JP2015047363A - Electrostimulator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrostimulator which uses pulse currents to efficiently enable electric stimulation in deep parts of a living body.SOLUTION: An electrostimulator uses pulse currents to apply electric stimulation to a living body, comprising: at least two pulse generating units for outputting the pulse currents; a control unit for controlling the operation of the pulse generating units; and at least two pairs of electrode parts which are attached to a surface of the living body and transmit the pulse currents output by each of the pulse generating units, wherein each of the pulse generating units outputs pulse currents of a waveform with plural pulses, and the control unit controls the pulse generating units such that when the waveforms of the pulse currents output by each of the pulse generating units are superimposed, composite waves are formed to have composite pulses the duration time of which is longer than the pulse duration time of the pulse of the pulse currents.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical stimulation apparatus for applying electrical stimulation to a living body, and more particularly to an electrical stimulation apparatus capable of efficiently performing electrical stimulation to a deep part of a living body using a pulse current. .

  Various electrical stimulation apparatuses that apply electrical stimulation from the surface of a living body and stimulate nerves and muscles in the living body are known. Such electrical stimulation devices are intended for treatment or rehabilitation for patients with impaired physical function due to, for example, cerebral diseases such as cerebrovascular disorders and cerebral palsy, or spinal cord diseases such as spinal cord injury. It is used for the purpose of improving physical function and improving health for healthy persons. And the quality of life of a patient or a healthy person can be improved by applying electrical stimulation to nerves and muscles related to physical functions to be treated using an electrical stimulation device.

  Here, various devices have been proposed as such an electrical stimulation device. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes an electrical stimulation device including two sets of channels each having two electrodes, and a device that transmits currents having a sine waveform and different frequencies from each channel. And according to this electrical stimulator, by arranging the electrodes of each channel so that the imaginary line connecting the electrodes constituting each channel intersects, the current transmitted from each channel is deep in the living body. It can be made to interfere, and it is said that electrical stimulation can be given to a wide area in the deep part of the living body by the formed interference wave.

JP 2002-263200 A

By the way, in order for the treatment with the electrical stimulation current transmitted by the electrical stimulation device to have a sufficient effect, the electrical stimulation by the device is associated with many nerves related to the tissue to be treated for the physical function. Of nerve fibers, especially sensory nerve fibers. That is, it is necessary to generate an action potential in many nerve fibers by applying an electrical stimulus that exceeds the threshold value at which the action potential is generated (also referred to as “firing” of the nerve). This is because when the nerve fiber of the sensory nerve fires, the brain can recognize the sensation, and when the nerve fiber of the motor nerve fires, the muscle contracts.
Here, in order to give electrical stimulation to more nerve fibers, it is effective to give electrical stimulation to a region where nerve fibers stretched around the tissue to be treated are bundled. . However, the region where nerve fibers are bundled is usually located deeper than the surface of the living body. In addition, when an electrical stimulus is applied to the deep part of a living body, the current for electrical stimulation applied from the surface of the living body is transmitted through the inside of the living body and the current attenuates as it goes deeper. Therefore, in order to effectively apply electrical stimulation to a region where nerve fibers are bundled, the current of the electrical stimulation transmitted from the electrical stimulation device is made strong considering the attenuation of the current in the living body. There is a need.
In addition, in FIG. 1, for each nerve, electrical stimulation is given as the threshold value at which the nerve fires so that the relationship between the pulse duration of the electrical stimulation and the current value (threshold value) at which the nerve fires is indicated by a curve. It depends on the type of nerve and the pulse duration of electrical stimulation.
Therefore, in order to give electrical stimulation exceeding the threshold value to nerve fibers of a large number of nerves and to obtain sufficient effects such as treatment, the target of electrical stimulation even after attenuation during transmission inside the living body It is necessary to give the living body an electrical stimulus having a current exceeding the threshold value of all the nerves.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 1, normally, for any nerve, the threshold value for firing the nerve increases as the pulse duration of electrical stimulation becomes shorter, and conversely, the nerve fires as the pulse duration of electrical stimulation becomes longer. The threshold to perform becomes low. For this reason, it is preferable to increase the pulse duration of the electrical stimulation from the viewpoint of efficiently applying electrical stimulation exceeding the threshold to nerve fibers of many nerves in the deep part of the living body. This is because when a pulse current having a short pulse duration is used, the threshold of all nerves cannot be exceeded unless the current is made very large.

  However, in the electrical stimulation apparatus described in Patent Document 1 described above, since each channel transmits a current having a sine wave and a different frequency in the deep part of the living body, the pulse duration time is increased. Could not give a long electrical stimulus. Specifically, in this electrical stimulation device, since a sine wave is interfered, a low-frequency beat wave having a beat phenomenon in which the magnitude of the amplitude changes with a period smaller than the frequency of the sine wave is generated. The sine wave component constituting the beat wave has a higher frequency than the current having a smaller frequency (that is, the longer pulse duration) of the two current frequencies before interference. Since the sine waveform is a repetition of a bipolar pulse wave, it can be said that the pulse duration of the interference wave formed by interfering with the sine wave is shorter than the pulse duration of each sine wave current used for generating the interference wave. Therefore, as is clear from FIG. 1, in order to apply electrical stimulation exceeding the threshold value of all nerves by the interference wave, the current value (current intensity) still has to be very large.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the electrical stimulation apparatus which can perform the electrical stimulation to the deep part of a biological body efficiently using a pulse current.

  The inventor has conducted intensive research to achieve the above object. Then, the inventor makes the pulse current to be interfered by making the pulse duration of the interference wave generated when the plurality of pulse currents interfere with each other in the living body longer than the pulse duration of the pulse current before the interference. It was invented that even if the current is not increased, an interference wave having a current exceeding the threshold value of all nerves can be generated, and electrical stimulation to the deep part of the living body can be efficiently performed. Therefore, the present inventor has further researched and made each pulse current transmitted from the electrode a waveform having a plurality of pulses, and a synthesized wave (in vivo, simply superposed on the waveform of the pulse current transmitted by the electrode). If the pulse duration of the theoretical wave (which does not take into account the attenuation of the pulse) is longer than the pulse duration of the pulse current pulse, the pulse of the interference wave that actually causes the pulse current to interfere in the living body Like the composite wave, the duration can be made longer than the pulse duration of each pulse current before the interference. As a result, even if the current of the pulse current is not increased, the interference wave generates sufficient nerve firing. The present invention has been completed.

The electrical stimulation apparatus of the present invention is an electrical stimulation apparatus for applying electrical stimulation to a living body using a pulse current, and includes at least two pulse generation units that output the pulse current, and operations of the pulse generation unit And at least two electrode units that are attached to the surface of the living body and transmit the pulse current output from each pulse generating unit to the living body, and each pulse generating unit includes a plurality of The control unit outputs a pulse current having a waveform including a pulse of the number of pulses, and when the pulse current waveforms output by the pulse generation units are superimposed, the pulse duration is shorter than the pulse duration of the pulse of the pulse current. The pulse generator is controlled so that a synthetic wave having a long synthetic pulse is formed.
In the present invention, “pulse duration” refers to the time (pulse width) between the start point and end point of one pulse.
In the present invention, the “synthesized pulse” is a pulse generated by superimposing or connecting pulses of the superimposed pulse currents when the waveform of the pulse current output from each pulse generator is superimposed. Point to.

  In the electrical stimulation device of the present invention, it is preferable that the pulse current has a pulse duration of less than 600 μsec, and the synthesized pulse of the synthesized wave has a pulse duration of 10 to 15000 μsec.

