JP2003299742A - Electrode for electrical stimulation - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrode which enables a stabilized low skin impedance when energized, prevents a concentration of the current at a part, and realizes safe and effective stimulations. <P>SOLUTION: Very fine fiber is used in the invention in Claim 1, crimped fine fiber is used in the invention in Claim 2, and electrically conductive fine fiber is used in the invention in Claim 3. Water-absorbing fiber is mixed in the invention in Claim 4, and normal fiber is mixed in the invention in Claim 5. The invention in Claim 1 improves physical contact greatly, and the invention in Claim 2 improves the contact better. The invention in Claim 3 stabilizes the skin impedance at a low level. Silver plate gives an antibacterial effect. The invention in Claim 4 enables a sufficient supply of water to the contact surface of the electrode. The invention in Claim 5 realizes the inexpensive electrode with excellent electric properties. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to improvements in electrical stimulation conductors.

2. Description of the Related Art A conductor is for introducing a stimulating current generated by a stimulator into a living body, and is classified into a normal conductor, an adsorption conductor, a pressure conductor, etc. by means of being attached to the living body. Basically, it is composed of an electrode for energization, a medium interposed between the electrode and a living body, a conductor cover for covering the electrode and the medium, a conductor cord for guiding the output of the stimulator to the electrode, and the like.

FIG. 2A shows an example of an ordinary conductor, in which 21 is an electrode, 22 is a medium, 23 is a conductor cover, 24 is a conductor cord, S is a stimulator, and B is a living body. The stimulation current generated in the stimulator S passes through the lead wire contained in the conductor cord 24 and is supplied to the living body B via the electrode 21 and the medium 22. Since this conductor has no means to be attached to a living body, it is used by being wrapped around the body with a belt. Since this conductor has been generally used conventionally, it is generally referred to as a conductor here.

FIG. 2B shows an example of an adsorption conductor. A tube 26 is installed in the conductor cord 24 in parallel with the lead wire 25, and one side of the tube 26 is opened in the conductor cover 23. The other is connected to the air pump P. When the pump P is operated, the air inside the conductor cover 23 can be sucked and the conductor can be adsorbed to the skin.

FIG. 2C shows an example of a conductor called a pressure conductor. The conductor includes an electrode 21, an air chamber 28, a fixing belt 29, a conductor cord 24, a lead wire 25, a tube 26, an air pump P and the like. When used, the electrode 21 is applied to a predetermined part, the belt 29 is wound around the body to fix the conductor, and then air is introduced into the air chamber 28 by the pump P to pressurize the electrode 21 against the living body and stimulate. Perform. When the electrode is made of a flexible material, it has good adhesion to a living body and a current having a uniform distribution can be passed from the entire electrode surface.

The medium 22 is used to improve the electrical contact between the electrode 21 and the living body. However, the skin is usually dry, and the medium 22 and the skin are not completely adhered to each other even when the conductor is brought into contact with the skin. Therefore, the electrical impedance of the skin viewed from the electrode (hereinafter referred to as skin impedance). ) Is high, it cannot supply sufficient current because it causes pain when energized as it is, and cannot provide sufficient stimulation. For this reason, use a water-retaining sponge or cloth as the medium to facilitate physical contact with the skin, and to fill the space between the skin and the medium with water to make electrical contact, and to prevent moisture on the skin. To stabilize the skin impedance to a low level and energize.

In the above description, the electrode 21 and the medium 22 are described separately, but as shown in FIG. 2D, some of them are composed of only the conductor cord 24 and the electrode 21 and do not use the medium 22. is there. In this conductor, it is the electrode that contacts the living body, and the present invention may be applied to the electrode.

[0007]

In the conventional conductor, a sponge or cloth is used as the medium 22 so as to fit the skin as much as possible. However, the conductor may not adhere to a fine part of the body or a part where the body surface has fine irregularities. When the muscle contracts due to stimulation, the medium 22
Is not flexible enough that some of it may float above the skin surface. The same applies when a medium such as a conductive rubber electrode is not used. In such a case, the current concentrates on the part where the conductor and the skin are in contact, causing pain or an unpleasant sensation,
In some cases, burns may occur.

