JP2004215964A - Biological electrode - Google Patents

Abstract

A biological electrode for acquiring a biological signal is configured to be disposable including a cable portion.
Kind Code: A1 A plurality of electrode units for mounting on a body surface of a subject to acquire a biological signal of the subject, the plurality of electrode units for detecting the biological signal, and each of the electrode units. And a plurality of wiring sections 20 connected to the wiring section. The wiring section has a length adjusting section 21 formed by winding a part of the wiring section.
[Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrode for acquiring a biological signal (biological electrode), and more particularly to a disposable biological electrode that does not require a cable.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a biological signal acquisition device represented by an electrocardiograph, a biological electrode for detecting a potential on a skin surface of a subject is used. There are various configurations of such bioelectrodes, and they are roughly divided into an electrode portion to be attached to the skin of a subject and a cable (also referred to as a lead) connecting between the electrode portion and the biosignal acquisition device. ) Are integrated (integrated type), and those in which the electrode portion and the cable portion are detachable so that the electrode portion is disposable (separable type).
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in any configuration, the cable portion is repeatedly used for a plurality of subjects. Although cables are usually designed to be durable enough, the possibility of breaking is not eliminated. In addition, when performing long-term acquisition in daily life, such as acquisition of an electrocardiographic signal using a Holter monitor or the like, it is necessary to spend daily life with the cable attached, so that the feeling of wearing is improved. In many cases, a thin cable is used. Since the cable is thin and the subject takes various positions in daily life, the possibility of disconnection must be higher than the cable used for signal acquisition at rest. Moreover, if the biosignal is acquired without noticing the disconnection, it may be necessary to perform the acquisition again, and there is a problem that the burden on the subject increases.
[0004]
Furthermore, in the conventional separation-type bioelectrode, it is necessary to connect each electrode portion to a cable, and the connection operation is complicated.
In addition, in the conventional bioelectrode, the cable portion is designed to be long in order to cover the physique difference of the subject, and there is also a problem that the cable is tangled at the time of attachment / detachment and troublesome when changing clothes. Was.
[0005]
In the conventional bioelectrode, in order to prevent the electrode from coming off and prevent the surplus cable from tangling, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, it is necessary to fix each of the cables with a medical tape or the like at several places, In addition to taking time and effort to attach, there is a possibility that the subject may feel uncomfortable when peeling off the tape. In addition, if the fixing method of the cable is not appropriate, the cable pulls the electrode, which affects the quality of the electrocardiogram.
[0006]
In particular, in the case of an integrated bioelectrode, since the same electrode is repeatedly used for a plurality of subjects, maintenance such as cleaning of a cable is required every time the subject changes.
The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the conventional bioelectrode, and an object of the present invention is to provide a disposable bioelectrode that can be easily attached and detached, has a small load at the time of wearing, and is disposable. .
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the problems of the related art, the bioelectrode of the present invention is a bioelectrode that is attached to the body surface of a subject and acquires a biosignal of the subject. It has a plurality of electrode portions for detection and a plurality of wiring portions connected to each of the electrode portions, and the wiring portion has an adjusting portion formed by winding a part of the wiring portion. And
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, a case where the present invention is applied to a bioelectrode used for a Holter electrocardiograph will be described as an example. It is also applicable to electrodes.
[0009]
■ (First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration example of the bioelectrode according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a mounting surface side on a subject. The bioelectrode shown in FIG. 1 is a bioelectrode for acquiring an induction signal of one channel, and has a center electrode unit 30 and two peripheral electrode units 10 extending from the center electrode unit 30. The wires of the peripheral electrode portion 10 pass over the center electrode portion 30, but the wires are insulated from each other. The wiring from each electrode section is collected at the terminal section 40 and connected to a connector of an electrocardiograph (not shown) directly or via another cable.
[0010]
Each peripheral electrode section 10 is connected to the center electrode section 30 by a wiring section 20. In FIG. 1, the conductive pattern 23 of the wiring portion 20 is actually pasted on the back side (non-mounting surface side) of the base, so that it can be seen through the base. The wiring section 20 is provided with a length adjusting section 21 for adjusting the length of the wiring section 20 on the way. The specific configuration of the length adjusting unit 21 will be described in detail separately.
