measurement site (left wrist 90) as a change in impedance (impedance system). However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Each of the first and second pulse wave sensors may include a light emitting element for applying light toward an artery passing through a corresponding portion of the measurement site and a light receiving element for receiving the reflected light (or transmitted light) of the light, and may detect a pulse wave of the artery as a change in volume (photoelectric system). Alternatively, each of the first and second pulse wave sensors may include a piezoelectric sensor abutted on the measurement site, and may detect the strain due to the pressure of the artery passing through the corresponding portion of the measurement site as a change in electrical resistance (piezoelectric system). Furthermore, each of the first and second pulse wave sensors may include a transmission element for transmitting a radio wave (transmission wave) toward an artery passing through a corresponding portion of the measurement site and a reception element for receiving the reflected wave of the radio wave, and may detect a change in the distance between the artery and the sensor due to the pulse wave of the artery as a phase shift between the transmission wave and the reflected wave (radio wave irradiation system).
Although the above embodiments describe the case where the sphygmomanometer in
In addition, in the above embodiment, the sphygmomanometer 1 is intended to be mounted on the left wrist 90 as a measurement site. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The measurement site has only to be a site where an artery passes through, may be an upper limb such as an upper arm other than the wrist, and may be a lower limb such as an ankle or thigh.
In addition, in the above embodiments, the CPU 100 mounted on the sphygmomanometer 1 is assumed to work as a body motion detection unit, a control unit, and first and second blood pressure calculation units to perform blood pressure measurement by oscillometric method (operation flow in
As described above, a pulse wave measurement device of the present disclosure comprises:
a belt to be mounted around a measurement site of a subject;
at least one pulse wave sensor mounted on the belt, the at least one pulse wave sensor configured to detect a pulse wave of an artery passing through the measurement site;
a pressing member mounted on the belt, the pressing member configured to vary a pressing force to press the at least one pulse wave sensor against the measurement site;
a body motion detection unit configured to detect presence or absence of body motion of the subject; and
a control unit configured to set a pressing force of the pressing member to a first pressing force when there is no body motion of the subject to measure a pulse wave with the at least one pulse wave sensor, the control unit configured to set a pressing force of the pressing member to a second pressing force lower than the first pressing force and higher than zero when there is body motion of the subject and interrupt measurement of a pulse wave.
In the present specification, “measurement site” refers to a site through which an artery passes. The measurement site may be, for example, an upper limb such as a wrist or an upper arm, or a lower limb such as an ankle or a thigh.
In addition, “belt” refers to a band-shaped member mounted around a measurement site regardless of the name. For example, instead of the belt, the name may be “band”, “cuff”, or the like.
In addition, the “width direction” of the belt corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the measurement site.
In addition, the “body motion” refers to the motion of the subject's body which brings significant variation in the pulse wave signal detected by at least one pulse wave sensor.
In addition, the “first pressing force” is the force of strength that can appropriately measure the pulse wave with at least one pulse wave sensor.
In addition, the “second pressing force” is the force of strength to the extent that an unnecessary physical load is not placed on the subject and to the extent that the position of at least one pulse wave sensor does not deviate from the measurement site as long as the body motion of the subject is not excessively violent.
In a pulse wave measurement device of one embodiment, at least one pulse wave sensor is mounted on the belt. In a state in which the belt is mounted around the measurement site, the pressing member presses the at least one pulse wave sensor against the measurement site, for example, with a certain pressing force. In this state, each of the at least one pulse wave sensor detects a pulse wave in a facing portion of an artery passing through the measurement site. The body motion detection unit detects the presence or absence of body motion of the subject. When there is no body motion of the subject, the control unit sets a pressing force of the pressing member to a first pressing force to measure a pulse wave with the at least one pulse wave sensor. When there is body motion of the subject, the control unit sets a pressing force of the pressing member to a second pressing force lower than the first pressing force and higher than zero and interrupts measurement of a pulse wave. Thus, when there is body motion of the subject, it is possible to set a pressing force of the pressing member to the second pressing force to alleviate the physical burden on the subject. In addition, since the second pressing force is higher than zero, the position of at least one pulse wave sensor can be less likely to be deviated from the measurement site. As described above, controlling the pressing force on the measurement site by a novel control method in consideration of the body motion of the subject allows the convenience of the subject to be improved.
In the pulse wave measurement device of one embodiment, when measurement of a pulse wave is interrupted and then a state where there is body motion of the subject is transitioned to a state where there is no body motion of the subject, the control unit returns the pressing force of the pressing member to the first pressing force to resume measurement of a pulse wave.
In the pulse wave measurement device of the one embodiment, since the pressing force of the pressing member is set to a second pressing force higher than zero when the measurement of the pulse wave is interrupted, when pulse wave measurement is resumed, the pressing force of the pressing member can be returned to the first pressing force more quickly than when the pressing force of the pressing member is set to zero. Thus, the convenience of the subject can be improved.
In the pulse wave measurement device of one embodiment, when measurement of a pulse wave is interrupted and then a standby time having a predetermined length elapses, the control unit sets a pressing force of the pressing member to zero.
In the pulse wave measurement device of this one embodiment, it is possible to avoid useless pressing at the measurement site.
