WO2019202851A1

WO2019202851A1 - Electrotherapy device and therapy system

Info

Publication number: WO2019202851A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/006860
Authority: WO
Inventors: 岳長谷川
Original assignee: オムロンヘルスケア株式会社
Priority date: 2018-04-18
Filing date: 2019-02-22
Publication date: 2019-10-24
Also published as: JP7087622B2; JP2019187505A

Abstract

Provided is an electrotherapy device (200) including a plurality of electrodes that are brought into contact with a region of the user's body, an operation unit (302) that receives an operation for adjusting the electrical stimulation intensity applied to the region, and a voltage control unit (304) that performs the treatment of the region by discretely changing the voltage applied to the plurality of electrodes in response to the operation. The voltage control unit (304) changes the applied voltage by the first change amount in response to the operation until the electrical stimulation intensity reaches a predetermined stimulation intensity, and changes the applied voltage by the second change amount which is less than the first change amount in response to the operation after the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined stimulation intensity.

Description

Electric therapy device and therapy system

The present disclosure relates to an electrotherapy device and a treatment system.

Conventionally, an electrotherapy device is known in which a plurality of electrodes are brought into contact with the surface of the body such as the abdomen and back, and electrical signals are output to the muscles inside the body via the electrodes to electrically stimulate the body. ing.

For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-112842 (Patent Document 1) discloses a multi-channel low frequency treatment device. This low-frequency treatment device is studying to reduce the effort of readjustment of output at the time of mode change as much as possible while sharing the output adjustment means between each mode for muscle training and lymph drainage.

JP 2009-112842 A

Conventionally, an electrotherapy device has been provided with an operation unit such as a button for adjusting the intensity of electrical stimulation (hereinafter also referred to as “electric stimulation intensity”), and the user operates the operation unit. A desired electrical stimulation intensity can be set. Moreover, the increase amount of the electrical stimulation intensity per operation amount is constant from the minimum stimulation intensity to the maximum stimulation intensity. Therefore, for example, when stimulating a site that is relatively insensitive to stimulation such as a knee, the user must perform an operation to increase the electrical stimulation intensity many times until the user feels the stimulation. is there.

In Patent Document 1, for example, even when the operation amount in the operation unit is the same, when the lymph drainage mode is switched to the muscle training mode, the magnitude of the output from the output unit is larger than that before the switching. It is disclosed that it is automatically set to a large value. However, in Patent Document 1, only the magnitude of the output per operation amount is changed before and after the mode switching, and the magnitude of the output per operation amount in any mode is from the minimum output to the maximum. Since the output is considered to be constant, the above problem cannot be solved.

An object in one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an electrotherapy device and a treatment system that can improve the convenience of the user when performing an operation of changing the electrical stimulation intensity.

In an example of the present disclosure, the electrotherapy device includes a plurality of electrodes that are in contact with a part of the user's body, an operation unit that receives an operation for adjusting the electrical stimulation intensity applied to the part, and a plurality of electrotherapy devices according to the operation. And a voltage control unit that treats the site by discretely changing the voltage applied to the electrodes. The voltage control unit changes the applied voltage by the first change amount according to the operation until the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined stimulation intensity, and the applied voltage according to the operation after the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined stimulation intensity. Is changed with a second change amount smaller than the first change amount.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to improve the convenience of the user when performing an operation for changing the electrical stimulation intensity.

In another example of the present disclosure, the voltage control unit increases the applied voltage by the first change amount in response to an operation of increasing the electrical stimulation intensity by one step until the electrical stimulation intensity reaches a predetermined stimulation intensity. After the stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined stimulation intensity, the applied voltage is increased by the second change amount in accordance with an operation for increasing the electrical stimulation intensity by one step.

According to the above configuration, the user can increase the electrical stimulation intensity to a stimulation intensity with relatively strong stimulation with a small number of operations.

In another example of the present disclosure, the electrotherapy device further includes a setting unit for setting a predetermined stimulation intensity.