[0011]
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a detailed configuration example of the peripheral electrode section 10 and the wiring section 20 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view viewed from the non-wearing side of the subject, contrary to FIG.
[0012]
In the present embodiment, the peripheral electrode section 10 and the wiring section 20 are provided on a common base 11. The base 11 is preferably a soft material that is thin, has elasticity, and is less irritating when touching the skin. For example, a nonwoven fabric using PET, rayon, urethane, or the like can be used. The protective film 12 on which the conductive pattern 23 is printed is attached to the base 11 with an adhesive (not shown). The conductive pattern 23 is made of, for example, an alloy of silver and silver chloride, and the protective film is made of a flexible film. For example, a resin film having a thickness of about 100 μm, for example, a PET film can be used.
[0013]
The tip of the conductive pattern 23 forms the electrode 13, and the electrode 13 is configured to be located substantially at the center of the peripheral electrode unit 10. A region of the base 11 corresponding to the electrode 13 and its vicinity is cut out in a substantially circular shape so that the electrode 13 is exposed. In addition, a conductive gel 14 is provided on the electrode 13. Therefore, when the electrode is attached, the gel 14 is in close contact with the skin of the subject, and the biological signal at the attachment site is transmitted to the electrode 13 via the gel 14 and further transmitted through the conductive pattern 23. An adhesive 15 is applied to the mounting surface side of the base 11 and the periphery of the gel 14 to make mounting more reliable. The adhesive 15 is, for example, a silicon-based adhesive.
[0014]
At a substantially central portion of the wiring section 20, a length adjusting section 21 is provided. As shown in FIG. 4, the length adjusting section 21 has a configuration in which a part of the wiring section 20 is wound up. As shown in FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (d), for example, the length adjusting section 21 bends the wiring section 20 in a substantially vertical direction at a substantially central portion in a length direction, and winds the bent portion inward. Can be formed. Instead of bending the wiring portion 20, the wiring portion may be formed by joining two components as shown in FIG. 5E, and the joining portion may be wound inside.
[0015]
When the entanglement is performed, the entangled portion is maintained in a state where the entangled portion is entangled, for example, by processing while heating. With such a configuration, the length adjusting section 21 always tries to return to the entangled state, and only the portion pulled from both sides is released, and the wiring section 20 is slackened due to body movement. In such a case, it returns to the state where it is actively involved. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both good wearing feeling and signal acquisition without applying excessive tension to the wiring portion 20 and without sagging. The smaller the diameter of the length adjusting portion 21 and the higher the rigidity of the protective film 12, the greater the force (return force) of returning the length adjusting portion 21 to the entangled state. The diameter at the time of winding and / or the material of the protective film 12 is set so that the tension applied to the portion 20 and the restoring force required for eliminating the slack can be compatible.
[0016]
Next, the configuration of the center electrode portion 30 and the terminal portion 40 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6A is an enlarged plan view of the central electrode section 30 as viewed from the mounting surface side, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of a portion from the central electrode section 30 to the end section 40.
[0017]
The configuration of the central electrode unit 30 is basically the same as that of the peripheral electrode unit 10 described with reference to FIG. 3, but the wiring pattern printed on the protective film 12 is not only the electrode 13 of the central electrode unit 30 but also the peripheral electrode. The difference is that a conductive pattern 23 extending to the portion 10 is included. The conductive pattern 23 extending to the peripheral electrode portion 10 is routed to the terminal portion 40 along the periphery of the opening of the base 11 provided at the center of the central electrode portion 30 to expose the electrode 13. Since the protective film 12 on which the conductive pattern 23 is printed is an insulator, the three conductive patterns extending from the end printed on the protective film 12 to each electrode are insulated from each other.