  Furthermore, in the electrical stimulation device of the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit causes each pulse generation unit to output pulse currents having the same waveform and different phases.

  In the electrical stimulation device of the present invention, it is preferable that the synthesized wave has a section where the amplitude is 0 mA between the synthesized pulses. In the present invention, “having a section in which the amplitude is 0 mA between the composite pulses” means that, in the composite wave, the end point of one composite pulse and the start point of another composite pulse adjacent to the composite pulse. Indicates that they do not match.

  Furthermore, in the electrical stimulation device of the present invention, the pulse current has a pulse wave portion having one or more pulses having the same polarity, and has a weak pulse between each of a plurality of consecutive pulse wave portions. Each weak pulse preferably has the same polarity and an amplitude smaller than the amplitude of the pulse of the pulse wave section.

  In the electrical stimulation device of the present invention, it is preferable that the amplitude of the composite pulse is maximized at the center in the width direction.

  Furthermore, in the electrical stimulation device according to the present invention, the pulse current has a pulse wave part having two or more pulses having the same polarity, and the pulse wave part is between the pulses than the pulse of the pulse wave part. Preferably, the auxiliary pulse has a small amplitude, and the auxiliary pulse has the same polarity as the pulse of the pulse wave portion where the auxiliary pulse is located.

According to the electrical stimulation device of the present invention, since the device includes at least two pulse generation units and at least two sets of electrode units that transmit the pulse current output from each pulse generation unit to the living body, the device is attached to the surface of the living body. By transmitting each pulse current to the living body, each electrode part can form an interference wave in which each pulse current interferes with each other in a deep part of the living body where more nerve fibers exist than the surface of the living body. Therefore, electrical stimulation can be applied to many nerve fibers.
In addition, since the control unit controls the pulse generation unit so that a synthetic wave having a synthetic pulse having a pulse duration longer than that of the pulse current is formed, the interference caused by actually causing the pulse current to interfere in the living body. The wave may have an interference pulse that is longer than the pulse duration of the pulse of the pulse current. As a result, even if the current of the pulse current is not increased, the nerve in the deep part of the living body can be sufficiently ignited by the interference wave having the interference pulse having a long pulse duration.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electrical stimulation device capable of efficiently performing electrical stimulation to a deep part of a living body using a pulse current.

It is the graph which showed the relationship between the pulse duration of an electrical stimulation and the value (threshold value) of the electric current which a nerve ignites about each nerve. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical stimulation apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the pulse current which the pulse generation part of the electrical stimulation apparatus shown in FIG. 2 outputs, and the waveform of the synthetic wave. (A)-(d) is a figure which shows the modification of the pulse of the pulse current shown in FIG. 3, and the shape of the synthetic | combination pulse which overlap | superposed the pulse. It is a figure which shows the 1st modification of the pulse current shown in FIG. 3, and the waveform of the synthetic wave. It is a figure which shows the 2nd modification of the pulse current shown in FIG. 3, and the waveform of the synthetic wave. It is a figure which shows the 3rd modification of the pulse current shown in FIG. 3, and the waveform of the synthetic wave. It is a figure which shows the 4th modification of the pulse current shown in FIG. 3, and the waveform of the synthetic wave. It is a figure which shows the 5th modification of the pulse current shown in FIG. 3, and the waveform of the synthetic wave. It is a figure which shows the other form of the pulse current shown in FIG. 9, and the waveform of the synthetic wave. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows another form of the pulse current shown in FIG. 9, and the waveform of the synthetic wave, respectively. It is a figure which shows the 6th modification of the pulse current shown in FIG. 3, and the waveform of the synthetic wave. It is a figure which shows the 7th modification of the pulse current shown in FIG. 3, and the waveform of the synthetic wave. It is a figure which shows the 8th modification of the pulse current shown in FIG. 3, and the waveform of the synthetic wave. It is a figure which shows the 9th modification of the pulse current shown in FIG. 3, and the waveform of the synthetic wave. When the electrical stimulation apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is further provided with the 3rd pulse generation part, it is a figure which shows the waveform of the pulse current which each pulse generation part outputs, and its synthetic wave. It is a figure which shows the modification of the pulse current shown in FIG. 16, and the waveform of the synthetic wave. (A) shows the position where the electrode of the electrical stimulation device is positioned in the test example in which electrical stimulation is applied to the oral cavity / pharyngeal region of the subject using the electrical stimulation device shown in FIG. 2, and (b) shows the test. It is a figure which shows the position of the pharyngeal wall which measured the electrical intensity in the example, (c) is when each pulse current and each pulse current are transmitted to the subject to reach the pain threshold, motor threshold, and sensory threshold It is the graph which showed the relationship with the electrical intensity measured on the pharyngeal wall surface.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The electrical stimulation apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2 is for giving electrical stimulation to a living body using a pulse current. Specifically, the electrical stimulation device 1 according to an example of the present invention is used when stimulating nerves in a living body by pulsed electricity for electrical stimulation given from the surface of the living body. The electrical stimulation device 1 is used for the purpose of treatment or rehabilitation for a patient having a physical function disorder by having a cerebral disease such as cerebrovascular disorder or cerebral palsy, or a spinal cord disease such as spinal cord injury. It is used for the purpose of improving physical function and improving health for healthy persons. More specifically, the electrical stimulation device 1 of the present invention is particularly suitable for swallowing dysfunction, which is a type of pharyngeal dysfunction caused by dull reflexes to sensory stimulation in the pharyngeal region due to cerebral infarction or the like. It can be used for the treatment or rehabilitation of patients with respiratory syndrome.

Here, as shown in the block diagram of FIG. 2, the electrical stimulation device 1 according to this embodiment includes an operation unit 2 and at least two electrode units (in the illustrated example) connected to the operation unit 2 via a cable. 2 sets, which are respectively referred to as a first electrode portion and a second electrode portion). In addition, the operation unit 2 includes at least two pulse generation units (in the illustrated example, two, which are respectively referred to as a first pulse generation unit and a second pulse generation unit) that output a pulse current, and a pulse generation unit. And a control unit for controlling the operation. Furthermore, a power source, an input unit, and a display unit are arbitrarily provided inside the operation unit 2. Each electrode part is composed of two electrodes.
In the illustrated example, in the illustrated example, the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit whose operations are controlled by the control unit each output a pulse current, and each pulse current is transmitted via a cable, It is comprised so that it can transmit to the surface of a biological body from the electrodes A and B of a 1st electrode part, and the electrodes C and D of a 2nd electrode part.

  The electrode of each electrode part consists of the known electrode normally used in the electrical stimulation apparatus. In the figure, the electrode portion is composed of two electrodes, but it can also be composed of three or more electrodes, for example, two electrodes for transmitting a pulse current and one indifferent electrode. .

The power source of the operation unit 2 includes, for example, a secondary battery and supplies power to the pulse generation unit, the control unit, and the like of the operation unit 2.
The input unit of the operation unit 2 includes, for example, a switch for performing various operations and a switch for performing various settings, including a switch for turning on / off transmission of a pulse current for electrical stimulation. ing. When the user of the electrical stimulation apparatus 1 presses a switch on the input unit, a signal corresponding to the switch is output from the input unit, and each output signal is input to the control unit.
The display unit of the operation unit 2 displays various setting values input through, for example, the input unit, so that the user of the electrical stimulation device 1 can check the setting contents.

  The operation of the pulse generation unit of the operation unit 2 is controlled by the control unit and outputs a pulse current including a plurality of pulses. The pulse generation unit may have an amplification unit (not shown) for amplifying the current and transmitting a pulse current having appropriate power.