According to the above configuration, the predetermined stimulus intensity can be set according to the user's preference.
In another example of the present disclosure, the voltage control unit calculates the second change amount based on the voltage value of the applied voltage corresponding to the maximum intensity of the electrical stimulation intensity and the voltage value of the applied voltage corresponding to the predetermined stimulation intensity. calculate.

According to the above configuration, the second change amount after the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined stimulation intensity can be appropriately set.

In another example of the present disclosure, the electrotherapy device is a low frequency therapy device.
According to the above configuration, the user can receive treatment in a more appropriate frequency range.

In another example of the present disclosure, the first change amount is set to comply with a predetermined standard related to the low frequency treatment device.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide an electrotherapy device that conforms to a predetermined standard related to a low-frequency treatment device.

In another example of the present disclosure, a treatment system includes an electrotherapy device having a plurality of electrodes that are in contact with a body part of a user, and a terminal device configured to be able to wirelessly communicate with the electrotherapy device. The terminal device receives an operation for adjusting the electrical stimulation intensity given to the site, and transmits a signal indicating the operation to the electrotherapy device. The electrotherapy device includes a voltage control unit that treats a site by discretely changing voltages applied to a plurality of electrodes according to an operation. The voltage control unit changes the applied voltage by the first change amount according to the operation until the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined stimulation intensity, and the applied voltage according to the operation after the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined stimulation intensity. Is changed with a second change amount smaller than the first change amount.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the convenience of the user when performing an operation for changing the electrical stimulation intensity.

It is a figure which shows the electrotherapy apparatus according to this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the external appearance of the electrotherapy device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an electrotherapy device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the increase / decrease system of the electrical stimulation intensity | strength by the electrotherapy device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the other example of the increase / decrease system of the electrical stimulation intensity | strength by the electrotherapy device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a function structure of the electrotherapy device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of the electrotherapy device according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the treatment system according to Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a structure of the electrotherapy device according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which main body 4 provided in an electrotherapy device according to Embodiment 2 is separated from holder 3 and pad 2. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a terminal device according to a second embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[Application example]
An application example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an electrotherapy device 200 according to the present embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, an electrotherapy device 200 includes a control device 205 which is a main body portion, and a pair of pads 270 to be attached to a treatment site (for example, a knee portion). The control device 205 and the pad 270 are electrically connected by a cord. The supporter 40 is a knee supporter that covers the entire knee of the user.

The electrotherapy device 200 is a low frequency treatment device that performs treatment such as relieving pain in the user's knees and relieving stiff shoulders by supplying a low frequency pulse current, for example. The frequency of the low frequency pulse current is, for example, 1 Hz to 1200 Hz.

The pad 270 has a sheet shape and is attached to the user's body. A plug corresponding to an electrode (not shown) formed on the other surface (surface contacting the body) is provided on one surface (surface not contacting the body) of the pad 270. The electrode is made of, for example, a conductive gel material.

The control device 205 includes an operation unit 302 and a voltage control unit 304 as main components.
The operation unit 302 receives various instructions regarding treatment contents from the user. Specifically, the operation unit 302 receives an instruction to adjust the electrical stimulation intensity from the user. The electrical stimulation intensity can be set in a plurality of stages. In the present embodiment, for example, it is assumed that the electrical stimulation intensity can be set in 20 stages from the minimum intensity level “1” to the maximum intensity level “20”. The user can set a desired electrical stimulation intensity by increasing or decreasing the level of the electrical stimulation intensity using the operation unit 302.

The voltage control unit 304 discretely changes the voltage applied to the electrodes provided on the pair of pads 270 in accordance with an instruction to adjust the electrical stimulation intensity via the operation unit 302. That is, the voltage control unit 304 discretely increases or decreases the voltage value of the applied voltage every time the electrical stimulation intensity increases or decreases by one step.

In this way, in the low frequency treatment device that adjusts the electrical stimulation intensity discretely, the minimum output value is specified by a predetermined standard so that strong stimulation is not suddenly given at the start of treatment, and depending on the operation The amount of increase in output per increment is specified so that the stimulus does not suddenly increase.

