Abstract:
Disclosed is a cuff for a hemadynamometer, which is used for measuring blood pressure of a testee. The cuff includes a fluid bag for applying pressure to a body of the testee, at least one flexible member disposed at an outer portion of the fluid bag and a cover member accommodating the fluid bag and the flexible member therein. The flexible member is maintained in a stretched state and is deformed into an annular state when a force is applied to the flexible member in a winding direction of the cuff such that the cuff is wound around the testee. The cuff can be wound around the testee, so that blood pressure is measured. A testee is able to wind the cuff around his or her own arm without the need for assistance.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2009-0089105, filed on Sep. 21, 2009, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    The following description relates to a cuff for a hemadynamometer, which is wound around a testee to measure blood pressure. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    In general, in order to measure blood pressure, a cuff for a hemadynamometer including a fluid bag is wound around an arm of a testee and the fluid bag is repeatedly inflated and deflated to detect pulse waves in an arterial tube. The cuff includes a cover member serving as a fastening strip. The cuff can be fastened to the arm of the testee by means of the cover member. Thus, the cover member must be reliably wound around the arm of the testee such that the fluid bag can be fixed to the arm of the testee when the cuff is used. 
         [0006]    However, in the case of a conventional cuff for the hemadynamometer, the testee winds the cuff around his or her own arm, so the cuff may not be reliably wound around the arm. If the cuff is not reliably wound, inaccuracies may occur in the measurement value of the hemadynamometer, so the blood pressure may not be precisely and stably measured. 
         [0007]    In order to reliably wind the cuff around the arm of the testee, as shown in  FIG. 1 , a flexible member called a “curler” may be accommodated in the cover member of the cuff for the hemadynamometer (see, Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 2003-210423). 
         [0008]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a curler  11  made of flexible material is provided along an outer surface of a fluid bag. Due to the curler  11 , a cuff  10  can be maintained in an annular configuration and can be elastically deformed in a radial direction. In the case of the cuff  10  having the curler  11 , the fluid bag can be fixedly pressed against the arm due to the curler  11 , so the cuff  10  can be reliably wound around the arm of the testee. 
         [0009]    However, in the case of the cuff  10  for the hemadynamometer including the curler  11 , the cuff  10  having the annular configuration must be widened in order to wind the cuff  10  around the arm of the testee, so that attaching of the cuff  10  is complicated, and the testee alone may not easily wind the cuff  10  around his or her own arm. 
         [0010]    In order to solve the above problem, as shown in  FIGS. 2A to 2C , Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 2002-209858 discloses a cuff for a hemadynamometer, which can be easily used. Referring to  FIGS. 2A to 2C , the cuff includes a curler  21  which is wound in an annular configuration and is stretchable outward. Thus, when the testee uses the cuff, the testee winds the curler  21  around his or her arm  31  while unwinding the curler  21  from the annular configuration by stretching the curler  21  into a state in which one end of the curler  21  is placed on the arm  31 , thereby facilitating the winding of the cuff around the arm of the testee. 
         [0011]    However, this case also requires force to unwind and stretch the curler  21 . In particular, in the case of old, infirm, and weak persons, a person with limited mobility or reaching distance, and some women, it may be difficult to widen the curler  21 . In addition, in the case of a user who has a big upper arm, a high force is required to widen the curler  21 , so difficulty of attaching the cuff is increased and the cuff may not be precisely wind around the arm of the testee. 
         [0012]    According to the related art, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the position of the cuff may be changed when the cuff is wound around the upper arm by widening the curler  11  or  21 , so that the position of the sensor may deviate from the measurement position. For this reason, the user must check the position of the sensor and adjust the position of the cuff to correct the position of the sensor, causing inconvenience to the user. According to another related art, the sensor is additionally inserted between the upper arm and the cuff after the cuff has been wound around the upper arm. However, in this case, the sensor inserting step is additionally required, causing inconvenience to the user, and further opportunity for an inaccurate attachment and setup of the device to occur. 
         [0013]    In addition, in order to improve measurement precision, a sensor installed in the cuff must be precisely located in the measurement position when the cuff is wound around the arm. However, when the cuff is wound around the arm  31  while widening the curler, the sensor may not be located in the precise position. 