  The control unit of the operation unit 2 causes the pulse generation unit to output a pulse current having a predetermined waveform (amplitude, period, phase) based on a signal input via the input unit. And when a control part superimposes the waveform of the pulse current which each pulse generation part outputs, the synthetic wave which has a synthetic pulse with a pulse duration longer than the pulse duration of the pulse of the said pulse current is formed Thus, the pulse generator is controlled.

Here, the pulse currents output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit of the electrical stimulation device have, for example, one or more having the same waveform and one polarity as shown in FIG. A first pulse wave part P1 having three pulses (three in the figure) and a second pulse having one or more (three in the figure) pulses having a polarity opposite to the polarity of the pulse of the first pulse wave part P1 It has a waveform that alternately and repeatedly includes wave portions P2. In the illustrated example, the upper side is one polarity (one side polarity), and the lower side is the opposite polarity (the other side polarity). And in the electrical stimulation apparatus 1, the pulse which has one side polarity among the pulses which the 1st pulse generation part produced | generated is transmitted from the electrode A of a 1st electrode part, and the pulse which has the other side polarity is 1st electrode part From the electrode B. Of the pulses generated by the second pulse generation unit, a pulse having one side polarity is transmitted from the electrode C of the second electrode unit, and a pulse having the other side polarity is transmitted from the electrode D of the second electrode unit. The
Each pulse of the pulse current output from each pulse generator is a rectangular wave pulse having a pulse duration Tp and a peak current value Cp. Further, the non-application period Sn in which no current is applied between adjacent rectangular waves (that is, the time in which the current value is 0 mA) is the non-application time Tn. In this embodiment, the non-application time Tn has the same time as the pulse duration Tp (Tn = Tp). Further, a non-application period in which the current value is 0 mA is provided between the first pulse wave part P1 and the second pulse wave part P2, and the time of this non-application period is the same as the pulse duration Tp. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the phase difference D of the pulse currents of the same waveform output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit is the same as the pulse duration Tp (ie, The end point of the pulse current pulse generated by the first pulse generation unit overlaps the start point of the pulse current pulse generated by the second pulse generation unit, and the pulse current pulse generated by the second pulse generation unit is generated. The control unit controls each pulse generation unit so that the end point of the pulse and the start point of the pulse of the pulse current generated by the first pulse generation unit overlap. As a result, when the pulse currents output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit are superimposed on each other, as shown in FIG. 3, the pulses of the respective pulse currents complement each other with the non-application period Sn, and the pulse continues A synthesized wave having a synthesized pulse whose time is longer than the pulse duration Tp of the pulse of the pulse current is formed. The formed composite wave is provided with a composite pulse having a pulse duration of 6 Tp alternately and repeatedly without passing through the non-application period Sn.

  Therefore, according to this electrical stimulation apparatus 1, for example, the electrode constituting the electrode part is connected to the imaginary line connecting the attachment positions of the two electrodes A and B of one electrode part and the two electrodes C of the other electrode part. , D by transmitting each pulse current to the living body in a state of being attached to the surface of the living body so that a virtual line connecting the mounting positions intersects, an interference wave in which each pulse current interferes with each other in the deep part of the living body. Can be formed. In the deep part of the living body where more nerve fibers exist than the surface of the living body, electrical stimulation can be applied to many nerve fibers by the interference wave.

Further, since the control unit controls the pulse generation unit so that a synthetic wave having a synthetic pulse having a pulse duration longer than the pulse duration Tp of the pulse of the pulse current is formed, the pulse current output from the pulse generation unit The interference wave obtained by actually interfering with each other in the living body has an interference pulse having a pulse duration longer than the pulse duration Tp of the pulse of the pulse current, like the synthesized wave.
Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the threshold value at which nerve firing is caused by electrical stimulation differs depending on the nerve, and becomes higher as the pulse duration becomes shorter. Furthermore, since the pulse current is attenuated while being transmitted through the inside of the living body, the current value of the interference wave formed by the interference of the pulse current in the deep part of the living body is the current value of the synthesized wave (the pulse transmitted from the electrode). Lower than the sum of the current values). However, according to the electrical stimulation apparatus 1, as described above, the pulse duration of the interference pulse of the obtained interference wave is longer than the pulse duration Tp of the pulse of the pulse current. Therefore, according to the electrical stimulation device 1, even if the pulse current is attenuated while being transmitted through the inside of the living body, the electrical stimulation exceeding the threshold is applied to the nerve fibers of many nerves by the interference wave having a long pulse duration. Giving a sufficient effect such as treatment.

  This point will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 1. For example, when only the pulse current having the pulse duration and current value indicated by point A in FIG. An electrical stimulus having a size indicated by B is applied. As a result, in the deep part of the living body, the Aα nerve cannot be ignited. Further, in the prior art described in Patent Document 1 described above, the pulse current having the pulse duration and current value indicated by point A interfered with the pulse current having a shorter pulse duration than the pulse current. In this case, since the pulse duration of the interference pulse of the interference wave is shortened and the electrical stimulation having the magnitude indicated by the point C is applied, similarly, the Aα nerve cannot be fired deep in the living body. . On the other hand, according to the electrical stimulation device 1, since the pulse duration of the interference pulse of the interference wave is increased and the electrical stimulation having the magnitude indicated by the point D is given, the Aα nerve is also deep in the living body. Can be ignited.

  That is, according to this electrical stimulation device 1, it is possible to provide an electrical stimulation device capable of efficiently performing electrical stimulation to the deep part of a living body using a pulse current.

  Moreover, in this electrical stimulation apparatus 1, the waveform of the pulse current output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit is the same, and the end point of the pulse of the pulse current generated by the first pulse generation unit is Since the start point of the pulse generated by the second pulse generation unit overlaps, the end point of the pulse current generated by the second pulse generation unit overlaps the start point of the pulse generated by the first pulse generation unit. The waveform becomes a continuous rectangular wave having a constant amplitude and a pulse duration. Therefore, a constant stimulus can be continuously given to the user. Further, since the waveforms of the pulse currents output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit are the same, it is not necessary to use complicated programming or the like in the control unit that controls the operation of the pulse generation unit.

  Further, since the polarity of the synthesized pulse of the formed synthesized wave is alternately switched, the in-vivo electrolyte attracted to the polarity of the synthesized pulse is not biased to each electrode side. Treatment by electrical stimulation can be performed while suppressing changes in liquid properties in the living body, such as bias in the body. On the other hand, when the polarities of the synthesized pulses are the same as shown in FIG. 5, which will be described later, contrary to the above, the change in the liquid property in the living body is used, or the electrode flow action is performed. It is possible to perform treatment by electrical stimulation while using the device. In addition, by changing the fluidity in the living body, for example, accumulation of specific cells can be induced to promote wound healing and the like. Here, the electrode flow action is an action in which the generation of polarization changes when a current is applied to the living body for a relatively long time or a slightly large current, and as a result, the threshold value changes.

