JP2008018017A - Electrode for brain wave measurement - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrode for measuring the brain wave improving the measurement accuracy by optimally retaining a contact pressure with the scalp. <P>SOLUTION: A slide cylinder 1_9 being slidable in the cylindrical part of a support case 1_5 which penetrates through a helmet 2 and is fixed to the helmet 2 is upward slid to pull up a stroke shaft 1_3 screw-connected to its one end from the upward. The helmet 2 with the stroke shaft pulled up is put on the head part of a subject, then the stroke shaft 1_3 is gradually downward slid and the stroke shaft 1_3 is positioned in the support case 1_5 by a stroke adjuster 1_4 within a range of giving no pain to the scalp of the subject. Then, a cotton swab 1_8 containing electrolyte solution abuts on the scalp, so that a conductive part 1_7 is upward slid in the slide cylinder 1_9 against the elastic force of a spring 1_10 and the cotton swab 1_8 comes into contact with the scalp at optimal contact pressure. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electroencephalogram measurement electrode, and more particularly to an electrode that is provided on a helmet and used to measure an electroencephalogram of a subject.

  Examples of conventionally known electroencephalogram measurement electrodes include the following.

(1) An electroencephalogram detection electrode device for detecting an electroencephalogram signal that is placed in contact with the scalp having scalp to detect a brain wave signal in order to stabilize the contact state between the scalp and the electrode even in the presence of the scalp and perform high-precision inspection. and the electrode, and a cap having an elastic member including an electrolytic solution to be coated placed on the distal end surface of the metal electrode, the area of the cap front end surface in contact with the scalp is about 19 mm ² or more 314 mm ² or less electroencephalogram Detection electrode device (see Patent Document 1).

(2) An electroencephalogram detection electrode device that detects the electroencephalogram signal that is placed in contact with the scalp in order to save hygiene and improve usability, eliminating the need to clean each test. A rod-shaped electrode device main body and a cap attached to the tip of the electrode device main body and having an elastic member containing an electrolytic solution disposed in close contact so as to cover the electrode, the cap being attached to the electrode device main body An electrode device for detecting an electroencephalogram provided with a connection means for detachably connecting (see Patent Document 2).

(3) The biological signal detection device has at least one electrode for detecting an electroencephalogram as an electrical signal with the tip side coming into contact with the surface of the head, and has an electrode mounting hole attached to the head and attached to the head. A helmet that makes the part side abut on the surface of the head, an internal thread part formed in the mounting hole as an electrode positioning means capable of individually positioning the electrode on the head, and an electrode outer surface A biological signal detection device configured to include a male screw portion formed on (see Patent Document 3).
JP 2006-34429 A JP 2006-6666 Gazette JP 2006-162

  In the electroencephalogram measurement electrodes disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, since the electrodes are fixed to the helmet, the degree of freedom when the scalp and the electrodes are in contact with each other is limited and stable without pain. However, it is difficult to maintain the contact pressure, and it is difficult to hold a sufficient amount of the electrolyte solution in the flexible contact body attached to the tip portion of the electrode.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electroencephalogram measurement electrode that can maintain the contact pressure with the scalp optimally and thereby improve the measurement accuracy.

  In order to achieve the above object, an electroencephalogram measurement electrode according to the present invention includes a first cylindrical portion that passes through a helmet and is fixed to the helmet, and a second cylinder that is slidable within the first cylindrical portion. And the first cylindrical portion when the second cylindrical portion is slid to the lowest point, and has an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the second cylindrical portion. A third cylindrical part having a length that protrudes from the upper part, and a contact body that comes into contact with the scalp in a state impregnated with an electrolyte solution are exchangeably provided at one end, and can be slid within the second cylindrical part. A projecting portion connected to a conducting wire is provided at the other end, the projecting portion and the conducting wire are movable in the third cylindrical portion, and the second cylindrical portion. A spring provided between the third cylindrical portion and the fourth cylindrical portion in the cylindrical portion; It is characterized.

