Abstrict
The invention provides a variety of cuff design for blood pressure
monitor, which assures an easy and firm fitting to an arm of a patient.
Specifically, the curled elastic member of the cuff is overlapped
at both end portions for easy fitting. The rigidity and thickness
of the curled elastic member are designed to follow the shape of
the upper arm of the patient, which significantly varies in size
depending on the location of the arm.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A cuff for a blood pressure monitor, comprising a bladder and
a normally curled elastic member disposed on the outside of the
bladder to hold a ring shape of the cuff, wherein the normally curled
elastic member comprises a material having at least two different
rigidities in an axial direction of the ring shape, the portion
of the normally curled elastic member having the lower rigidity
including holes formed therein.
2. The cuff for a blood pressure monitor of claim 1, wherein the
cuff is configured to be attached on an arm, and the normally curled
elastic member has a higher rigidity of the different rigidities
in a portion of the normally curled elastic member that is positioned
at a thin portion of the arm when the cuff is attached on the arm
and has a lower rigidity of the different rigidities in a portion
of the normally curled elastic member that is positioned at a thick
portion of the arm when the cuff is attached on the arm.
3. The cuff for a blood pressure monitor of claim 1, wherein the
normally curled elastic member has at least two different rigidities
also in a circumferential direction of the ring shape.
4. A cuff for a blood pressure monitor, comprising a bladder and
a normally curled elastic member disposed on the outside of the
bladder to hold a ring shape of the cuff, wherein the normally curled
elastic member is made of a material having at least two different
rigidities in a circumferential direction of the ring shape, and
wherein the cuff is configured to be attached on an arm, and the
normally curled elastic member has a higher rigidity of the different
rigidities in a portion of the normally curled elastic member that
is positioned at a thin portion of the arm when the cuff is attached
on the arm and has a lower rigidity of the different rigidities
in a portion of the normally curled elastic member that is positioned
at a thick portion of the arm when the cuff is attached on the arm
the portion of the normally curled elastic member having the lower
rigidity including holes formed therein.
5. A cuff for a blood pressure monitor, comprising a bladder and
a curled elastic member disposed on the outside of the bladder to
hold a ring shape of the cuff, wherein the curled elastic member
has at least two different rigidities in a circumferential direction
of the ring shape, wherein the cuff is configured to be attached
on an arm, and the curled elastic member has a higher rigidity of
the different rigidities in a portion of the curled elastic member
that is positioned at a thin portion of the arm when the cuff is
attached on the arm and has a lower rigidity of the different rigidities
in a portion of the curled elastic member that is positioned at
a thick portion of the arm when the cuff is attached on the arm,
and wherein the curled elastic member has the lower rigidity of
the different rigidities at an end portion of the curled elastic
member along the circumferential direction, the end portion being
configured to be curled inside when the cuff is attached on the
arm.
6. The cuff for a blood pressure monitor of claim 1, 2, 3 or 4,
wherein the portion of the normally curled elastic member having
the higher rigidity is thicker than the portion of the normally
curled elastic member having the lower rigidity.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cuff for a blood pressure monitor
and, more particularly, to a cuff characterized by a curled elastic
member disposed on the outside of a bladder to hold a ring form
of the cuff.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 11 (perspective view) and FIG. 12 (sectional view),
a cuff for a blood pressure monitor has generally a configuration
such that a bladder 91 and a curled elastic member 92 are provided
in a cloth bag 90. A tube 93 is connected to the bladder 91, and
a velcro fastener 94 is attached on the outside of the cloth bag
90. The curled elastic member 92 is disposed on the outside of the
bladder 91 to hold the cuff in a ring form by its elasticity. As
shown in FIG. 13A, the curled elastic member 92 has an uniform thickness
and has a sectional shape of a complete round in which a part thereof
is a discontinuous portion 92a.
However, the curled elastic member 92 as shown in FIG. 13A has
the following problems 1 to 3.
1. Operation of uncurling the curled elastic member 92 to be attached
on an arm is not easy.
Since the sectional shape is a complete round, the curled elastic
member 92 has to be uncurled and then attached on an arm. Specifically,
in order to uncurl the curled elastic member 92, it has to be pulled
with some strength. The user needs some experience to attach the
elastic member 92 in the uncurled state onto his/her arm.
2. When the curled elastic member 92 is attached around an arm,
the edges of the discontinuous portion 92a of the curled elastic
member cut into the flesh of the arm due to its elastic force so
that users in particular with thick arm often feel pain.
