JPH0323837A - Apparatus for exerting pressure upon living body and emergent opening valve used therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to release a pressurized condition after a specified time passes even if a condition where a binding belt exercises pressure upon a living body is kept as it is, caused by a trouble ol an apparatus by opening automatically a pressure pipe by the action of a safety control part after a specified time passes from the beginning of a measurement. CONSTITUTION:A measurement and control part 110 controlling an air pump 150 and a leak valve 160 based on a specified procedure while a measured value of a pressure at a sensor part 140 measuring the pressure of a pressure pipe 310 and performing a required measuring action under exercising pressure upon a living body, an emergency release valve 220 lowering pressure by opening a pressure pipe at emer gency and a safety control part 210 actuating the emergency release valve when the measurement and control part does not output a signal of completion of the measure ment after a specified time passes from the beginning of the measurement, are fur nished. As a result, the pressure pipe ie opened automatically by the emergency release valve by an action of the safety control part when a specified time passes after the measurement is started. Therefore, even if a condition where a binding belt exercises pressure upon a living body is kept as it is, caused by a trouble of the apparatus, this pressurized condition is released after a specified time passes.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a living body compression device and an emergency release valve used therein;
In particular, the present invention relates to a device for compressing a living body with a strap to measure pulse waves and blood pressure values, and an emergency release valve used therein.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art As a device for non-invasively measuring blood pressure or pulse waves, a device is widely used in which a strap is attached to an upper or lower limb and a desired measurement is performed while compressing a blood vessel. Such devices generally include an air pump and air leak means. At the start of measurement, air is sent into the cuff from an air pump through a pressurizing tube to increase the pressure of the cuff and compress the living body, and once the pressure is sufficiently applied, the air is leaked little by little using the leak means to reduce the pressure of the cuff. The pressure is gradually decreased and the condition of the living body is measured when the strap is at a predetermined pressure value.

[Invention or problem to be solved]

The above-mentioned living body compression device was previously used mainly in hospitals with medical personnel, but recently it has been made smaller and lighter, and it can be attached to a living body 24 hours a day for long-term portable measurements. Uru devices are also becoming popular. In this way, 2
In a device that is worn for 4 hours, it is possible to automatically perform desired measurements every hour, for example, and store the measurement results.

However, such a living body compression device that is used while being worn 24 hours a day has the risk of causing a serious accident if it breaks down. That is, if the pressure reduction operation by the leak means is not performed normally due to a malfunction of the device, the living body is compressed by the strap and the artery remains blood-blocked. If measurements are taken at a hospital or the like, in such a case, immediate action can be taken not to remove the strap, but if measurements are taken while the strap is worn 24 hours a day, sufficient measures cannot be taken.

If the patient was conscious, a fatal incident could be avoided, but the patient still wears the device while sleeping, and if such an accident occurs during sleep, there is a risk of peripheral tissue damage due to ischemia. There is. In particular, for elderly people with reduced sensory responses and patients whose consciousness is suppressed by medication, there is a possibility that such serious accidents may occur not only during sleep.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a living body compression device that is highly safe even in the event of failure, and an emergency release valve used therefor.

[Means to solve the problem]

The first invention of the present application provides a living body compression device that includes a pressurizing tube for sending air to a cuff that compresses a living body, an air pump that supplies air to the pressurizing tube, and a leak means for leaking air in the pressurizing tube. , a sensor section that measures the pressure inside the pressure tube, and while inputting the pressure measurement value from this sensor section, controls the air pump and leak means according to a predetermined policy procedure, and performs the desired measurement operation under biological pressure. an emergency release valve that opens the pressurizing pipe to lower the pressure in an emergency; and an emergency release valve that opens the pressurized pipe to lower the pressure in case of an emergency. It is equipped with a safety control section that operates the release valve.

