JP2005013372A - Wireless low-frequency electrical stimulation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wireless low-frequency electrical stimulation system easily changing an electrical stimulation pattern even when applying the electrical stimulation pattern. <P>SOLUTION: This wireless low-frequency electrical stimulation system is provided with an electrical stimulation pattern transmitter 1 which has an electrical stimulation pattern compiling/producing device 11 producing an electric signal having a predetermined waveform, a one bit quantizer 12 converting the electric signal into one-bit signal, and a light emitter 14 converting the one-bit signal into an optical signal; and an electrical stimulation applying device 2 which has a photodetector 21 converting the optical signal into the electric signal, a low-frequency electrical stimulating/producing circuit 25 converting the electrical signal into the low-frequency electrical stimulation signal, and electrodes 26 and 27 applying the low-frequency electrical stimulation signal to an external contact matter. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a wireless low-frequency electrical stimulation system using wireless communication that applies electrical stimulation to massage a living body.
[0002]
[Prior art]
[Patent Document] JP-A-8-107935.
[0003]
FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a usage pattern of a conventional low-frequency electrical stimulation device, and FIG. 6B is a block diagram of the conventional low-frequency electrical stimulation device.
6 (a), 10 is a living body, 33 is an electrical stimulation application device, 31 (b) is an electrical stimulation pattern editing and generation device, 32 is an electrical stimulation pattern, 33 is an electrical stimulation application device, and 34 is an input / output. , 35 is a memory, 36 is a controller, 37 is a low-frequency electrical stimulus generation circuit, 38 and 39 are electrodes, 40 is a battery, and 41 is an electrical stimulus.
In the above-mentioned patent document, an electrical stimulation pattern editing and generating device 31 for creating an electrical stimulation pattern 32, and an electrical stimulation application device 33 for storing an electrical stimulation pattern 32 sent via a wired or wireless transmission line in a memory 35. A low-frequency electrical stimulation device that can freely set a required pattern of electrical stimulation 41 generated by the electrical stimulation application device 33 and applied to the living body 10 through the electrodes 28 and 29 by the electrical stimulation pattern editing and generation device 31. Proposed.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described conventional device, the entire size of the electrical stimulation application device 33 to be worn on the living body is large, and the burden on the user is heavy. In addition, before attaching the electrodes 38 and 39 of the electrical stimulation application device 33 to the living body 10, it is necessary to register the electrical stimulation pattern 32 of each electrical stimulation application device 33. In addition, during the massage, the electrical stimulation pattern 32 could not be changed in real time by the electrical stimulation pattern editing and generation device 31 with the electrodes 38 and 39 of the electrical stimulation application device 33 attached to the living body 10. Therefore, it has been impossible to provide various stimulation patterns in real time, such as relaxing the body with a stronger stimulus at the start of massage and applying a soft stimulus for cool-down at the end.
The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-described problems. The purpose of the present invention is to make the electrical stimulation application device small and to easily change the electrical stimulation pattern even when the electrical stimulation pattern is applied. It is an object of the present invention to provide a wireless low frequency electrical stimulation system that can be used.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, a wireless low-frequency electrical stimulation system of the present invention includes means for generating an electrical signal having a predetermined waveform, 1-bit quantization means for converting the electrical signal into a 1-bit signal, An electrical stimulation pattern transmitting device comprising an optical signal generating means for converting a 1-bit signal into an optical signal, an optical electrical conversion means for converting the optical signal into an electrical signal, and converting the electrical signal into a low-frequency electrical stimulation signal And an electrical stimulation application device comprising an electrode for applying the low-frequency electrical stimulation signal to an external contact object.
The wireless low-frequency electrical stimulation system of the present invention includes a means for generating an electrical signal having a predetermined waveform, a 1-bit quantization means for converting the electrical signal into a 1-bit signal, and the 1-bit signal as a radio wave. An electrical stimulation pattern transmission device comprising a modulation means for converting into a signal, a demodulation means for converting the radio signal into an electrical signal, a means for converting the electrical signal into a low frequency electrical stimulation signal, and the low frequency electrical signal And an electrode for applying an electrical stimulus to an external contact object.
The electrical stimulation pattern transmission device includes means for generating a predetermined electrical signal in a predetermined procedure.
The wireless low-frequency electrical stimulation system includes a plurality of the electrical stimulation application devices.