  That is, in the electroencephalogram measurement electrode of the present invention, the second cylindrical portion can slide within the first cylindrical portion fixed through the helmet, and the second cylindrical portion and the third cylindrical portion can be slid. By connecting the parts, when the second cylindrical part slides in the first cylindrical part, the third cylindrical part also moves simultaneously. At this time, even if the second cylindrical portion slides to the lowest point, the upper portion of the third cylindrical portion protrudes from the first cylindrical portion, so that it can be pulled up.

  Further, the third cylindrical portion is connected to the fourth cylindrical portion via a spring, and the fourth cylindrical portion is slidable in the second cylindrical portion.

  Therefore, when the subject wears a helmet equipped with such an electrode, the fourth cylindrical portion is further in a state in which the slide positions of the second and third cylindrical portions are manually adjusted with respect to the first cylindrical portion. Because the inside of the second cylinder is slidable against the elastic force of the spring, the contact body provided at the tip of the fourth cylinder does not cause pain to the scalp and provides the optimum contact pressure. It is possible to maintain the contact electric resistance.

  In the present invention, a washer provided between the inner side of the upper portion of the first cylindrical portion and the outer side of the third cylindrical portion, and inserted from above the third cylindrical portion via the washer A stroke adjuster for fixing the position of the third cylindrical portion with respect to the first cylindrical portion by screw coupling with the outer side of the upper portion of the first cylindrical portion can be further provided.

  That is, in this case, the stroke adjuster can adjust the relative positions of the first cylindrical portion and the third cylindrical portion via the washer.

  Further, the first cylindrical portion may have a flange portion and a fixing screw for fixing the helmet between the flange portion.

  As a result, the first cylindrical portion can be fixed to the helmet with the fixing screw.

  In addition, the first cylindrical part may have a stopper that stops the sliding of the second cylindrical part.

  Thereby, it is possible to prevent the second cylindrical portion from sliding too much with respect to the first cylindrical portion.

  Further, each of the second cylindrical portion and the fourth cylindrical portion can also have a stopper for stopping the sliding of the fourth cylindrical portion.

  The third cylindrical portion can be screw-coupled to the second cylindrical portion and can be detached from each other.

According to the electroencephalogram measurement electrode of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) A single model can adapt to any head shape and size.
(2) It is possible to maintain the contact pressure of the electrode against the scalp at a desired value without causing pain.
(3) The multi-electrode can be brought into contact with a specified scalp position in a short time.
(4) EEG measurement is possible without contaminating the scalp and hair.
(5) By including the electrolyte solution in the contact body provided at the electrode tip, the contact resistance with the scalp can be maintained at, for example, 10 KΩ or less.
(6) Since the contact body can be attached and detached in a short time, it can be made disposable by a single measurement from detection of infection prevention and is inexpensive.

  Embodiments of an electroencephalogram measurement electrode according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electroencephalogram measurement electrode 1 according to the present invention, and this electroencephalogram measurement electrode 1 is, in terms of appearance, a conductive wire 1_1, an end stopper 1_2, a stroke shaft 1_3, a stroke adjuster 1_4, and a flange portion. It consists of a support case 1_5 having 1_5a, a fixing screw 1_6, and a conductive part 1_7, and a swab head 1_8 impregnated with an electroencephalogram electrolyte solution is replaceably attached to the tip of the conductive part 1_7 It is like that.

  A cross-sectional view when the electroencephalogram measurement electrode 1 shown in FIG. 1 is attached to the helmet 2 is shown in FIG.

  That is, the helmet 2 is provided with a support case 1_5 that is a first cylindrical portion penetrating the support case 1_5 by tightening the fixing screw 1_6 from the opposite side of the helmet 2 to the flange portion 1_5a. Is fixed to helmet 2.

  In the support case 1_5, there is provided a slide cylinder 1_9 which is a second cylindrical part, a screw part 1_9a provided on the upper part of the slide cylinder 1_9, and a screw part 1_3b of a stroke shaft 1_3 which is a third cylindrical part. And can be removed by screw connection.

  The stroke shaft 1_3 is provided with a through hole 1_3a. The inner diameter of the through hole 1_3a is smaller than the inner diameter of the slide cylinder 1_9, and one end of the spring 1_10 abuts at a portion corresponding to the difference between the inner diameters of the two. The other end is in contact with the conductive portion 1_7 which is the fourth cylindrical portion.