A second invention of the present application is, in the living body compression device described above, effectively connecting the first power source means for performing the measurement operation, the second power source means for performing the emergency release operation, and the first power source means. A power supply control unit is further provided, and the safety control unit is capable of supplying predetermined voltage values to the first power supply means and the second power supply means, respectively, before the measurement control unit starts measurement. determine whether or not
The power supply control unit is configured to effectively connect the first power supply means when both are possible.

A third invention of the present application is that in the living body compression device described above, a timer is provided in the safety control section, and this timer is
When the constant control section starts measurement, it starts counting 1.
It is configured to stop counting when a signal indicating measurement completion is output, and to operate when a non-'2:9 open valve or the timer's count 1 value reaches a predetermined value. This is what I did.

The fourth invention of the present application is an emergency release valve that opens a pressurizing tube that sends air to pressurize a cuff that compresses a living body to reduce the pressure inside the tube in an emergency, and the emergency release valve is connected to the pressurizing tube and made of a material that melts with heat. an emergency release tube, a resistor for fusing the emergency release tube with heat, a current supply means for supplying current to generate heat in the resistor, and a pressing means for pressing the resistor against the emergency release tube. .

[For production]

According to the first invention of the present application, the pressurizing pipe is automatically opened by the emergency release valve when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the start of measurement due to the action of the safety control section. Therefore, even if the strap remains compressing the living body due to a malfunction of the device, the compression will be released after a predetermined period of time has elapsed.

According to the second invention of the present application, the electric ti. A preliminary check of the voltage is performed. That is, the first
The first power supply means is effectively connected only when a normal voltage 7 can be supplied to both the power supply means and the second power supply means for performing the emergency opening operation. Therefore, if the voltage of the first power supply means is below a predetermined value and normal measurement operation cannot be expected, the first power supply means is not connected and no measurement is performed. Furthermore, if the voltage of the second power supply means is below a predetermined value and normal emergency release operation cannot be expected, the first power supply means is not connected and no measurement is performed. In this way, accidents caused by a drop in power supply voltage can be prevented.

According to the third invention of the present application, the elapse of a predetermined time after measurement can be measured by the timer provided in the safety control section. If the strapping pressure has not decreased after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, an emergency opening operation is performed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in an emergency, by passing a current through the resistor, the resistor can be caused to generate heat. Because the resistor is pressed against an emergency release wire that melts due to heat,
The heat generated causes the emergency release pipe to melt and open, reducing the pressure inside the pressure pipe.

8 [Example] The present invention will be described below based on an illustrated example. 1st
The figure is a block diagram showing the configuration of a living body compression device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This device is composed of three parts: a measuring device 100 (indicated by a chain line), a safety device 200 (indicated by a chain double-dot line), and a strap 300. However, the measuring device 100 and the safety device 200 are housed in the same housing and are integrated as a device. Bind belt 30
A pressure tube 310 is led out from 0, and this pressure tube 310 extends into the measuring device 100 and the safety device 200. The measuring device 100 includes a measurement control section 110 having a CPU functioning as a central part, a memory 120 for storing measurement results, a display 130 for displaying measurement results, and a sensor section for measuring the pressure inside the pressure tube 310. 140, air pump 1 that supplies air to the pressurizing pipe 310
50, leak valve 1 that leaks air in the pressurizing pipe 310
60, and a stepper motor 170 for operating the leak valve 160. It also includes a first electrical source (1) that supplies the power necessary for the measurement operation, and a switch S1. On the other hand, the safety device 200 controls power supply from a safety control unit 210 having a CPU having a central function, an emergency release valve 220 for opening the pressurizing pipe 310 in an emergency, and a first battery V. It has a power supply control unit 230 to display the power supply status, and light emitting diodes 24 and 242 to display the status of the power supply. It also includes a second battery V2 that supplies power necessary for emergency release operation and a switch S2.