         [0014]    Further, the cuff may move along the arm when the cuff is wound around the arm. In this case, the user must check the sensor position and move the cuff to locate the sensor in the measurement position, thereby causing inconvenience to the user. Although the sensor may be inserted between the arm and the cuff after the cuff has been wound around the arm, this requires an additional and sometimes difficult step for inserting the sensor. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0015]    Accordingly, in one aspect, there is provided a cuff for a hemadynamometer, in which the cuff can be precisely wound around an arm of a testee so that blood pressure can be precisely and stably measured and in which an old, infirm, or weak person, a person with limited mobility or reaching distance, or a testee who has a big upper arm can reliably wind the cuff around his or her own arm without the need for assistance. 
         [0016]    In order to accomplish the above object, according to an embodiment, there is provided a cuff for a hemadynamometer, which is wound around an arm of a testee. The cuff includes a fluid bag for applying pressure to the arm, at least one flexible member disposed at an outer portion of the fluid bag, and a cover member accommodating the fluid bag and the flexible member therein, wherein the flexible member is maintained in a stretched state and is deformed into an annular state when a force is applied to the flexible member in a winding direction of the cuff such that the cuff is wound around the arm of the testee. 
         [0017]    As described above, according to an embodiment, an old, weak, or infirm person, a person with limited mobility or reaching distance, a woman, or a testee who has a big upper arm can reliably wind the cuff around the arm without great effort. In addition, the testee can easily, reliably and precisely wind the cuff around his or her own arm without the need for assistance. 
         [0018]    According to an embodiment, since the cuff can be maintained in a stretched state when the cuff is not used, the cuff may occupy a smaller space when the cuff is not used, so the cuff can be easily stored. 
         [0019]    According to an embodiment, adjusting the position of the cuff to adjust the sensor position and inserting an additional sensor after the cuff is wound around the arm of the testee are not necessary, and the sensor can be precisely positioned in the measurement position when the cuff is wound around the arm. Thus, the measurement precision can be improved and the blood pressure can be precisely and stably measured. 
         [0020]    According to an embodiment, a plurality of flexible members are provided while being spaced apart from each other in the width direction of the cuff, so that fastening force of the cuff with respect to the upper arm can be adjusted. 
         [0021]    According to an embodiment, flexible members having relatively strong elastic force are disposed at both sides of the cuff and flexible members having relatively weak elastic force are disposed at the center of the cuff, so edge portions of the cuff can be securely fastened to the upper arm regardless of the curvature of the upper arm. 
         [0022]    According to an embodiment, the flexible members apply relatively strong elastic force to the front and rear ends of the cuff while applying relatively weak elastic force to the center of the cuff, so that the cuff can be securely wound around the upper arm of the testee. 
         [0023]    In one general aspect, there is provided a cuff for a hemadynamometer, which is wound around a body of a testee, the cuff including: a fluid bag configured to applying pressure to the body, at least one flexible member disposed at an outer portion of the fluid bag, and a cover member accommodating the fluid bag and the flexible member therein, wherein the flexible member: is maintained in a stretched state, and is deformed into an annular state when a force is applied to the flexible member in a winding direction of the cuff such that the cuff is wound around the body of the testee. 
         [0024]    The cuff may further include: a plurality of flexible members, wherein the plurality of flexible members are spaced apart from each other in a width direction of the cuff. 
         [0025]    The cuff may include that the plurality of flexible members includes at least three flexible members, in which flexible members positioned at each edge of the cuff have a greater elastic recovery force as compared with a flexible member positioned at a center of the cuff in the annular state. 
         [0026]    The cuff may include that each flexible member includes a greater elastic recovery force at end portions thereof as compared with a center thereof in the annular state. 
         [0027]    The cuff may include that: the flexible member includes a property which allows the stretched state and the annular state to be maintained, and the states of the flexible member are interchanged when a force having a value exceeding a critical value is applied to the flexible member. 
         [0028]    The cuff may further include: a plurality of flexible members, wherein the plurality of flexible members are spaced apart from each other in a width direction of the cuff. 
         [0029]    The cuff may include that the plurality of flexible members includes at least three flexible members, in which flexible members positioned at each edge of the cuff have a greater elastic recovery force as compared with a flexible member positioned at a center of the cuff in the annular state. 
         [0030]    The cuff may include that each flexible member includes a greater elastic recovery force at end portions thereof as compared with a center thereof in the annular state. 
         [0031]    The cuff may include that, when a force having a value less than a critical value is applied to the flexible member arranged in the annular state, the flexible member maintains the annular state due to an elastic recovery force. 
         [0032]    The cuff may further include: a plurality of flexible members, wherein the plurality of flexible members are spaced apart from each other in a width direction of the cuff. 