For example, according to JIS C 9335-2-209, the minimum set value of the output current measured using a specified circuit must be 1 mA or less, and the output increase per increase must be 1 mA or less. There is also a provision that the output regulator must be configured so that it cannot output when power is turned on in a state other than the minimum position (ie, it must start from the minimum output at the start of treatment).

Note that the IEC standard (IEC60601-2-10), which is an international standard, has provisions similar to the above JIS standard. The difference is that the minimum set value of the output is not 1 mA or less, but 2% or less of the maximum set value.

Typically, the maximum voltage value corresponding to the maximum level of the electrical stimulation intensity is predetermined according to the performance of the electrotherapy device. In the electrotherapy device compliant with the above-mentioned standard, the user needs to adjust the electrical stimulation intensity from the minimum level to the desired level at the start of treatment. As described above, in the conventional electrotherapy device, the amount of increase in the electrical stimulation intensity per operation is constant from the minimum level to the maximum level, and thus the operation until reaching the desired level becomes complicated.

Therefore, in the electrotherapy device 200 according to the present embodiment, until the electrical stimulation intensity reaches a predetermined level, the output change amount per operation amount is increased as much as possible within a range satisfying the predetermined standard, and reaches the predetermined level. After that, the output change amount per operation amount is reduced. Moreover, typically, the maximum output value corresponding to the maximum level of the electrical stimulation intensity is limited by the performance of the electrotherapy device. Therefore, in the electrotherapy device 200, the output change amount per operation amount in the high stimulation level region is reduced by increasing the output change amount per operation amount in the low stimulation level region. .

For example, it is assumed that the operation unit 302 receives an operation for increasing the level of the electrical stimulation intensity step by step from the user. In this case, the voltage control unit 304 performs one operation (for example, the amplitude value of the applied voltage) of the pair of pads 270 until the electrical stimulation intensity reaches a predetermined level (for example, level “7”). After increasing the voltage value Va per operation) and reaching a predetermined level (for example, after reaching level “7”), the voltage applied to the pair of pads 270 is set to the voltage value Vb per operation (where Vb < Increase by Va).

As a result, the amount of increase in voltage per operation is large (that is, the amount of increase in the electrical stimulation intensity is large) in the low stimulation level region where the frequency of use is low and the stimulation is relatively difficult to sense. The number of operations to reach is reduced and the annoyance is reduced. On the other hand, since the amount of increase in voltage per operation is small in a high stimulation level region where the frequency of use is high and the user feels stimulation, the stimulation intensity can be finely adjusted according to the user's preference.

Thus, according to the electrotherapy device 200, it is possible to improve the convenience of the user when performing an operation of changing the electrical stimulation intensity.

[Configuration example]
<Embodiment 1>
(appearance)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the electrotherapy device 200 according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2, electrotherapy device 200 includes a control device 205, a pair of pads 270, and a cord 280 for electrically connecting control device 205 and pad 270.

The plug 282 of the cord 280 and the plug on the pad 270 side are connected, and the cord 280 is inserted into the jack of the control device 205, whereby the control device 205 and the pad 270 are connected. When the polarity of the electrode formed on one pad 270 is positive, the polarity of the electrode formed on the other pad 270 is negative.

The control device 205 is provided with an operation interface 230 composed of various buttons and a display 260. The operation interface 230 includes a power button 232 for switching power on / off, a mode selection button 234 for selecting a treatment mode, a treatment start button 236, and an adjustment button 238 for adjusting electrical stimulation intensity. Including. Note that the operation interface 230 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may include, for example, other buttons, a dial, a switch, and the like.

The display 260 displays the electrical stimulation intensity, the remaining treatment time, the treatment mode, the wearing state of the pad 270, and various messages.

(Hardware configuration)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of electrotherapy device 200 according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 3, the control device 205 of the electrotherapy device 200 includes a processor 210, a memory 220, an operation interface 230, a power supply unit 240, a waveform generation output device 250, and a display 260. The control device 205 is connected to a pair of pads 270.

