JP3153409U - Dry biosignal detection electrode - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a dry electrode unit that can be used by a subject to detect a biological signal such as an electroencephalogram easily by himself or herself without discomfort. The electrode unit (1) includes an electrode element (10) including a conductive fiber fabric and a metal terminal (12), which are adapted to come into contact with the forehead or the forehead and the skin at a predetermined part around the ear. A plurality of shaped fabric holding members 13 are provided. The conductive fibers constituting the fabric are non-allergenic fibers such as carbon nanotube-coated fibers, stainless microfibers, gold-plated fibers, silver-plated fibers, and polypyrrole polymer-coated fibers. The metal terminal 12 includes fastening means such as fitting, sewing, and screwing that join the conductive fiber fabric and the holding member 13. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an electroencephalogram electrode for fixing an electroencephalogram electrode that collects a bioelectric signal, in particular, an electroencephalogram from the periphery of the forehead portion, the periphery of the forehead portion and the ear portion, or the like at a predetermined position. In particular, the present invention relates to a dry electrode unit for detecting a biological signal suitable for single channel electroencephalogram measurement.

  The existing electroencephalogram measurement system is a multi-channel electroencephalogram measurement system, and it is necessary to wear a large number of electrodes on the head at the time of measurement, and it is necessary to assist others by the wearing. In some cases, a jelly-like electrolyte is used as an electrode material, and the subject feels uncomfortable or uncomfortable. Further, such wet electrodes are easy to peel off, and at the same time, an adhesive tape or the like must be used in combination, which is not easy for living skin.

In order to improve the problems of the wet electrodes as described above, various dry electrodes have been proposed. For example, a device that attempts to bring the electrode and skin into contact with each other by mechanical means (for example, Patent Document 1) may cause local excessive force to be applied to the skin that is in contact with the electrode portion, and is easy for living skin. It was not a thing.
In order to reduce the mechanical burden on the skin, attempts have been made to use flexible materials, such as those using rubber (Patent Document 2), those using conductive fiber cloth (for example, Patent Document 3) is known, but all of these materials are intended for electrocardiogram measurement electrodes and are not suitable for measuring a low voltage such as an electroencephalogram targeted by the present invention.
In addition, a conductive fiber having an electrical resistance value in a specific range is disclosed as a conductive flexible material (for example, Patent Document 4). Are related to different purposes.
In short, at the present time, in terms of the mechanical strength of the material and the workability to cloth, a practical electrode made of fibers having a sufficient and sufficient electrical resistance value for electroencephalogram measurement has not yet been developed, It has become a challenge.

The conventional multi-channel electroencephalogram measurement system not only makes the subject uncomfortable or uncomfortable as described above, but also requires the assistance of an electroencephalogram measurement specialist to accurately measure the electroencephalogram. Since a great deal of labor and cost is required, it can only be installed in limited medical institutions such as large hospitals, and thus it can be said that the opportunities for electroencephalogram measurement were limited.
Instead of multi-channel EEG measurement, a simpler single-channel EEG measurement system has also been proposed (for example, Patent Document 5), but details about the structure and materials of the electrodes are not known at all.

Special table 2007-517577 Special table 2005-521458 WO2005 / 032367 JP2007-0922234 Special table 2001-50366

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a dry biological electrode unit capable of accurately detecting a biological signal such as an electroencephalogram without using a jelly-like electrolyte. That is, the problem of the present invention is that the electrode unit satisfies the following conditions, that is, 1) the subject does not feel uncomfortable or uncomfortable even when touched by a living body, and 2) the electricity of the material constituting the electrode. The resistance value is small, and 3) it can be easily worn by the subject himself / herself and is compatible with an electroencephalogram measurement system that can be used at home.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides two or more electrodes that are arranged in contact with the skin surface of a predetermined portion of the forehead part or the forehead part and the peripheral part of the both ears and arranged at a predetermined interval from each other. Electroencephalogram, myoelectric, electrooculogram of a predetermined part such as a forehead composed of an element and a substantially band-shaped non-conductive fiber holding member that holds each electrode element at its peripheral edge via a joining means A dry-type biosignal detection electrode unit for detecting biosignals such as each of which the electrode elements are each composed of a substantially polygonal or circular electrode body and a metal terminal for fastening the electrode body and the holding member The electrode body is a non-allergenic conductive fiber fabric, and the metal terminal is formed of a fastener having a substantially annular or circular shape on the skin contact side surface of the electrode body, A dry type characterized in that it is substantially on the same plane as the surface of the pole body, and forms a convex portion or a recess on the other side of the electrode body surface and on the back surface of the holding member to form a cable wire connecting portion. It is a biosignal detection electrode unit.