3. Since the curled elastic member 92 has uniform thickness and
the sectional shape thereof is complete round, it cannot deform
so as to correspond to a person with thick arm or a person with
thin arm and hence is difficult to fit such arms.
For addressing the above described problems, Japanese Laid-open
Patent Publication No. S61-238229 (1986) proposes a curled elastic
member 92' as shown in FIG. 13B. This curled elastic member 92'
is so configured that its thickness gradually increases in a circumferential
direction of an arm from the both ends toward the center portion.
Hence the rigidity of the curled elastic member 42 gradually increases.
The thickness and rigidity are the maximum at the center portion.
This curled elastic member 92' has somewhat solved the aforementioned
problems. However, for an arm whose diameter changes to a large
extent depending on the part of the arm, in other words, for a largely-inclined
arm, such as an upper arm whose diameter is small in the vicinity
of the elbow but gradually increases toward the shoulder, the curled
elastic member 92' fits the large diameter part of the arm while
leaving a clearance with respect to the small diameter part of the
arm. As described above, the curled elastic member 92' cannot sufficiently
deform to correspond to the shape of the arm.
The present invention is directed to solving the above-mentioned
problems associated with conventional cuffs for a blood pressure
monitor. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cuff
for a blood pressure monitor with excellent fitting ability which
can fit various shapes of arms, in particular, largely-inclined
arms.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a cuff for a blood pressure monitor, which
includes a bladder and a curled elastic member disposed on the outside
of the bladder to hold a ring shape of the cuff. The curled elastic
member has at least two different rigidities in an axial direction
of the ring shape.
The cuff may be configured to be attached on an arm of a patient,
and the curled elastic member may have a higher rigidity of the
two different rigidities in a portion of the curled elastic member
that is positioned at a thin portion of the arm when the cuff is
attached on the arm, and may have a lower rigidity of the two different
rigidities in a portion of the curled elastic member that is positioned
at a thick portion of the arm when the cuff is attached on the arm.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a curled elastic member according
to an embodiment, provided for a cuff for a blood pressure monitor,
and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a state where the curled
elastic member is attached on an arm;
FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views showing a first step and
a second step, respectively, of attaching the curled elastic member
of FIGS. 1A and 1B onto an arm;
FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing a third step of attaching
the curled elastic member of FIGS. 1A and 1B onto an arm, and FIG.
3B is a perspective view showing an attached state;
FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a curled elastic member according
to another embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing
a state where a cuff having the curled elastic member is attached
on an arm;
FIGS. 5A and 5B are a perspective view and an exploded view, respectively,
of a curled elastic member according to further another embodiment;
FIGS. 6A and 6B are a perspective view and an exploded view, respectively,
of a curled elastic member according to further another embodiment;
FIGS. 7A and 7B are a perspective view and an exploded view, respectively,
of a curled elastic member according to further another embodiment;
FIGS. 7C 7F are a perspective view, an exploded view and two cross-sectional
view, respectively, of a modification of the embodiment of FIGS.
7A and 7B;
FIGS. 7G 7I are a perspective view, an exploded view and a cross-sectional
view, respectively, of another modification of the embodiment of
FIGS. 7A and 7B;
FIG. 7J is a schematic exploded view of a modification of the curled
elastic member of FIGS. 7G 7I.
FIGS. 8A and 8B are a perspective view and a sectional view, respectively,
of a curled elastic member according to further another embodiment;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a curled elastic member according
to further another embodiment;
FIGS. 10A and 10B are side views of the curled elastic member in
an uncurled state and in a curled state, respectively;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a general cuff;
FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing the inside of the cuff of FIG.
11; and
FIG. 13A is a perspective view of a curled elastic member according
to a conventional technique, disposed in the cuff of FIG. 11 and
FIG. 13B is a perspective view of a curled elastic member according
to another conventional technique.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will be described below on the basis of embodiments.
It is to be noted that the cuff for a blood pressure monitor in
the present invention has its feature in a curled elastic member
thereof, and structural features and its operation of the cuff except
the curled elastic member may be those of conventional cuffs shown
in FIG. 11. Accordingly, the following explanation focuses on the
curled elastic member.
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a curled elastic member, according
to an embodiment, provided for a cuff for a blood pressure monitor,
and FIG. 1B is a perspective view when the curled elastic member
is attached to an arm. One end 12 of this curled elastic member
1A is extended outward so as to enwind the other end 11 inward.