In the pulse wave measurement device of one embodiment, the pulse wave measurement device comprises a first pulse wave sensor and a second pulse wave sensor mounted on the belt in a state of being separated from each other in a width direction of the belt, each of the first pulse wave sensor and the second pulse wave sensor configured to detect a pulse wave in a facing portion of an artery passing through the measurement site.
In the pulse wave measurement device according to this embodiment, the first pressing force is, for example, set to a value at which the cross-correlation coefficient of the first and second pulse wave signals respectively output in time series by the first and second pulse wave sensors exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Here, the “cross-correlation coefficient” means the sample correlation coefficient (also referred to as Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient). For example, when a data sequence {xi} and a data sequence {yi} including two sets of numerical values (where i=1, 2, . . . , n) are given, the cross-correlation coefficient r between the data sequence {xi} and the data sequence {yi} is defined by the equation (Eq. 4) illustrated in
In the pulse wave measurement device of one embodiment, the first and second pulse wave sensors are mounted on the belt in a state of being separated from each other in the width direction of the belt. In a state in which the belt is mounted around the measurement site, the pressing member presses the first and second pulse wave sensors against the measurement site, for example, with a certain pressing force. In this state, each of the first and second pulse wave sensors detects a pulse wave in a facing portion of an artery passing through the measurement site. The body motion detection unit detects the presence or absence of body motion of the subject. When there is no body motion of the subject, the control unit sets a pressing force of the pressing member to a first pressing force to measure a pulse wave with the first and second pulse wave sensors. When there is no body motion of the subject, the control unit sets a pressing force of the pressing member to a first pressing force to measure a pulse wave with the first and second pulse wave sensors. Thus, when there is body motion of the subject, it is possible to set a pressing force of the pressing member to the second pressing force to alleviate the physical burden on the subject. In addition, since the second pressing force is higher than zero, the position of the first and second pulse wave sensors can be less likely to be deviated from the measurement site. As described above, controlling the pressing force on the measurement site by a novel control method in consideration of the body motion of the subject allows the convenience of the subject to be improved.
In the pulse wave measurement device of one embodiment, the pressing member includes an element configured to press the first pulse wave sensor and the second pulse wave sensor with an individual pressing force, and the control unit sets the first pressing force of the pressing member to individual values with respect to the first pulse wave sensor and the second pulse wave sensor.
In the pulse wave measurement device of this one embodiment, setting the first pressing force of the pressing member to individual values with respect to the first and second pulse wave sensors allows measurement accuracy of a pulse wave and blood pressure to be improved.
In another aspect, a blood pressure measurement device of the present disclosure comprises:
the pulse wave measurement device; and
a first blood pressure calculation unit configured to calculate blood pressure by using a predetermined correspondence equation between pulse transit time and blood pressure based on pulse transit time being a time difference between a first pulse wave signal and a second pulse wave signal respectively output in time series by the first pulse wave sensor and the second pulse wave sensor.
In the blood pressure measurement device of this one embodiment, the pulse wave measurement device acquires pulse transit time. The first blood pressure calculation unit calculates (estimates) the blood pressure based on the pulse transit time by using a predetermined correspondence equation between pulse transit time and blood pressure. Therefore, when the blood pressure of the subject is measured, controlling the pressing force on the measurement site by a novel control method in consideration of the body motion of the subject as described above allows the convenience of the subject to be improved.
In the blood pressure measurement device of one embodiment,
the pressing member is a fluid bag provided along the belt,
the blood pressure measurement device further comprises a main body provided integrally with the belt, and
wherein on the main body, the body motion detection unit, the control unit, and the first blood pressure calculation unit are mounted, and a pressure control unit configured to supply air to the fluid bag to control pressure, and a second blood pressure calculation unit configured to calculate blood pressure based on pressure in the fluid bag are mounted for blood pressure measurement by oscillometric method.
Herein, the main body being “integrally provided” with respect to the belt may mean that the belt and the main body are, for example, integrally molded, or instead of this, may mean that the belt and the main body may be separately formed, and the main body may be integrally attached to the belt via an engaging member (for example, a hinge or the like).
In the pulse wave measurement device of this one embodiment, the blood pressure measurement (estimation) based on pulse transit time and the blood pressure measurement by oscillometric method can be performed by an integrated device. Therefore, the convenience of the user is enhanced.
In another aspect, a pulse wave measurement method of the present disclosure is a pulse wave measurement method includes:
using
to measure a pulse wave of the measurement site, the pulse wave measurement method comprising:
setting a pressing force of the pressing member to a first pressing force when there is no body motion of the subject to measure a pulse wave with the at least one pulse wave sensor; and
setting a pressing force of the pressing member to a second pressing force lower than the first pressing force and higher than zero when there is body motion of the subject and interrupting measurement of a pulse wave.
In the pulse wave measurement method of this one embodiment, it is possible to avoid useless pressing at the measurement site.
The above embodiments are illustrative, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is to be noted that the various embodiments described above can be appreciated individually within each embodiment, but the embodiments can be combined together. It is also to be noted that the various features in different embodiments can be appreciated individually by its own, but the features in different embodiments can be combined.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2016-254771 | Dec 2016 | JP | national |
This is a continuation application of International Application No. PCT/JP2017/038870, with an International filing date of Oct. 27, 2017, which claims priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-254771 filed on Dec. 28, 2016, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/JP2017/038870 | Oct 2017 | US |
Child | 16441084 | US |