With such a configuration, the present invention uses a 1-bit quantization method for converting an electrical signal into a 1-bit signal before it is converted into an optical signal or radio wave signal in wireless communication. This simplifies the demodulation system of the electrical stimulation application device that is a receiver, reduces the overall size of the electrical stimulation application device to be worn on the living body, reduces the burden on the user, and makes it more comfortable. A massage environment can be provided. In addition, the electrical stimulation application device that applies the electrical stimulation pattern to the living body is remotely controlled by wireless communication, and the electrical stimulation pattern is transmitted in real time. The electrical stimulation pattern of the electrical stimulation application apparatus can be easily and individually changed in real time.
[0006]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings described below, components having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof is omitted.
Embodiment 1
Fig.1 (a) is a figure which shows the whole structure of the radio | wireless low frequency electrical stimulation system of Embodiment 1 of this invention. In FIG. 1A, 1 is an electrical stimulation pattern transmission device, 2 is an electrical stimulation application device, 3 is an optical signal, and 10 is a living body. The wireless low frequency electrical stimulation system according to the first embodiment includes an electrical stimulation pattern transmission device 1 and an electrical stimulation application device 2. FIG. 1B is a block diagram of the electrical stimulation pattern transmission apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 1C is a block diagram of the electrical stimulation application apparatus 2 according to the first embodiment.
In FIG. 1B, 11 is an electrical stimulation pattern editing and generation device, 12 is a 1-bit quantizer, 13 is a driver, and 14 is a light emitting element made up of a light emitting diode (LED). The electrical stimulation pattern transmission device 1 includes an electrical stimulation pattern editing / generation device 11, a 1-bit quantizer 12, a driver 13, and a light emitting element 14. As the 1-bit quantizer 12, a 1-bit noise shaping AD converter is used. It is also possible to omit the driver 13 and connect the 1-bit quantizer 12 and the light emitting element 14 directly.
In FIG. 1C, 21 is a light receiving element made of a photodiode (PD), 22 is a low-pass filter (LPF), 23 is a demodulation circuit, 24 is an ID storage memory, 25 is a low-frequency electrical stimulation generating circuit, and 251 is A low-pass filter, 252 is an amplifier, 26 and 27 are electrodes, and 5 is an electrical stimulus. The electrical stimulation application device 2 includes a light receiving element 21, a low-pass filter 22, a demodulation circuit 23, an ID storage memory 24, a low frequency electrical stimulation generation circuit 25, and electrodes 26 and 27 that apply the electrical stimulation 5 to the living body 10. . The low frequency electrical stimulation generation circuit 25 is composed of a low pass filter 251 and an amplifier 252.
[0007]
The electrical stimulation pattern transmission device 1 edits and generates a low-frequency electrical stimulation pattern effective for reducing muscle pain of the living body 10 by the electrical stimulation pattern editing and generation device 11, and transmits an optical signal to the plurality of electrical stimulation application devices 2. 3 for wireless transmission. As shown in FIG. 1A, the electrical stimulation applying device 2 is attached to a plurality of locations of the living body 10 (six are shown in FIG. 1A), and wirelessly transmitted from the electrical stimulation pattern transmission device 1 by the optical signal 3. The received electrical stimulation pattern is received, demodulated, converted into electrical stimulation 5 and applied to the living body 10 from the electrodes 25 and 26.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing the electrical stimulation pattern editing and generation apparatus 11. In FIG. 2B, 4 is a GUI (graphical user interface).
As shown in FIG. 2A, the electrical stimulation pattern editing and generating apparatus 11 is composed of a dedicated program and a personal computer that executes the dedicated program. With this program, a menu of electrical stimulation patterns to be applied to the living body 10 can be created. Various kinds of stimulation patterns are prepared in advance, and you can create your own menu by combining them.
The menu creation GUI 4 is shown in FIG. The type and order of the electrical stimulation pattern to be applied, and the application time can be specified for each electrical stimulation application device 2. Once created, the menu can be saved and reused at a later date. Since the basic electrical stimulation pattern is created and registered in advance, it can be easily selected from a pull-down menu in the type selection column.
After creating a menu of electrical stimulation patterns, clicking the execution button on the GUI 4 converts a series of electrical stimulation patterns described in the menu into electrical signals and outputs them from a serial terminal of the computer. The electric signal is input to the 1-bit quantizer 12 and converted into a 1-bit electric signal. Further, the light is input to the light emitting element 14 via the driver 13, converted into the optical signal 3, and then radiated into the space.