Here, as described above, in order to achieve a sufficient effect by the treatment with the electric current for electrical stimulation, an interference wave having a current value exceeding the threshold value is given to many nerve fibers located deep in the living body. preferable. On the other hand, there are sensory nerves that feel pain. When the current value of the interference wave exceeds the threshold value of the sensory nerve that feels pain, the user who uses the electrical stimulation device feels pain. Therefore, from the viewpoint of sufficiently obtaining the effect of treatment while reducing the pain of the user who uses the electrical stimulation device, thresholds of sensory nerves that feel pain (for example, thresholds of Aδ nerve and C nerve shown in FIG. 1) It is preferable not to apply electrical stimulation using an interference wave that greatly exceeds.
Therefore, the synthetic pulse of the synthetic wave formed by the pulse current oscillated by the electrical stimulation device preferably does not greatly exceed the threshold value of sensory nerves that feel pain, and preferably does not exceed the threshold value of sensory nerves that feel pain.
Here, the pulse duration of the composite pulse of the composite wave is not limited. However, in the field of rehabilitation using an electrical stimulation device, as shown in FIG. 1, when electrical stimulation of high intensity (strong current value) is used, the pulse duration is 25 to 300 μsec, and low intensity (weak current value). ) Is used, the pulse duration is 1000 to 10000 μsec. Therefore, it is preferable that the synthetic pulse of the synthetic wave has a pulse duration of 10 to 15000 μsec. More preferably, the pulse duration is 25 to 300 μsec or 1000 to 10,000 μsec.

In addition, from the viewpoint of reducing the pain of the user who uses the electrical stimulation device, it is preferable that the pulse current does not greatly exceed the threshold of sensory nerves that feel pain located on the surface (or surface layer) of the living body, for example, The pulse duration Tp of the pulse current is preferably less than 600 μsec, and more preferably less than 300 μsec.
According to this, by setting the pulse duration Tp of the pulse to less than 600 μsec, particularly less than 300 μsec, the pulse current is within a range that does not greatly exceed the threshold of sensory nerves that feel pain located on the surface (or surface layer) of the living body. It is possible to provide a pulse current having an intensity in consideration of the attenuation in the living body. As a result, it is possible to generate an interference wave having a desired current value necessary for nerve firing in the deep part of the living body while reducing the user's pain.

  Here, in this embodiment, the waveform of each pulse current is the same as shown in FIG. 3. However, in the electrical stimulation apparatus of the present invention, when the waveforms of the pulse currents are superimposed, the pulse continuation is performed. As long as a composite wave having a composite pulse whose time is longer than the pulse duration Tp of the pulse of the pulse current is formed, the waveforms of the pulse currents can be different from each other. For example, in FIG. 3, the pulse duration Tp of each pulse of the pulse current output from the first pulse generation unit is set to t, the non-application time Tn is set to 1 / 2t, and is output from the second pulse generation unit. The pulse duration time Tp of each pulse of the pulse current is set to 1 / 2t, the non-application time Tn is set to t, and the phase difference D is set to t. The current waveforms can be different from each other.

  In addition, the synthesized wave shown in FIG. 3 is formed only from the synthesized pulse. However, in the electrical stimulation device of the present invention, the synthesized wave includes the pulse current output from the first pulse generating unit and the second pulse generating unit. A pulse that is not synthesized when superimposed on each other, that is, a pulse in which a pulse of another pulse current is not superimposed or connected may be included.

Furthermore, in the waveform shown in FIG. 3, the non-application time Tn between the pulses and the phase difference D for superimposing the pulses are the same as the pulse duration Tp. The application time Tn and the phase difference D can also be changed. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the phase difference D and the non-application time Tn are set to half the pulse duration Tp, or although not shown, the phase difference D is pulse duration. It is also possible to set the non-application time Tn to half the pulse duration Tp while keeping the same time as the time Tp.
In FIG. 4A, the pulse duration of the synthesized pulse of the synthesized wave becomes longer, while a portion where the current value protrudes is generated in the synthesized pulse. In addition, the time during which the current value of the protruding portion lasts is shorter than the pulse duration Tp of the pulse of the pulse current. However, since the pulse duration of the synthesized pulse is longer than the pulse duration Tp of the pulse current of the synthesized pulse as a whole, the deeper part of the living body is caused by the interference pulse of the interference wave that actually causes the pulse current to interfere in the living body. Can be fired at a low threshold. In addition, since the composite pulse has a protruding portion, electrical stimulation with a short pulse duration and a large current value can be simultaneously given to the deep nerves of the living body.

  The waveform shown in FIG. 3 is a rectangular wave in which the non-application time Tn between the pulses and the phase difference D for superimposing the pulses are the same as the pulse duration Tp. The pulse shape, non-application time Tn, and phase difference D can also be changed. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4B to 4D, the pulse included in the pulse current may be a sine half-wave pulse. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the non-application time Tn between the pulses may be set to 0, and the phase difference D may be set to half the pulse duration Tp. Further, as shown in FIG. 4C, the non-application time Tn may be set to 0, and the phase difference D may be set to 1/3 of the pulse duration Tp. Further, as shown in FIG. 4D, the non-application time Tn may be half the pulse duration Tp and the phase difference D may be 3/4 of the pulse duration Tp. Thus, by making the pulse included in the pulse current a sine half-wave pulse, it is possible to make the sense of stimulation felt when the user uses the electrical stimulation device mild. In addition, by controlling the phase difference D of the pulse current, the current value of the protruding portion where the current value in the composite pulse protrudes can be adjusted. Therefore, the pulse duration due to the protruding portion is short and the current value is Large electrical stimulation can be effectively applied to nerves deep in the living body.

(First modification)
Next, a pulse current transmitted from the electrical stimulation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention and a first modification of the combined wave will be described with reference to FIG.

  The pulse current output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit shown in FIG. 5 is a first pulse having one or more pulses having one polarity (three pulses having one polarity in the drawing). The point having only the wave part P1 and the time between the first pulse wave part P1 (the non-application period from the last pulse of the first pulse wave part P1 to the first pulse of the next first pulse wave part P1) 3 is different from the pulse current shown in FIG. 3 in that the time is longer than the non-application time Tn in the first pulse wave part P1. In the illustrated example, the time between the first pulse wave parts P1 is twice the non-application time Tn and the pulse duration Tp.

  In this modification, when the pulse currents are superimposed on each other, a composite wave having a composite pulse as shown in FIG. 5 is formed. Specifically, each pulse current has the same waveform in which the non-application time Tn has the same time as the pulse duration Tp, and the phase difference D has the same time as the pulse duration Tp. When the respective pulse currents are superposed on each other, as shown in the figure, the pulse of the first pulse wave part P1 of the pulse current from the second pulse generation part becomes the first pulse wave of the pulse current from the first pulse generation part. It is located in the non-application period Sn after the pulse of the part P1, and a synthetic wave is formed by mutually complementing the non-application period Sn. Therefore, the composite wave is a first pulse wave part having a one-side polarity composite pulse having a pulse duration 6Tp that is the sum of all the pulse durations Tp of the first pulse wave part P1 of the pulse current of each pulse generator. A non-application period having a time obtained by subtracting the pulse duration Tp from the time between P1 is alternately provided.

Therefore, in this embodiment, since it consists of synthetic pulses having the same polarity, as compared with the case where the polarities of the synthetic pulses are alternately switched as shown in FIG. Will be repeated, and an electrode flow action or the like can be obtained.
Further, in this modified example, a non-applied section in which a current value is 0 mA is formed between the combined pulses of the combined wave, so that the pulse currents interfere with each other in the deep part of the living body. Also in the formed interference wave, a non-application period is formed between the interference pulses as in the combined wave. Then, nerve firing occurs during the duration of the interference pulse, and no nerve firing occurs in the non-application interval between each interference pulse. Therefore, unlike the case where no non-application period is formed between each interference pulse, the user of the electrical stimulation device can recognize the input of the interference pulse and grasp how much electrical stimulation has been given. can do. That is, the user or the like can recognize the number of times of input of the interference pulse, and the user or the like can easily grasp the usage amount of the electrical stimulation. In particular, when the fired nerve is a motor nerve that contracts muscles, the non-application interval Sn is formed between the interference pulses, so that the contraction and relaxation of the muscles can be confirmed. In addition, it is possible to easily confirm the portion receiving the electrical stimulation and the degree thereof.

