KR20080063932A - Electrode for living body and device for detecting living signal - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrode for a living body and a device for detecting a living signal are provided to measure the living signal reliably with maintaining electric connection in a surface contact method instead of a conventional point contact method. An electrode for a living body and a device for detecting a living signal includes a sheet member(210) and an electrode member(220). The sheet member is formed by using insulating material. The electrode member has at least one body contact member(221) and at least one device contact member(222). The body contact member is formed on the outside bottom of the sheet member to be in contact with the sheet member. The device contact member is formed on an inside bottom of the sheet member to be in contact with a terminal of the body signal measuring device.

Description

Biological electrode and biosignal measuring apparatus including the same {ELECTRODE FOR LIVING BODY AND DEVICE FOR DETECTING LIVING SIGNAL}

1 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional bioelectrode and a biosignal measuring device.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for describing a state in which the bioelectrode of FIG. 1 is attached.

3 is a cross-sectional view of a biological electrode and a biosignal measuring apparatus including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a perspective view for explaining a coupling relationship between components of a living body electrode and a biological signal measuring apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating components of the signal processing module of FIG. 3.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

210: sheet member 211: adhesive

220: electrode member 221: body contact

222: device contact 300: signal processing module

310: terminal 320: analog signal processing unit

330: A / D signal conversion unit 340: Digital signal processing unit

350: wired / wireless transceiver

The present invention relates to a bio-electrode and a bio-signal measuring apparatus, and more particularly, a bio-electrode and a bio-signal measurement using the electrode, which can transmit an electrical signal obtained from a living body without loss, and can form a simple electrode structure. Relates to a device.

The body is also a conductor, and a large amount of current is generated in the body. Therefore, by detecting such a small amount of current from the body or the amount of change in the current to the external stimulus can be measured the internal characteristics of the body. Using these principles, biopotential such as electrocardiogram (ECG), electromyogram (EMG), or electroencephalogram (EEG), skin resistance (GSR), eye movement (EOG), body temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure and Body movements and the like can be measured, and a living body electrode is generally used to detect such a change in the biological signal.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional bioelectrode and a biosignal measuring device, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the bioelectrode of FIG. 1 is attached.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the conventional bioelectrode 110 includes an adhesive sheet 111 and a metal electrode 112 that are insulative and formed in a circular shape. The metal electrode 112 is formed of a conductive material, and includes a close contact portion 114 formed at a lower portion thereof and a fixing protrusion 113 protruding from the center of the close contact portion 114. A hole may be formed in the center of the adhesive sheet 111 to allow the fixing protrusion 113 to pass therethrough, and the fixing protrusion 113 may be exposed to the outside of the adhesive sheet 111 through the hole. An adhesive material 115 may be applied to the bottom of the adhesive sheet 111 so that the biological electrode 110 may be in close contact with the skin of the body.

The biosignal measuring apparatus 100 includes a main controller 122, a bioelectrode 110, and a connection cable 120. A socket 121 is mounted at an end of the connection cable 120, and a groove for engaging with the fixing protrusion 113 is formed in the socket 121 to be electrically connected to the metal electrode 112. The connection cable 120 may be connected to the bioelectrode 110 using the socket 121, and may be connected to the main controller 122 using a plug on the opposite side. The main controller 122 can measure the necessary biosignals while the bioelectrode 110 is attached to the body, and from the measured signals, electrocardiogram (ECG), electromyogram (EMG), electroencephalogram (EEG) and skin resistance (GSR), eye movement (EOG), and body temperature can be measured.

In general, the metal electrode 112 is directly exposed on the bottom surface of the bioelectrode 110, and even if the adhesive sheet 111 is around, the contact between the metal electrode 30 and the skin may be unstable. Therefore, the gel electrolyte may be applied to the skin, and the skin and the metal electrode 112 may maintain a relatively stable connection state through the applied electrolyte.

However, even with gels, connections with conventional bioelectrodes can be easily affected by several factors that can interfere with stable connections. For example, the biosignal is weakened or noisy while the biosignal is transmitted through the skin-gel-metal electrode 112-socket 121-main controller 122 from the skin to the main controller 122. Can occur. In particular, since the metal electrode 112 and the socket 121 make point contact with the fixing protrusion 113, the electrical connection state is very unstable, and may be the biggest reason for preventing accurate measurement.

In particular, biological electrodes are generally used as disposables as consumables. Therefore, a new bioelectrode may be replaced every time a bioelectrode is used. Sometimes, the bioelectrode and the socket may be unstablely connected, and in the conventional electrode connection method of point contact, it is not easy to solve this problem.