  The conductive portion 1_7 is slidable in the slide cylinder 1_9, and slides against the elastic force of the spring 1_10 in the upper part of the figure. The conductive portion 1_7 is provided with a protruding portion 1_7a, and a conductive wire 1_1 is bonded to the tip of the protruding portion 1_7a by solder 1_7b. Both the projecting portion 1_7a and the conducting wire 1_1 can move up and down in the through hole 1_3a of the stroke shaft 1_3.

  In addition, a swab head 1_8 (a normal cotton swab stick 1_8a cut) is detachably attached to the lower end of the conductive part 1_7 so that the swab head 1_8 does not fall. Therefore, a screw part 1_7d is provided inside the conductive part 1_7. Further, in order to prevent the conductive portion 1_7 from dropping from the slide cylinder 1_9, the slide cylinder 1_9 is provided with a stopper 1_9b, and the conductive portion 1_7 is also provided with a stopper 1_7c correspondingly.

  The support case 1_5 is also provided with a stopper 1_5b, and the stopper 1_3c of the stroke shaft 1_3 abuts against the stopper 1_5b to prevent the stroke shaft 1_3 from moving further upward and jumping out.

  Further, a stroke adjuster 1_4 is provided to fix the stroke shaft 1_3 at this position after manually adjusting the position. This is because the screw part 1_4d provided on the inner side is screw-coupled with the screw part 1_5c provided on the upper outer side of the support case 1_5, and the stroke adjuster 1_4 is turned (downward) to turn the washer 1_4b up and down. The elastic washers 1_4a and 1_4c provided in both directions are flattened by the presence of the stopper 1_5b, so that the washers 1_4a and 1_4c come into contact with both the support case 1_5 and the stroke shaft 1_3 to fix the stroke shaft 1_3.

  An end stopper 1_2 is provided on the upper part of the stroke shaft 1_3, and the threaded portion 1_2a of the end stopper 1_2 is screwed to the threaded portion 1_3d of the stroke shaft 1_3 and through a through hole 1_2b provided therein. Thus, the conducting wire 1_1 provided with the conducting wire coating 1_1a is led out to the outside.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows an exploded view of the electrode shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the assembly procedure is as follows. First, the conductive portion 1_7 is inserted from the top of the slide cylinder 1_9, and then the spring 1_10 is attached. It passes through the protruding portion 1_7a of the conductive portion 1_7. In this state, the stroke shaft 1_3 is screwed from above the slide cylinder 1_9. At this time, a conducting wire (not shown) is pulled out from the stroke shaft 1_3.

  Then, the slide cylinder 1_9 and the stroke shaft 1_3 thus screwed together were inserted from below the support case 1_5, and the washer 1_4c, 1_4b, 1_4a was fitted from above onto the support case 1_5 where the top of the stroke shaft 1_3 protruded. Thereafter, the stroke adjuster 1_4 is further inserted from above, and the stroke adjuster 1_4 and the support case 1_5 are screwed together.

  Then, the end stopper 1_2 is screwed to the stroke shaft 1_3 from above. At this time, the lead wire is pulled out from the end stopper 1_2.

  In such a state, a through hole (not shown) provided in the helmet 2 is installed so that the support case 1_5 passes, and the helmet 2 is tightened with the fixing screw 1_6 and the flange portion 1_5a, as shown in FIG. The electrode is completed.

  FIG. 4 shows the measurement state of the electroencephalogram measurement electrode according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the electrode of the present invention has, for example, 21 electrodes 1 installed on the helmet 2, each conductor 1_1 is connected to the connector 3, and the ground-side electrode 4 is attached to the ear of the subject. 3 sends an electroencephalogram signal to an amplifier and a measuring instrument (not shown).