[0018]
In the present embodiment, since the base 11 is not provided in a portion from the central electrode portion 30 to the terminal portion 40, the insulating layer 32 is provided by coating, for example, to prevent the conductive pattern 23 from being exposed. The insulating layer 32 is not provided on the connector portion of the terminal portion 40 that is electrically connected to the electrocardiograph or the connector conversion cable for connecting the electrocardiograph. Further, a reinforcing member 41 is attached to the back surface to reinforce the connector portion. The insertion surface mark 42 is a mark printed on the surface of the insulating layer 32, and specifies the direction of insertion into the electrocardiograph or the electrocardiograph connection connector conversion cable.
[0019]
Such a biological electrode can be manufactured, for example, by the following steps. First, the conductive pattern of the entire bioelectrode is printed on the protective film 12 and the die is cut out. On the other hand, a base 11 having a shape corresponding to each of the electrode portions and the wiring portion 20 connecting them is created. An opening for an electrode is also provided. Then, an adhesive is applied to the surface of the protective film 12 on which the conductive patterns 23 are formed, and is adhered to the base 11. Next, the wiring portion 20 is bent from a predetermined position (or two wiring portion components are joined) to form the length adjusting portion 21 as shown in FIG. The gel 14, the adhesive 15, the insulating layer 32, and the reinforcing member 41 may be provided at appropriate timing. Finally, a release film covering the gel 14 and the adhesive 15 is attached.
[0020]
Alternatively, one part of the peripheral electrode part 10 and the wiring part 20 is one peripheral electrode part, and the other part (from the end part 40 to a part of the wiring part 20 via the central electrode part 30) is one central electrode part. For example, in the case of forming an L-shaped living body electrode as shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to manufacture by attaching two peripheral electrode parts to the central electrode part and then forming the length adjusting part 21. The central electrode component and the peripheral electrode component can be bonded by fusing the protective films to each other so that the conductive patterns are conducted. In this case, the length adjustment portion 21 is formed as shown in FIG. 5 by bending the joint between the central electrode component and the peripheral electrode component.
[0021]
In addition, in order to prevent breakage of a portion (or a joint) that is bent when forming the length adjusting portion 21, reinforcement may be applied to the bent portion (or the joint). The method of reinforcement is arbitrary, and examples thereof include a method of attaching a reinforcing tape to the bent portion (or the joint portion) and the vicinity thereof, or applying a coating material.
However, since the bioelectrode according to the present invention is not premised on repeated use, it is not necessary to consider the breakage of the bent portion (or the joint portion) so much. Things are enough.
[0022]
Next, a method of using the bioelectrode according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The biological electrode according to the present embodiment is provided, for example, as shown in FIG. 7A, in a state in which a peripheral electrode unit 10 extending laterally from a central electrode unit 30 is folded on the central electrode unit 30.
[0023]
First, the release film of the peripheral electrode portion 10 located at the upper portion is peeled off and attached to the upper end of the sternum. Then, the central electrode section 30 is pulled down while holding down the attached peripheral electrode section 10, and the length of the wiring section 20 is adjusted and attached so that the central electrode section 30 is arranged at a predetermined position in the center of the chest (FIG. 7 ( b)). Next, the peeling film of the other peripheral electrode portion 10 is peeled off, and the length is adjusted in the same manner, and the film is attached to the left chest side (FIG. 7 (c)). In this case, the center electrode section 30 functions as an indifferent electrode.
[0024]
After attaching the bioelectrode in this manner, the terminal portion 40 is inserted into the other end of the connector of the electrocardiograph or the connector conversion cable having one end connected to the connector of the electrocardiograph. The connector conversion cable is a cable for converting the shape of the connector portion of the bioelectrode according to the present embodiment into a connector having an arbitrary shape and a pin arrangement. By using this conversion cable, an electrocardiograph adapted to a conventional bioelectrode is used. Thus, the biological electrode according to the present embodiment can be used.
The length adjusting unit 21 not only has a function of adjusting the cable length at the time of attachment, but also unwinds or returns to a wound state according to the body movement of the subject after attachment. It functions to buffer the force applied to the central electrode unit 30 and contributes to stable ECG recording.
[0025]
Thus, the bioelectrode according to the present embodiment can be disposable with a simple configuration. This eliminates the need for maintenance such as cleaning the cable as in the case of the conventional integrated bioelectrode, which saves labor and improves hygiene. In addition, since the electrode portion and the cable portion are integrated, there is no need to separately connect the electrode and the cable as in the case of the separated biological electrode.