In addition, a method of using the fixing protrusion 113 and the socket 121 may be referred to as a snap connection method, which is not advantageous for miniaturizing a biosignal measuring device. Because the fixing protrusion 113 is formed on the metal electrode 112, the electrode cannot be formed flat by the fixing protrusion 113, and even when two or more sockets are connected to one bioelectrode, a minimum between the sockets is required. This is because the area of the biological electrode cannot be made small to secure the gap.

In particular, even when integrating a plurality of electrodes in one body, it is difficult to miniaturize the electrode or device because the electrodes for living body must have a plurality of fixing projections or snaps.

In addition, in the conventional biosignal measuring apparatus 100, since the number of parts is large, the processing is complicated, and the biosignal path passes through multiple stages, and the skin-gel-metal electrode (from the skin to the main controller 122) 112) -Socket 121-Main controller 122, there is a problem that the biological signal is weakened or the noise is likely to occur during the transmission of the biological signal.

In addition, when forming a plurality of snaps in one body, the spacing between snaps is preferably equal to the spacing between terminals of the socket connected to the snap. If the spacing between the snaps is smaller than the spacing between the terminals, the socket may not be mounted on the electrodes. If the spacing between the snaps is wider than the spacing between the terminals, there may be a problem that the electrode may be warped.

In addition, since the surface in contact with the skin of the body and the coupling surface of the signal processor of the bio-signal measuring device is located on the opposite surface with respect to the adhesive sheet 111, the coupling must be made through the adhesive sheet 111, processing side However, there are disadvantages in terms of noise of the biological signal.

The present invention has been made to improve the prior art as described above, the object of the present invention is to provide a biological electrode and a bio-signal measuring apparatus including the same, which simplifies the manufacturing process of the biological electrode by simplifying the structure of the biological electrode. It is done.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a biosignal electrode and a biosignal measuring apparatus including the same, which can measure a reliable biosignal by maintaining an electrical connection state of a surface contact method instead of a conventional point contact method.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a biosignal measuring apparatus that is possible to integrate a plurality of biological electrodes in one body, and to simplify the manufacturing process of the biological electrodes.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to ensure that the surface in contact with the skin of the body and the coupling surface of the signal processing module of the biosignal measuring device is located on the surface in contact with the same skin with respect to the sheet member so as not to penetrate the sheet member. The present invention provides a biosignal measuring apparatus capable of measuring a simplified electrode structure and a biosignal without noise.

In order to achieve the above object and to solve the problems of the prior art, the present invention provides a biosignal measuring electrode, comprising: a sheet member formed using an insulating material; And at least one body contact portion formed on an outer bottom surface of the sheet member and in contact with the body, and at least one device contact portion formed on an inner bottom surface of the sheet member and in contact with a terminal of the biosignal measuring apparatus. It provides a living electrode, characterized in that.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a biosignal measuring apparatus comprising: an electrode member for measuring a biosignal; An analog signal processor for processing an analog signal transmitted from the biological electrode member by interviewing a bottom surface of the biological electrode member, an A / D signal converter for converting the analog signal into a digital signal, and the converted digital signal A signal processing module including a digital signal processor configured to process the biosignal member, wherein the biological electrode member comprises: a sheet member formed using an insulating material; And one or more body contacts formed on the outer bottom of the sheet member to contact the body, and one or more device contacts formed on the inner bottom of the sheet member to contact the terminals of the signal processing module. The body contact portion and the device contact portion are integrally formed and include a material having conductivity and adhesion, and the device contact portion is in contact with the terminal and electrically connected thereto. .

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a cross-sectional view of a biological electrode and a biosignal measuring apparatus including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a coupling relationship between the biological electrode and a biosignal measuring apparatus. Perspective view.

Referring to FIG. 3, the biosignal measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a signal processing module 300 and a bioelectrode. The biological electrode is attached to a body to be measured, and transmits a biological signal from the body to the signal processing module 300. The biological electrode and the signal processing module 300 are located on the same surface as the skin of the body with respect to the sheet member 210, and thus, the biological electrode structure of the biological electrode and the signal processing module 300 are compared to the through-hole type through the hole of the conventional sheet member. Simplification is possible.

The biological electrode having a simplified electrode structure includes a sheet member 210 and an electrode member 220. The sheet member 210 may be made of a nonconductive or insulating material, and is generally provided using paper or an insulating resin. The sheet member 210 may have a circular or polygonal shape.