That is, from the other end 11 to the mid portion of the curled
elastic member where the other end 11 meets the curled elastic member,
the radius of curvature of the curled elastic member gently increases.
From the mid portion of the curled elastic member to the one end
12, the radius of curvature largely increases.
A method of attaching the curled elastic member 1A around an arm
80 will be described by referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B and FIGS. 3A
and 3B. First, in FIG. 2A, the one end portion 12 as a longer one
of the curved elastic member 1A is thrown over the arm 80. In this
state, while uncurling the curled elastic member 1A, it is pulled
to the side opposite to the one end portion 12 (FIG. 2B). The curled
elastic member 1A is further pulled until the width of the uncurled
width becomes about equal to that of the arm 80 (FIG. 3A), the curled
elastic member 1A is put on the arm 80 (FIG. 3B). The curled elastic
member 1A is then fit to the arm 80 by its elasticity. In such a
manner, the curled elastic member 1A, i.e., the cuff is attached
on the arm.
When the curled elastic member 1A is used, the operation of uncurling
the curled elastic member 1A and the operation of attaching the
curled elastic member 1A onto the arm 80 can be simultaneously performed,
so that the operation of attaching the curled elastic member 1A
onto the arm 80 is easy. Since the one end portion 12 is longer
than the other end portion 11 and the other end portion 11 is enwinded
inward, when the curled elastic member 1A is attached on the arm
80, the other end portion 11 and the one end portion 12 do not easily
cut into the arm 80, and the subject does not feel pain.
FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a curled elastic member according
to another embodiment. This curled elastic member 1B has a sectional
shape of approximately triangle and has an extended one end portion
14. The curled elastic member 1B can be attached onto the arm 80
in a manner similar to the above-mentioned curled elastic member
1A. That is, the one end portion 14 which is the longer one of the
curled elastic member 1B is thrown over the arm 80, the curled elastic
member 1B is pulled to be uncurled and put on the arm 80. Consequently,
the operation of uncurling the curled elastic member 1B and the
operation of attaching the curled elastic member 1B on the arm 80
can be simultaneously performed.
When the curled elastic member 1B whose sectional shape is approximately
triangle is attached on the arm 80, as shown in FIG. 4B, a gap is
formed between each of the corners and the arm 80. However, the
bladder 91 is inflated so as to fill the gap by injection of air,
so that the action of pressing the arm 80 with the bladder 91 is
not hindered. The sectional shape of the curled elastic member 1B
may be, besides approximately triangle, quadrangle or polygon.
FIGS. 5A and 5B are a perspective view and an exploded view, respectively,
of a curled elastic member according to further another embodiment.
This curled elastic member 1C has a narrow portion 26 in which a
width in the axial direction of an arm is partly narrowed between
a center portion 26' in the circumferential direction of the arm
and both end portions 25. The narrow portion 26 has a width gradually
decreased from the center portion 26' towards the both end portions
25. In the curled elastic member 1C, the rigidity of the narrow
portion 26 is reduced. Thus, the curled elastic member 1C (i.e.,
a cuff) gets easily to be twisted, so that it easily fits to an
arm of any shape such as a straight arm or tapered arm.
Since the both end portions 25 of the curled elastic member 1C
are not formed as the narrow portion 26, the rigidity of the both
end portions 25 does not deteriorate, and the arm can be securely
held by the both end portions 25. Further, by not making the both
end portions 25 as the narrow portion 26, as compared with a case
where the both end portions 25 are also formed as the narrow portion
26, the subject does not have strange feeling such that the both
end portions 25 cut into the flesh of the arm.
FIGS. 6A and 6B are a perspective view and an exploded view, respectively,
of a curled elastic member according to further another embodiment.
This curled elastic member 1D has a narrow portion 21 in which a
width in the axial direction of an arm is partly narrowed between
an approximately center portion 24 in the circumferential direction
of the arm and both end portions 22 and 23. The narrow portion 21
has a fixed width in the circumferential direction of the arm. The
approximately center portion 24 does not have a fixed width but
is tapered in correspondence with an arm which is generally tapered
from the shoulder side toward the elbow side. Therefore, at the
time of attachment onto an arm, the wider side of the center portion
24 has to be set on the shoulder side. The user has to see the direction
of the curled elastic member 1D when it is set in the cloth bag
90 of the cuff. Further, one end portion 23 is extended outward
so as to enwind the other end portion 22 inward.