In this figure, the solid line with an arrow indicates the flow of signal current,
Solid lines without arrows indicate power supply paths. In addition, the pressure pipe 31
A dot is added inside 0 to indicate that it is filled with air. First, we will explain the power supply route. The switches S1 and S2 are mechanically interlocked, and both are turned on at the same time when the operator turns on the power. This allows the second electricity! The power supply voltage from V2 is supplied to the safety control unit 21.
0. On the other hand, the power supply voltage from the first battery V1 is supplied to the measurement control section 110 and also to the safety control section 210. The safety control section 210 is operated by the voltage supplied from the second battery V2. Safety control section 2
10 from the first voltage/Il2V1 ti. The reason why the voltage is given is to check the voltage value of the first battery V]. The air pump 150 and the stepping motor 170 are also supplied with the power supply voltage from the first ffi/thV1, but these are supplied via the power supply control section 230.

Next, the flow of signal current will be explained. Measurement control unit] 10 manually inputs the measured pressure signal from the sensor unit 140. The sensor section 140 includes a pressure sensor connected to the pressure tube 310, an amplifier that amplifies the output of the pressure sensor, and a D/A converter that converts an analog signal output from the amplifier into a digital signal. Therefore, the measurement control section 1
10 is the pressure measurement value inside the pressure tube 310, that is, the strap 3
The pressure measurement values within 00 can be captured as digital values, and the captured measurement values can be stored in the memory 120 or displayed on the display 130. The measurement control unit 110 executes a predetermined measurement procedure based on the program stored in the R○11M. If you want to use this measurement procedure, air pump 15
0 or give an operation instruction to the stepping motor 170. In addition, the measurement control unit 1]0 is
A signal indicating the start of measurement and a signal indicating the completion of measurement are given to the safety control unit 2]0. The safety control unit 210 also
A predetermined safety operation is executed based on the program stored in M. For example, when checking the voltage of the first battery V1 and the second battery V2, the light emitting diode 2 of the check result
41 242, instructions to the power supply control unit 230,
It gives instructions to the emergency release valve 220, controls the operation of the built-in timer, etc. A relay is built into the power supply control unit 230, and according to instructions from the safety control unit 210,
Control is performed to connect or disconnect the first battery V1 to the air pump 150 and the stepping motor 170. Further, the emergency release valve 220 has a function of opening the pressurizing pipe 310 and reducing the pressure to atmospheric pressure upon receiving an instruction from the safety control unit 210.

12 Next, the measurement procedure performed by the measurement control unit 110 will be briefly explained. FIG. 2 is a graph explaining this measurement procedure, where the horizontal axis shows time (seC) and the vertical axis shows the pressure inside the cuff (mmHg). This device has three measurement modes.

In either mode, immediately after the start of measurement, the pressure is gradually increased as shown by the solid line in the figure. That is, the measurement control unit 110 gives an operation instruction to the air pump 150, and sends air to the pressurizing pipe 310 to increase the pressure. When the pressure reaches a predetermined value, an instruction is given to stop the air pump 150 and operate the stepping motor 170 at a constant speed. As a result, the leak valve] 60 gradually opens, the air inside the pressurizing pipe 310 leaks, and the pressure decreases.

If necessary, the leak valve 160 can be closed midway to maintain a predetermined pressure. Generally, in the process of decreasing this pressure, pulse waves are measured and blood pressure 'All+ is determined. For example, there are three modes: L mode, M mode, and H mode.
Two measurement modes are prepared, and in FIG. 2, the pressure reduction operation in each mode is shown by a dotted line, a broken line, and a dashed-dotted line. In L mode 1, if the pressure is increased to point L1,
Part 11. ;+7. 1. 1, < to enter the pressure reduction operation, and then AL] to L2 to complete the constant procedure. Similarly, in M mode 1, points M] to M2 are reached, and in H mode, points H1 to H2 are reached, and the measurement procedure ends. When the measurement procedure is completed, the leak valve 160 is fully open and the pressure drops to atmospheric pressure (0).
The measurement procedures for Mo1. and Hmo1. end when times T1, T2 and T3 have elapsed after the start of the measurement, respectively.

