JP7522406B2 - Electrical Stimulation Device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrical stimulation device and an electrical stimulation method that electrically stimulate the body using an electrode group having three or more electrodes.

In recent years, electrical stimulation devices have become known that electrically stimulate the body by contacting electrodes at specific positions on the body, thereby training muscles, etc. One such electrical stimulation device, for example, provides energy to a specific pair of electrodes to provide electrical stimulation between the electrodes. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a device that includes a first electrode applied to the lower back of a patient's body, second and third electrodes applied to opposing flanks of the patient's body, and a drive circuit prepared to provide energy to the electrodes to provide a first group of muscle stimulation current pulses flowing between the second electrode and the third electrode, and a second group of muscle stimulation current pulses flowing between the first electrode and the second and third electrodes.

Special Publication No. 2012-531990

However, in the device of Patent Document 1, energy is applied to the electrodes to provide a muscle stimulating current pulse that flows between the second electrode and the third electrode, and a muscle stimulating current pulse that flows between the first electrode and the second and third electrodes, so there is a problem that the spread in the direction of electrical stimulation is small, making it difficult to apply electrical stimulation over a wide range. One method of applying electrical stimulation over a wide range is to make the electrodes larger, but if the electrodes are made larger, electrical stimulation is applied continuously over a wide area, resulting in an insufficient relaxation action, which can lead to muscle fatigue and an uncomfortable sensation for the user.

The present invention was developed based on these problems, and aims to provide an electrical stimulation device and an electrical stimulation method that can apply electrical stimulation to a wide area.

The electrical stimulation device of the present invention includes an electrode group having three or more electrodes, and a driving means for supplying energy to the electrode group by switching in sequence between electrodes having the first polarity, with one electrode of the electrode group having a first polarity and the remaining electrodes having a second polarity.

The electrical stimulation method of the present invention provides electrical stimulation to the body using an electrode group having three or more electrodes, in which one electrode of the electrode group has a first polarity and the remaining electrodes have a second polarity, and energy is provided to the electrode group by switching in sequence between the electrodes having the first polarity.

According to the present invention, one electrode in the electrode group has a first polarity and the remaining electrodes have a second polarity, and the electrodes in the electrode group that have the first polarity are switched in sequence, so that electrical stimulation can be applied in a range that spreads in multiple directions between one electrode that has the first polarity and the other electrodes that have the second polarity. Therefore, by switching the electrodes of the first polarity in sequence, electrical stimulation can be applied to the entire range in which the electrode group is arranged. In addition, it is possible to prevent electrical stimulation from being applied continuously to the same location, and a relaxation action can be made possible. Therefore, early muscle fatigue and unpleasant sensations experienced by the user can be prevented.

In addition, by arranging at least the first electrode corresponding to the right rectus abdominis muscle, the second electrode corresponding to the left rectus abdominis muscle, the third electrode corresponding to the right oblique abdominal muscle, and the fourth electrode corresponding to the left oblique abdominal muscle, and sequentially switching the electrodes having the first polarity so that the first and second electrodes do not have the first polarity consecutively, it is possible to prevent the muscles near the nearby first and second electrodes from being continuously electrically stimulated, resulting in insufficient relaxation. Thus, it is possible to more effectively perform the relaxation action over the entire range in which the electrode group is arranged, and to prevent early muscle fatigue and discomfort to the user.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an electrical stimulation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of a driving unit illustrated in FIG. 1 . 2 is a diagram showing the order of first electrodes when energy is applied to the electrode group by the driving means shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an electrical stimulation device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
Fig. 1 shows the configuration of an electrical stimulation device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows the circuit configuration of the electrical stimulation device 1. This electrical stimulation device 1 is for providing electrical stimulation to a user, for example, and includes an electrode group 10 having four or more electrodes, a driving means 20 that provides energy to the electrode group 10, clothing 30 on which the electrode group 10 is arranged at a predetermined position, and a control means 40 that controls the driving means 20.