(Second modification)
Next, a second modification of the pulse current transmitted by the electrical stimulation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention and the synthesized wave will be described with reference to FIG.

The pulse currents output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit shown in FIG. 6 have the same waveform as each of the pulse currents shown in FIG. A first pulse wave part P1 having a pulse (three in the figure) and a second pulse wave having one or more (three in the figure) pulse having a polarity opposite to the polarity of the pulse of the first pulse wave part P1 It is a waveform provided with the part P2 alternately and repeatedly.
However, in the pulse current shown in FIG. 6, each pulse is a sine half wave pulse having a pulse duration Tp and a peak current value Cp, and a non-application period Sn where no current is applied between adjacent sine half wave pulses. Is a non-application time Tn shorter than the pulse duration Tp (in the drawing, the non-application time Tn is 0), and the phase difference D of each pulse current is smaller than the pulse duration Tp. 3 is different from the pulse current shown in FIG. 3 in that the time is half the time of Tp.
In this modified example, the non-application period between the first pulse wave part P1 and the second pulse wave part P2 is also zero, as is the non-application time Tn between the pulses in each pulse wave part.

  In this modification, when the pulse currents are superimposed on each other, a composite wave having a composite pulse as shown in FIG. 6 is formed. Specifically, each pulse current has a sine half-wave pulse having the same waveform and the same pulse duration Tp, and the phase difference D is half the pulse duration Tp. Has a waveform in which one-side polarity composite pulse having a pulse duration of 3 Tp and the other-side polarity composite pulse having a pulse duration of 3 Tp are alternately repeated without passing through the non-application period Sn. Each composite pulse has a shape in which the current value varies within the pulse duration.

  Therefore, in this modification, the composite pulse is formed by superimposing sine half-wave pulses as shown in FIG. 6, and therefore, the composite pulse shown in FIG. 3 is formed by superposing rectangular wave pulses. Compared with, it is possible to make the electrical stimulation feeling felt when the user uses the electrical stimulation device milder.

(Third Modification)
Next, a pulse current transmitted from the electrical stimulation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention and a third modification of the synthesized wave will be described with reference to FIG.

  The pulse current output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit shown in FIG. 7 is a first pulse having one or more pulses having one polarity (in the drawing, three pulses having one polarity). The point having only the wave portion P1, the point where each pulse is a sine half wave having the pulse duration Tp and the peak current value Cp, and the time of the non-application period Sn in which the current between the adjacent sine half waves is not applied, It is a non-application time Tn shorter than the pulse duration Tp (in the figure, there is only a moment of 0 mA between adjacent pulses), and a time between the first pulse wave parts P1 (of the first pulse wave part P1) The time during which the non-application period from the last pulse to the first pulse of the next first pulse wave part P1 is longer than the phase difference D between the pulse currents (in the figure, twice the phase difference D). And pulse duration 3 is different from the pulse current shown in FIG. 3 in that the phase difference D of the pulse current is smaller than the pulse duration Tp (in the drawing, half the time of Tp). Yes.

  In this modification, when the pulse currents are superimposed on each other, a composite wave having a composite pulse as shown in FIG. 7 is formed. Specifically, each pulse current has the same waveform, the pulse duration Tp and the non-application time Tn have the same sine half-wave pulse, and has a phase difference D that is half of the pulse duration Tp. The wave has a waveform including a plurality of one-sided composite pulses having a pulse duration of 3Tp + D through a non-application period having a time obtained by subtracting the time of the phase difference D from the time between the first pulse wave parts P1. Each composite pulse has a shape in which the current value varies within the pulse duration.

Therefore, in this modification, the composite pulse is formed by superimposing sine half-wave pulses having one polarity as shown in FIG. 7, so that the composite pulse shown in FIG. Compared to the case where the polarity of the composite pulse is alternately changed, the electrical stimulation feeling felt when the user uses the electrical stimulation device is made milder and the electrode flow-through effect is obtained. be able to.
In addition, since a non-application period in which no current is applied and the current value is 0 mA is formed between the composite pulses of the composite wave, the user or the like can perform electrical stimulation in the same manner as in the first modification. The receiving part and its degree can be easily confirmed.

(Fourth modification)
Next, a pulse current transmitted by the electrical stimulation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention and a fourth modification of the synthesized wave will be described with reference to FIG.

The pulse current output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit shown in FIG. 8 is a rectangular wave and has the same waveform as the pulse current shown in FIG. The phase difference D of the pulse current is the same as the pulse duration Tp.
However, the pulse current shown in FIG. 8 includes a third pulse wave part P3 having one or more pulses having both polarities (in the figure, three pairs of bipolar pulses) and one or more pulses having both polarities ( In the figure, the pulse current is different from the pulse current shown in FIG. 3 in that the waveform has a fourth pulse wave part P4 having three pairs of bipolar pulses. The pulse current shown in FIG. 8 is similar to the non-application period where the current value is 0 mA between the first pulse wave part P1 and the second pulse wave part P2 shown in FIG. A non-application period in which the current value is 0 mA is provided between the third pulse wave part P3 and the fourth pulse wave part P4.
Here, the bipolar pulse of the third pulse wave part P3 has a peak current value smaller than that of the one-side polarity pulse of the peak current value Cp and the one-side polarity pulse (in the illustrated example, the peak current value Cp / 3). Of the other side polarity). Further, the bipolar pulse of the fourth pulse wave part P4 has a smaller peak current value than the pulse of the other side polarity of the peak current value Cp and the pulse of the other side polarity (in the illustrated example, the peak current value Cp / 3). ) It consists of a pulse of one side polarity. Further, the non-application period between the third pulse wave part P3 and the fourth pulse wave part P4 is the same as the pulse duration Tp.

  In this modification, when the pulse currents are superimposed on each other, a composite wave as shown in FIG. 8 is formed. Specifically, when the respective pulse currents are superposed on each other, as shown in the figure, the synthesized wave is composed of a synthesized pulse having one side polarity with a pulse duration of 7 Tp and a synthesized pulse having the other side polarity with a pulse duration of 7 Tp. The waveform is alternately provided without passing through the non-application period. Each composite pulse has a shape in which the current value fluctuates within the pulse duration, specifically, a shape in which the current value decreases after rising rapidly from a low value and becomes constant.

  Therefore, in this modification, the composite pulse is formed by superimposing bipolar pulses as shown in FIG. 8, so the composite pulse shown in FIG. 3 overlaps one polarity pulse (unipolar pulse). Compared to the case of forming together, since electrical stimulation can be performed while releasing the electrical energy stored in the living body, stronger electrical stimulation input can be performed.

(Fifth modification)
Next, a pulse current transmitted by the electrical stimulation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention and a fifth modification of the combined wave will be described with reference to FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 (a) to (b). explain.

The pulse current output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is the non-application time in the non-application period between the first pulse wave unit P1 and the second pulse wave unit P2. Is different from the pulse current shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 in that the time is larger than the phase difference D. In addition, the pulse current output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit shown in FIG. 11A is a non-application period between the third pulse wave unit P3 and the fourth pulse wave unit P4. 8 is different from the pulse current shown in FIG. 8 in that the non-application time is longer than the phase difference D. Furthermore, the pulse current output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit shown in FIG. 11B is a waveform that repeatedly includes only the third pulse wave part P3 of the pulse current shown in FIG. This is different from the pulse current shown in FIG.
9, 10 and 11 (a) to (b), the non-application time between the pulse wave portions is the time obtained by adding the pulse duration Tp to the phase difference D.