  According to the dry-type electrode unit of the present invention, the electrode element that comes into contact with the skin of a region where a biological signal such as an electroencephalogram is measured includes an electrode body of a fiber fabric made of conductive fiber yarns, and a cable wire of a recording device ( Since it is composed of a metal terminal that is electrically connected to the lead wire), a biological signal such as an electroencephalogram can be measured through the conductor. In addition, electrode elements made of fiber material can be appropriately placed and fixed on each part of the face from which biosignals such as brain waves can be collected, so the shape of the fiber material holding member is also band-shaped and glasses-like shape accordingly. It is possible to form in various desired shapes. The test subject can easily and easily (one-touch) to wear the subject, and does not give the uncomfortable feeling of a conventional wet electrode.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of an electrode unit from the surface (surface in contact with skin). FIG. 2 is a schematic rear view showing the electrode unit of FIG. 1 from the back surface (surface not in contact with the skin). FIG. 3 is a schematic enlarged cross-sectional view along the line III-III in the vertical direction of FIG. 2, showing details of each embodiment of the metal terminals constituting the electrode unit shown in FIGS. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a mounting state of the electrode unit of FIGS.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view illustrating an example of an electrode unit 1 viewed from a surface (front side) where an electrode element contacts the skin (skin) on a living body. The electrode unit 1 includes two or more (three in the figure) electrode elements 10 arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval, and a non-conductive cloth electrode holder for holding the plurality of electrode elements 10 thereon. Each electrode element 10 is appropriately joined at the peripheral edge thereof by a joining member 13 and a joining means such as a sewing thread 15, an adhesive, and a fastener. Each electrode element 10 is made of a conductive fiber fabric (a fiber structure formed by knitting, weaving, or any other conventional method), for example, a substantially square-shaped electrode body 11 and an electrode body 11 positioned substantially at the center. It is comprised from the metal terminal 12 which consists of a fastening metal fitting. An electroencephalogram potential is collected on the electrode main body 11 disposed on the holding member 13 by contact with the skin, and the electroencephalogram potential is collected on the metal terminal 12 on the electrode main body 11. The metal terminal 12 is attached so as to be substantially in the same plane as the holding member 13 so as to minimize the feeling of pressure on the skin.

  In FIGS. 1 and 4, the holding member 13 is drawn in a headband shape that can be wound around the head of the wearer. However, in general, both ends of the belt-like holding member 13 may be open ends or It may be an endless ring. In the former case, a hook-and-loop fastener that can be attached and detached with one touch, for example, can be provided at both ends. On the other hand, in the latter case, both ends of the main part of the holding member including the electrode element can be connected in an annular shape by an elastic part, for example, a rubber thread sewing part.

The shape that the holding member 13 can take generally depends on the position of the electrode element 10. The position on the holding member 13 where the two or more electrode elements 10 are arranged is preferably the Fp portion of the forehead according to the international electrode arrangement method (10-20 method). In this case, the shape of the holding member may be a short band-shaped or strip-shaped pad that can be attached to the forehead, in addition to the headband that can be wound around the head as described above. And it can fix to a forehead skin by sticking the low skin irritation double-sided adhesive tape for medical use on the back surface side of a holding member.
Another preferred electrode element 10 placement site is the forehead and the back of the ear. In this case, the shape of the holding member 13 is a band shape in which an ear strap is further provided at a position corresponding to the both ear portions of the band shape in FIG. 1, or the eyeball and the nose can surround the ear. A hook-shaped eyeglass-like shape is suitable (both not shown). And the said electrode element can be preferably arrange | positioned mutually diagonally in the position corresponding to a forehead part Fp position and a back ear mastoid.
The holding member 13 may be made of any kind of fiber fabric such as natural, synthetic, or semi-synthetic fiber, but a preferable fiber structure is a fiber knitted fabric having stretchability.
In addition to the holding member 13, a non-slip 17 for increasing the adhesion between the electrode element 10 and the skin can be provided at, for example, the upper and lower positions of the electrode element 10.

The electrode body 11 forming the main part of the present invention is made of a non-allergenic conductive fiber fabric, and the fiber structure is made of a knitted fabric, a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, or any other structure, and is constituted by a conventional method. included. A knitted fabric is most preferable from the viewpoints of stretchability and ease of attachment of the terminal metal.
Examples of conductive fibers constituting the fabric of the electrode body 11 include a coating on the surface of a base fiber such as synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic fibers, natural fibers such as cotton and hemp, and semi-synthetic fibers such as rayon. It does not matter if it is in the form or in the form of a composite fiber, as long as it contains a conductive component and does not cause allergies. For example, fibers containing carbon nanotubes, polypyrrole-based polymer-coated fibers, stainless microfiber fibers, silver-plated fibers, gold-plated Examples include fibers.