In the curled elastic member 1D, in a manner similar to the curled
elastic member 1C, the rigidity of the narrow portion 21 is reduced.
Consequently, the curled elastic member 1D (i.e., the cuff) gets
easily to be twisted, so that it easily fits to an arm of any shape
such as a straight arm or tapered arm.
Since the both end portions 22 and 23 of the curled elastic member
1D are not formed as the narrow portion 21, the rigidity of the
both end portions 22 and 23 does not deteriorate, and the arm can
be securely held by the both end portions 22 and 23. Further, by
not making the both end portions 22 and 23 as the narrow portion
21, as compared with a case such that the both end portions 22 and
23 are also formed as the narrow portion 21, the subject does not
feel strange such that the both end portions 22 and 23 cut into
the flesh of the arm. Obviously, at the time of attachment to an
arm, the one end portion 23 which is the longer one is thrown over
the arm.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are a perspective view and an exploded view, respectively,
of a curled elastic member according to further another embodiment.
This curled elastic member 1E has a narrow portion 31 in which a
width in the axial direction of the ring shape of the cuff is partly
narrowed between an approximately center portion 31' in the circumferential
direction of the ring shape of the cuff and both end portions 15
and 16. A thin portion 32 which is thinner than the narrow portion
31 is provided at the remainder of the curled elastic member. The
narrow portion 31 has a width which gently increases and decreases
from the end portions 15 and 16 toward the center portion 31'. The
thin portion 32 and the narrow portion 31 provide a substantially
rectangular elastic member when it is uncurled. Consequently, the
curled elastic member 1E as a whole has a fixed width. The one end
portion 16 is extended outward so that the other end portion 15
is enwinded inward.
In order to provide the thin portion 32, for example, the thin
portion 32 as a separate member may be joined to the narrow portion
31 or the portion 32 other than the narrow portion 31 may be formed
thin by cutting, integral molding or the like at the time of making
the whole curled elastic member 1E. The planar shape pattern of
the narrow portion 31 is not limited to that shown in the drawing
but, for example, the pattern of the narrow portion 21 in the curled
elastic member 1D in FIG. 6 may be used.
The curled elastic member 1E is obtained by improving the curled
elastic member 1D. That is, in the case of the form where the portion
missed by the narrow portion 31 exists, when the bladder is inflated,
it is feared that the bladder is inflated from the side (missing
portion) of the narrow portion 31 to the surface side of the cuff
so that the arm cannot be sufficiently pressed, and there is also
the possibility such that, in a process of taking blood pressure
data while changing air pressure, noise occurs due to inflation
from the missing portion to the outside of the bladder, so that
there is the possibility that blood pressure cannot be measured
stably.
However, by forming the missing portion generated due to the narrow
portion 31 as the thin portion 32, while maintaining the effects
of the curled elastic member 1D, the possibilities of the above-mentioned
problems can be also eliminated. That is, by forming the curled
elastic member 1D so as to be fit to any of arms of various shapes
by the both end portions and so as to be easily twisted, an effect
such that the curled elastic member can be easily fit to an arm
of any shape such as a straight arm or tapered arm is obtained.
FIGS. 7C and 7D are a perspective view and an exploded view of
a curled elastic member provided for a cuff for a blood pressure
monitor, according to the first modification of the embodiment of
FIGS. 7A and 7B. A section view viewed from the right direction
along the line A A' of FIG. 7D is shown in FIG. 7E. A curled elastic
member 101 is formed of a resin such as PP (polypropylene), and
includes two regions having different thicknesses, i.e., a thin
portion 102 and a thick portion 103. When the curled elastic member
101 is attached around an arm, it is wounded so that one end portion
104 is placed inside another end portion 105. Attention is now directed
to an axial direction of the ring shape of the cuff, or the direction
of an arm when the curled elastic member 101 is attached on the
arm. It can be seen that one end of the cylindrically wound curled
elastic member 101 forms the thin portion 102 and the other end
forms the thick portion 103. The thick portion 103 has high rigidity
so that it can firmly grip the arm, whereas the thin portion 102
has low rigidity so that it can easily deform in conformance with
the shape of the arm in contrast to the thick portion 103. Consequently,
when the curled elastic member 101 is oriented so that the thick
portion 103 corresponds to the arm part of small diameter and the
thin portion 102 corresponds to the arm part of large diameter,
and the curled elastic member 101 is wound so that no clearance
is left between the thick portion 103 and the arm part of small
diameter, the thin portion 102 deforms to closely follow the shape
of the arm part of large diameter. As a result, it can be attached
around the entire circumference of the arm without leaving any clearance.
