JPH08196644A - Connecting structure of electrode for living body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a connecting structure of an electrode for a living body which reduces generation of inferior conduction in an electrode pad. CONSTITUTION: Connecting structure of an electrode for a living body is that a projecting part 11 of a snap 1 having the projecting part 11 and a brim part 12 is inserted in a support body 2, which is made of a laminated structure of an insulating layer 21 and a conductive layer 22, from the conductive layer 22 side, and a recessed part T1 of a cord terminal(T) having the recessed part T1 is detachably fitted in the projecting part 11 of the snap 1 of the electrode pad(P) which has such constitution as touching the brim part 12 to the conductive layer 22 face so that the electrode pad(P) and the terminal (T) are connected. And at least one part of the cord terminal(T) in its connected state abuts on the support body 2 of the electrode pad(P).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connecting structure for a biomedical electrode used in a low-frequency therapeutic device or the like, and more particularly to a connecting structure for a biomedical electrode which can reduce the occurrence of defective conduction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electrode pad P as shown in FIG. 5, for example, is generally known as a biomedical electrode used in a low-frequency therapeutic device. The electrode pad P shown in FIG.
And the convex portion 11 of the snap 1 having the collar portion 12 on the support body 2 having a laminated structure of the insulating layer 21 and the conductive layer 22,
The flange portion 12 is provided on the surface of the conductive layer 22 by penetrating from the side of the conductive layer 22 and bringing the flange portion 12 into contact with the surface of the conductive layer 22 so that the flange portion 12 is covered with the adhesive insulating material 3. The electrode plate E is fixed to form the electrode plate E, and the conductive gel layer 4 formed by kneading fine metal particles into an acrylic hydrogel, a polyurethane gel or the like is disposed on the conductive layer 22 side of the electrode plate E. ing.

A code terminal T connected to a low-frequency treatment device (not shown) is connected to the electrode pad P. The code terminal T is a projection 11 of the snap 1 of the electrode pad P.
Has a concave portion T1 corresponding thereto, and the concave portion T1 is detachably fitted to the convex portion 11 of the snap 1 so that the electrode pad P and the code terminal T are electrically connected.

[0004]

Since the snap of the electrode pad is usually produced by deep drawing a metal flat plate to form a convex shape, it is curved at the boundary between the convex portion and the collar portion. It is bent. Therefore, as schematically shown in FIG. 6, it is difficult for the flat surface portion of the collar portion 12 to contact the surface of the support body 2,
Therefore, it is difficult to firmly fix the collar portion 12 to the support body 2. Here, when the cord terminal is connected to the electrode pad, stress is applied to the snap, so if this connection is repeated, the insulating material that fixes the collar portion on the support body may peel off, and as a result, The contact between the snap and the conductive layer becomes unstable, resulting in poor conduction. For example, in the case of a low-frequency treatment device, it causes pain on the skin at the application site.

An object of the present invention is to provide a connection structure for a biomedical electrode which can solve the above problems and reduce the occurrence of defective conduction.

[0006]

In order to prevent the above-described peeling of the insulating material, for example, a method of crimping the support by sandwiching it with two snaps, increasing the area of the insulating material, A method of increasing the adhesive force, a method of enlarging a hole of the support body through which the convex portion of the snap penetrates so that the flat surface portion of the flange portion comes into close contact with the support surface, and the like can be considered.

However, in the above method, since a new snap fixing means is used, equipment and parts for the snap fixing means are required, resulting in a high manufacturing cost and complicated operations. Also, in the method of (1), if the area of the insulating material is large, the non-conducting portion becomes large, which is not preferable, and on the other hand, a means (for example, a pressure-sensitive adhesive) that imparts an adhesive force to the insulating material that can securely fix the snap is It has not been found so far. Furthermore, the method (3) is not preferable in terms of appearance because the fixing position of the snap easily shifts.

The inventors of the present invention have made extensive studies on the snap fixing method, and have found an excellent method without the drawbacks of the above methods, and have completed the following invention. That is, the connection structure of the biomedical electrode of the present invention is
The snap projection having a convex portion and a flange portion is formed by penetrating from a conductive layer side to a support having a laminated structure of an insulating layer and a conductive layer, and the flange portion is brought into contact with the conductive layer surface. The electrode pad and the code terminal are connected by detachably fitting the recess of the code terminal having the recess to the projection of the snap of the electrode pad, and at least the code terminal in the attached state. A part is in contact with the support of the electrode pad.