         [0033]    The cuff may include that the plurality of flexible members includes at least three flexible members, in which flexible members positioned at each edge of the cuff have a greater elastic recovery force as compared with a flexible member positioned at a center of the cuff in the annular state. 
         [0034]    The cuff may include that each flexible member includes a greater elastic recovery force at end portions thereof as compared with a center thereof in the annular state. 
         [0035]    Other features and aspects will be apparent from the following detailed description, the drawings, and the claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0036]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a conventional cuff for a hemadynamometer; 
           [0037]      FIGS. 2A to 2C  are a perspective view showing the procedure for winding a conventional cuff for a hemadynamometer around an arm; 
           [0038]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing a cuff for a hemadynamometer according to an embodiment; 
           [0039]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing a contact surface of a cuff for a hemadynamometer shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0040]      FIG. 5  is a partially-cut perspective view of a cuff for a hemadynamometer shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0041]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0042]      FIGS. 7 to 9  are views showing the procedure for winding a cuff for a hemadynamometer shown in  FIG. 3  around an arm; 
           [0043]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view showing a stretched state and an annular state of a flexible is member shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0044]      FIG. 11  is a plan view of flexible members shown in  FIG. 3  according to the first embodiment; and 
           [0045]      FIG. 12  is a plan view of flexible members shown in  FIG. 3  according to the second embodiment. 
       
    
    
       [0046]    Elements, features, and structures are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings and the detailed description, and the size and proportions of some elements may be exaggerated in the drawings for clarity, illustration, and convenience. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0047]    The following detailed description is provided to assist the reader in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the methods, apparatuses, and/or systems described herein. Accordingly, various changes, modifications, and equivalents of the systems, apparatuses and/or methods described herein will be suggested to those of ordinary skill in the art. The progression of processing steps and/or operations described is an example; however, the sequence of steps and/or operations is not limited to that set forth herein and may be changed as is known in the art, with the exception of steps and/or operations necessarily occurring in a certain order. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for increased clarity and conciseness. 
         [0048]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing a cuff for a hemadynamometer according to an embodiment,  FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing a contact surface of the cuff for the hemadynamometer shown in  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 5  is a partial cut-out perspective view of the cuff for the hemadynamometer shown in  FIG. 4 , and  FIG. 6  is a sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 5 . For the purpose of convenience in explanation, a surface of the cuff making contact with the arm of the testee will be referred to as an inner surface, and the opposite surface not making contact with the arm will be referred to as an outer surface. 
         [0049]    Referring to  FIGS. 3 to 6 , the cuff  100  for the hemadynamometer is wound around a body of a testee, for example, an upper arm of the testee. The cuff  100  includes a cover member  110 , a fluid bag  120 , and at least one flexible member  130 . 
         [0050]    The cover member  110  forms an outer skin of the cuff  100  and may be made of a cloth, or the like. The cover member  110  may have a pocket shape in which the fluid bag  120  and the flexible member  130  may be accommodated. The cover member  110  may include a pressing part  111 , in which the fluid bag  120  and the flexible member  130  may be accommodated, and a fixing part  112  extending from the pressing part  111 . A fastener  113  may be attached to an outer surface of the fixing part  112 . The fixing part  112  may surround the upper arm in a state in which the pressing part  111  is wound around the upper arm. At this time, the pressing part  111  may be fastened by the fastener  113 , so that the cuff  100  can be stably wound around the upper arm. 
         [0051]    The fluid bag  120  may be accommodated in the cover member  110  to press the upper arm of the testee. The fluid bag  120  may have an internal space for receiving fluid, such as air. The internal space of the fluid bag  120  may be communicated with a rubber tube (not shown) through a nipple  121 . The nipple  121  may protrude outward from an outer surface of the cover member  110 . In addition, although not shown in the drawings, the rubber tube may be connected to a boosting pump and a negative pressure pump accommodated in a body of the hemadynamometer. 
         [0052]    When the blood pressure is measured, air may be introduced into or withdrawn from the internal space of the fluid bag  120  by the boosting pump and the negative pressure pump, so that the fluid bag  120  may be inflated or deflated. When the fluid bag  120  is inflated, the upper arm of the testee may be pressed. A sensor  101  may be installed at an inner surface of the fluid bag  120 . The sensor  101  may detect systolic pressure and diastolic pressure when the fluid bag  120  is inflated and deflated during the measurement of the blood pressure. The sensor  101  may be fixed to the cover member  110  in the position corresponding to the center of the fluid bag  120 . 