The electrode group 10 is, for example, placed at a predetermined position in contact with the user's body. In this embodiment, the electrode group 10 is placed on the torso, specifically the abdomen, and has at least a first electrode 11 placed in correspondence with the right rectus abdominis muscle, a second electrode 12 placed in correspondence with the left rectus abdominis muscle, a third electrode 13 placed in correspondence with the right oblique abdominal muscle, and a fourth electrode 14 placed in correspondence with the left oblique abdominal muscle.

The driving means 20 is configured to set one electrode of the electrode group 10 to a first polarity and the remaining electrodes to a second polarity, and to apply energy to the electrode group 10 by switching the electrodes having the first polarity in sequence. This makes it possible to apply electrical stimulation with a wide range from the one electrode having the first polarity to the other electrodes having the second polarity, and to prevent electrical stimulation from being applied continuously to the same location, enabling a relaxation action. Note that the first polarity and the second polarity are different polarities, and for example, the first polarity is a positive electrode and the second polarity is a negative electrode, or the first polarity is a negative electrode and the second polarity is a positive electrode.

In addition, the driving means 20 is preferably configured to switch the electrodes to the first polarity in an order such that the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 do not consecutively become the first polarity. The first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 arranged corresponding to the rectus abdominis muscle are physically close to each other, so if they are consecutively made to have the first polarity, the muscles near the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 will be electrically stimulated continuously at short intervals, resulting in insufficient relaxation, early muscle fatigue, and an uncomfortable feeling for the user. In contrast, the third electrode 13 and the fourth electrode 14 arranged corresponding to the oblique abdominal muscle are physically separated from each other, and are also far from the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12, so there is no such problem.

For example, as shown in Fig. 3, the driving means 20 is preferably configured to repeatedly switch the electrodes having the first polarity in the order of the first electrode 11, the fourth electrode 14, the second electrode 12, and the third electrode 13. Note that in Fig. 3, the electrodes having the first polarity are shown as shaded, and the electrodes having the second polarity are shown as matte.

The driving means 20 is disposed, for example, on the clothing 30. The circuit configuration of the driving means 20 includes, for example, a high-voltage generating circuit 21 that is connected to a power source (not shown) and generates a high-voltage DC voltage, a high-voltage shaping circuit 22 that is connected to the high-voltage generating circuit 21 and shapes the waveform, and a stimulation waveform output circuit 23 that is connected to the high-voltage shaping circuit 22 and each electrode of the electrode group 10 and outputs a stimulation waveform to each electrode of the electrode group 10.

The high voltage generating circuit 21 may generate a constant voltage value, but is preferably configured to be able to change the generated voltage value by the control means 40. The high voltage shaping circuit 22 may generate a constant waveform after shaping, but is preferably configured to be able to change the waveform by the control means 40. The stimulation waveform output circuit 23 is configured, for example, to set one electrode of the electrode group 10 to a first polarity and the remaining electrodes to a second polarity, and to apply a voltage between each electrode by switching the electrodes to the first polarity in order, and the order in which the electrode to be the first electrode is switched is set, for example, as described above.

The driving means 20 also preferably has, for example, an electrode detachment detection means 24 that detects when each electrode of the electrode group 10 is separated from the user's body. The electrode detachment detection means 24 is, for example, connected to each electrode of the electrode group 10 and the control means 40, and is configured to output a detachment signal to the control means 40 when it detects detachment of an electrode.

The clothing 30 may be any type of garment that can be worn. For example, it may be something that covers the torso like a running shirt or T-shirt as shown in FIG. 1, or it may be in the form of a band or belt that is wrapped around the abdomen. Although FIG. 1 shows a sleeveless garment, it may have sleeves, and may have a portion that covers not only the upper body but also the lower body. It is also preferable that the clothing 30 is made of a stretchable material, as this allows the electrode group 10 to be in close contact with the body.

The control means 40 is configured, for example, so that it can be placed at hand and controlled without being disposed in the garment 30. The control means 40 and the drive means 20 may be connected by wire or wirelessly. It is also preferable that the control means 40 is provided with, for example, a switch that instructs the drive means 20 to drive and stop.