[0009]

According to the present invention, when the electrode pad and the cord terminal are attached, at least a part of the cord terminal is brought into contact with the support body of the electrode pad, so that the snap is securely fixed to the support body. It is the one. This point will be described in more detail. Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, when the electrode pad P and the code terminal T are attached, a gap d between the code terminal T and the support 2 is usually to some extent. However, in the present invention, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, the cord terminal T is brought into contact with the support body 2, that is, at least a part of the code terminal T and the support body 2 are provided. By eliminating the gap between them, the collar portion 12 of the snap 1 is prevented from coming off the support body 2.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the connection structure of the biomedical electrode of the present invention. In the figure, all parts denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 5 are the same. 1 is different from FIG. 5 in that the recessed portion T1 forming surface of the code terminal T which is attached to the electrode pad P is in contact with the support 2 of the electrode pad P.

As the snap 1 of the electrode pad P, brass plated with nickel or a metal flat plate (usually about 0.1 to 0.5 mm) made of stainless steel or the like is drawn by a method such as drawing, for example. The convex portion 11 as shown in FIG.
And the thing etc. which are obtained by shape | molding in the shape which has the collar part 12 are illustrated.

The convex portion 11 and the flange portion 12 of the snap 1 described above.
Although there is no particular limitation on the size of the
It is suitable that the height is about 2 to 8 mm, the maximum outer diameter is about 2 to 5 mm, and the outer diameter of the collar portion 12 is about 5 to 10 mm.

The insulating layer 21 of the support 2 is a polyolefin resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyester resin, polyamide such as nylon. Films made of various resins such as resins, various rubbers such as natural rubber, isoprene rubber, butadiene rubber, silicone rubber, and styrene-butadiene rubber, various synthetic fibers such as rayon, foams such as polyurethane foam, polyethylene foam, and polystyrene foam Examples thereof include a sheet, a paper such as a Japanese paper and a Western paper, a woven cloth, a non-woven cloth, or a film or a sheet formed by laminating two or more kinds of these.

Although the thickness of the insulating layer 21 depends on the material, for example, in the case of a film material, it is about 40 to 200 μm, and in the case of a foam sheet, it is about 0.2 to 1 mm, which is a point of operability. Is preferred.

The conductive layer 22 of the support 2 is, for example, gold,
Insulating a conductive paint containing a metal powder made of various metals such as silver, copper, nickel, tin or various alloys containing these as a main component, a conductive material such as conductive carbon black, and a binder such as polyester as the above insulation It can be formed by coating on the layer 21, or by depositing various metals similar to those described above on the insulating layer 21 by CVD, sputtering, vacuum deposition, or the like. Alternatively, the conductive layer 22 is made of a foil made of the same various metals as described above, and the insulating layer 21 is formed by applying a solution of the same various resins or their precursors as described above on the foil and then performing desolvation treatment or the like. The insulating layer 21 may be formed by a method such as forming or adhering a film made of various resins similar to the above.

The thickness of the conductive layer 22 depends on the material.
Although not particularly limited, it is usually appropriate to set the thickness to about 0.01 to 30 μm from the viewpoint of practical film forming property.

The support 2 is provided with a through hole for penetrating the snap 1. As described above, by making this through hole larger than usual, the collar portion 12 of the snap 1 is
Although the flat surface of the snap 1 can be brought into close contact with the surface of the support body 2, this method has a problem in that the fixing position of the snap 1 is likely to be displaced, which is not preferable in terms of appearance. 90 to 11 of the radial cross-sectional area of 11
It is desirable that the size is about 0%. When the area of the through hole is within the above range, the snap 1 can be easily provided and the fixed position of the snap 1 can be prevented from being displaced.

The collar portion 12 of the snap 1 is covered with an insulating material 3. As the material of the insulating material 3, the same material as that of the insulating layer 21 of the support 2 can be used, but a machine that can withstand the stress applied to the snap 1 when the electrode pad P and the code terminal T are connected. Those having specific strength are preferable, and as such a material, a film made of polyolefin such as polypropylene or high-density polyethylene,
A polyester film or the like is exemplified as a suitable one. It is usually preferable to provide a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer on the side surface of the support 2 of the insulating material 3 in order to fix the snap 1 to the support 2. The pressure-sensitive adhesive forming this pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is not particularly limited, and a pressure-sensitive adhesive known per se such as an acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive or a rubber-based pressure-sensitive adhesive can be used.