Further, as described above, in order to stabilize the skin impedance at a low level, the medium 22 is immersed in water to sufficiently contain water and then appropriately squeezed before use. However, if the medium 22 is used in a state in which the amount of water retention is small by squeezing it too much, sufficient moisture cannot be supplied to the skin or the contact surface between the skin and the medium, so that the skin impedance cannot be sufficiently lowered, and pain due to energization is not achieved. Or discomfort occurs. For this reason, only a small amount of current can flow, and sufficient stimulation cannot be performed. Further, when the stimulation is started while the water retention capacity of the medium 22 is small and the skin impedance is high, the stimulation is performed with a weak current equal to or lower than the pain threshold value, but when the impedance is lowered due to sweating or the like during the stimulation, the current is significantly increased, resulting in shock. Inconveniences such as burns and burns may occur. Also, when the water content of the medium is insufficient,
The distribution of the electric current flowing from the medium to the living body becomes non-uniform, which may give discomfort or pain to the portion where the electric current is concentrated.

On the contrary, if the amount of water retention of the medium 22 is too large due to insufficient diaphragm, water will be dripping on the skin and clothes, causing discomfort.
In the adsorption conductor, the water in the medium 22 is sucked together with the air inside the conductor cover 23, which enters the pump and causes a failure. On the other hand, since various bacteria inhabit the skin, various bacteria remain in the mite after use, and the various bacteria propagate during storage, giving off a strange odor.
Become unclean. Mutual infections can also occur while stimulating multiple people.

As described above, the present invention enables sufficient physical or electrical contact between the conductor and the living body, stabilizes the skin impedance at a low level, and supplies a uniform current distribution from the contact surface. Furthermore, it is intended to provide a clean and cross-free worm.

[0011]

In order to solve these problems, in the invention described in claim 1, a cloth-like or sponge-like member using ultrafine fibers is used in a contact portion with a living body.
Here, one or more ultrafine fibers are used to form a thread,
A woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, or a knitted fabric using this is referred to as a cloth form. Further, in the present application, for convenience, a thicker one than a cloth-like one is referred to as a sponge-like one.

According to the second aspect of the invention, a cloth-like or sponge-like member using wooly ultrafine fibers is used in the contact portion with the living body. A straight fiber is referred to as a wooly fiber in which the fiber has a curled crimped shape. When this is used, the adhesion to the skin can be further improved and the touch is good, as compared with the case where straight fibers are used.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the cloth-like or sponge-like member according to the first or second aspect is made conductive by using a conductive substance, preferably silver, and is used in a portion contacting a living body. I did it. Here, the conductive material is coated, including plating, coating, and the like. The coating may be applied to any of ultrafine fibers, wooly ultrafine fibers, yarns using the ultrafine fibers, woven fabrics, non-woven fabrics, knitted fabrics, and sponges using the yarns.

In the invention described in claim 4, water-absorbent fibers are mixed into the cloth-like or sponge-like member described in claims 1 to 3 and used in a contact portion with a living body.
In the invention described in claim 5, ordinary fibers are mixed into the cloth-like or sponge-like member described in claims 1 to 4 and used for a contact portion with a living body.

[0015]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the cloth-like or sponge-like member using the ultrafine fibers is used for the contact portion of the conductor with the living body. Therefore, as compared with the conventional conductor, the fibers of the medium enter deep inside the fine irregularities on the skin surface, and the medium and the skin can be brought into close contact with each other very well. Moreover, since this member is cloth-like or sponge-like and can contain water, it is possible to make good electrical contact with the skin simply by immersing the medium in water and then simply draining and using it. Therefore, the skin impedance can be stabilized at a sufficiently low level. Further, it is possible to supply a uniform current to the living body without any deviation from the contact surface between the conductor and the living body. Also, if the medium is soaked in water and then easily drained, excess water hardly remains, so even if it is applied to an adsorption conductor, water does not enter the pump,
Pump failure will be less.