The optical signals are time-division multiplexed and individual time slots are assigned to a plurality of application devices. Thereby, it is possible to simultaneously transmit different stimulation patterns to the individual electrical stimulation application devices 2.
[0008]
The optical signal 3 transmitted from the electrical stimulation pattern transmission device 1 is converted into a 1-bit electrical signal in the light receiving element 21 of the electrical stimulation application device 2. The converted 1-bit electric signal passes through the low-pass filter 22 and is input to the demodulation circuit 23. The demodulating circuit 23 performs bit synchronization, and extracts only data sent to a predetermined ID from a 1-bit electric signal that is time-division multiplexed. The extracted data is input to the low frequency electrical stimulus generation circuit 25 as a 1-bit electrical signal. The low frequency electrical stimulation generation circuit 25 includes a low pass filter 251 and an amplifier 252. The 1-bit electrical signal input to the low-frequency electrical stimulus generation circuit 25 is converted into an analog signal after the high-frequency component is cut by the low-pass filter 251. Thereafter, after being amplified to a predetermined level by the amplifier 252, it is output as the electrical stimulation 5 that is a low-frequency electrical stimulation signal and applied to the living body 10 by the electrodes 26 and 27.
[0009]
FIG. 3A shows an example of the electrical stimulation pattern waveform supplied to the electrical stimulation application device 2 attached to the shoulder, and FIG. 3B shows the waveform of the electrical stimulation pattern supplied to the electrical stimulation application device 2 attached to the waist. (C) shows the form of the slot of the optical signal 3 when these are wirelessly transmitted as time division multiplexed signals. Various massage effects can be given to the living body 10 by applying different electrical stimulation pattern signals for each part. In addition, these different electrical stimulation patterns can be simultaneously sent to a plurality of electrical stimulation applying devices 2 by the time-division multiplexed optical signal 3.
[0010]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the correspondence between the electrical stimulation pattern signal waveform (a) and the signal waveform (b) obtained by quantizing the signal pattern (a). In a time interval that does not change with time, the signal vibrates between the logical values −1 and 1 so that the average value becomes zero. On the other hand, the logical value is 1 for the questions that increase with time. Further, the logical value becomes −1 in the interval decreasing in time. Since this modulation method is a kind of AD conversion, the modulation signal can be demodulated by the demodulation circuit 23 only by passing through the low-pass filter 22 on the side of the electrical stimulation application device 2 which is a receiver. The burden on the user wearing the electrical stimulation applying device 2 can be reduced.
[0011]
As described above, the wireless low-frequency electrical stimulation system according to the present invention converts the electrical signal into a 1-bit signal, and the electrical stimulation pattern editing and generation device 11 that is a means for generating an electrical signal having a predetermined waveform. An electrical stimulation pattern transmitter 1 comprising a 1-bit quantizer 12 that is 1-bit quantizing means, and a light-emitting element 14 that is an optical signal generating means for converting the 1-bit signal into an optical signal, and the optical signal A light receiving element 21 which is a photoelectric conversion means for converting into an electrical signal, a low frequency electrical stimulation generation circuit 25 which is a means for converting the electrical signal into a low frequency electrical stimulation signal, and an external contact with the low frequency electrical stimulation signal. And an electrical stimulation application device 2 including electrodes 26 and 27 applied to an object. In addition, the electrical stimulation pattern transmission apparatus 1 includes an electrical stimulation pattern editing and generation apparatus 11 such as a personal computer having a dedicated program that is a means for generating a predetermined electrical signal in a predetermined procedure. Further, the wireless low frequency electrical stimulation system includes a plurality of electrical stimulation application devices 2.
With such a configuration, according to the first embodiment, the electrical stimulation pattern can be transmitted to the electrical stimulation applying device 2 in real time by the electrical stimulation pattern transmitting device 1, and thus variously programmed by variously programming it. An effective massage menu can be realized. In addition, since the electrical stimulation application device 2 can receive the electrical stimulation patterns that are independent of each other, different electrical stimulation patterns can be given to the living body 10 depending on the wearing site. Therefore, it can be set as the electrical stimulation pattern according to the degree of tightness, such as a shoulder and a waist, and the degree of pain.