[0026]
Further, since the length adjustment part 21 is provided in the wiring part corresponding to the conventional cable, the wiring part 20 in an unused state is very short, and the package can be downsized. It doesn't get in the way when you carry it. In addition, since the length adjustment unit 21 is provided, it can be applied to subjects of various body types. Further, since the length adjustment unit 21 can extract only a required length, a small body Even when used by a person, the wiring portion 20 does not get tangled excessively, and the wearing feeling is good. In addition, since the mutual positions of the electrodes are roughly determined in advance, it is easier to estimate the mounting position of the electrodes as compared with the conventional biological electrodes, and the subject can be easily mounted.
[0027]
■ (Second embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a configuration example of the bioelectrode according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The bioelectrode according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as the bioelectrode according to the first embodiment except that the number of the peripheral electrode portions 10 (and the corresponding elastic wiring portions 20) is increased to three.
[0028]
That is, in the bioelectrode according to the present invention, the number and the mounting position of the peripheral electrode units 10 can be arbitrarily set according to the type of the biosignal to be obtained and the number of channels. In the example shown in FIG. 8, it is possible to acquire a 2-channel electrocardiographic signal. FIG. 9 shows another configuration example as an electrode arrangement. FIG. 10 shows a specific example when the electrode arrangement shown in FIG. 9D is used.
[0029]
[Other embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, only the length adjusting unit 21 having a configuration in which the wiring unit 20 is bent (or a joint between two components constituting the wiring unit 20) and wound up in the middle of the wiring unit 20 has been described. Any other configuration can be employed as long as the length can be easily adjusted and the length can be maintained without unraveling.
For example, a part of the wiring part may be folded to form the length adjusting part. However, in this case, since the unwinding prevention configuration utilizing the rigidity of the protective film as described in the embodiment cannot be used, the adjusted length is held by separately sandwiching the length adjusting portion with a clip or the like.
[0030]
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which each peripheral electrode unit 10 is connected to the central electrode unit 30 has been described. However, the central electrode unit 30 does not necessarily need to be provided with an electrode. That is, it may have only the function of connecting the peripheral electrode units 10 and the function of collecting the conductive patterns 23 from the peripheral electrode units 10 to the end 40.
[0031]
Further, the outer shape of each electrode portion is not limited to a circle, but may be any shape.
[0032]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, by integrating the electrode portion and the cable portion (wiring portion) with a simple configuration, the conventionally required cable is unnecessary, and the disposable portion including the cable portion is disposable. And disconnection due to repeated use can be eliminated. Further, by providing the length adjusting portion in the cable portion, it is possible to cope with subjects of various body types and to improve the feeling of wearing.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration example of a bioelectrode according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a peripheral electrode section 10 and a stretchable wiring section 20 in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a length adjustment unit provided in a wiring unit.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a procedure for forming a length adjusting unit 21;
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a center electrode portion 30 and a terminal portion 40 in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for attaching the bioelectrode shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating an overall configuration example of a bioelectrode according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a plan view showing another example of the electrode arrangement of the biological electrode according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a biological electrode having the electrode arrangement shown in FIG. 9D.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state of attachment of a conventional bioelectrode.

Claims (3)

A biological electrode to be attached to the body surface of the subject, and to acquire a biological signal of the subject,
A plurality of electrode units for detecting the biological signal,
A plurality of wiring portions connected to each of the electrode portions,
The living body electrode, wherein the wiring part has an adjusting part formed by winding a part of the wiring part. 2. The living body according to claim 1, wherein the electrode unit includes a plurality of peripheral electrode units and one central electrode unit, and the wiring unit connects the plurality of peripheral electrode units and the central electrode unit. 3. electrode. The said wiring part is comprised from the flexible film in which the conductive pattern was provided, and the said adjustment part is formed by winding the predetermined | prescribed part of the said flexible film inward, The claim 1 or Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Item 3. A biological electrode according to Item 2.

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