Each electrode of the electrode group 10 can be made of, for example, a conductor in which a conductive polymer is attached to a substrate. Any material may be used to make up the substrate, but fibers are preferred, and materials containing at least one of natural fibers such as silk and cotton, and chemical fibers such as synthetic fibers are preferred. A preferred example of the conductive polymer is poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT). The conductor can be obtained, for example, by polymerizing a monomer of a conductive polymer attached to the substrate with an oxidizing agent. In this case, a dopant or a thickener for imparting conductivity to the conductive polymer may be attached to the substrate together with the monomer of the conductive polymer.

As an oxidizing agent, for example, iron salt is preferably used. As a dopant, for example, p-toluenesulfonic acid is preferably used. If iron salt of p-toluenesulfonic acid (pTS) is used, it is more preferable because it can function as both an oxidizing agent and a dopant. Other examples of dopants include acetonitrile and trifluoroacetic acid. The thickener is used to reduce the bleeding of the conductive polymer and to promote the polymerization reaction of the monomer. As a thickener, one that does not react with the polymerization reaction of the conductive polymer is preferable, and for example, glycerol, polyethylene glycol, gelatin, or polysaccharides are preferably used.

Each electrode of the electrode group 10 may be formed directly on the garment 30, for example, by using the fibers constituting the garment 30 as a base material and attaching a conductive polymer by printing or the like, or a conductor formed by attaching a conductive polymer to a base material prepared separately from the garment 30 may be arranged by attaching or sewing it to the garment 30. The conductors 15 connecting each electrode of the electrode group 10 to the driving means 20 may also be configured in the same manner as the electrode group 10.

This electrical stimulation device 1 is used as follows. First, the user puts on the garment 30, thereby placing each electrode of the electrode group 10 at a predetermined position on the body. Next, the control means 40 instructs the driving means 20 to drive. The driving means 20, for example, sets one electrode of the electrode group 10 to a first polarity and the remaining electrodes to a second polarity, and supplies energy to the electrode group 10 by switching the electrodes with the first polarity in sequence. This allows electrical stimulation to be applied in a wide range from the one electrode with the first polarity to the other multiple electrodes with the second polarity.

The order of switching the electrodes to be the first electrodes is preferably such that, for example, the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 do not consecutively have the first polarity, specifically, the order of switching is the first electrode 11, the fourth electrode 14, the second electrode 12, and the third electrode 13 (see FIG. 3). This prevents electrical stimulation from being given consecutively at short intervals to muscles in the vicinity of the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12, which are physically close to each other, and allows the relaxation action to be performed sufficiently.

In this manner, according to the present embodiment, one electrode of the electrode group 10 is of the first polarity and the remaining electrodes are of the second polarity, and the electrodes of the electrode group 10 having the first polarity are switched in sequence, so that electrical stimulation can be applied in a range of directions between one electrode of the first polarity and the other electrodes of the second polarity. Therefore, by switching the electrodes of the first polarity in sequence, electrical stimulation can be applied to the entire area in which the electrode group 10 is arranged. In addition, it is possible to prevent electrical stimulation from being applied continuously to the same location, and a relaxation action can be made possible. Therefore, early muscle fatigue and unpleasant sensations felt by the user can be prevented.

In addition, by arranging at least the first electrode 11 corresponding to the right rectus abdominis muscle, the second electrode 12 corresponding to the left rectus abdominis muscle, the third electrode 13 corresponding to the right oblique abdominal muscle, and the fourth electrode 14 corresponding to the left oblique abdominal muscle, and sequentially switching the electrodes to be the first polarity so that the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 do not have the first polarity consecutively, it is possible to prevent the muscles near the nearby first electrode 11 and second electrode 12 from being continuously electrically stimulated, resulting in insufficient relaxation action. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively perform the relaxation action over the entire range in which the electrode group is arranged, and it is possible to prevent early muscle fatigue and unpleasant sensations felt by the user.