According to the second aspect of the invention, a cloth-like or sponge-like member using wooly fibers is used as the contact surface of the conductor with the living body. Therefore, the adhesion to the skin can be further improved as compared with the conductor according to the first aspect of the invention. Moreover, since it also has water absorbability, the skin impedance can be further stabilized at a low level, and a uniform current can be supplied to the living body without being biased from the medium surface. Further, even if it is applied to the adsorption conductor, the failure of the pump can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the cloth-like or sponge-like member according to the first or second aspect is coated with a conductive substance, preferably silver, so as to impart conductivity. Since the ultrafine fibers are used also in the invention described in this claim, as in the invention described in claim 1 or 2, even if there are fine irregularities on the skin surface, they physically adhere well. Moreover, since it has the best electrical conductivity and the member also absorbs water, according to the invention of this claim, not only the conventional conductor but also the skin impedance of the conductor according to claim 1 or 2 is further improved. It can be stabilized at a low level, and a more evenly distributed current can be applied from the entire skin contact surface of the conductor.

Since silver has the highest conductivity among all metals, it is preferable to use silver in the present invention. Further, even when applied to the adsorption conductor, the failure of the pump is reduced as in the case of the conductor described in claim 1 or claim 2. When silver is used, silver has high spreadability and thus has excellent durability. Further, when this member is used with water contained therein, silver ions are eluted to have an antibacterial action.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the water-absorbent fiber is mixed in the cloth-like or sponge-like member according to the first to third aspects of the invention. Claims 1 to 3
In the invention described in 1), the physical contact is good, and since the fiber has a water absorbing property, the overall electrical contact is good. However, if the skin is extremely dry, it may not be possible to make good electrical contact. In the invention described in this claim, since the contact between the conductor and the living body is improved by water, such a problem can be solved, the electrical contact is further improved, and the skin impedance can be stabilized at a lower level. It is possible to apply a more evenly distributed current through the entire skin contact surface of the conductor.

In the fifth aspect of the invention, ordinary fibers are mixed in the cloth-like or sponge-like member according to the first to fourth aspects of the invention. The ordinary fiber as used herein refers to a fiber used in ordinary cloth and having a fiber diameter considerably thicker than the ultrafine fiber. Since ordinary fibers and ultrafine fibers are used in combination, the physical and electrical contact is inferior to those described in claims 1 to 4, but only ultrafine fibers are used in claims 1 to 3. It has better water retention than cloth, and when combined with the cloth according to claim 3, it has good conductivity and can be realized at low cost.

[0021]

[Examples] Presently, a technique for making nylon, aramid, acrylic, etc. into ultrafine fibers with a diameter of micron order, a technique for making ultrafine fibers into wooly, and a plurality of straight or wooly ultrafine fibers bundled to have a diameter of several tens of μm. The technology for making thin threads, and the technology for making these threads into woven cloth, knitted cloth, and non-woven cloth are established. It is also possible to form a sponge. The cloth and sponge using such ultrafine fibers can be well cleaned because the fibers can be penetrated into fine irregularities, and they are also used for cleaning.
On the other hand, a technique for imparting conductivity to such fibers, threads, cloths, sponges, etc., for example, a technique for silver plating has been established.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, such a cloth-like or sponge-like member using such extremely fine fibers is used for the contact portion of the conductor with the living body. Hereinafter, a cloth-like member will be mainly described as an example, but the same applies to sponges and the like.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the invention described in the claims. In the figure, 1 is an electrode, 2 is a cloth-like medium according to the present invention, 3 is a conductor cover, 4 is a conductor cord, S is a stimulator, and B is a living body. The stimulation current generated by the stimulation device S is supplied to the living body B via the conductor cord 4, the electrode 1, and the medium 2.

The medium 2 is interposed between the electrode and the living body and directly contacts the skin. When nylon fibers having a diameter of about 3 μm are used, and about 30 threads are gathered into a thin thread and woven into a cloth shape, the invention described in this claim can be realized, and the predetermined shape and size can be obtained. Cut into
I'm using it. The shape and size of the medium may be designed in consideration of how much current is passed at what density. Usually, the size is about the same as the conventional medium. When using, remove the medium 2 from the conductor,
After absorbing enough water, drain the water easily and set it again on the guide. Apply this conductor to the part of the body you want to stimulate,
After fixing, current is applied to stimulate.