The thickness of the insulating material 3 depends on the material, but is preferably about 25 to 150 μm in the case of resin, from the viewpoint of mechanical strength and operability as described above.

The insulating material 3 may have a planar shape as long as it can cover at least the collar portion 12 of the snap 1. However, in order to reduce the non-conductive portion of the insulating material 3,
It is preferable to have a shape corresponding to the planar shape of the collar portion 12. For example, in the case of a circular flange 12 that is generally used, it is preferable to use a circular insulating material 3 corresponding to the circular flange 12. The area of the insulating material 3 is
It is sufficient that at least the collar portion 12 is covered,
It is desirable that the area occupied by the collar 12 is about 150 to 600%, preferably about 200 to 500%. If the area of the insulating material 3 is within the above range, for example, the area of the adhesive portion for fixing the snap 1 to the support body 2 can be made sufficient, and the area of the non-conductive portion by the insulating material 3 is too large. It can be suppressed to the extent that it does not happen.

A conductive gel layer 4 is provided on the side of the conductive layer 22 of the electrode plate E composed of the snap 1 and the support 2. Examples of the conductive gel layer 4 include acrylic hydrogel, polyurethane gel, gold, silver, copper,
Examples thereof include those obtained by kneading fine metal particles made of various metals such as nickel, tin and cobalt.

The thickness of the conductive gel layer 4 is usually about 0.05 to 3 mm from the viewpoint of adhesive strength, durability and the like.

On the surface of the conductive gel layer 4 opposite to the surface facing the electrode plate E, a separator made of polyester film or paper is usually provided.

The convex portion 11 of the snap 1 of the electrode pad P
, The recess T1 of the cord terminal T is detachably fitted,
This connects the electrode pad P and the code terminal T. The convex portion 11 of the snap 1 of the electrode pad P and the concave portion T1 of the code terminal T are molded so as to have mutually corresponding shapes so that they can be detachably fitted, but as shown in FIG. In addition, the convex portion 11 of the snap 1 is formed into a shape (hereinafter, referred to as a spherical shape) that bulges in the outer diameter direction from the root portion to the tip portion thereof, while the concave portion T1 of the cord terminal T is formed.
Is molded to have a shape corresponding to the spherical shape of the convex portion 11 of the snap 1 as described above, and a spring or the like for fixing the root (constriction) portion of the spherical convex portion 11 has a cord terminal. It is disposed in the concave portion T1 of T. by this,
When the cord terminal T is connected and then removed,
It is possible to prevent the electrode pad P from falling off and hold the electrode pad P and the code terminal T in the connected state (attached state).

In the present invention, when the electrode pad P and the code terminal T are attached to each other, at least a part of the code terminal T is in contact with the support 2 of the electrode pad P. In FIG. 1, the side surface of the code terminal T on which the recess T1 is formed is in contact with the surface of the support body 2 of the electrode pad P, whereby the flange portion 12 of the snap 1 and the support body 2 are connected (contacted). Is ensured, and conduction is good. Further, for example, on the side surface of the cord terminal T where the concave portion T1 is formed, a plurality of protrusions arranged in an annular shape as shown in FIG. 2 or protrusions of any shape such as an annular protrusion are formed. The protrusion may be brought into contact with the surface of the support body 2.

Further, in the present invention, it is desirable that the support 2 be pressed by the code terminal T and the flange portion 12 of the snap 1 when the electrode pad P and the code terminal T are attached. As mentioned above, the convex portion 1 of the snap 1
1 is formed in a spherical shape, while the concave portion T1 of the code terminal T is formed to have a shape corresponding to the spherical shape of the convex portion 11 of the snap 1, and further the root portion of the convex portion 11 is fixed. Since a spring or the like is arranged in the recess T1, when the recess T1 of the cord terminal T is fitted in the protrusion 11 of the snap 1, as shown by an arrow A1 in FIG.
Is applied in such a manner that the convex portion 11 pulls the convex portion 11 inward.
Here, by utilizing the stress as shown by the arrow A1, the collar portion 12 of the snap 1 is applied to the cord terminal T by sandwiching the support body 2 as shown by the arrow A2. can do. According to this, the support body 2 is pressed by the cord terminal T and the collar portion 12,
For example, the support body 2 and / or the cord terminal T in the pressing portion is in a thinned state as compared with the pressed open state,
As a result, the snap 1 is firmly fixed to the support 2.

