WO2014038816A1

WO2014038816A1 - Electrode body for measuring brain waves in which length and direction of electrodes vary, and apparatus for measuring brain waves using same

Info

Publication number: WO2014038816A1
Application number: PCT/KR2013/007762
Authority: WO
Inventors: 김영환; 홍혁기; 손재기
Original assignee: 전자부품연구원
Priority date: 2012-09-10
Filing date: 2013-08-29
Publication date: 2014-03-13
Also published as: KR20140034360A; KR101407967B1

Abstract

Provides are an electrode body for measuring brain waves in which the length and direction of electrodes vary, and an apparatus for measuring brain waves using the same. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the electrode body for measuring brain waves comprises: electrodes of which one end comes in contact with the scalp and of which the length vary; and a combining body into which the electrodes are combined. Therefore, since it is possible to uniformly maintain the pressure of the electrodes applied to the scalp, a more accurate measurement of brain waves is enabled.

Description

Electrode body for measuring EEG with variable length and direction of electrode and EEG measuring device using same

The present invention relates to an electrode body for measuring EEG and an EEG measuring apparatus using the same, and more particularly to an electrode body for contacting the human scalp for EEG measurement and an EEG measuring apparatus using the same.

Electrodes for EEG measurement are classified into a wet electrode and a dry electrode. Wet electrodes use a gel to moisturize the scalp to lower skin impedance and reduce noise to enable accurate EEG measurements.

However, the wet electrode method causes discomfort because the gel is applied to the scalp, the preparation process for measuring EEG is long, and in some cases the hair needs to be removed.

In order to alleviate the inconvenience of the wet electrode, a metal dry electrode has been developed. Discomfort caused by the wet electrode by the dry electrode could be eliminated.

However, dry electrodes have different pressures on the scalp. This is due to the fact that the two phases are very irregular curved surfaces rather than planes. The dry electrode may be in close contact with the scalp, or may be in close contact with the scalp, depending on the location, which reduces the accuracy of EEG measurement.

In addition, the dry electrode does not supply moisture to the scalp, so the skin impedance is high, and as the wet electrode is not fixed to the scalp, there is a problem that noise is severely generated by movement of the head.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention, the electrode body for measuring the EEG for varying the length and direction of the uniform electrode pressure applied to the scalp for more accurate EEG measurement And to provide an EEG measurement device using the same.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to reduce the high impedance and a lot of noise generated by using a dry electrode, an electrode body for measuring EEG using a hybrid electrode combining the characteristics of the dry electrode and the wet electrode and It is to provide an EEG measuring apparatus using the same.

According to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, the electrode body for measuring brain waves, one end of the electrode in contact with the scalp, the length is variable; And a combination of the electrodes coupled thereto.

And, the electrode, the electrode body; An electrode body accommodating portion; And an electrode spring provided in the electrode body accommodating part, one end of which is in contact with the support plate provided in the assembly, and the other end of which is in contact with the electrode body. Accordingly, the length of the electrode can be determined.

In addition, the EEG measuring electrode body according to an embodiment of the present invention, one side is fixed to the frame, the other side is coupled to the combination, the support length is variable; may further include a.

And, the support, support body; Support body receiving portion; And a support spring provided in the support body accommodating portion, one end of which is in contact with a fixture for fixing the support to the frame, and the other end of which is in contact with the support body. Depending on the degree of storage, the length of the support may be determined.

In addition, the combination is coupled to the support in a manner that accommodates the ball provided on the other side of the support, it is possible to change the direction of the electrode by ball-rotating around the support.

The electrode body for measuring brain waves according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a gel coupled to the scalp contact portion of the electrode.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the length and / or direction of the electrode in the electrode body for measuring EEG is variable, the pressures applied to the scalp by the electrodes can be maintained uniformly, thereby enabling more accurate EEG measurement.

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to use a hybrid electrode that combines the characteristics of the dry electrode and the characteristics of the wet electrode, combining the advantages of the dry electrode that can be easily measured EEG without discomfort and the advantage of the wet electrode effective for impedance and noise attenuation Can be operated.

1 is a perspective view of an EEG measuring apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,

2 is a front view of the EEG measuring apparatus shown in FIG.