         [0053]    The flexible member  130  may be provided at the side of the outer surface of the fluid bag  120 . The flexible member  130  may be arranged in a stretched state. In this state, when external force is applied to the flexible member  130  in the winding direction of the cuff  100 , the flexible member  130  may be deformed in an annular shape, so that the cuff  100  can be wound around the upper arm of the testee. In addition, if an external force is applied to the flexible member  130  in the direction opposite to the winding direction of the cuff  100 , the flexible member  130  can return to the stretched state. When the flexible member  130  is arranged in the annular state, the fluid bag  120  can be fastened to the upper arm. In addition, when flexible member  130  is arranged in the stretched state, the fluid bag  120  can be released from the upper arm. 
         [0054]    Hereinafter, the operation of the cuff  100  for the hemadynamometer having the above structure will be described with reference to  FIGS. 7 to 9 . In the following description, the cuff  100  may be wound around a left upper arm  1 , but the cuff  100  can also be wound around a right upper arm. 
         [0055]    First, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the user may arrange the cuff  100  in the stretched state by flattening the flexible member  130 . In this state, the user may place the pressing part  111  of the cover member  110  on the left upper arm  1  by using his/her right hand  2 . At this time, the pressing part  111  may be located such that the sensor  101  can be positioned corresponding to the artery of the left upper arm  1 . Then, after touching the outer surface of the pressing part  111  using the palm of his/her right hand  2 , the user may grip the pressing part  111  while applying force to the pressing part  111  by using the fingers of his/her right hand  2 . 
         [0056]    As a result, the flexible member  130  may be deformed into the annular shape so that the pressing part  111  may be wound around the left upper arm  1  as shown in  FIG. 8 . At this time, since the flexible member  130  is arranged in the annular state, the pressing part  111  can be maintained in the winding state with respect to the left upper arm  1 . Subsequently, the user may hold the fixing part  112  of the cover member  110  using the right hand  2  and may overlap the fixing part  112  over the pressing part  111 . Then, the user may fix the fixing part  112  to the pressing part  111  by using the fastener  113 . As a result, as shown in  FIG. 9 , the cuff  100  can be wound around the left upper arm  1 . The cuff  100  can be released from the left upper arm  1  by performing the above procedure in reverse. 
         [0057]    As mentioned above, in a state in which the cuff  100  is arranged in the stretched state, the cuff  100  may be placed in the precise position and the user may wind the cuff  100  around the upper arm by applying force to the cuff  100 . Therefore, different from the related art shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in which the user winds the cuff around the upper arm while widening the curler  11  or  21  using one hand, old, infirm, and weak people, a person with limited mobility or reaching distance, some women, or testees who have big upper arms can reliably wind the cuff  100  around the upper arm without applying great force. In addition, the user can easily and precisely wind the cuff  100  around the upper arm by oneself. 
         [0058]    According to an embodiment, since the cuff  100  is arranged in the stretched state, the user can place the cuff  100  in the precise position on the upper arm after adjusting the position of the cuff  100  such that the sensor  101  can be positioned corresponding to the artery of the upper arm. Therefore, it may not be necessary to correct the position of the cuff  100  after the cuff  100  has been wound around the upper arm and the step of inserting an additional sensor is not required. In addition, the sensor  101  can be precisely located in the measurement position when the cuff  100  is wound around the upper arm. Thus, the blood pressure can be reliably and stably measured with high precision. 
         [0059]    Furthermore, according to an embodiment, since the cuff  100  can be arranged in the stretched state when the cuff  100  is not used, the cuff  100  may occupy a smaller space when the cuff  100  is not used, so the cuff  100  can be easily stored. 
         [0060]    Meanwhile, the flexible member  130  can be stably maintained in either one of the stretched state and the annular state. These states of the flexible member  130  can be interchanged if a force having a value above a critical value is applied to the flexible member  130 . In addition, if a force having a value less than the critical value is applied to the flexible member  130  arranged in the annular state, the annular state of the flexible member  130  is not changed due to the elastic recovery properties of the flexible member  130 . 
         [0061]    For instance, referring to  FIG. 10  as well as  FIGS. 6 and 7 , when the flexible member  130  is in the stretched state, the flexible member  130  may extend lengthwise along the cuff  100  in a plate shape and while being curved having a circular arc cross sectional shape which is convex toward the inner surface of the cuff  100 . 