The electrode member 220 is formed on the outer bottom surface of the sheet member 210 to be in contact with the body and at least one body contact portion 221 and the inner bottom surface of the sheet member 210 are formed in the terminal of the biological signal measuring apparatus. One or more device contacts 222 in contact with 310. The body contact portion 221 and the device contact portion 222 are integrally formed and include a conductive and tacky material, and the device contact portion 222 is in contact with and electrically connected to the terminal 310. Since the body contact portion 221 and the device contact portion 222 are made of a material having conductivity and adhesion, the electrode member 220 may transmit the micro electrical signal of the body to the signal processing module 300. In addition, since the device contact portion 222 is tacky, attachment is possible without using an adhesive other than the signal processing module 300, and may be more easily attached by the terminal 310 of the signal processing module 300. . The material constituting the electrode member 220 of the present invention is preferably a hydrogel as a material having conductivity and adhesion. However, the electrode member 220 of the present invention is not limited thereto and may be used without limitation as long as the material has conductivity and adhesiveness. In addition, since the electrode member 220 may be attached by the sheet member 210 and the adhesive 211, and the electrode member 220 itself is a material having adhesiveness, the sheet member 210 may be attached even if the electrode member 220 is not attached to the adhesive 211. ) Can be attached.

The body contacting part 221 and the device contacting part 222 may be manufactured by molding a hydrogel in a molten or flowing state at the bottom of the sheet member 210. Specifically, a hydrogel in a fluid state is sprayed around the upper surface of the terminal 310 of the signal processing module 300, compressed into a mold on the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet member 210, and then the body contacting portion 221 and the device contacting portion 222. Can be molded at once.

In addition, the sheet member 210 and the electrode member 220 can be deformed with flexibility, and can be easily attached corresponding to the shape of the portion to be attached. In addition, in order to easily attach the biological electrode, an adhesive material may be applied to the periphery of the body contact part 221 at the bottom of the sheet member 210 around the body contact part 221.

The electrode member 220 may further include a spacer 223 for maintaining a separation distance between the one or more body contacts 221. The spacer 223 may be made of a nonconductive material, and the nonconductive material may be made of paper or an insulating resin. As the signal processing module 300 is miniaturized, the distance X between one or more device contacts 222 of the signal processing module 300 that receives the electrical signal of the body from the bioelectrode is reduced, thereby reducing the body contact portion ( 221, the distance between them is also reduced, the electrical signal of the body can not be obtained stably. Spacer 223 is to solve this problem is to ensure a sufficient distance between the body contact portion 221, to secure a distance Y for obtaining a stable signal. Even if X decreases through the spacer 223, the distance that the electrode for living body comes into contact with the body may be sufficiently secured.

A terminal 310 made of metal or silver chloride (AgCl) may be exposed on the upper surface of the signal processing module 300, and the signal processing module 300 may be disposed on the upper surface of the signal processing module 300 at the device contact portion 222. ) May be attached to the biological electrode. Because terminal 310 and device contact 222 are attached to each other via a flat contact surface, terminal 310 is electrically connected to device contact 222 through the wide contact surface. Thus, the transmission efficiency of the electrical signal between the device contact 222 and the terminal 310 can be increased. As a result, the signal-to-noise ratio can be improved. In addition, the electrode structure is simplified so as not to penetrate the sheet member by placing the coupling surface of the surface contacting with the skin of the body and the signal processing module of the biosignal measuring unit on the surface contacting the same skin with respect to the sheet member. And it is possible to measure the bio-signal without noise.

In addition, since the device contact portion 222 is adhesive, it may maintain an electrical connection with the signal processing module 300 without having a separate fixing structure. The signal processing module 300 may be connected to an external device in a wired or wireless manner, and the ECG, EMG, EEG, skin resistance (GSR), etc. of the wearer may be maintained while being worn on the body. Can transmit biosignal data. Conventionally, a fastening structure using protrusions / grooves is used to attach a signal processing module to an electrode for a living body, but the device contact portion 222 of the present embodiment maintains a combined state using adhesiveness of a hydrogel.

In addition, according to the present invention, since the electrode member 220 and the signal processing module 300 maintain the electrical connection state of the surface contact method instead of the conventional point contact method, a bio-electrode capable of measuring a reliable biosignal and the same A biological signal measuring apparatus may be provided.

In addition, the signal processing module 300 may further include a transmission member 360 in contact with the body to directly receive an electrical signal from the body. Although the transmission member 360 receives the electrical signal by the body contacting portion 221 of the electrode member 220, the transmission member 360 may directly contact the body to receive the electrical signal.