When this medium 2 is used, even if there are fine irregularities on the surface of the skin, the fibers of the medium will penetrate deep into the surface, and the medium and the skin can be brought into close contact with each other very well. Moreover, since the medium absorbs water, the skin impedance can be stabilized sufficiently low and a uniform current can be supplied from the medium to the living body. For this reason, the possibility of causing discomfort, pain, or burns due to electrical stimulation is extremely small. Further, since the skin impedance is sufficiently reduced from the beginning, the change in skin impedance is small even if sweating occurs during the stimulation, so the change in current during stimulation is very small. For this reason, it is possible to greatly reduce the risk of causing shock or pain due to a large increase in current during the stimulation as in the conventional case. In addition, simply immersing the medium in water and then simply draining it will not leave excess water in the medium, and even if it is applied to an adsorption conductor, the pump will not suck in water and the frequency of failure will occur. Is reduced.

In the above description, an example in which nylon ultrafine fibers are used has been shown. However, in addition to chemical fibers such as polyester and tetron, fibers using natural materials can also be made into ultrafine fibers to give conductivity. If you can use it. In addition, an example has been described in which about 30 fibers having a diameter of about 3 μm are bundled into a yarn and made into a cloth, but the fineness of the fibers and how many fibers are used do not matter. Due to the size of the irregularities on the skin surface, it is desirable that the diameter of the thread be several tens of μm or less. Although an example of a woven fabric is described here, a knitted fabric, a non-woven fabric, or a sponge-like member may be used. Here, the size of the fiber or thread is expressed by the diameter, but this is not appropriate. Actually, it is expressed using a unit called denier. But,
As a measure of size, fiber and thread diameters are shown as approximate values.

The example in which the invention described in the present claim is applied to the medium interposed between the electrode and the living body has been described above, but it can be used for various conductors as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2D, the invention described in the claims may be applied to an electrode. The claimed invention is applicable to all electrical stimulator conductors.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a very thin fiber is made into a wooly material, and a cloth-like or sponge-like member is used for the contact portion of the conductor with the living body. For example, use about 30 woolly metal-plated nylon fibers with a diameter of about 3 μm to make a thin thread and make it into a cloth,
By cutting this into a predetermined shape and size, the invention described in the claims can be realized.

The medium using wooly fibers has better adhesion to the skin than the one using straight fibers even if ultrafine fibers having the same diameter are used. Therefore, the skin impedance can be stabilized at a lower level, a more uniform current can be supplied from the medium to the living body, and as a result, discomfort and pain due to electrical stimulation can be significantly reduced.
Since there is little change in the skin impedance even if sweating occurs during the stimulation, the current does not increase significantly during the stimulation as in the conventional case, and safe and effective treatment can be performed. Moreover, even if it is applied to an adsorption conductor, water does not enter the pump, and a failure is unlikely to occur. Fiber type and size,
The size of the yarn is not specified in the invention described in the claims.

The medium of the conductor according to the invention described in the claims is also
Connect it to the electrode with the size and shape of a conventional medium,
It may be formed so that the medium surface comes into close contact with the skin when the conductor is attached. Like the invention described in claim 1, the invention described in this claim can be applied to all the conductors such as a normal conductor, an adsorption conductor, a pressure conductor, and a conductor having only electrodes.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a conductive material, preferably silver, is added to the cloth-like or sponge-like member according to the first or second aspect of the present invention to add conductivity to the skin of the conductor. It is intended to be used for the contact part of. Fiber made of nylon and having a diameter of about several μm is silver-plated, made into wooly, using about 30 of these to make a thread, weaving this thread to make a cloth, and cutting this cloth to a predetermined size When the number is set to 2 and the electrode and the living body are interposed, the invention described in the claims can be realized. If this medium is directly connected to the lead wire of the conductor cord, it can also be used as an electrode. The silver plating may be performed at any step such as after forming a wooly shape, forming into a thread shape, and forming into a cloth shape.