[0012]
Embodiment 2
FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the wireless electrical stimulation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5B is a block diagram of the electrical stimulation pattern transmitting device 1, and FIG. 5C is the electrical stimulation applying device 2. FIG.
In FIG. 1A, 6 is a radio wave. The main difference from the first embodiment is that the first embodiment communicates via an optical signal, whereas the second embodiment communicates via a radio wave 6. The wireless electrical stimulation system includes an electrical stimulation pattern transmission device 1 and an electrical stimulation application device 2.
The electrical stimulation pattern transmission device 1 includes an electrical stimulation pattern editing and generation device 11, 1-bit quantizers 12 and 15 are modulation circuits, and 16 is an antenna. As the electrical stimulation pattern editing and generating apparatus 11, the electrical stimulation pattern editing and generating apparatus 11 in the first embodiment can be used. As the 1-bit quantizer 12, a 1-bit noise shaping AD converter is used. It is also possible to omit the driver 13 and connect the 1-bit quantizer 12 and the light emitting element 14 directly.
The electrical stimulation application device 2 includes an antenna 28, a demodulation circuit 23, an ID storage memory 24, a low frequency electrical stimulation generation circuit 25, and electrodes 26 and 27 that apply the electrical stimulation 5 to the living body 10.
The electrical stimulation pattern transmission device 1 edits and generates a low-frequency electrical stimulation pattern effective for reducing muscle pain of the living body 10 by the electrical stimulation pattern editing and generation device 11, and transmits a plurality of electrical stimulation application devices 2 to the electrical stimulation application device 2 by radio waves 6. Wireless transmission. As shown in FIG. 1A, the electrical stimulation application device 2 is attached to a plurality of locations of the living body 10, receives and demodulates the electrical stimulation pattern wirelessly transmitted from the electrical stimulation pattern transmission device 1 using the radio wave 6, and performs electrical stimulation. 5 and applied to the living body 10 from the electrodes 26 and 27.
In the electrical stimulation pattern editing and generation apparatus 11, after creating an electrical stimulation pattern menu, clicking the execution button on the GUI (see FIG. 2B of the first embodiment), a series of electrical descriptions described in the menu The stimulation pattern is converted into an electrical signal and output from the serial terminal of the computer. The electric signal is input to the 1-bit quantizer 12 and converted into a 1-bit electric signal. The 1-bit electric signal is input to the modulation circuit 15 and used as an information signal for modulating the amplitude, phase, or frequency of a carrier signal having a predetermined frequency. The carrier signal whose amplitude, phase, or frequency is modulated is amplified to a predetermined level by an amplifier (not shown), and is output as a radio wave 6 from the antenna 16 to the space. The radio signal is time-division multiplexed, and each time slot is assigned to a plurality of electrical stimulation application devices 2. Thereby, it is possible to simultaneously transmit different stimulation patterns to the individual electrical stimulation application devices 2.
The electrical stimulation pattern editing and generation apparatus 11 is configured by a dedicated program and a computer that executes the dedicated program. With the program, a menu of electrical stimulation patterns to be applied to the living body 10 can be created. Various kinds of stimulation patterns are prepared in advance, and you can create your own menu by combining them.
[0013]
The radio wave 6 transmitted from the electrical stimulation pattern transmission device 1 is received by the antenna 28 of the electrical stimulation application device 2 and input to the demodulation circuit 23. The demodulation circuit 23 extracts a carrier signal included in the input signal, and restores a 1-bit electric signal mapped to the amplitude, phase, or frequency. The restored 1-bit electric signal is time-division multiplexed. Therefore, by performing bit synchronization, only data sent to a predetermined ID is extracted from the 1-bit electric signal. The extracted data is input to the low frequency electrical stimulus generation circuit 25 as a 1-bit electrical signal. The low frequency electrical stimulation generation circuit 25 includes a low pass filter 251 and an amplifier 252. The 1-bit electrical signal input to the low-frequency electrical stimulus generation circuit 25 is converted into an analog signal after the high-frequency component is cut by the low-pass filter 251. Thereafter, after being amplified to a predetermined level by the amplifier 252, it is output as the electrical stimulation 5 that is a low-frequency electrical stimulation signal and applied to the living body 10 by the electrodes 26 and 27.