  FIG. 2 illustrates the electrode unit 1 viewed from the back side of FIG. 1, and shows a connection state between the cable wire 20 and the metal terminal 12. Each metal terminal 12 penetrates the holding member 13 and is exposed on the back surface thereof to form a connection portion to the cable wire 20. A cable holder 14 is attached to a portion corresponding to the vicinity of the wearer's ear on the back side of the holding member 13 to prevent the cable wires from being bundled and entangled. The metal terminal 12 and the cable line 20 can be connected by a detachable mechanical connection means such as a clip. In some cases, bonding can be performed by permanent fixing means such as solder. By connecting the terminal 12 to the cable line 20, the electroencephalogram signal is recovered to the recording device (recording unit) 30 as shown in FIG.

  3 (A) to 3 (D) are enlarged cross-sectional views along the vertical direction (thickness direction) of the electrode element 10 in FIG. 2, and schematically show the manner of attachment of various metal terminals 12 in an easy-to-understand manner. It is a thing. 3 (A) to 3 (D) exemplify modes in which the electrode main body 11 and the holding member 13 are joined via various fasteners 16a to 16d. The electrode body 11 is usually composed of a single layer of fabric, but may be composed of a multilayer fabric in which a plurality of layers are polymerized in order to increase conductivity.

  FIG. 3 (A) shows a fastener comprising a ring snap or an American snap pair 16a1 and 16a2. In the figure, a ring with a claw 16a1 penetrates the holding member 13 from the surface of the electrode body 11, and is press-fitted and fastened to a lower mold 16a2 having an annular groove on the back side of the holding member. The holding member back surface side of the lower mold 16 a 2 is a protruding portion, and provides a connection portion with the cable wire 20.

  In FIG. 3B and FIG. 3D, the metal terminal 12 is made of a metal snap button, and the snap button may be a concave portion or a convex portion. FIG. 3B is an illustration of the convex snap 16b, and FIG. 3D is an illustration of the concave snap 16d1. And the convex part snap 16b (FIG. 3 (B)) which protrudes and is installed in the back surface side of the holding member 13, or the recessed part snap 16d1 (FIG. 3 (D)) which is recessed in the back surface side of the holding member 13 Through each hole, the conductive yarn 15b stitches the holding member 13 and the conductive fabric of the electrode body 11 together. In FIG. 3B, the protruding portion of the convex snap 16 b provides a connection portion with the cable wire 20. On the other hand, in FIG. 3D, since the metal terminal 12 located on the back surface of the holding member 13 has a concave surface, the cable wire 20 is provided with a convex connection portion 16d2 with the terminal 12 at its tip. More specifically, a projection snap 16d2 joined by, for example, a copper claw fitting is provided at the tip of the cable wire 20, and is connected by fitting with the recess snap 16d1. The conductive sewing thread 15b is the same type as the conductive fiber thread constituting the conductive fiber fabric, and examples thereof include carbon nanotube-coated fibers, stainless microfiber fibers, and silver-plated fibers.

  The metal terminal 12 in FIG. 3C is composed of a screw member pair of a male screw member and a female screw member. In the example of FIG. 3C, the male screw member is depicted as a bolt-like metal fitting 16c1 and the female screw member is depicted as a nut-like metal fitting 16c2. However, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated shape, and ordinary bolts and nuts are used. It may consist of a pair. 3C, the head of the bolt-like metal fitting 16c1 is screwed so that the head is located on the electrode body 11 side and the nut-like metal fitting 16c2 is located on the holding member 13 side. Since the nut-like metal fitting 16c2 has a protrusion on the back surface side, it can be used as a connection portion with the cable wire 20. In the case of a bolt / nut pair, the screw tip portion of the bolt forms a protruding portion from the nut, so that it can be a connection portion with the cable wire.

The fasteners 16a to 16d constituting the metal terminal 12 are not limited to those illustrated in FIGS. 3A to 3D as described above, and various other variations are possible.
The potential collected by the electrode body 11 is carried to the metal terminal 12 by a conductive fastener (ring snap, American snap, snap button, screw, hook, etc.) or conductive thread 15b, and is recorded via the cable line 20. Transported to device 30.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where the dry biological signal detection electrode unit 1 as shown in FIGS. The electrode unit 1 of the present invention is connected to a recording device 30 through a cable line 20. The figure shows a state in which the cable wire is exposed on the back surface side of the holding member 13, but it is usually covered with a cloth during use.

