Pressure measurement device comprising a motorized load sensor and a process for controlling the device

1. Device for measuring the pressure of blood, intended to engage with a section ( 16 ) for measuring the pressure of blood flowing in a pipe ( 14 ), the pressure measurement section ( 16 ) comprising, in a substantially rigid wall ( 34 ), a hole ( 36 ) which is sealed by a flexible closure element ( 38 ), the internal face ( 40 ) of which is in contact with the blood and the external face ( 42 ) of which is in contact with the ambient air, it being possible to elastically deform or displace the closure element ( 38 ) overall along a deformation or displacement axis (A—A), which is substantially orthogonal to its general plane, under the effect of the blood pressure, the pressure measurement device comprising a load sensor ( 26 ) secured to a support structure ( 20 , 22 ) designed to support the pressure measurement section ( 16 ) in such a way that the load sensor ( 26 ) is placed substantially facing the closure element ( 38 ), along the deformation axis (A—A), the load sensor ( 26 ) being designed to be in contact, via the axial end of a sensitive member ( 52 ), with the external face ( 42 ) of the closure element ( 38 ) so as to measure the force applied axially to the internal face ( 40 ) of the closure element ( 38 ) by the blood pressure, in order to calculate therefrom the value of this pressure, characterized in that:

in order to operate a measurement, the load sensor ( 26 ) co-operates with the external face ( 42 ) of the associated closure element ( 38 ) only by direct contact of the sensitive member ( 52 ) with a flexible portion of said external face ( 42 ), said sensitive member ( 52 ) and said external face being free to come into and out of contact with each other;

the device ( 10 ) comprises means ( 58 ) for the relative axial displacement of the sensitive member ( 52 ), or of the measurement section ( 16 ), with respect to the support structure ( 20 , 22 ), towards the closure element ( 38 );

the device ( 10 ) comprises a control system of the means ( 58 ) for the axial displacement of the sensitive member ( 52 ), or of the measurement section ( 16 ), such that, during an initial adjustment phase of the axial position of the sensitive member ( 52 ) with respect to the external face ( 42 ) of the associated closure element ( 38 ), the sensitive member ( 52 ) comes to contact with a flexible portion of the external face ( 42 ) of the closure element ( 38 ) and applies a given initial pretensioning force (F 0 ), in order to make the pressure measurement device ( 10 ) suitable for measurement of blood pressure greater than the ambient air pressure and for measurement of blood pressure less than the ambient air pressure;

characterized in that the control system controls the axial displacement means ( 58 ) so that, during the initial calibration operation, the axial displacement of the sensitive member ( 52 ) towards the external face ( 42 ) of the closure element ( 38 ) or the axial displacement of the measurement section ( 16 ) towards the axial end of the sensitive member ( 52 ), is provoked until an initial pretensioning force (F 0 ) is obtained which is high enough so that the pressure measurement device ( 10 ) works in a linear region of the axial displacement means ( 58 ) where axial play has no effect on the pressure measurements.

2. Device ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the axial displacement means ( 58 ) comprise a device ( 74 ) for immobilizing the sensitive member ( 52 ), of the measurement section ( 16 ), in a chosen axial position.

3. Device ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the axial displacement means ( 58 ) comprise a linear actuator ( 58 ) which is capable of axially displacing the load sensor ( 26 ) and its sensitive member ( 52 ).

4. Device ( 10 ) according to claim 3 , characterized in that the linear actuator ( 58 ) comprises an electric motor ( 62 ) of the stepper-motor type.

5. Device ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that said sensitive member comprises a load transmitter which is inserted between the closure element ( 38 ) and the load sensor ( 26 ) which is fixed, and in that the displacement of the load transmitter, which is axial with respect to the load sensor ( 26 ), is controlled by a linear actuator ( 58 ).

6. Device ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the closure element ( 38 ) is made in a single part with the associated rigid wall ( 34 ).

7. Device ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the closure element ( 38 ) is moulded with the associated rigid wall ( 34 ).

8. Device ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that it comprises a control system which controls the axial displacement means ( 58 ) so that the response of the closure element ( 38 ) to a pretensioning force (F 0 ) can be analysed as a function of an axial displacement of the sensitive member ( 52 ) or of the measurement section ( 16 ).