When the support 2 is pressed, for example, the thickness of the support 2 and / or the cord terminal T in the pressing portion is 0 to 20% as compared with that in the released state, depending on the material. It is desirable to make it small. If the degree of thinning of the support 2 and / or the cord terminal T in the pressed state is within the above range, the support 2 can be sufficiently pressed to improve the fixed state of the snap 1.
Moreover, it is possible to prevent the cord terminal T from falling off from the snap 1 when it is in the worn state.

As described above, at least a part of the code terminal T abuts on the support 2 of the electrode pad P in the attached state, and the support 2 is preferably pressed by the code terminal T and the flange portion 12 of the snap 1. For example, the height of the convex portion 11 of the snap 1 and the depth of the concave portion T1 of the code terminal T (the distance from the portion of the cord terminal T intended to come into contact with the support 2 to the deepest portion of the concave portion T1) ) And the thickness of the support body 2 when the support 2 is released from the pressure.

In the present invention, as described above, preferably, the support body 2 is pressed by the cord terminal T and the collar portion 12 of the snap 1, so that the insulating layer 21 and the cord terminal of the support body 2 are pressed. The part where at least one of T contacts the other may be made of a material having appropriate elasticity, and examples of such a material include natural rubber, isoprene rubber, butadiene rubber, silicone rubber, and styrene-butadiene rubber. Various rubbers are exemplified.

3 and 4 show the collar portion 1 of the snap 1 described above.
It is a schematic cross section which shows a preferable example as 2 shape. In FIG. 3, a projection 121 is formed on a flat surface portion of the collar portion 12 facing the support body 2, and the snap 121 can further securely fix the snap 1 to the support body 2. The shape of the protrusion 121 is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include a conical shape as shown in FIG. 3, a quadrangular pyramid shape, and a hemispherical shape. The size of the projection 121 is not particularly limited, but for example, in the case of the conical projection 121, the diameter of about 1 to 3 mm and the height of about 0.2 to 0.5 mm fix the support 2. It is suitable above. When the above-mentioned projection 121 is provided on the collar portion 12, a recess having a shape corresponding to the projection 121 is provided in the conductive layer 22 of the support 2 facing the same, or the conductive layer 2 is provided.
It is also possible to leave the flat surface portion of 2 as it is and make the projection 121 bite into it.

Further, as described above, it has been difficult in the past to bring the flat surface portion of the collar portion 12 into contact with the surface of the support body 2. However, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cord terminal T is used as described above. Since stress is applied such that the support body 2 is pressed by the flange portion 12 of the snap 1 and the collar portion 12 of the snap 1,
It is also possible to bring the flat surface part of the above into contact with the surface of the support body 2.
In this case, when the flat surface portion of the flange 12 facing the support conductive layer 22 surface is parallel to the conductive layer 22 surface, the flat surface of the flange 12 and the support 2 surface are in contact with each other. Will be good. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, the peripheral edge of the collar portion 12 may be bent back to the support 2 side to some extent (preferably about 3 to 15 °), whereby the snap 1 is attached to the support 2. It can also be firmly fixed.

[0032]

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically by showing examples. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to these examples as a matter of course.