In addition, the biosignal measuring apparatus of the present invention may further include a fixing part (not shown) for accommodating the body of the signal processing module 300 or the edge of the terminal on the bottom surface of the sheet member 210. The fixing part may be made of a non-conductive material. The fixing unit can measure a stable biosignal without noise.

According to the above-described configuration, the biosignal measuring apparatus of the present invention can integrate a plurality of biological electrodes in one body and simplify the manufacturing process of the biological electrodes.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating components of the signal processing module of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 5, the signal processing module 300 may include an analog signal processor 320, an A / D signal converter 330, and a digital signal processor 340 sequentially connected from a terminal 310, which may be an upper surface or a lower surface. ) And a wired / wireless transmission module 350. The analog signal processor 320 amplifies or filters the micro-electrical signal of the body, that is, an analog signal, transmitted from the terminal 310 and transmits the amplified or filtered signal to the A / D signal converter 330. After the A / D signal converter 330 converts the transmitted analog signal into a digital signal, the digital signal processor 340 processes the converted digital signal according to a programmed method. The processing result may be transmitted to an external device through the wired / wireless transmission module 350 and may be stored in an internal memory (not shown).

As described above, the present invention has been described by way of limited embodiments and drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, which can be variously modified and modified by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Modifications are possible. Accordingly, the spirit of the present invention should be understood only by the claims set forth below, and all equivalent or equivalent modifications thereof will belong to the scope of the present invention.

According to the present invention, there is provided a biological electrode and a biological signal measuring apparatus including the same, which simplifies the manufacturing process of the biological electrode by simplifying the structure of the biological electrode.

According to the present invention, there is provided a biosignal electrode and a biosignal measuring apparatus including the same, which can measure a reliable biosignal by maintaining an electrical connection state of a surface contact method instead of a conventional point contact method.

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to integrate a plurality of biological electrodes in one body, and to simplify the manufacturing process of the biological electrodes, a miniaturized biological signal measuring apparatus is provided.

In addition, according to the present invention so that the surface of the body in contact with the surface and the coupling surface of the signal processing module of the bio-signal measuring device is located on the surface in contact with the same skin with respect to the sheet member so as not to penetrate the sheet member A biosignal measuring apparatus capable of measuring a simplified electrode structure and a noiseless biosignal is provided.

Claims (10)

In the biosignal measuring electrode, A sheet member formed using an insulating material; And An electrode member including at least one body contact portion formed on an outer bottom surface of the sheet member and in contact with the body, and at least one device contact portion formed on an inner bottom surface of the sheet member and in contact with a terminal of the biosignal measuring apparatus. Biological electrode comprising a. The method of claim 1, The electrode member is And a separation part for maintaining a separation distance of the at least one body contact part. The method of claim 2, The space electrode is a biological electrode, characterized in that made of a non-conductive material. The method of claim 1, And the body contact portion and the device contact portion are integrally formed and include a material having conductivity and adhesion, wherein the device contact portion is in contact with the terminal and electrically connected. The method of claim 1, And an adhesive material is applied to the periphery of the body contact part on the bottom surface of the sheet member. In the biological signal measuring apparatus, An electrode member for measuring a biological signal; An analog signal processor for processing an analog signal transmitted from the biological electrode member by interviewing a bottom surface of the biological electrode member, an A / D signal converter for converting the analog signal into a digital signal, and the converted digital signal Signal processing module consisting of a digital signal processing unit for processing the Including, The biological electrode member is A sheet member formed using an insulating material; And An electrode member including at least one body contact portion formed on an outer bottom surface of the sheet member and in contact with the body, and at least one device contact portion formed on the inner bottom surface of the sheet member and in contact with a terminal of the signal processing module. Including, And the body contact portion and the device contact portion are integrally formed, and include a material having conductivity and adhesion, and wherein the device contact portion is in contact with the terminal and electrically connected thereto. The method of claim 6, The signal processing module And a wired / wireless transmitter for transmitting the signal processed by the digital signal processor to the outside. The method of claim 6, And a fixing part for accommodating an edge of the terminal or the body of the signal processing module on the lower surface of the sheet member, wherein the fixing part is formed using a non-conductive material. The method of claim 6, A biosignal measuring apparatus, characterized in that the adhesive material is applied to the periphery of the body contact portion from the bottom surface of the sheet member. The method of claim 6, The signal processing module And a transmission member in contact with the body to transmit an electrical signal from the body.

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