That's right, 71j. If it is a constant motion or 3 + sleep while I am sleeping, the time T3 time lapse from the start of measurement is
The measurement procedure has now been completed and the pressure has dropped to atmospheric pressure. However, leak valve 1. 60 or Steso Pink Motor 170 with YJ'? ：'+゛ or main, 7I111 constant control unit 1] 0 or failure, binding, j
The IP depressurization procedure may not be performed properly. In this case, the cloff fish L]~L2,M]~M2,Hl in Figure 2
Instead of reaching ~H2, the pressure does not decrease and points L1 to L3
, M1~M3H]~H3+.Alternatively, increase the pressure up to the maximum pressure value and press point E1.
A situation may occur in which the temperature reaches the point E2. In such a case, if left untreated, the living body will remain under pressure, which could lead to accidents such as damage to peripheral tissues, as described above. Therefore,
In the apparatus of the present invention, a limit time TL is defined in advance by adding a predetermined margin time ST to the maximum measurement time T3, and if the measurement procedure is not completed even after this limit time TL has elapsed, The emergency release valve 220 is operated to forcibly open the pressurizing pipe 310, and the pressure is lowered to atmospheric pressure.

The operation of this device will be described in detail below. FIG. 3 is a time chart explaining this operation.

Tier 1, upper stage is measurement control unit 1] 0 is safety control unit 210
The lower part of the chart shows the voltage that the power supply control unit 230 supplies to the air pump 150 and the Steso pink motor 170. Is this device now?
Assume that the program has been programmed to take one measurement every other hour, that patient 15 is wearing a cuff, and that switch S]. , S2 are turned ON and the user goes to bed, as an example. [All Constant Control Unit] 10 first sends a signal indicating the start of measurement to the safety control unit 210 at time L1.

When the safety control section 210 receives this signal, the safety control section 210 selects whether the first battery V1 and the second battery V2 are connected to a predetermined . ! i. l-i4
Check whether a voltage higher than the voltage is being supplied.

In this example, the standard voltage for the first voltage is set to 4.
, the reference voltage for the second ground V2 is set to 4.5■. Since the second voltage V2 is a voltage valve used for emergency release operation, the reference voltage applied to this is the emergency release valve 2.
In order to ensure safety, it is preferable to set the voltage slightly higher so that the voltage is sufficient to drive the motor 20. Here, if both batteries are equal to or higher than the reference voltage, the safety control unit 210 instructs the power supply control unit 230 to connect the power line. In other words, at 11;7 in Figure 3, t2
At this time, voltage is supplied to the air pump 50 and the stepping motor 170 from the first battery V1. If either one of the voltages does not reach the 16 reference voltage, no voltage is supplied from the first battery V1. Such control is very effective in ensuring safe operation. That is, if the voltage of the first battery 1 does not reach the reference voltage, the stepping motor 70 may not function sufficiently during the pressure reduction operation, and the leakage operation may not be performed properly. Furthermore, if the voltage of the second battery 2 has not reached the base voltage, there is a possibility that the emergency release valve will not operate if a leak occurs. In either case, operating air pump 150 to increase pressure is dangerous. In this device, in such a case, the power supply is not connected to the air pump 150, so the measurement control section 110 controls the air pump 150.
Even if an operation instruction is given to the air pump 150, the air pump 150 does not operate. Measurement control unit] If the program in 0 does not show an increase in pressure even after operating the air pump for a predetermined period of time,
By incorporating a routine that determines when an abnormality has occurred, all operations can be stopped at that point.

Note that if the voltages of the first battery V1 and the second battery V1/Ii2V2 are abnormal, the light emitting diode 241
and 242 are lit to notify an abnormality.