[0014]
As described above, the wireless low-frequency electrical stimulation system of the present invention includes an electrical stimulation pattern editing and generation device 11 that generates an electrical signal having a predetermined waveform, and a 1-bit quantum that converts the electrical signal into a 1-bit signal. , An electrical stimulation pattern transmitter 1 having a modulation circuit 15 that converts the 1-bit signal into a radio signal, a demodulation circuit 23 that converts the radio signal into an electrical signal, and a low-frequency signal. An electrical stimulation application device 2 including a low-frequency electrical stimulation generation circuit 25 that converts the electrical stimulation signal into an electrical stimulation signal and electrodes 26 and 27 that apply the low-frequency electrical stimulation signal to an external contact object is provided. With such a configuration, the electrical stimulation application device 2 can be miniaturized, and the electrical stimulation application device 2 can be controlled individually and in real time by the electrical stimulation pattern transmission device 1, so that a strong massage can be performed.
The embodiment described above is described in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not described in order to limit the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above embodiment includes all design changes and equivalents belonging to the technical scope of the present invention.
[0015]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size of the electrical stimulation application device attached to each treatment point, and it is possible to control a plurality of electrical stimulation application devices individually and in real time. The electrical stimulation pattern can be easily changed even during application of. As a result, it is possible to provide a detailed massage service according to the physical condition, constitution and preference of the user.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a wireless low-frequency electrical stimulation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a block diagram of an electrical stimulation pattern transmission apparatus according to the first embodiment. c) is a block diagram of the electrical stimulation application device according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an electrical stimulation pattern editing and generation apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a waveform of an electrical stimulation pattern and an example of a form of an optical signal time-division multiplexed in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a correspondence relationship between an electrical stimulation pattern waveform and a 1-bit quantized waveform in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
5A is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a wireless low-frequency electrical stimulation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is a block diagram of an electrical stimulation pattern transmission apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. (C) is a block diagram of the electrical stimulation application apparatus in Embodiment 2 of this invention.
6A is a diagram showing a usage pattern of a conventional low-frequency electrical stimulation device, and FIG. 6B is a block diagram of an electrical stimulation applying device in the conventional low-frequency electrical stimulation device.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electrical stimulation pattern transmission apparatus 2 ... Electrical stimulation application apparatus 3 ... Optical signal 4 ... GUI
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 ... Electrical stimulation 6 ... Radio wave 10 ... Living body 11 ... Electrical stimulation pattern edit and production | generation apparatus 12 ... 1 bit quantizer 13 ... Driver 14 ... Light emitting element 15 ... Demodulator circuit 16 ... Antenna 21 ... Light receiving element 22 ... Low pass filter 23 ... Demodulation circuit 24 ... ID storage memory 25 ... low frequency electrical stimulation generation circuit 251 ... low pass filter 252 ... amplifier 26, 27 ... electrode 28 ... antenna 33 ... electric stimulation application device 31 ... electric stimulation pattern editing and generation device 32 ... electric stimulation Pattern 33 ... Electric stimulation applying device 34 ... Input / output unit 35 ... Memory 36 ... Controller 37 ... Low frequency electrical stimulation generating circuit 38, 39 ... Electrode 40 ... Battery 41 ... Electric stimulation

Claims (4)

Electrical stimulation comprising means for generating an electrical signal having a predetermined waveform, 1-bit quantization means for converting the electrical signal into a 1-bit signal, and optical signal generation means for converting the 1-bit signal into an optical signal A pattern transmitter,
Electricity comprising photoelectric conversion means for converting the optical signal into an electrical signal, means for converting the electrical signal into a low frequency electrical stimulation signal, and an electrode for applying the low frequency electrical stimulation signal to an external contact object A wireless low-frequency electrical stimulation system comprising a stimulation application device. Electrical stimulation pattern transmission comprising means for generating an electrical signal having a predetermined waveform, 1-bit quantization means for converting the electrical signal into a 1-bit signal, and modulation means for converting the 1-bit signal into a radio wave signal Equipment,
An electrical stimulation application apparatus comprising: demodulation means for converting the radio signal into an electrical signal; means for converting the electrical signal into a low frequency electrical stimulation signal; and an electrode for applying the low frequency electrical signal to an external contact object And a wireless low-frequency electrical stimulation system. 3. The wireless low-frequency electrical stimulation system according to claim 1, wherein the electrical stimulation pattern transmission device includes means for generating a predetermined electrical signal in a predetermined procedure. The wireless low-frequency electrical stimulation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wireless low-frequency electrical stimulation system includes a plurality of the electrical stimulation application devices.

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