  As described above, the present invention provides a simple means for measuring a biological signal such as an electroencephalogram collected from around the forehead and around the ear. The present invention is useful because it enables a subject to measure a biological signal with high accuracy without feeling uncomfortable or uncomfortable and without the assistance of an expert in measuring a biological signal such as an electroencephalogram. And it can utilize as an electrode for simple measuring devices of biological signals, such as an electroencephalogram.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrode unit 10 Electrode element 11 Electrode main body 12 Metal terminal 13 Holding member 14 Cable holder 15 Sewing thread 15b Conductive sewing thread 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d Fastening bracket 17 Non-slip 20 Cable line 30 Recording device

Claims (12)

Two or more electrode elements that are in contact with the skin surface of a predetermined part of the forehead or forehead part and the peripheral part of both ears and are arranged at a predetermined interval from each other, and each electrode element is connected to the periphery thereof Dry for detecting biological signals such as brain waves, myoelectricity, electrooculogram, etc., attached to a predetermined part such as a forehead part composed of a substantially band-shaped non-conductive fiber holding member held by a joining means in the part Type biological signal detection electrode unit,
Each of the electrode elements is composed of a substantially polygonal or circular electrode body and a metal terminal that fastens the electrode body and the holding member,
The electrode body is a non-allergenic conductive fiber fabric;
The metal terminal is formed of a fastener having a substantially annular or circular shape on the skin contact side surface of the electrode body, and is substantially flush with the electrode body surface and opposite to the other electrode body surface. A dry type biosignal detection electrode unit, wherein a convex portion or a concave portion is formed on the side and the back surface of the holding member to form a cable wire connecting portion.   2. The dry biological signal detection electrode unit according to claim 1, wherein the conductive fiber fabric is made of a fiber having a surface conductive layer containing carbon nanotubes.   2. The dry biological signal detection electrode unit according to claim 1, wherein the conductive fiber fabric is made of any one of a stainless microfiber fiber, a gold-coated fiber, and a silver-coated fiber.   The dry biosignal detection electrode unit according to claim 1, wherein the conductive fiber fabric is made of a polypyrrole-based polymer-coated fiber.   The fastener is a ring snap pair including a combination of a claw ring and an upper mold snap having a concave / annular groove or a combination of a claw ring and a lower mold snap having a convex / annular groove; By press-fitting between the former claw and the latter annular groove so that the ring part is located on the surface side of the electrode body and the concave part of the upper mold snap or the convex part of the lower mold snap is located on the back side of the holding member The dry biological signal detection electrode unit according to claim 1, wherein the electrode unit is fixed. The metal terminal is composed of a fastener and a conductive sewing thread having a substantially circular shape on the back surface of the electrode body on the skin contact side, the fastener is a convex snap button, and the conductive thread is the fastener. The electrode body and the holding member are sewn and fixed via
The convex snap button is disposed so that a convex surface thereof is located on a back side of the holding member, and the convex surface of the convex snap button forms a cable wire connecting portion. 2. The dry biological signal detection electrode unit according to 1. The metal terminal is composed of a fastener and a conductive sewing thread having a substantially circular shape on the back surface of the electrode body on the skin contact side, the fastener is a concave snap button, and the conductive thread is the fastener. The electrode body and the holding member are sutured and fixed via
The concave snap button is disposed so that the concave surface thereof is located on the back side of the holding member and forms the cable line connecting portion;
2. The dry type according to claim 1, wherein the cable line to which the cable line connecting portion is connected includes a convex snap button for fitting with the concave snap button at a tip. Biosignal detection electrode unit.   The fastening fitting is a screw fitting pair including a male screw member and a female screw member, and the electrode main body and the holding member are a male screw member on the former skin contact side surface and a female screw member on the rear surface of the holding member. The dry biological signal detection electrode unit according to claim 1, wherein the electrode unit is fixed by screwing.   The holding member is a band having an open-end or endless general band shape that can be wound around a head, or a short band-shaped pad that can be attached to a forehead part, and the electrode element is disposed at a position on the forehead part Fp. The dry biological signal detection electrode unit according to claim 1, wherein   The band further includes an ear strap at a position corresponding to both ears, and the electrode element is disposed at an ear rear mastoid corresponding position of the ear strap in addition to a position corresponding to the forehead. The dry biological signal detection electrode unit according to claim 9.   The holding member is in the form of an ear strap, and has an eyeglass-like shape that can surround the eyeball and nose and the periphery thereof, and the electrode element is disposed at a position corresponding to the forehead portion Fp and the back ear mastoid. The dry biological signal detection electrode unit according to claim 1.   2. The dry biological signal detection electrode unit according to claim 1, wherein the holding member is provided with anti-slip on the upper and lower positions on the skin contact side surface of the plurality of electrode elements.

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