The processor 210 is typically an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Multi Processing Unit). The processor 210 functions as a control unit that controls the operation of each unit of the electrotherapy device 200 by reading and executing a program stored in the memory 220. The processor 210 realizes each process (step) of the electrotherapy device 200 described later by executing the program.

The memory 220 is realized by a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read-Only Memory), a flash memory, or the like. The memory 220 stores a program executed by the processor 210 or data used by the processor 210.

The operation interface 230 receives an operation input to the electrotherapy device 200, and includes various buttons as described above. When various buttons are operated by the user, signals from the operations are input to the processor 210.

The power supply unit 240 supplies power to each component of the electrotherapy device 200. As the power source, for example, an alkaline dry battery or a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or a nickel metal hydride battery is used to generate a driving voltage to be supplied to each component by stabilizing the battery voltage.

The waveform generation / output device 250 outputs a current (hereinafter also referred to as “treatment current”) that flows to the treatment site of the user's body via the pad 270. The waveform generation output device 250 includes a booster circuit, a voltage adjustment circuit, an output circuit, a current detection circuit, and the like.

The booster circuit boosts the power supply voltage to a predetermined voltage. The voltage adjustment circuit adjusts the voltage boosted by the booster circuit to a voltage corresponding to the electrical stimulation intensity set by the user. Specifically, in the electrotherapy device 200, the adjustment of the electrical stimulation intensity can be set at a predetermined number of levels (for example, 20 levels) by the adjustment button 238. For example, when the power button 232 is selected to turn on the electrotherapy device 200 and then the adjustment button 238 is pressed once, the electrical stimulation intensity is set to the level “1”.

Typically, the processor 210 increases the level of the electrical stimulation intensity by one step in response to an operation (increase operation) for pressing the increase button once in the adjustment button 238, and an operation for pressing the decrease button in the adjustment button 238 once. In accordance with the (decreasing operation), a control for lowering the level of the electrical stimulation intensity by one step is executed. Note that the processor 210 may increase the level one step at a time during which the increase button long-press operation (for example, an operation of pressing for 1 second or longer) continues, or the decrease button long-press operation continues. The level may be lowered one step at a time.

The processor 210 receives an electrical stimulation intensity setting input via the adjustment button 238, and instructs the waveform generation output device 250 (voltage adjustment circuit) to adjust to a voltage corresponding to the received electrical stimulation intensity.

The output circuit generates a treatment waveform (pulse waveform) corresponding to the treatment mode based on the voltage adjusted by the voltage adjustment circuit, and outputs the treatment waveform to the pad 270 (electrode thereof) via the code 280. Specifically, when the user performs an operation such as switching of the treatment mode or changing the electrical stimulation intensity via the operation interface 230, a control signal corresponding to the operation content is input from the processor 210 to the output circuit. The The output circuit outputs a treatment waveform according to the control signal.

Here, the electrotherapy device 200 has a plurality of treatment modes prepared in advance. For example, as the treatment mode, “fir”, “tap”, “push” mode, and the like can be given.

The output circuit generates electrical stimulation corresponding to various modes such as “fir”, “slap”, and “push” by changing the pulse waveform (including pulse width, pulse interval, frequency, output polarity), etc. it can. In the present embodiment, the output circuit adjusts the electrical stimulation intensity by changing the amplitude of the pulse voltage. The output circuit may be configured to adjust the electrical stimulation intensity by changing the pulse width. For example, the output circuit increases the electrical stimulation intensity by increasing the pulse width, and decreases the electrical stimulation intensity by decreasing the pulse width. A known waveform can be used as a specific pulse voltage waveform.

The current detection circuit detects the value of the current flowing between the pair of pads 270 and inputs a signal indicating the detected value to the processor 210. The processor 210 can detect whether the pad 270 is attached to the user or whether the pad 270 is not attached to the user, using the current value input from the current detection circuit. For example, when the current value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the processor 210 determines that a plurality of electrodes are in contact (that is, the pair of pads 270 are attached to the user), and the current value is predetermined. When it is less than the value, it is determined that at least one of the plurality of electrodes is not in contact (that is, at least one of the pair of pads 270 is not attached to the user).

