US 2017/0360306 A1 · SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND METHODS FOR MEASURING BLOOD PRESSURE OF A USER

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to blood pressure monitoring. In some embodiments, methods and devices of measuring a mean arterial pressure are provided and/or monitoring blood pressure changes. A wrist-worn device may include a plurality of sensors backed by a plurality of actuators. Subsets of the plurality of sensors may be selectively actuateable against a wrist of a user using one or more of the plurality of actuators. A preferred sensor and location may be identified based on pressure signals received from each of the sensors. In some embodiments, devices may use a fluid bladder coupled with piezoelectric film sensors. A fluid bladder pressure sensor may be used to calibrate the piezoelectric film signal to provide a static and dynamic pressure reading. In yet another embodiment, a mean arterial pressure may be calculated by processing a swept pressure signal obtained as a sensor is swept through different heights.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method of measuring blood pressure of a user having a wrist, skin defining an outer surface of the wrist, the method comprising:

maintaining engagement between the skin of the wrist and a skin interface of a wrist-worn device using a band having a length extending about the wrist, the wrist-worn device having a plurality of actuators and a sensor system, the skin interface including an array of surface regions;
selectively urging a first region of the array at a first location of the band against the wrist with a first actuator and receiving a first associated signal from the sensor system;
selectively urging a second region of the array at a second location of the band against the wrist with a second actuator and receiving a second associated signal from the sensor system, wherein the first location is spaced apart from the second location along the length of the band;
identifying a preferred subset of the array by comparing the first signal and the second signal;
deriving a pressure signal indicative of a pressure of blood of the user using signals associated with the preferred subset of the array;
and
outputting the pressure signal.

4 more elements

A device for determining blood pressure of a user having a wrist, skin defining an outer surface of the wrist and an artery;

the device comprising:
an elongate band with a length configured to extend around the wrist of the user so as to support a skin interface surface of the device in engagement with the skin of the wrist;
a plurality of pressure actuators coupling the elongate band to the skin interface surface, the pressure actuators configured to apply a variable pressure between the skin interface surface and the skin of the wrist at an array of regions distributed along the skin interface surface;
a sensor system with a sensor surface extending along the skin interface surface;
a signal processing system coupled with the sensor system and the actuators such that, in use, first and second subsets of the pressure actuators selectively and sequentially urge associated first and second subsets of the array against the wrist so as to generate a plurality of sensor signals from the sensor system, wherein the first subset of the array is at a first location of the band and the second subset of the array is at a second location of the band, and wherein the first location is spaced apart from the second location along the length of the band, and
wherein the signal processing system is configured to output a signal indicative of a pressure of the blood pressure of the user in response to the sensor signals.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Systems, devices, and methods for measuring blood pressure of a user

Life of this patent

Systems, devices, and methods for measuring blood pressure of a user

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18