When using, the medium 2 is taken out from the conductor, and after sufficiently absorbing water, the medium 2 is simply drained and set again in the conductor. This conductor is applied to the part of the living body to be stimulated and fixed, and then an electric current is applied to perform stimulation. Since the medium 2 uses wooly ultrafine fibers, the fibers are well filled into the fine irregularities on the skin surface, and the medium and the skin are very well compared to those using straight ultrafine fibers. Can be adhered well.

Moreover, since it is plated with silver, it has better conductivity than those using other metals. By the way, silver has the highest conductivity of all metals. Further, the medium has water absorbency. Therefore, if the medium is wetted with water before use, the skin impedance can be stabilized sufficiently low not only in the conventional conductor but also in the conductors according to claim 1 and claim 2. Therefore, a uniform current can be supplied to the living body without any bias from the medium. For this reason, the possibility of causing discomfort, pain, or burns due to electrical stimulation is extremely small. In addition, since the skin impedance is sufficiently reduced from the beginning, the change in skin impedance is small even if sweating occurs during stimulation, so there is very little change in current during stimulation, which is the same as in the past during stimulation. The risk of shock and pain is greatly reduced as the current is greatly increased. In addition, simply immersing the medium in water and then simply draining it will not leave excess water in the medium, and even if it is applied to an adsorption conductor, the pump will not suck in water and the frequency of failure will occur. Is reduced.

Furthermore, when the medium is wetted with water,
Silver ions are eluted from the medium, and antibacterial action can be expected. If the conventional Michiko is stored after being used, various bacteria may propagate and give off an offensive odor. According to the invention described in this claim, this can be prevented, cleanliness can always be maintained, and mutual infection can be prevented even if there is an infectious disease patient.

In the above description, an example in which nylon ultrafine fibers are used has been shown, but in addition to chemical fibers such as polyester and tetron, fibers made of natural materials can be made ultrafine fibers to give conductivity. Any material may be used as long as it is a material. In addition, an example has been described in which about 30 fibers having a diameter of about 3 μm are put together into a yarn and made into a cloth, but the fineness of the fibers and the number of fibers used do not matter. The diameter of the thread is preferably several tens of μm or less, as long as it can adhere closely to the unevenness of the skin surface.

Although a woven fabric is exemplified, a knitted fabric, a non-woven fabric,
Any method such as sponge may be used. Of course, straight ultrafine fibers may be used. The invention according to the present claim may be configured as a conventional conductor, and the cloth according to the invention according to the present claim may be simply placed on the surface of the conventional sponge that contacts the living body, or the entire sponge may be wrapped. Although an example of silver plating is shown to give conductivity, other conductive substances may be used. The coating may be performed by plating, coating, or any other method. The coating may be performed on any of ultrafine fibers, threads, and cloth.

Although the example in which the invention described in the present claim is applied to the medium interposed between the electrode and the living body has been shown above, it is electrically connected to the stimulator and used for the contact surface with the living body. Any method, means, shape, and size may be used as long as they can be used. For example, the sponge, which is a conventional medium, may be placed on the surface in contact with the living body, or the sponge may be entirely wrapped. It can also be directly connected to a conductor cord and used as an electrode. As described above, the invention described in the claims can be applied to the conductors of all electrostimulators.

In the invention described in claim 4, the water absorbent fiber is mixed in the cloth or sponge of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3. For example, if ultrafine fibers with a diameter of about 3 microns are made into wooly, then silver-plated, about 30 of these fibers and water-absorbent fibers are combined into a thread, and this thread is knitted into a cloth and cut into a predetermined size. The inventions described in the claims can be realized.

This medium is allowed to absorb water, drained lightly, and set on a conductor for use. Physical contact is good because ultrafine fibers are used. Further, since the water-absorbent fiber is woven, it can contain more water than the medium according to the invention of claims 1 to 3, and supplies sufficient water even if the skin is extremely dry. be able to. Moreover, since the silver-plated fiber is used, the skin impedance can be stabilized sufficiently low. Therefore, the current distribution of the medium is not biased, the pain and discomfort caused by the current are small, and safe and effective stimulation can be performed.