The display 260 is configured by, for example, an LCD (liquid crystal display), and displays various types of information in accordance with instructions from the processor 210.

(Method of increasing / decreasing electrical stimulation intensity)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a method of increasing / decreasing the electrical stimulation intensity by the electrotherapy device 200 according to the first embodiment. Here, it is assumed that the electrical stimulation intensity can be set in 20 steps, the maximum intensity is level “20”, and the minimum intensity is level “1”. It is assumed that the voltage value “V0” is 0V. At this time, the electrotherapy device 200 is in a standby state before the start of treatment. The horizontal axis of FIG. 4 indicates the level, and the vertical axis indicates the voltage value of the applied voltage from the control device 205 to the pair of pads 270 (more specifically, the amplitude value of the applied voltage).

Referring to FIG. 4, electrotherapy device 200 changes the voltage value according to the level of the electrical stimulation intensity, as shown in graphs 710 to 730. In the case of the graph 710, the predetermined level described above is set to “7”. In this case, the electrotherapy device 200 changes per level (that is, per operation) until the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the level “7” (that is, until the point P1 corresponding to the voltage value V2 is reached). The voltage value is changed by the amount Cs. In addition, after the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the level “7”, the electrotherapy device 200 changes the voltage value with a change amount C1 per level (where C1 <Cs).

For example, the change amount Cs is about 0.7 times the maximum output increase amount per operation (for example, 1 mA) determined by the above-mentioned predetermined standard regarding the low frequency treatment device in consideration of the design margin and the like. It is set to be an output increase amount. That is, the change amount Cs is set so that the output current changes by about 0.7 mA per operation. The change amount C1 is a value obtained by dividing the voltage value (Vs−V2) obtained by subtracting the voltage value V2 from the voltage value Vs by the difference level “13” between the maximum level “20” and the level “7”.

In the case of the graph 720, the predetermined level described above is set to “5”. In this case, the electrotherapy device 200 changes the voltage value by the change amount Cs per level until the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the level “5” (that is, until the point P2 corresponding to the voltage value V1 is reached). After the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the level “5”, the voltage value is changed with a change amount C2 per level (where C2 <Cs).

The change amount C2 is a value obtained by dividing the voltage value (Vs−V1) obtained by subtracting the voltage value V1 from the voltage value Vs by the difference level “15” between the maximum level “20” and the level “5”. The change amount C2 is larger than the change amount C1.

In the case of the graph 730, the predetermined level described above is set to “10”. In this case, the electrotherapy device 200 changes the voltage value by the change amount Cs per level until the electric stimulation intensity reaches the level “10” (that is, until the point P3 corresponding to the voltage value V3 is reached). After the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the level “10”, the voltage value is changed with a change amount C3 per level (where C3 <Cs).

The change amount C3 is a value obtained by dividing a voltage value (Vs−V3) obtained by subtracting the voltage value V3 from the voltage value Vs by a difference level “10” between the maximum level “20” and the level “10”. The change amount C3 is smaller than the change amounts C1 and C2.

As described above, in any of the graphs 710 to 730, the change amount Cs until reaching the predetermined level is larger than the change amounts C1 to C3 after reaching the predetermined level. Therefore, the user can change the electrical stimulation intensity to a stimulation intensity with relatively strong stimulation with a small number of operations.

Also, any of the graphs 710 to 730 can be adopted depending on the frequently used area. For example, the predetermined level may be set to “10” in the case of a user who uses the low stimulation intensity and medium stimulation intensity areas less frequently and uses the high stimulation intensity areas more frequently. As a result, the electrical stimulation intensity can be finely adjusted in the region from the level “10” to “20”. For example, in the case of a user who frequently uses the low stimulus intensity region, the predetermined level may be set to “5”. This makes it possible to finely adjust the electrical stimulation intensity in the low stimulation intensity region.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of the method of increasing / decreasing the electrical stimulation intensity by the electrotherapy device 200 according to the first embodiment. Also in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the maximum intensity is level “20” and the minimum intensity is level “1”, and the voltage value “V0” is 0V. The horizontal axis in FIG. 5 indicates the level, and the vertical axis indicates the voltage value of the voltage applied between the pair of pads 270.