         [0062]    Since the flexible member  130  may be rolled in the width direction such that the flexible member  130  has the sectional shape of the circular arc, the flexible member  130  can be maintained in the stretched state. When the flexible member  130  is arranged in the stretched state, if a force having a value less than the critical value is applied to the flexible member  130  arranged in the stretched state, the stretched state of the flexible member  130  may not be changed due to the elastic recovery properties of the flexible member  130 . The force having critical value may correspond to the force that deforms the sectional shape of the circular arc. 
         [0063]    If a force capable of deforming the sectional shape of the circular arc is applied to the flexible member  130 , the flexible member  130  arranged in the strectched state may be urged to be changed into the annular state, so that the flexible member  130  may be arranged in the annular state. In this state, if a force that is insufficient to recover the sectional shape of the circular arc of the flexible member  130  is applied to the flexible member  130 , the flexible member  130  can maintain the annular state due to the elastic recovery properties of the flexible member  130 . 
         [0064]    Based on the above principle, the flexible member  130  may be arranged in the stretched state and then may be changed into the annular state when the force is applied to the cuff  100  in the winding direction so that the cuff  100  can be wound around the upper arm. Thus, the cuff  100  can be wound around the upper arm even if a relatively weak force is applied to the flexible member  130 , so that the user can easily wind the cuff  100  around the upper arm. 
         [0065]    Meanwhile, a plurality of flexible members  130  can be provided while being spaced apart from each other in the width direction of the cuff  100 . Thus, when the cuff  100  has been wound around the upper arm of the testee, a pressing force for the upper arm may be generated only in the positions where the flexible members  130  are located and the pressing force for the upper arm is not generated in the gap between the flexible members  130 . Therefore, the pressing force of the cuff  100  with respect to the upper arm can be adjusted by changing the gap between the flexible members  130 . 
         [0066]    The flexible members  130  may be fixedly interposed between the cover member  110  and a position fixing cloth  116 . The position fixing cloth  116  can be seamed to the cover member  110  such that the flexible members  130  can be fixedly arranged while being spaced apart from each other. Although the flexible members  130  are physically separated from each other in the drawings, the flexible members  130  can be integrally formed with each other. 
         [0067]    As shown in  FIG. 11 , four flexible members  230   a  to  230   d  can be provided. In this case, the flexible members  230   a  and  230   b  positioned at both sides of the cover member  110  may have greater elastic recovery force as compared with the flexible members  230   c  and  230   d  positioned at the center of the cover member  110 . To this end, the flexible members  230   a  and  230   b  positioned at both sides of the cover member  110  may have larger widths than that of the flexible members  230   c  and  230   d  positioned at the center of the cover member  110  such that the flexible members  230   a  and  230   b  may have a greater elastic recovery force in the annular state. The four flexible members  230   a  to  230   d  may be designed to have the same critical value such that the four flexible members  230   a  to  230   d  can be simultaneously deformed into the stretched state or the annular state. 
         [0068]    When the four flexible members  230   a  to  230   d  are provided, the flexible members  230   a  and  230   b  having relatively greater elastic recovery force may be positioned at both sides of the cuff  100  and the flexible members  230   c  and  230   d  having relatively weaker elastic recovery force may be positioned at the center of the cuff  100 . Thus, edge portions of the cuff  100  can be securely fastened to the upper arm of the user even if the user has the great curvature in the upper arm due to having a large bicep. Although an example embodiment may include four flexible members  230   a  to  230   d , embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, three or five flexible members can be provided within the scope of embodiments. 
         [0069]    As shown in  FIG. 12 , flexible members  330   a  to  330   d  can be provided such that greater elastic recovery force can be generated at both end portions of the flexible members  330   a  to  330   d  as compared with the center portions of the flexible members  330   a  to  330   d . To this end, the flexible members  330   a  to  330   d  may have larger widths at both end portions thereof as compared with the center portions thereof such that the side portions of the flexible members  330   a  to  330   d  can have greater elastic recovery force in the annular state. 
         [0070]    In this case, the flexible members  330   a  to  330   d  have relatively strong elastic recovery force at the front and rear ends of the pressing part  111  as compared with the center of the pressing part  111 . Thus, when the cuff  100  is wound around the upper arm, the front and rear ends of the pressing part  111  may be more fastened, so that the cuff  100  can be securely wound around the upper arm. Meanwhile, the flexible members may have the same size. 
         [0071]    A number of example embodiments have been described above. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, suitable results may be achieved if the described techniques are performed in a different order and/or if components in a described system, architecture, device, or circuit are combined in a different manner and/or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.