If both batteries are normal, the first battery (1) is connected at time t2 and measurement is started. At this time, a timer built into the safety control unit 210 starts counting. If the measurement is performed normally, after a predetermined time, for example, in the case of mode M operation, time t3 after time T2 has elapsed.
Then, the measurement control section 110 gives a signal indicating the completion of the measurement to the safety control section 210. That is, if it is working properly,
In modes L, M, and H, points L2, M2, and
When H2 is reached, it is recognized that the measurement is complete. This recognition can be performed, for example, based on the fact that the pressure value from the sensor section 140 has become equal to or less than a predetermined value. When the safety control unit 210 receives the signal indicating the completion of the measurement, the safety control unit 210 stops counting the timer and resets the timer to the initial value. Then, it instructs the power control unit 230 to shut off the power. As a result, the power is cut off at time t4.

Now, the above is the first measurement. When the measurement control unit 110 confirms that one hour has elapsed using the built-in clock, it starts the second measurement operation. That is,
At time t5, a signal indicating the start of measurement is output again.

If the power supply lJx is normal, turn on the ↓ power supply ■1 or time t again.
6 and the second measurement begins. Safety control section 2
The timer at 10 starts counting. However, suppose that some abnormality occurs and the leak valve 160 does not operate normally. In this case, as described above, points L3, M3, H3, or E2 in FIG. 2 will be reached. The measurement control unit 110 does not recognize that the measurement procedure has ended because the pressure has not decreased below the predetermined value.

Therefore, no signal indicating completion of measurement is output, and the timer continues counting. Eventually, when time t7 is reached, the count value of the timer becomes equal to the limit time TL.

Then, the safety control unit 210 determines that there is an emergency,
While giving an operation instruction to the emergency release valve 220,
An instruction is given to the power supply control unit 230 to cut off the power supply. Due to the operation of the emergency release valve 220,
Pressurizing tube 310 is opened and the pressure within the cuff drops to atmospheric pressure. Additionally, air pump 150 and stepping motor 170 stop operating.

In this way, even if an abnormality occurs, the strapping pressure is automatically returned to atmospheric pressure, thereby avoiding danger. Note that the living body remains compressed until the limit time TL has elapsed, but this limit time TL is a relatively short time (2 minutes in this example).
Therefore, there is no danger to living organisms.

Finally, a concrete implementation IFI+ of the emergency release valve 220 will be explained. FIG. 4 is a top view of this emergency release valve 220, and FIG. 5 is a side sectional view thereof taken along cutting line A-A. Two leaf springs 21 and 22 are sandwiched between two support plates 11 and 12 and fixed by screws 23 and 24. At the right end of the diagram of the temporary springs 2 and 22, there is a terminal 21.
a and 22a are provided, and the left end is bent so as to wrap around the resistor 30. In this embodiment, the resistor 30 is a nichrome wire with a diameter of 0.2 mm, and both ends thereof are
0 It is supported by leaf springs 21 and 22. The leaf springs 21 and 22 are made of a conductive abrasive material, and when a voltage is applied between the terminals 21a and 22a, a current flows through the resistor 30, and the resistor 30 generates heat. The emergency release pipe 40 shown on the left side of the drawing is connected to the pressurizing pipe 310 shown in FIG. 1 on the left side of the drawing. The emergency release tube 40 is made of a material that melts with heat, and includes a main body portion 41, a constricted portion 42, and a tip portion 43. In this example, nylon fiber manufactured by DuPont (trade name: N
ylon6 (melting point 200°C) or Nylon6
．． 6 (melting point 220°C)) is hollowed out with a drill. The outer diameter is 4 mm at the main body part 41, <3.6 mm at the cutout part 42, and the inner diameter is 3 mm.
It is mm. The cutout 42 functions to hold the resistor 30 in this position. Further, the resistor 30 is connected to the leaf spring 2
1 and 22, it is pressed downward in FIG.

When it is time to operate the emergency release valve 220, the safety control unit 210 supplies the voltage from the second power source V2 to two terminals 2]. a and 22a.

As a result, the resistor 30 generates 4×1.