Referring to FIG. 5, the electrotherapy device 200 changes the voltage value according to the level of the electrical stimulation intensity as shown in graphs 740 to 760. 5 is the same as the increase / decrease method shown in FIG. 4 in that the voltage value is changed by the change amount Cs until the predetermined level is reached.

In the example of FIG. 5, in any of the graphs 740 to 760, the amount of change after the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined level is Ct (where Ct <Cs), which is the same. Specifically, in the case of the graph 740, after the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined level, it changes with the change amount Ct, and reaches the point Ps1 corresponding to the voltage value V5 at the maximum level “20”. To do. Similarly, in the case of the graph 750, the point Ps2 corresponding to the voltage value V4 is reached at the maximum level “20”, and in the case of the graph 760, the point Ps3 corresponding to the voltage value Vs is reached at the maximum level “20”. To reach.

Thus, in any of the graphs 740 to 760, the change amount Cs before the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined level is larger than the change amount Ct after the predetermined level is reached. Therefore, the user can change the electrical stimulation intensity to a stimulation intensity with relatively strong stimulation with a small number of operations.

Also, any of the graphs 740 to 760 can be adopted depending on the frequently used area. For example, in the case of a user who frequently uses the high stimulation intensity region, by setting the predetermined level to “10”, the electric stimulation intensity can be finely adjusted in the regions from “10” to “20”. It becomes possible. In addition, since the voltage value corresponding to the maximum level is large, it is possible to receive a stronger stimulus. On the other hand, for example, in the case of a user who frequently uses the low stimulation intensity region, by setting the predetermined level to “5”, it is possible to finely adjust the electrical stimulation intensity in the low stimulation intensity region.

(Functional configuration)
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the electrotherapy device 200 according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 6, electrotherapy device 200 includes an operation unit 302, a voltage control unit 304, and a setting unit 306.

The operation unit 302 receives an operation for adjusting the electrical stimulation intensity given to the part via a plurality of electrodes (that is, the pair of pads 270) that are in contact with the part of the user's body. Typically, the operation unit 302 is realized by the processor 210 and the operation interface 230.

The voltage controller 304 treats the body part by discretely changing the voltage applied to the plurality of electrodes in accordance with the adjustment operation of the electrical stimulation intensity. Specifically, the voltage control unit 304 changes the applied voltage according to the adjustment operation of the electrical stimulation intensity until the electrical stimulation intensity reaches a predetermined stimulation intensity (that is, an electrical stimulation intensity corresponding to a predetermined level). The amount is changed by Cs. In addition, after the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined stimulation intensity, the voltage control unit 304 changes the applied voltage to a change amount Cu (for example, change amounts C1 to C3, Ct) that is smaller than the change amount Cs according to the adjustment operation. Change either).

For example, the voltage control unit 304 increases the applied voltage by the change amount Cs according to an operation to increase the electrical stimulation intensity by one step until the electrical stimulation intensity reaches a predetermined stimulation intensity, and after reaching the predetermined stimulation intensity In accordance with the operation, the applied voltage is increased by the change amount Cu.

In one aspect, the voltage control unit 304 calculates the change amounts C1 to C3 based on the voltage value of the applied voltage corresponding to the maximum intensity of the electrical stimulation intensity and the voltage value of the applied voltage corresponding to the predetermined stimulation intensity. . Specifically, the calculation method of the change amounts C1 to C3 is as described above.

The setting unit 306 sets a predetermined stimulus intensity. The operation unit 302 receives a setting instruction for a predetermined stimulus intensity from the user. The setting unit 306 sets a predetermined stimulus intensity according to the setting instruction. For example, the setting instruction is an instruction for designating a level corresponding to a predetermined stimulus intensity (that is, a predetermined level).