As the water-absorbent fiber, a water-absorbent polymer in the form of fiber has been developed, and this may be used. You may use what fixed the water absorbing polymer to the fiber. Size of ultrafine fibers, whether to make wooly, how many fibers to make yarn, woven or non-woven or knitted fabric, at what step and how to make it electrically conductive or not It does not matter what kind of conductive material is selected. In the above example, an example has been described in which the water-absorbent fibers are made into threads together with the ultrafine fibers and knitted into a cloth, but the threads in which the ultrafine fibers are bundled and the water-absorbent fibers may be knitted together.

In the fifth aspect of the invention, ordinary fibers are mixed in the cloth or sponge according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the invention. For example, an ultrafine fiber with a diameter of about 3 microns is made into a wooly, this is silver-plated, about 30 fibers of this are grouped together into a thread, and this thread and normal thread are mixed and knitted into a cloth shape, and a predetermined size is obtained. The invention described in the present claims can be realized by cutting into.

The medium according to the invention as claimed in this claim is inferior in physical contact with the skin, since the ordinary yarn is considerably thicker than the ultrafine fibers. However, it is superior to conventional media. Normal fibers have better water absorbency than fabrics using only ultrafine fibers. Moreover, because it is woven with silver-plated fiber, it makes good electrical contact with the skin. Since the medium has good conductivity, the current density is uniform. In particular, silver-plated fibers are expensive, and there is an advantage that they can be realized at a relatively low cost by knitting with ordinary fibers. Size of ultrafine fibers, whether to make wooly, how many fibers to make yarn, woven or non-woven or knitted fabric, at what step and how to make it electrically conductive or not It does not matter what kind of conductive material is selected. In the above example, an example in which a normal fiber and an ultrafine fiber are mixed and knitted is described,
Any knitting method is acceptable.

[0042]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION In the conventional conductor, when the body has irregularities or the muscle contracts, the physical contact between the medium and the skin is poor, or part of the body floats, and the current concentrates on part. He had pain, discomfort, and in some cases burns. In the invention according to claim 1, since the member using the ultrafine fibers is used for the contact portion of the conductor with the living body, gaps are formed even in small irregularities of the body as compared with the conventional conductor. Can be adhered without.

Conventionally, the sponge was soaked with water so that the contact portion with the skin was brought into electrical contact with the sponge. However, if the sponge is squeezed too much, the dry skin and the gap between the skin and the medium are used. The space could not be replenished with sufficient water, the skin impedance could not be lowered sufficiently, the current distribution on the contact surface might become non-uniform, and sufficient electrical contact could not be made. . When stimulation is started in this state,
In addition to the inability to pass a sufficient current due to pain, the skin impedance was lowered due to sweating or the like during the stimulation, and the current rapidly increased, causing pain or shock. On the other hand, if the sponge is not sufficiently squeezed, it contains excessive water, which causes unpleasant sensation due to dripping of water, or the pump sucks the excess water, causing the pump to malfunction.

On the other hand, according to the invention described in this claim, since the physical contact is good, and since it has an appropriate water absorption, when the medium is used with a small amount of water absorption, the electric contact is sufficiently made. Well, the distribution of the current flowing through the contact surface is uniform. Therefore, the skin impedance can be used at a sufficiently low level from the beginning for stable use, and sufficient electrical stimulation can be performed without pain or discomfort. Further, even if sweating occurs during stimulation, the skin impedance does not fluctuate and the current does not increase, so that safe stimulation can be performed. Also, since the medium is cloth-shaped, excess water can be taken off simply by draining it after soaking it in water. For this reason, water drips and water do not enter the pump, and discomfort and pump failure are greatly reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the member made of wooly ultrafine fibers is used for the contact portion of the conductor with the living body. Therefore, the contact with the skin becomes better than that of the invention according to claim 1, and the impedance of the skin can be further stabilized at a low level. Therefore, there is less pain and discomfort than the invention according to claim 1, less current fluctuation during treatment, and safer and more effective remarks can be performed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a conductive member, preferably a member made conductive with a silver coating, using straight or wooly ultrafine fibers is provided at the contact portion between the conductor and the living body. I decided to use it. Since the ultrafine fibers used are the same as those in the invention described in claims 1 and 2, physical contact is equivalent. However, since the invention according to the present claim has conductivity, particularly when silver is used, since silver has the best conductivity among all metals, the skin impedance is the invention according to claim 1 or 2. Can be stabilized even lower than the above. Also, even if you sweat while energizing, the skin impedance does not change much,
A stable current can always be passed. Moreover, the current flowing from the conductor into the living body has a more uniform distribution. Therefore, compared with the conventional device as well as the device according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, discomfort and pain during stimulation can be further reduced, and safe and effective stimulation can be performed.