As mentioned above, the emergency release pipe 40 is made of a material that melts when heated, so the resistor 30 that generates heat is caused by the slope spring 21 2.
Since it is not pressed by 2, the open tube 40 when non, j + j,
The constriction 42 is melted. FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing the state at this time. As a result, air leaks from the melted portion, and the pressure tube 310 and the strap 300 are exposed to atmospheric pressure.

In this way, this emergency release valve 220 has a simple design and a long operation time of +111, making it very suitable as an emergency release valve for use in a living body compression device. ing. In addition, in order to prevent flammable materials from catching fire due to maturation of the resistor 30, the heat generation time should be kept as short as possible, and the area around the emergency release valve should be kept as airtight as possible, except for air leak holes. Is it preferable to do so?

It should be noted that the above-mentioned emergency opening valve is described as one embodiment, and other emergency opening valves may be used in the living body compression device of the invention.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described below, according to the present invention, the pressurizing tube is automatically opened after a predetermined period of time has passed after the start of measurement due to the function of the safety control unit, so that there is no possibility that the restraining band may press the living body due to a malfunction of the device. Even if the pressure remains unchanged, the compressed state will be released after a predetermined period of time has passed, making it possible to provide a highly safe device even in the event of a failure. Furthermore, since the power supply voltage is checked in advance, it is possible to prevent ':jF failures due to a drop in the power supply voltage.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a living body compression device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a 7I
Figure 3 is a time chart 1 to explain the operation of the device shown in Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a graph showing an example of an emergency release valve suitable for the device shown in Figure 1. 5 is a side sectional view of the emergency release valve shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing the operating state of the emergency release valve shown in FIG. 5. 11. ,1.2 Support slope, 21.22・Saka spring, 22
3 Terminal, 23 24, screw, 30 non-+, ijj゜ open tube, 4] wooden body, 443... tip, 241 242 do, ]60 leak valve, 310 addition, first power supply, V2- Second power supply, S switch. 24 la 22a resistor, 40 2 constriction, light-emitting diode pressure tube, V] 1, S2 agent's intention A...J l11;

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A pressurizing tube for sending air to a cuff that compresses a living body; an air pump for supplying air to the pressurizing tube; a leak means for leaking the air in the pressurizing tube; and a pressure tube for controlling the pressure in the pressurizing tube. a sensor unit for measurement, and a measurement control unit that controls the air pump and the leak means according to a predetermined measurement procedure while inputting the pressure measurement value by the sensor unit, and performs a desired measurement operation under living body compression; an emergency release valve that opens the pressurizing pipe to lower the pressure in an emergency; and an emergency release valve that operates the emergency release valve when a signal indicating measurement completion is not output even after a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the start of measurement. A living body compression device comprising: a safety control section for controlling (2) In the living body compression device according to claim 1, the first power source means for performing the measurement operation, the second power source means for performing the emergency release operation, and the first power source means for performing the emergency release operation.
a power supply control unit that effectively connects the power supply means, and before the measurement control unit starts measurement, the safety control unit sets each of the first power supply means and the second power supply means to predetermined voltages. The living body compression device is characterized in that the power supply control unit effectively connects the first power supply means when it is possible to supply both values. (3) In the living body compression device according to claim 1, a timer is provided in the safety control unit, and this timer starts counting when the measurement control unit starts measurement, and outputs a signal indicating completion of measurement. A living body compression device configured to stop counting at a certain point in time, and wherein the emergency release valve is configured to operate when the count value of the timer reaches a predetermined value. (4) An emergency release valve that lowers the pressure inside the tube by opening in an emergency a pressurizing tube that sends air to pressurize a cuff that compresses a living body, and is connected to the pressurizing tube and is made of a material that melts with heat. an emergency release tube; a resistor for fusing the emergency release tube with heat; a current supply means for supplying current to generate heat in the resistor; and pressing the resistor against the emergency release tube. An emergency release valve comprising: a pressing means for activating the emergency release valve;