Abstract: A blood-pressure monitor apparatus including a pulse-wave sensor including pressure sensing elements, a pressing device which presses the pulse-wave sensor against an artery via skin tissue, a selecting device for selecting, as an optimum element, one of the pressure sensing elements, a determining means for changing the pressing force of the pressing device and determining, based on the pulse wave detected by the optimum element while the pressing force is changed, an optimum pressing force with which the pressing device presses the pulse wave sensor against the artery such that a portion of a wall of the artery is flattened, a maintaining device for maintaining the optimum pressing force of the pressing device, a determining means for determining an estimated blood pressure according to a predetermined relationship between blood pressure and magnitude of pressure pulse wave, based on a magnitude of each of heartbeat-synchronous pulses of the pulse wave detected by the optimum element in a state in which the

Abstract: A pulse wave detecting apparatus including a pulse wave sensor having a press surface and including at least one array of pressure sensing elements provided in the press surface; a pressing device which produces a pressing force to press the press surface of the pulse wave sensor against an arterial vessel via body surface; a regulating device for changing the pressing force of the pressing device applied to the pulse wave sensor, determining an optimum value of the pressing force based on at least one of the pulse wave signals generated from the pressure sensing elements, and holding the pressing force of the pressing device at the thus determined optimum value; a lower-peak variation determining device for determining a lower peak of at least one pulse of each of the pulse waves represented by the respective pulse wave signals from the pressure sensing elements, the lower-peak variation determining device iteratively determining a variation of the respective lower peaks of the pulse waves with respect to th

Abstract: A blood pressure monitor system for monitoring blood pressure of a living subject, including a pulse wave detecting device detecting a first pulse wave produced from an artery of the subject via a body surface of the subject over the artery, an inflatable cuff pressing a body portion of the subject, a blood pressure measuring device measuring a systolic and a mean blood pressure of the subject, based on variation in amplitude of pulses of a second pulse wave transmitted to the cuff by changing a pressure in the cuff, and a blood pressure determining device determining a relationship between blood pressure and pulse wave magnitude, based on the systolic and mean blood pressure values measured by the blood pressure measuring device and an upper-peak magnitude and a mean magnitude of the first pulse wave detected by the pulse wave detecting device, and continuously determining, according to the relationship, blood pressure values of the subject based on magnitudes of the first pulse wave detected by the pulse wa