  In these modified examples, when the pulse currents are superimposed on each other, a composite wave having a composite pulse as shown in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 (a) to (b) is formed, and each composite pulse is also formed. An interval in which no current is applied can be formed between them. Specifically, since the non-application time in the non-application period between each pulse wave part of each pulse current is a time larger than the phase difference D, from the non-application time between each pulse wave part, FIG. 11 (a) to 11 (b), the pulse duration Tp is reduced between the combined pulses, and the pulse current shown in FIG. 10 is reduced by half the pulse duration Tp. Become.

  Therefore, in the modified examples shown in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 (a), in addition to obtaining the same effect as the case of using the pulse current and the synthesized wave shown in FIGS. 3, 6 and 8, respectively, Since a non-application period in which no current is applied and the current value is 0 mA is formed between the combined pulses, as in the first modification, the user or the like receives the electrical stimulus and The degree can be easily confirmed. Further, in the modification shown in FIG. 11B, a non-application period in which no current is applied and a current value is 0 mA is formed between the combined pulses of the combined wave, and the same polar stimulation is repeated. Similar to the first modified example, an electrode flow action or the like can be obtained.

(Sixth Modification)
Next, a pulse current transmitted by the electrical stimulation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention and a sixth modification of the synthesized wave will be described with reference to FIG.

The pulse currents output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit shown in FIG. 12 vary in pulse amplitude within the pulse wave unit, and the first pulse wave unit P1 and the second pulse wave unit P2 Of the pulse wave portion has a maximum amplitude at the central portion in the width direction of the pulse wave portion, decreases after the amplitude increases in the pulse wave portion, and the number of pulses in each pulse wave portion is eight. This is different from the pulse current shown in FIG.
Specifically, the first pulse wave part P1 and the second pulse wave part P2 of the pulse current shown in FIG. 12 are each formed from eight rectangular wave pulses, and are located in the center in the width direction of each pulse wave part. The fourth and fifth pulses of each pulse wave section have a current value Cp with the maximum amplitude. Further, the pulse at the left end in the width direction and the pulse at the right end in the width direction of each pulse wave portion, that is, the first pulse and the last pulse in each pulse wave portion have a current value with the minimum amplitude. Further, the amplitude of each pulse gradually increases from the pulse at both ends in the width direction, which has the minimum amplitude, to the pulse in the central portion in the width direction, which has the maximum amplitude.

  In this modification, when the pulse currents are overlapped with each other, a composite wave having a composite pulse as shown in FIG. 12 is formed, and the amplitude of the composite pulse of the composite wave is the center in the width direction of the composite pulse. The largest in the department. Specifically, the amplitude of the composite pulse of the composite wave increases and then decreases. More specifically, each pulse current has the same waveform with the same pulse duration Tp and non-application time Tn, and has a phase difference D equal to the pulse duration Tp. When superimposed, a composite pulse as shown in the figure is formed, and the maximum amplitude of the composite pulse gradually increases from both ends of the composite pulse in the width direction toward the center in the width direction.

Therefore, in this modified example, the pulse amplitude of the pulse wave portion is maximized at the central portion in the width direction of the pulse wave portion, so that a pulse current having a large current value is not suddenly applied to the surface of the living body. Therefore, the invasiveness of the user of the electrical stimulation device due to electrical stimulation can be suppressed, and the user's feeling of electrical stimulation can be eased.
In addition, when the amplitude of the pulse of the pulse wave part does not change in the pulse wave part, the electric charge stored in the living body by using the electrical stimulation device is suddenly released after the pulse wave part, and the back electromotive force ( Reverse current) may occur, and as a result, an unintended electrical stimulation may be given to the living body. As the pulse of the pulse wave part decreases after the amplitude increases in the pulse wave part, it is stored in the living body. Unintentional irritation caused by sudden release of charge can be suppressed.
Furthermore, in this modified example, the amplitude of the synthesized pulse also becomes the maximum at the central portion in the width direction of the synthesized pulse for the synthesized wave. Similarly, for the interference wave, the amplitude of the interference pulse also becomes larger in the width direction of the interference pulse. Maximum in the center. Accordingly, the user's feeling of electrical stimulation can be eased. In addition, since the amplitude of the composite pulse also decreases after the amplitude increases in the pulse wave section, an unintentional irritation caused by a sudden release of charges stored in the living body can be suppressed.

(Seventh Modification)
Next, a pulse current transmitted by the electrical stimulation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention and a seventh modification of the synthesized wave will be described with reference to FIG.

The pulse current output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit shown in FIG. 13 is such that each pulse wave unit is between a plurality of pulses constituting the pulse wave unit and the pulse of the pulse wave unit. Also has an auxiliary pulse with a small amplitude, the amplitude of the pulse fluctuates within the pulse wave portion, and the pulses of the first pulse wave portion P1 and the second pulse wave portion P2 are at the center in the width direction of the pulse wave portion. 3 is different from the pulse current shown in FIG. 3 in that the amplitude becomes maximum and decreases after the amplitude increases in the pulse wave portion, and the number of pulses in each pulse wave portion is eight. In this embodiment, the auxiliary pulse has the same polarity as the pulse of the pulse wave portion where the auxiliary pulse is located.
Specifically, the pulse wave portion of the pulse current shown in FIG. 13 includes a pulse duration Tp that is the same as the pulse duration Tp between the pulses, and a current value that is smaller than the current value of the minimum amplitude of the pulse wave portion. Has an auxiliary pulse. Similarly to the pulse wave part shown in FIG. 12, the pulse wave part pulse and the auxiliary pulse have the maximum amplitude at the central part in the width direction of the pulse wave part and decrease after the amplitude increases in the pulse wave part. doing.
That is, the pulse current is such that each pulse wave part has an auxiliary pulse having a smaller amplitude than the pulse of the pulse wave part between the pulses, and the auxiliary pulse has the polarity of the pulse of the pulse wave part where the auxiliary pulse is located. Since each of the pulse generators is the same, each pulse generator has a short pulse component of the pulse duration Tp formed from the pulse of the pulse wave portion and the pulse duration from the first pulse to the last pulse belonging to the pulse wave portion. It can be considered to output a superimposed pulse current having a long pulse component having one long pulse having time. Then, by controlling the amplitude of the long pulse component and superimposing it with the short pulse component, the interference wave generated as a result of the interference of the pulse current in the deep part of the living body is an interference wave caused by the pulse current not superimposing the long pulse component. In comparison, the place where the strongest electric field works can be changed (shifted in a shallow direction), and the site where the stimulation is felt by nerve firing (where the sensation is obtained, where the muscle movement begins) can be changed.

  From the viewpoint of preventing the long pulse component including the auxiliary pulse in the pulse wave portion from firing the Aδ nerve that feels the pain of the user on the surface of the living body, the amplitude of the auxiliary pulse is the auxiliary pulse alone, It is preferable that the current value (electrical strength) is less than or equal to the level at which the Aδ nerve and C nerve that feel pain are not ignited.

(Eighth modification)
Next, a pulse current transmitted by the electrical stimulation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention and an eighth modification of the synthesized wave will be described with reference to FIG.