3 is a plan view of the EEG measuring apparatus shown in FIG.

4 is a rear view of the EEG measuring apparatus shown in FIG. 1,

5 is a view provided to explain the change of orientation of the electrode assembly;

6 is a cross-sectional view of the support,

7 is a cross-sectional view of the electrode assembly, and

8 and 9 are diagrams provided for the description of the hybrid electrode.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings will be described the present invention in more detail.

1 is a perspective view of an EEG measuring apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 2 illustrates a front view of the EEG measuring apparatus shown in FIG. 1, a plan view of the EEG measuring apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1, and a rear view of the EEG measuring apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1, respectively. It was.

1 to 4, the EEG measuring apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a frame 110, a fixture 120, and a plurality of electrode bodies 130.

The frame 110 is provided with a plurality of electrode body 130 for the EEG measurement, the electrode body 130 is fixed to the frame 110 by the fixing unit 120.

1 to 4, it is assumed that the frame 110 is provided with two electrode bodies 130, but there is no limitation on the number. It is also possible that three or more electrode bodies 130 are provided.

In addition, the linear frame 110 shown in Figures 1 to 4 is also merely a simple example for convenience of description. The frame 110 may be implemented in a curved (headset form) as well as a hemispherical (hat form) frame. When implemented in a hemispherical frame, it is preferable to further increase the number of the electrode body 130.

The electrode body 130 includes a support 140 and an electrode assembly 150. The support 140 has an upper side fixed to the frame 110 and a lower side coupled to the electrode assembly 150. The electrode assembly 150 is a structure in which a plurality of electrodes 155-1, 155-2, and 155-3 are physically combined into one.

Here, the length of the support 140 is elastically variable, the direction of the electrode assembly 150 is variable, the length of the electrodes 155-1, 155-2 and 155-3 is elastically variable to be.

When the EEG measurement device is in close contact with the head of the person to be measured, the length of the support 140 provided on the left side of the frame 110 and the length of the support 140 provided on the left side may vary. This is to allow the pressure applied to the scalp by the electrode assembly 150 to be constant for each electrode assembly 150.

In addition, when the EEG measuring apparatus is in close contact with the head of the subject, the direction of the electrode assembly 150 provided on the left side of the frame 110 and the direction of the electrode assembly 150 provided on the right side may be different. This is to allow the electrodes 155-1, 155-2, and 155-3 provided on the electrode assembly 150 to be generally perpendicular to the scalp.

5 illustrates a state in which the direction of the electrode assembly 150 provided on the left side of the frame 110 and the direction of the electrode assembly 150 provided on the right side are changed differently.

In addition, when the EEG measuring apparatus is in close contact with the head of the subject, the lengths of the electrodes 155-1, 155-2, and 155-3 provided in the electrode assembly 150 are also different, and the lengths of the EEG measuring apparatuses are individually changed without interrelation. It is a structure that can be.

This is to ensure that the pressure applied to the scalp by the electrodes 155-1, 155-2, and 155-3 is constant. Considering that the scalp is curved, the length of the center electrode will be shorter than the electrodes on both sides.

The variable length structure of the support 140 is a pressure applied by the electrode assembly 150 to the scalp, and ultimately a pressure applied by the electrodes 155-1, 155-2, and 155-3 provided on the electrode assembly 150 to the scalp. It is a means to coordinate them collectively and comprehensively.

And, the variable length structure of the electrodes 155-1, 155-2, and 155-3 is used to individually and finely adjust the pressures applied to the scalp by the electrodes 155-1, 155-2, and 155-3. Means.

In the following, each structure will be described in detail.

6 is a cross-sectional view of the support 140 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. As shown in FIG. 6, the support 140 includes a support body receptacle 141, a support spring 142, a support body 143, and a ball-joint 144.

A support spring 142 is accommodated in the support body accommodating part 141 and a portion of the support body 143 is received. The support spring 142 has an upper end in contact with the fixture 120 and a lower end in contact with the support body 143.

