US 6,234,972 B1Granted

Mechanism for measuring device

AssigneeWelch Allyn, Inc.

InventorsRaymond A. Lia, Robert Vivenzio, Scott S. Stearns, Dominic Danna, Timothy J. Smith, Allan I. Krauter, Edward W. Wright, Edward A. Johnson

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Abstract

A gage mechanism for a blood pressure measuring device or other similar apparatus includes a supported shaft member having one end in contact with an inflatable bellows. A pointer is attached at an opposite end of the shaft and a helically wound spring is attached to the shaft and a supporting structure. As the bellows inflates, the shaft is axially displaced and causes rotation due to the constraint of the helical ribbon spring, causing a corresponding angular deflection of the attached pointer relative to an indicating scale. The mechanism includes a first adjustment member for allowing the pointer to be preset to a zero or calibrated position, and a second adjustment mechanism that controls the amount of angular rotation of the shaft and pointer for a displacement of the bellows.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An axial gearless movement mechanism for a blood pressure gage, said gage including a bellows assembly disposed on one side of a housing interior, and a dial indicator face disposed on an opposite side of said housing interior, said mechanism comprising:

a shaft member having a first end in contact with said bellows assembly and an opposite second end having a pointer attached thereto adjacent to indicia on said dial indicator face, said first and second ends defining a shaft axis;
and
a spring member coaxially positioned along the shaft axis and helically wound about said shaft member, said spring member having a first end attached to an intermediate portion of said shaft member and a second end attached to a fixed support, wherein movement of said bellows assembly along the shaft axis directly engages the first end of said shaft member, causing said shaft member to translate in an axial direction, and said spring member to flex against the fixed support, the flexion of said spring member causing said shaft member to rotate to allow said pointer to move circumferentially relative to said dial face, and in which said spring member acts to bias said axial movement mechanism.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.