In the first modification, the rigidity of the curled elastic member
101 is varied in two steps. However, the curled elastic member may
have more than two rigidities, or may change the rigidity continuously
by, for example, gradually changing the thickness in the axial direction
of ring shape of the cuff from the one end side to the other end
side as shown in FIG. 7F.
FIGS. 7G and 7H are a perspective view and an exploded view showing
a curled elastic member provided for a cuff for a blood pressure
monitor, according to the second modification of the embodiment
of FIGS. 7A and 7B. A section view viewed from the right direction
along the line B B' of FIG. 7H is shown in FIG. 71. A curled elastic
member 111 includes two regions having different thickness, i.e.,
a thin portion 112 and a thick portion 113. When the curled elastic
member 111 is attached around an upper arm, it is wounded so that
the thin portion 112 is located on the shoulder side and one end
portion 114 is placed inside another end portion 115. Attention
is now directed to an axial direction of the ring shape of the cuff,
or the direction of an arm when the curled elastic member 111 is
attached on the arm. It can be seen that the part corresponding
to the shoulder side forms the thin portion 112 and the part corresponding
to the elbow side forms the thick portion 113. Accordingly, as is
the case with the first modification, when the thick portion 113
having high rigidity is wound around the arm part near the elbow
where the diameter is smaller than that of the part on the shoulder
side so as not to leave a clearance, the thin portion 112 having
a lower rigidity deforms to closely follow the shape of the arm
part on the shoulder side where the diameter is larger than that
of the elbow side. As a result, it can be attached around a largely-inclined
arm without leaving any clearance.
Next, attention is directed to a circumferential direction the
ring shape of the cuff, or the direction around the arm when the
curled elastic member 101 is attached on the arm. It can be seen
that on either side of a hole 116, through which a tube connected
to a bladder (not shown) is to be inserted into the curled elastic
member 111, is provided a narrow portion 117, 118 where the width
of the thick portion 113 along the axial direction of is partially
narrowed. These narrow portions 117, 118 can conform to arms having
various inclination angles and enables attachment while ensuring
higher fitting ability since the rigidity along the axial direction
of the curled elastic member 111 is low in these narrow portions
117, 118 and hence the curled elastic member 111 can easily twist.
Furthermore, in the vicinity of the hole 116 is formed a wide portion
119 where the width of the thick portion 113 along the axial direction
is larger than those of the thin portions, whereby the rigidity
is set higher so as to reduce the deformation during application
of pressure to the arm by the bladder. Furthermore, the curled elastic
member has two different end portions, i.e., one end portion 114
and the other end portion 115. The one end portion 114 and its vicinity
are formed as the thin portion 112, and the other end 115 and its
vicinity are formed as the thick portion 113. When the cured elastic
member is wound around an upper arm, the one end portion 114, which
is designed to be wound inside and come into contact with the arm,
will conform to the shape of the arm to reduce the pain of the subject
for blood pressure measurement since it has a low rigidity. The
other end potion 15 will ensure close attachment to the arm since
it has high rigidity.
In order to form a curled elastic member having non-uniform rigidity,
for example, the thin portion 112 and the thick portion 113 may
be integrally formed to make the curled elastic member 111 or the
part corresponding to the thin portion 112 may be formed by cutting
from a member having the entire shape of the curled elastic member
111 and having the thickness of the thick portion 113. Also, a member
having a shape of the part corresponding to the thick portion 113
may be bonded on a member having the entire shape of the curled
elastic member 111 formed in a thickness of the thin portion 112.
In this configuration, it is effective to use materials of different
rigidities such that the member having the entire shape is formed
of a material of low rigidity and the member having a shape of the
part corresponding to the thick portion 113 is formed of a material
of high rigidity, for example.
The pattern of the thin portion 112 and the thick portion 113 shown
in FIG. 7H does not limit the pattern design used in this embodiment.