Support body 143 is to provide a constant pressure on the scalp by the elastic force of the support spring (142). In addition, the storage length of the support body 143 relative to the support body accommodating portion 141 is determined according to the degree of contraction of the support spring 142, and the length of the support 140 is determined by the accommodation length.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the electrode assembly 150 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the electrode assembly 150 includes a cover 151, a housing 152, a support plate 153, an electrode fixing part 154, and electrodes 155-1, 155-2, and 155-3. ).

The housing 152 accommodates the ball joint 144 provided under the support body 143, and the housing 152 and the ball joint 144 are coupled to the ball rotator by the cover 151. As a result, the electrode assembly 150 may change the directions of the electrodes 155-1, 155-2, and 155-3 while ultimately performing a two-dimensional ball-rotation movement around the support 140. .

Meanwhile, the electrodes 155-1, 155-2, and 155-3 are fixed at respective positions in the housing 152 by the electrode fixing part 154. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7, the electrodes 155-1, 155-2, and 155-3 include an electrode body accommodating part 155-11, an electrode spring 155-12, and an electrode body 155-13. It is provided.

The electrode spring 155-12 is accommodated in the electrode body accommodating part 155-11, and a portion of the electrode body 155-13 is accommodated. The upper end of the electrode spring 155-12 is in contact with the support plate 153, and the lower end is in contact with the electrode bodies 155-13.

The electrode bodies 155-13 provide a constant pressure to the scalp side by the elastic force of the electrode springs 155-12. In addition, the storage length of the electrode body 155-13 with respect to the electrode body accommodating portion 155-11 is determined according to the degree of contraction of the electrode spring 155-12. 155-2 and 155-3) are determined.

8 and 9 are diagrams provided for the description of the hybrid electrode. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the hybrid electrode is an electrode having a structure in which a gel 156 is coupled to an end of the electrode body 155-13, which is a portion where the scalp is in contact.

To this end, a groove may be formed at the end of the electrode bodies 155-13, and the gel 156 may be coupled to the electrode by attaching the gel 156 to the formed groove.

Up to now, the length of the support 140, the direction of the electrode assembly 150 and the length of the electrodes 155-1, 155-2 and 155-3 variable electrode structure for measuring the electroencephalogram and EEG measurement using the same The device has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments.

Since the above structure is presented as a preferred embodiment, a case of implementing an electrode body and an EEG measuring device using only a part of the variable structure is included in the scope of the present invention.

In addition, although the electrode assembly 150 is illustrated and described as having three electrodes 155-1, 155-2, and 155-3 in the above embodiment, it is merely an example for convenience of description. The number of electrodes provided in the electrode assembly 150 may be implemented as four or more but two or less.

In addition, although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but the technical field to which the invention belongs without departing from the spirit of the invention claimed in the claims. Of course, various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or the prospect of the present invention.

Claims

An electrode whose one end contacts the scalp and whose length is variable; And

Electrode for measuring EEG comprising a; a plurality of electrodes are coupled to the combined body.
The method of claim 1,

The electrode,

Electrode body;

An electrode body accommodating portion; And

An electrode spring provided in the electrode body accommodating part, one end of which is in contact with a support plate provided in the assembly, and the other end of which is in contact with the electrode body;

The electrode body for measuring brain waves, characterized in that the length of the electrode is determined according to the degree of the electrode body is accommodated in the electrode body accommodating portion.
The method of claim 1,

One side is fixed to the frame, the other side is coupled to the assembly, the length of the support for the variable; electroencephalogram electrode body characterized in that it further comprises.
The method of claim 3, wherein

The support is,

Support body;

Support body receiving portion; And

And a support spring provided in the support body accommodating portion, one end of which is in contact with a fixture for fixing the support to the frame, and the other end of which is in contact with the support body.

Electrode for electroencephalogram measurement, characterized in that the length of the support is determined according to the degree that the support body is accommodated in the support body receiving portion.
The method of claim 3, wherein

The combination is,

Electrode for measuring EEG is coupled to the support in a manner that accommodates the ball provided on the other side of the support, the ball-rotating movement around the support to change the direction of the electrode.
The method of claim 1,

Electrode for measuring EEG, further comprising a gel coupled to the scalp contact portion of the electrode.