  Next, a procedure for mounting the electrode 1 as shown in FIG. 4 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 2, first, the stroke shaft 1_3 is set to a state where the end stopper 1_2 is pulled up until the stopper 1_3c hits the stopper 1_5b of the support case 1_5 (upwardly pulled up). In this state, the helmet 2 is put on the subject's head, and the stroke shaft 1_3 is gradually lowered so that the swab head 1_8 touches the scalp and the subject does not feel pain in the scalp, and the stroke adjuster 1_4 and the support case Screw 1_5. The screw connection at this time is temporarily fixed.

  At this time, the spring 1_10 is not in the state shown in FIG. 2, but in a more contracted state.

  In this way, after all the electrodes 1 are temporarily attached, the waveform of the electroencephalogram of each electrode 1 is observed with a measuring instrument through an amplifier, and the electrode with a bad waveform is lowered on the stroke shaft 1_3 until the waveform becomes better. To fix the position. Thereby, the most preferable contact pressure in each electrode is given to the subject's head.

  In the above embodiment, a normal cotton swab was used as the contact body, and the swab 1_8a was cut, but any one that impregnates the electrolyte solution and has water retention ability can be used. It does n’t matter.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is apparent that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art based on the description of the scope of claims.

It is a perspective view of the electrode for electroencephalogram measurement concerning the present invention. It is sectional drawing when the electrode for electroencephalogram measurement which concerns on this invention is mounted | worn with a helmet. It is an exploded view of the electrode for electroencephalogram measurement according to the present invention. It is the figure which showed the state which mounts the electrode for electroencephalogram measurement which concerns on this invention in multiple helmets, and performs electroencephalogram measurement.

Explanation of symbols

1 Electroencephalogram measurement electrode
1_1 lead
1_1a conductor coating
1_2 End stopper
1_2a, 1_3b, 1_3d, 1_4d, 1_5b, 1_5c, 1_7d, 1_9a Screw part
1_3 Stroke shaft
1_2b, 1_3a Through hole
1_3c, 1_5b, 1_7c, 1_9b stopper
1_4 Stroke adjuster
1_4a, 1_4b, 1_4c washers
1_5 Support case
1_5a Flange
1_6 fixing screw
1_7 Conductive part
1_7a Protrusion
1_7b Solder
1_8 cotton swab head
1_8a bar
1_9 slide cylinder
1_10 Spring
2 Helmet
3 Connector
4 Electrode In the figure, the same symbols indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (6)

A first cylindrical portion that passes through the helmet and is fixed to the helmet;
A second cylindrical portion slidable in the first cylindrical portion;
Combined with one end of the second cylindrical portion, has an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the second cylindrical portion, and when the second cylindrical portion slides to the lowest point, the upper portion from the first cylindrical portion is A third cylindrical portion having a protruding length;
A contact body that comes into contact with the scalp in the state of being impregnated with an electrolyte solution is provided at one end in a replaceable manner, and is a conductive fourth cylindrical portion that is slidable within the second cylindrical portion. A projecting portion is provided at the other end, and the projecting portion and the conductive wire are movable in the third cylindrical portion;
A spring provided between the third cylindrical portion and the fourth cylindrical portion in the second cylindrical portion;
An electrode for electroencephalogram measurement, comprising: In claim 1,
A washer provided between the inside of the upper portion of the first cylindrical portion and the outside of the third cylindrical portion; and the first cylinder inserted through the washer inserted from above the third cylindrical portion. A stroke adjuster for fixing the position of the third cylindrical portion with respect to the first cylindrical portion by screwing with the outer side of the upper portion of the portion;
An electroencephalogram measurement electrode, further comprising: In claim 1 or 2,
The electroencephalogram measurement electrode, wherein the first cylindrical portion has a flange portion and a fixing screw for fixing the helmet between the flange portion. In any one of Claims 1-3,
The electroencephalogram measurement electrode, wherein the first cylindrical part has a stopper for stopping the sliding of the second cylindrical part. In any one of Claims 1-4,
An electrode for electroencephalogram measurement, characterized in that each of the second cylindrical portion and the fourth cylindrical portion has a stopper for stopping the sliding of the fourth cylindrical portion. In any one of Claims 1 to 5,
The electrode for electroencephalogram measurement, wherein the third cylindrical portion is screw-coupled to the second cylindrical portion.

Images