  The pulse current output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit shown in FIG. 14 is a first pulse having one or more pulses having one polarity (three pulses having one polarity in the drawing). The point which has only the wave part P1 and the point which has a weak pulse in each between several continuous 1st pulse wave parts P1 differ. Note that the weak pulse shown in FIG. 14 has the same polarity as the pulse of the first pulse wave part P1 and the same polarity, and has a Cw with an amplitude smaller than the amplitude of the pulse of the first pulse wave part P1. ing.

  Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 14A, the weak pulse duration Tw of the weak pulse is the same as the pulse duration Tp of the first pulse wave portion P1, and is the last of the first pulse wave portion P1. A weak pulse is applied with a non-application time equal to the pulse duration Tp from the first pulse, and after the weak pulse, the first pulse of the next first pulse wave part P1 is opened with a non-application time equal to the pulse duration Tp. Is applied. In the modification shown in FIG. 14 (a), when the pulse currents are overlapped with each other, the phase difference D has the same time as the pulse duration Tp. Then, a synthetic weak pulse applied from the end point of the composite pulse to the start point of the next composite pulse is formed. In the drawing, one weak pulse is provided between the first pulse wave portions P1, but a plurality of weak pulses can be applied, or the weak pulse duration Tw and the non-application time can be changed.

  In the example shown in FIG. 14B, the weak pulse is a weak pulse duration of time Tw from the last pulse of the first pulse wave part P1 to the first pulse of the next first pulse wave part. have. Further, the first pulse wave part P1 has an auxiliary pulse having the same polarity as the pulse and the same amplitude as the weak pulse between the pulses of the first pulse wave part P1. In the modification shown in FIG. 14B, when the pulse currents are superposed on each other, as shown in the figure, the combined pulse is applied from the end point of the combined pulse to the start point of the next combined pulse. A synthetic weak pulse is formed. Note that the amplitude of the combined weak pulse in FIG. 14B is twice the amplitude Cw of the weak pulse because each weak pulse of the pulse current output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit is superimposed. It has become.

  The “weak pulse duration” refers to the time (pulse width) between the start point and the end point of one weak pulse or composite weak pulse. The “synthetic weak pulse” is a composite pulse generated by superimposing or connecting the weak pulses of the superimposed pulse currents when the pulse current waveforms output by the pulse generators are superimposed. It refers to the waveform of the part other than.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, since it consists of synthetic pulses having the same polarity, as compared with the case where the polarities of the synthetic pulses are alternately switched as shown in FIG. Will be repeated, and an electrode flow action or the like can be obtained. Further, the pulse current has a weak pulse between each of the plurality of continuous first pulse wave parts P1, and the weak pulse has the same polarity as the pulse of the first pulse wave part P1, and the first Since the amplitude is smaller than the amplitude of the pulse of the pulse wave part P1, weak electricity flows between the interference pulses having the same polarity with respect to the interference site, and an electrode flow action or the like can be obtained more effectively. it can.

  Note that the weak pulse can be applied between two continuous pulse wave portions. As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the weak pulse is converted into three or more continuous pulse wave portions. It is preferable from the viewpoint of obtaining a more effective electrode flow action and the like.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14 (a), by providing a non-application period before and after the weak pulse, it is possible to obtain an electrode flow action only at the interference site where the pulse current interferes. Further, as shown in FIG. 14B, by providing a weak pulse applied between adjacent first pulse wave portions P1, it is possible to obtain an electrode flow action or the like in a wide area including under the electrode. it can. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 14B, by providing a weak pulse applied between adjacent first pulse wave portions P1 and an auxiliary pulse having the same polarity as the pulse of the first pulse wave portion P1. Thus, it is possible to obtain an electrode flow action and the like more effectively.

  Here, the weak pulse is preferably 50% or less of the amplitude of the pulse, and more preferably 25% or less, in relation to the pulse of the pulse wave part before and after the weak pulse is applied. . Alternatively, the amplitude of the weak pulse is preferably set to a current value at which the nerve is not ignited by the weak pulse when a pulse current is applied to the living body, or a current value in the range of −1 to 1 mA.

(Ninth Modification)
Next, a ninth modification of the pulse current transmitted by the electrical stimulation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention and the synthesized wave thereof will be described with reference to FIG.

  The pulse currents output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit shown in FIG. 15 are a plurality of first pulse wave units P1 and P2 that are continuously repeated. The difference is that a weak pulse is present between each of the pulse wave part P1 and the second pulse wave part P2. Note that the weak pulses shown in FIG. 15 have the same polarity, and have a Cw with an amplitude smaller than the amplitude of the pulse of each pulse wave section, similarly to the weak pulse shown in FIG.

  Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 15A, the weak pulse duration Tw of the weak pulse is the same as the pulse duration Tp of the first pulse wave portion P1 and the second pulse wave portion P2, A weak pulse is applied from the last pulse of one pulse wave part P1 or the second pulse wave part P2 with a non-application time equal to the pulse duration Tp, and after the weak pulse, a non-application time equal to the pulse duration Tp is applied. The first pulse of the next pulse wave part P1, P2 is applied. In the modification shown in FIG. 15A, when the pulse currents are superimposed on each other, the phase difference D has the same time as the pulse duration Tp. A synthetic weak pulse is formed that is applied from the end point to the start point of the next synthetic pulse. In the drawing, one weak pulse is provided between the first pulse wave part P1 and the second pulse wave part P2, but a plurality of weak pulses are applied, or the weak pulse duration Tw and non-application time are changed. Can also be.

  In the example shown in FIG. 15B, the weak pulse is between the last pulse of the first pulse wave part P1 or the second pulse wave part P2 and the first pulse of the next pulse wave parts P1 and P2. It has a weak pulse duration of time Tw. Further, the first pulse wave part P1 has an auxiliary pulse having the same polarity as the pulse and the same amplitude as the weak pulse between the pulses of the first pulse wave part P1. Further, the second pulse wave part P2 has an auxiliary pulse having a polarity opposite to that of the pulse (the same polarity as the weak pulse) and the same amplitude as the weak pulse between the pulses of the second pulse wave part P2. ing. In the modification shown in FIG. 15B, when the pulse currents are superposed on each other, as shown in the figure, the combined pulse is applied from the end point of the combined pulse to the start point of the next combined pulse. A synthetic weak pulse is formed. Note that the amplitude of the composite weak pulse in FIG. 15B is twice the amplitude Cw of the weak pulse because each weak pulse of the pulse current output from the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit is superimposed. It has become.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, since there are weak pulses between each of the plurality of composite pulses whose polarities are alternately switched, as compared with the case where the composite pulses have the same polarity as shown in FIG. The electrode flow action can be obtained by the weak pulse while suppressing the liquid property change in the living body due to the synthetic pulse.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15A, by providing a non-application period before and after the weak pulse, it is possible to obtain an electrode flow action only at an interference portion where the pulse current interferes. Further, as shown in FIG. 15 (b), by providing a weak pulse applied between the first pulse wave part P1 and the second pulse wave part P2, the electrode flow in a wide area including under the electrode. The effect can be obtained. Further, as shown in FIG. 15B, the weak pulse applied between the first pulse wave part and the second pulse wave part P2, and the pulse of the first pulse wave part P1 in each pulse wave part, By providing auxiliary pulses having the same polarity, the electrode flow action can be obtained more effectively.

  Note that the pulse current transmitted by the electrical stimulation device of the present invention and the combined wave of the pulse current are not limited to the pulse current and the combined wave having the above-described waveform. In the electrical stimulation device of the present invention, each pulse is generated. If a composite wave having a composite pulse with a pulse duration longer than the pulse duration of the pulse current is formed when the pulse current waveforms output by the They can be used in combination.