Example 1 (Production of Electrode Pad and Code Terminal) An electrode pad P and a code terminal T similar to those shown in FIG. 1 were produced as follows. A conductive carbon coating film having a thickness of 10 μm was used as a conductive layer 22, and a polyester film having a thickness of 50 μm was adhered thereto as an insulating layer 21 to prepare a support 2 having a thickness of 60 μm. Separately, a stainless steel plate having a thickness of 0.25 mm is drawn to have a spherical shape, a height of 2.4 mm, a convex portion 11 having a maximum outer diameter of 2.0 mm, and a flange portion 12 having an outer diameter of 6.0 mm.
A snap 1 having Then, the support 2
, A through hole with a diameter of 2.1 mm is provided, and through this through hole,
The projection 11 of the snap 1 is attached to the support 2 by the conductive layer 2
The flange portion 12 of the snap 1 was brought into contact with the surface of the conductive layer 22 by penetrating from the 2 side. Thereafter, a 12 mm-thick polyester sheet is used as the insulating material 3, acrylic adhesive is applied to the insulating material 3, and the flange portion 12 is covered with the insulating material 3 so that the flange portion 12 is placed on the support 2. The electrode plate E was manufactured by fixing the electrode plate to the plate. Further, a conductive gel made of an acrylic hydrous gel was prepared, and the conductive gel layer 4 was disposed on the side of the conductive layer 22 of the electrode plate E by using this, and the electrode pad P was produced. Then, having a shape corresponding to the spherical shape of the snap 1,
Further, a cord terminal T having a recessed portion T1 having a depth of 3 mm, in which a spring for fixing the root portion of the protruding portion 11 of the snap 1 is arranged, was manufactured.

(Connection between Electrode Pad and Code Terminal) The recess T1 of the code terminal T was fitted into the projection 11 of the snap 1 of the electrode pad P, and the code terminal T was connected to the electrode pad P. In this connected state, the support body 2 is pressed by the cord terminal T and the flange portion 12 of the snap 1, and the flange portion 12 of the snap 1 and the support body 2 are pressed by the pressing portion.
And were in close contact.

Comparative Example 1 In the above-described Example 1, the height of the projection 11 of the snap 1 of the electrode pad P is 2.8 mm, and the side surface of the code terminal T on which the recess T1 is formed and the support 2 of the electrode pad P in the attached state. The electrode pad P and the code terminal T were produced and connected in the same manner except that a gap was formed between the electrode pad P and the cord terminal T.

[Conductivity Test of Electrode Pad] The electrode pad P obtained in each of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 described above.
Using the cord terminal T and the cord terminal T, the attaching / detaching operation of the cord terminal T to / from the electrode pad P was repeated 20 times. After that, when the electrical connection between the snap 1 of the electrode pad P and the conductive layer 22 was examined in the state where the code terminal T and the electrode pad P were connected, the electrical connection was normal in Example 1. On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1, it was confirmed that the conduction failure occurred.

[0037]

As described in detail above, in the structure for connecting a biomedical electrode of the present invention, at least a part of the code terminal contacts the support of the electrode pad when the electrode pad and the code terminal are attached. Since they are in contact with each other, there is no gap between at least a part of the cord terminal and the support, the collar portion of the snap is in sufficient contact with the conductive layer of the support, and it is difficult to separate from the support, The snap is securely fixed to the support.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of conduction failure in the electrode pad.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a connection structure for a biomedical electrode of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the biomedical electrode connection structure of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a collar portion.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another example of the collar portion.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional biological electrode connection structure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a contact state between a snap of an electrode pad and a support.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Snap 11 Convex 12 Collar 2 Support 21 Insulating Layer 22 Conductive Layer 3 Insulating Material E Electrode Plate 4 Conductive Gel Layer P Electrode Pad T1 Recess T Code Terminal

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A projecting portion of a snap having a projecting portion and a collar portion is provided so as to penetrate from a conductive layer side to a support having a laminated structure of an insulating layer and a conductive layer, and the collar portion is in contact with a surface of the conductive layer. The electrode pad and the code terminal have a structure in which the electrode pad and the code terminal are connected to each other by detachably fitting the recess of the code terminal having the recess to the projection of the snap of the electrode pad having the above-mentioned configuration. A connection structure of a biomedical electrode in which at least a part of the above-mentioned code terminal is in contact with a support body of an electrode pad. 2. The connection structure for a biomedical electrode according to claim 1, wherein the support is pressed by the cord terminal and the snap collar. 3. The connection structure for a biomedical electrode according to claim 1, wherein a flat surface portion of the collar portion of the snap that faces the conductive layer surface of the support is parallel to the conductive layer surface. 4. The connection structure for a biomedical electrode according to claim 1, wherein a peripheral edge portion of the collar portion of the snap is bent back toward the support body side. 5. The connection structure for a biomedical electrode according to claim 1, wherein a projection is formed on a flat surface portion of the snap flange portion facing the support body.