The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 12, 2000
Filed:
Mar. 20, 1998
Charles F Chesney, Sunfish Lake, MN (US);
Dennis J Morgan, Crystal, MN (US);
Eugene A O'Rourke, Lackawanna, NY (US);
Michael T Riggs, Batavia, NY (US);
Fred Randall Thornton, Lancaster, NY (US);
Hypertension Diagnostics, Inc., Eagan, MN (US);
Abstract
A method and a pulse pressure sensor for sensing an arterial pulse pressure waveform. In one embodiment, the pulse pressure sensor includes a housing, a diaphragm, a piezoelectric device, and a self-contained amplifier. The skin-contact diaphragm is attached across a recess or opening in the housing. The piezoelectric device has a first portion mounted in a fixed relationship to the housing and a second portion displacementally coupled to the diaphragm. The solid-state amplifier has a signal input coupled to the piezoelectric device, wherein the piezoelectric device and amplifier together have a frequency response at least including a range from below approximately 0.1 hertz to above approximately 250 hertz. In one such embodiment, the housing and the skin-contact diaphragm of the sensor are stainless steel. In one such embodiment, the diaphragm has a skin-contact surface with a skin-contact dimension of between approximately 0.4 inch and 0.6 inch. In one embodiment, the sensor includes a solid-state amplifier that includes a high-input-impedance MOSFET input stage having an input resistance high enough to provide a frequency response that extends below approximately 0.1 hertz.