On the other hand, when silver is used, since silver is excellent in spreadability, it is difficult to break the fibers even if some stress is applied to the cloth. Since it is connected to, the conductivity hardly decreases. Therefore, the economy is excellent, and even if the current is used for a long period of time, the electric current is not biased to a part, and there is little risk of causing pain or burns, and the safety is high.

Further, conventionally, since a sponge or cloth was used to contain water and to energize, miscellaneous bacteria were generated during storage after use, and a bad odor was generated, which was unclean. Mutual infection from patients with infectious diseases has also become a problem, and cleanliness and safety have been required. According to the invention described in this claim, there is an antibacterial effect due to silver, bacteria are less likely to occur, a bad odor can be prevented, the possibility of mutual infection can be reduced, and cleanliness can be maintained.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the ultrafine fibers and the water absorbing fibers are used as a medium in the form of cloth or sponge. Therefore, it has good physical contact with the skin and has better water retention than a cloth made of only ultrafine fibers. Therefore, even if the skin is extremely dry, electrical contact can be sufficiently improved. In particular, when combined with silver-plated ultrafine fibers, the skin impedance can be made sufficiently low and stable, and discomfort and pain upon stimulation can be reduced. Moreover, the skin impedance does not change even if sweating occurs. Further, the current distribution on the medium surface becomes uniform. Therefore, safe and effective stimulation is possible.

In the fifth aspect of the invention, the ultrafine fibers and ordinary fibers are used as a medium in the form of cloth or sponge.
Since normal fibers are much thicker than ultrafine fibers, claim 1
The physical contact with the skin is inferior to that of the medium according to the present invention. However, it has good water absorption, is inexpensive,
The electrical contact is superior to conventional conductors. Therefore, even if the skin is severely dried, it can sufficiently cope with it, and especially when combined with silver-plated ultrafine fibers, the skin impedance can be stabilized low. Claims 1 to 4
Compared with the conductor according to the described invention, it is slightly inferior in function, but can be realized at low cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conductor according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an example of a conventional conductor, (A) is a normal conductor, and (B) is a conductor.
Is an adsorption conductor, and (C) is an example of a pressure conductor.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Electrode 2 ... Medium 3 ... Conductor cover 4 ... Conductor cord S ... Stimulator B ... Living body 21 ... Electrode 22 ... Medium 23 ... Conductor cover 24 ... Conductor cord 25 ... Lead wire 26 ... Tube 28 ... air chamber 29 ... band

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A conductor for electrical stimulation in which a microfiber is formed into a cloth-like or sponge-like member, and the member is used in a contact portion with a living body. 2. A conductor for electrical stimulation, wherein a wooly microfiber is made into a cloth-like or sponge-like member, and this member is used for a contact portion with a living body. 3. The cloth-like or sponge-like member according to claim 1 or 2 is made conductive by using a conductive substance, preferably silver, and the conductive member is used as a contact portion with a living body. An electrical stimulation conductor designed to be used. 4. An electrical stimulation conductor adapted to be used in a contact portion with a living body by mixing water-absorbing fibers into the cloth-like or sponge-like member according to claim 1. 5. An electrical stimulation conductor adapted to be used in a contact portion with a living body by mixing ordinary fibers into the cloth-like or sponge-like member according to any one of claims 1 to 4.