9. Device ( 10 ) according to claim 8 , characterized in that the analysis of the response of the closure element ( 38 ) is aimed to determine an optimum pretensioning force (F 0 ) for measurements of blood pressure greater than the ambient air pressure and for measurements of blood pressure less than the ambient air pressure.

10. Process for controlling a device ( 10 ) for measuring the pressure of blood, intended to engage with a section ( 16 ) for measuring the pressure of blood flowing in a pipe ( 14 ), the pressure measurement section ( 16 ) comprising, in a substantially rigid wall ( 34 ), a hole ( 36 ) which is sealed by a flexible closure element ( 38 ), the internal face ( 40 ) of which is in contact with the blood and the external face ( 42 ) of which is in contact with the ambient air, it being possible to elastically deform or displace the closure element ( 38 ) overall along a deformation or displacement axis (A—A), which is substantially orthogonal to its general plane, under the effect of the blood pressure, the pressure measurement device comprising a load sensor ( 26 ) secured to a support structure ( 20 , 22 ) designed to support the pressure measurement section ( 16 ) in such a way that the load sensor ( 26 ) is placed substantially facing the closure element ( 38 ), along the deformation axis (A—A), the load sensor ( 26 ) being designed to be in contact, via the axial end of a sensitive member ( 52 ), with the external face ( 42 ) of the closure element ( 38 ) so as to measure the force applied axially to the internal face ( 40 ) of the closure element ( 38 ) by the blood pressure, in order to calculate therefrom the value of this pressure,

characterized in that, during an initial adjustment phase of the axial position of the sensitive member ( 52 ) with respect to the external face ( 42 ) of the associated closure element ( 38 ), the sensitive member ( 52 ), or the measurement section ( 16 ), is axially moved, with respect to the support structure ( 20 , 22 ), towards the closure element ( 38 ) or towards the axial end of the sensitive member ( 52 ), such that the sensitive member ( 52 ) comes, from out of contact, into contact with a flexible portion of the external face ( 42 ) of the closure element ( 38 ) and applies a given initial pretensioning force (F 0 ), in order to make the pressure measurement device ( 10 ) suitable to measurement of blood pressure greater than the ambient air pressure and to measurement of blood pressure less than the ambient air pressure;

characterized in that, during the initial calibration operation, the sensitive member ( 52 ) or the measurement section ( 16 ), is axially moved towards the external face ( 42 ) of the closure element ( 38 ) or towards the axial end of the sensitive member ( 52 ), until the sensitive member ( 52 ) applies an initial pretensioning force (F 0 ) which is high enough so that the pressure measurement device ( 10 ) works in a linear region of the axial displacement means ( 58 ) where axial play has no effect on the pressure measurements.

11. Process according to claim 10 , characterized in that the initial adjustment phase comprises an initial calibration operation, and that, during the initial calibration operation, the sensitive member ( 52 ) or the measurement section ( 16 ), is axially moved towards the external face ( 42 ) of the associated closure element ( 38 ) or towards the axial end of the associated sensitive member ( 52 ), up to a given axial position of reference in which the sensitive member ( 52 ) is in contact with the external face ( 42 ) of the closure element ( 38 ), to establish a correlation between a given pretensioning force (F 0 ) and the rest state of the closure element ( 38 ), this rest state corresponding to an absence of a pressure gradient between its external face ( 42 ) and its internal face ( 40 ).

12. Process according to claim 10 , characterized in that the initial adjustment phase comprises an analysis phase, and that the analysis phase consists in analysing the response of the closure element ( 38 ) to a pretensioning force (F 0 ) varying as a function of an axial displacement of the sensitive member ( 52 ) or of the measurement section ( 16 ).

13. Process according to claim 12 , characterized in that the analysis phase is used for the purpose of identifying a fault in the structure of the closure element ( 38 ).

14. Process according to claim 12 , characterized in that the analysis phase is used for the purpose of determining an optimum pretensioning force (F 0 ) for measurements of blood pressure greater than the ambient air pressure and for measurements of blood pressure less than the ambient air pressure.