FIG. 7J shows an exploded view showing a curled elastic member
121 provided for a cuff for a blood pressure monitor, according
to a further modification of the second modification of the embodiment
of FIGS. 7A and 7B. In this configuration, the rigidities along
the axial and circumferential directions of the ring shape of the
cuff are changed by effecting a punching (boring) process on the
material. Specifically, a part 122 which is intended to have a low
rigidity corresponding to the thin portion 112 in the curled elastic
member 111 of the second modification is subjected to a punching
(boring) process to provide a plurality of holes (or bores) 124,
while a part 123 which is intended to have a high rigidity corresponding
to the thick part 113 is subjected to neither punching nor boring
process. As a result, the entire thickness of the curled elastic
member 121 is uniform, while the rigidity is not uniform in the
axial and circumferential directions, which allows desired rigidity
distribution for conforming to the shape of the arm. Accordingly,
as is the case with the second modification, the curled elastic
member 121 can be closely attached around any arms having a variety
of shapes and degrees of inclination.
The positions, size and population of the holes may be adjusted
to provide more effective attaching characteristics of the curled
elastic member. For example, the size of the bore or hole is not
necessarily identical among them, but large and small bores or holes
may exist together. Although either punching or boring process is
effected in this embodiment, processes for making holes and bores
may be effected in combination.
FIGS. 8A and 8B are a perspective view and a sectional view of
a curled elastic member according to further another embodiment.
This curled elastic member 1F is formed so that its inner circumferential
face 1a is an approximately round shape and an outer circumferential
face 1b has a polygon shape (approximately hexagon herein). With
the structure, the corner portions of the polygon become thick portions
35 and the side portions become thin portions 36. Therefore, the
form in which the thickness is changed is obtained as a result.
Particularly, in a manner similar to the curled elastic members
1C to 1E, the shape can be altered according to variations in the
arm, and the curled elastic member does not easily cut in the arm
and fits the arm very well. Obviously, since the one end portion
28 is extended outward than the other end portion 27, the curled
elastic member is easily attached on the arm.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a curled elastic member according
to further another embodiment. FIGS. 10A and 10B are side views
of the curled elastic member in an uncurled state and in a curled
state, respectively. This curled elastic member 1G is formed by
connecting a plurality of (three herein) elastic pieces 41, 42,
and 43 by hinges. Two coil springs 50 as energizing means are attached
to the respective hinged portions. The elastic pieces 41 and 43
serve as both end portions, and the elastic piece 42 serves as a
center portion. The elastic piece 41 is set longer than the elastic
piece 43 so that an end 43a of the elastic piece 43 is enwinded
inward.
Three hinges as the hinged portions are provided between the elastic
pieces 41 and 42, and between the elastic pieces 42 and 43. The
elastic pieces 41 to 43 can relatively swing around a spindle 55
of each hinged portion as a fulcrum. The coil springs 50 are attached
to supporting portions 51 provided at facing ends of the elastic
pieces 41 to 43. In each of the elastic pieces 41 to 43, a notch
(to which no reference numeral is designated) for receiving the
coil spring 50 is formed.
When the curled elastic member 1G is uncurled by a predetermined
angle or more, the coil spring 50 is energized in the direction
of uncurling the curled elastic member 1G. When the curled elastic
member 1G is curled by a predetermined angle or less, the coil spring
50 is energized in the direction of curling the curled elastic member
1G. That is, as obvious from FIGS. 10A and 10B, when the coil spring
50 is positioned on the outer side than the spindle 55 as a fulcrum
of each of the elastic pieces 41 to 43, the energizing force acts
in the direction of uncurling the curled elastic member 1G (FIG.
10A). When the coil spring 50 is positioned on the inner side than
the spindle 55, the energizing force acts in the direction of curling
the elastic member 1G (FIG. 10B). However, the curled elastic member
1G is usually in the closed state as shown in FIG. 10B.
When the curled elastic member 1G is attached on an arm, the end
portion 41a of the long elastic piece 41 is thrown over the arm
and, in such a state, the curled elastic member 1G is uncurled outward
at a predetermined angle or more. By the energizing force of the
coil spring 50, the curled elastic member 1G naturally enters a
maximum uncurled state. When the elastic member 1G is set in a predetermined
region of an arm and is curled at a predetermined angle or more,
the elastic member 1G is naturally curled by the energizing force
of the coil spring 50, and is fit to the arm with a proper pressing
force.
As described above, the cuff for the blood pressure monitor of
the present invention has the curled elastic member in a peculiar
form. Consequently, the cuff can be easily attached to an arm. When
the cuff is attached to an arm, the end portions do not easily cut
in the flesh of the arm, so that the subject does not feel pain.
The shape of the cuff can be altered in correspondence with variations
in arms, so that the cuff fits to an arm excellently. |