Second Embodiment
4 shows the configuration of an electrical stimulation device 2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this electrical stimulation device 2, an electrode group 210 has three electrodes. The electrode group 210 is arranged at a predetermined position in contact with the user's body, for example. In this embodiment, the electrode group 210 is arranged on the trunk, specifically the abdomen, and has a first electrode 211 arranged corresponding to the rectus abdominis muscle, a second electrode 212 arranged corresponding to the right oblique abdominal muscle, and a third electrode 213 arranged corresponding to the left oblique abdominal muscle.

As in the first embodiment, the driving means 220 is configured to set one electrode of the electrode group 210 to a first polarity and the remaining electrodes to a second polarity, and to supply energy to the electrode group 210 by switching the electrodes to the first polarity in sequence. The order of switching the electrodes to the first polarity may be, for example, repeated in the order of the first electrode 211, the second electrode 212, and the third electrode 213, or repeated in the order of the first electrode 211, the third electrode 213, and the second electrode 212, or repeated in the order of the first electrode 211, the second electrode 212, the first electrode 211, and the third electrode 213.

Otherwise, the configuration is the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, in this embodiment, too, by sequentially switching the electrodes of the first polarity, electrical stimulation can be applied to the entire area in which the electrode group 210 is arranged. In addition, it is possible to prevent electrical stimulation from being applied continuously to the same location, enabling a relaxation action.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to an embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified in various ways. For example, in the above embodiment, each component is specifically described, but it is not necessary to include all components, and other components may be included.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the electrode group 10, 210 is specifically described as having four or three electrodes, but the present invention can be applied to the case where there are at least three electrodes, and the same effect can be obtained even if the number of electrodes in the electrode group 10 is five or more. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, each electrode is specifically described, but other electrodes may be included in addition to or instead of at least some of these.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the electrode group 10 is disposed on the clothing 30, but each electrode of the electrode group 10 may be disposed directly on the body individually, or the electrode group 10 may be disposed collectively on a disposition member so that the electrode group 10 can be disposed at a predetermined position on the body, and the disposition member may be fixed to the body, so that the electrode group 10 can be disposed collectively on a predetermined position on the body.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the electrodes are provided in the abdomen corresponding to the right rectus abdominis muscle, the left rectus abdominis muscle, the right oblique abdominal muscle, and the left oblique abdominal muscle, but the present invention can be applied regardless of the position of the electrodes. For example, the electrodes may be placed in other positions on the abdomen, and may be placed on the back instead of the abdomen, or on the back and the abdomen. Furthermore, they may be placed on the arms or legs, such as the thighs, instead of the torso.

1...electrical stimulation device, 10...electrode group, 11...first electrode, 12...second electrode, 13...third electrode, 14...fourth electrode, 15...conductor, 20...driving means, 21...high voltage generating circuit, 22...high voltage shaping circuit, 23...stimulation waveform output circuit, 24...electrode detachment detection means, 30...clothing, 40...control means, 2...electrical stimulation device, 210...electrode group, 211...first electrode, 212...second electrode, 213...third electrode, 220...driving means

Claims (1)

An electrode group having four or more electrodes;
a driving means for driving one electrode of the electrode group to a first polarity and the remaining electrodes to a second polarity, and for supplying energy to the electrode group by switching in sequence the electrodes to the first polarity ;
a garment in which the electrode group is arranged at a predetermined position;
Equipped with
Each of the electrodes is made of a conductor having a conductive polymer attached to a substrate made of fiber,
The electrode group includes at least a first electrode arranged corresponding to the right rectus abdominis muscle, a second electrode arranged corresponding to the left rectus abdominis muscle, a third electrode arranged corresponding to the right oblique abdominal muscle, and a fourth electrode arranged corresponding to the left oblique abdominal muscle,
The electrical stimulation device according to claim 1, wherein the driving means switches the electrodes to be set to the first polarity in the order of the first electrode, the fourth electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode.

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