  Furthermore, in the case where the electrical stimulation apparatus has an additional pulse generation unit such as a third pulse generation unit in addition to the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit, for example, as shown in FIG. By making the time of the non-application interval Sn between pulses of the pulse current twice the pulse duration Tp, a synthesized wave similar to the synthesized wave shown in FIG. 3 can be obtained.

  Also, in the case where the electrical stimulation device includes the third pulse generation unit, the shape of each pulse, each of which is similar to the case where the electrical stimulation device has only the first pulse generation unit and the second pulse generation unit, as described above. The non-application time Tn between pulses, the phase difference D, and the like can be arbitrarily changed. As an example in which the phase difference D for superimposing the pulses is changed, as shown in FIG. 17A, the remaining two pulses are not overlapped with each other for one of the three pulses. As shown in FIG. 17B, one of the three pulses is overlapped by overlapping a part of the remaining two pulses with each other, or as shown in FIG. As shown in c), the two pulses all overlap, and a part of the remaining one pulse is overlapped. In the synthesized pulses shown in FIGS. 17A to 17C, the current value becomes the maximum value at the central portion in the width direction of the synthesized pulse, so that the user's feeling of electrical stimulation can be eased. In the synthetic pulses shown in FIGS. 17B and 17C, since the maximum value of the current value of the synthetic pulse is three times the amplitude of the pulse, it is sufficient even if the current is attenuated in the living body. Can give irritation.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described with reference to drawings, the electrical stimulation apparatus of this invention is not limited to said example, A change can be added suitably. For example, the pulse generation unit of the electrical stimulation device of the present invention outputs a pulse current having a pulse that does not overlap or combine with the pulse of the pulse current output by another pulse generation unit (that is, does not contribute to the formation of a composite pulse). May be.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example demonstrates this invention further in detail, this invention is not limited to the following Example at all.

The pulse currents transmitted by the electrical stimulation devices of Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Example 1 having the configuration illustrated in FIG. 2 are transmitted from each electrode unit attached to the skin surface of the subject, A test was conducted to determine the degree of electrical strength (potential (mv)) that can be applied to the pharyngeal and laryngeal region before the nerve located at any position in the living body ignites.
[Electric stimulation device]
In the electrical stimulation devices of Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Example 1, the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion have electrodes A to D (electrode size: 50 mm × 50 mm). The pulse currents output from the 1 pulse generator and the second pulse generator have rectangular wave pulses and phase differences as shown in Table 1. In the devices of Examples 1 to 3, the combined wave formed from each pulse current is composed of one combined pulse having a pulse duration of 250 μsec. In the apparatus of Comparative Example 1, the pulse current is composed of one pulse having a pulse duration of 250 μsec, and there is no phase difference between the pulse currents. Therefore, even if the pulse currents are overlapped, the pulse duration does not become long. .
[Test method]
As shown in FIG. 18 (a), the electrodes A to D of the electrode part of the electrical stimulator are attached to the subject on the right side of the subject's cheek, and the electrode B of the first electrode part as shown in FIG. Are attached to the left side of the front neck, the electrode C of the second electrode part is attached to the left side of the cheek, and the electrode D of the second electrode part is attached to the right side of the front neck.
In the test, a pulse current transmitted from the devices of Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Example 1 was given to the subject, and the potential on the pharyngeal wall surface R in the vicinity of the oral cavity / pharyngeal region (see FIG. 18B). Was measured using a pair of silver electrodes, and the electrical intensity of the electrical stimulation applied to the oral cavity / pharynx region was estimated. And each pulse current is given to the subject three times, and when the subject begins to feel electrical stimulation at any position in the body, (ii) starts to feel muscle contraction, and (Iii) Each electric intensity (potential difference) at the pharyngeal wall when pain began to be measured was measured with the silver electrode. The values of the electric strengths are averaged, and the results are shown in FIG. In addition, (i), (ii), and (iii) mean that each nerve fired exceeding a sensory threshold value, a motor threshold value, and a pain threshold value, respectively. The larger each measured value, the stronger current can be applied to the pharyngeal wall R, that is, the vicinity of the oral cavity / pharyngeal region, before the nerves in the body ignite.

As a result of this test, in the electrical stimulation device of Comparative Example 1, there was no phase difference in each pulse current, so when the electrical intensity of the pulse current was increased, the subject felt electrical stimulation at a position directly below the electrode. On the other hand, in the electrical stimulation apparatuses according to the first to third embodiments, since the pulse duration of the composite pulse by the pulse current output by each pulse generation unit is increased, when the electrical strength of the pulse current is increased, the subject directly below the electrode It was possible to feel electrical stimulation in the deep part of the body instead of the position (that is, the nerves in the deep part of the body could be ignited (beyond each threshold)). In addition, in the electrical stimulation device of Comparative Example 1, the pulse current could not be increased because the nerves including the nerve that felt pain were ignited at a position directly below the electrodes, but in the electrical stimulation devices of Examples 1 to 3, Since it was not located directly under the electrode, it was possible to ignite deep nerves in the body and to give an interference wave with a strong electric intensity to the pharyngeal wall R.
Further, in the electrical stimulation devices of Examples 1 to 3, since the current reaches deeper as the pulse duration of the pulse current is shorter, the pharyngeal wall R, that is, in the vicinity of the oral cavity / pharyngeal region in the device of Example 1, A stronger current could be given.

  According to the electrical stimulation device of the present invention, it is possible to provide an electrical stimulation device capable of efficiently performing electrical stimulation to a deep part of a living body using a pulse current.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrical stimulation apparatus 2 Operation part Cp Peak current value D Phase difference P1 1st pulse wave part P2 2nd pulse wave part P3 3rd pulse wave part P4 4th pulse wave part Sn No application period Tp Pulse duration Tn No application time Tw Weak pulse duration R Pharyngeal wall

Claims (7)

An electrical stimulation device for applying electrical stimulation to a living body using a pulse current,
At least two pulse generators for outputting the pulse current;
A control unit for controlling the operation of the pulse generation unit;
At least two sets of electrode parts that are attached to the surface of the living body and transmit the pulse current output from each pulse generation unit to the living body;
With
Each pulse generator outputs a pulse current having a waveform including a plurality of pulses,
When the control unit superimposes the waveform of the pulse current output from each pulse generation unit, a composite wave having a composite pulse having a pulse duration longer than the pulse duration of the pulse of the pulse current is formed. The electrical stimulation apparatus characterized by controlling said pulse generation part. The pulse current has a pulse duration of less than 600 μsec of the pulse;
The electrical stimulation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the synthetic pulse of the synthetic wave has a pulse duration of 10 to 15000 μsec.   The electrical stimulation device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes each pulse generation unit to output pulse currents having the same waveform and different phases.   The electrical stimulation device according to claim 1, wherein the synthetic wave has a section in which an amplitude is 0 mA between synthetic pulses. The pulse current has a pulse wave portion having one or more pulses having the same polarity, and has a weak pulse between each of a plurality of consecutive pulse wave portions,
4. The electrical stimulation device according to claim 1, wherein each weak pulse has the same polarity and an amplitude smaller than an amplitude of a pulse of the pulse wave unit.   The electrical stimulation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the amplitude of the synthesized pulse is maximized at a central portion in the width direction. The pulse current has a pulse wave portion having two or more pulses having the same polarity,
The pulse wave part has an auxiliary pulse having a smaller amplitude than the pulse of the pulse wave part between the pulses,
The electrical stimulation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the auxiliary pulse has the same polarity as the pulse of the pulse wave section where the auxiliary pulse is located.

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