Alternatively, the operation unit 302 receives from the user an instruction to select a region having the highest use frequency among the low stimulus strength region, the medium stimulus strength region, and the high stimulus strength region. The setting unit 306 sets a predetermined stimulus intensity based on the selection instruction. For example, the setting unit 306 sets a standard predetermined stimulus intensity (for example, a predetermined level “7”) when receiving an instruction to select a medium stimulus intensity region, and receives an instruction to select a low stimulus intensity region. In this case, a predetermined stimulus intensity (for example, a predetermined level “5”) smaller than the standard is set, and when a selection instruction for a region having a high stimulus intensity is received, a predetermined stimulus intensity (for example, the predetermined level “ 10 ") is set.

(Processing procedure)
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of the electrotherapy device 200 according to the first embodiment. Each step in FIG. 7 is mainly executed by the processor 210 of the electrotherapy device 200. Here, it is assumed that the electrotherapy device 200 changes the voltage value according to the graph 710 in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 7, the electrotherapy device 200 receives an adjustment operation of the electrical stimulation intensity through the operation interface 230 (step S10). The electrotherapy device 200 determines whether or not the received adjustment operation is an increase operation for increasing the electrical stimulation intensity (step S12). When the operation is not an increase operation (ie, a decrease operation) (NO in step S12), the electrotherapy device 200 executes a process of step S22 described later.

If it is an increase operation (YES in step S12), the electrotherapy device 200 determines whether or not the current level of the electrical stimulation intensity is less than a predetermined level (step S14). If the current level is less than the predetermined level (YES in step S14), the electrotherapy device 200 increases the voltage applied to the pair of pads 270 by the change amount Cs (step S16), and ends the process.

If the current level is equal to or higher than the predetermined level (NO in step S14), the electrotherapy device 200 determines whether or not the current level is the maximum level (step S18). If the current level is the maximum level (YES in step S18), electrotherapy device 200 ends the process. That is, the applied voltage is maintained without being increased.

On the other hand, when the current level is not the maximum level (NO in step S18), the electrotherapy device 200 increases the applied voltage by the change amount C1 (step S20), and ends the process.

Next, the processing when a decrease operation is accepted will be described. When the electrotherapy device 200 receives the decrease operation (NO in step S12), the electrotherapy device 200 determines whether or not the current level of the electrical stimulation intensity is equal to or lower than a predetermined level (step S22). If the current level is greater than the predetermined level (NO in step S22), electrotherapy device 200 decreases the applied voltage by change amount C1 (step S24), and ends the process.

If the current level is equal to or lower than the predetermined level (YES in step S22), the electrotherapy device 200 determines whether or not the current level is the minimum level (step S26). If the current level is the minimum level (YES in step S26), electrotherapy device 200 ends the process. That is, the applied voltage is maintained without being reduced.

On the other hand, when the current level is not the minimum level (NO in step S26), the electrotherapy device 200 decreases the applied voltage by the change amount Cs (step S28), and ends the process.

<Embodiment 2>
(System configuration)
In the first embodiment, a configuration has been described in which a user is treated with a single electrotherapy device. In the second embodiment, a configuration in which a terminal device and an electrotherapy device are wirelessly connected and the electrotherapy device performs treatment according to an instruction from the terminal device will be described. Note that the terminal device mainly serves as the operation interface 230 and the display 260 of the electrotherapy device 200 in the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the treatment system 1 according to the second embodiment. Referring to FIG. 8, treatment system 1 includes a terminal device 10 that is a user terminal, electrotherapy devices 20 </ b> A and 20 </ b> B, and a network 30. Hereinafter, when a common configuration and function of each of the

electrotherapy devices

20A and 20B are described, they are collectively referred to as “electrotherapy device 20”.

The electrotherapy device 20 is a cordless type, and has a pad, a holder, and a main body unit that are integrated at the time of use, and performs treatment by combining these units. A specific configuration of the electrotherapy device 20 will be described later.

The terminal device 10 is, for example, a smartphone including a touch panel. Hereinafter, a smartphone will be described as a representative example of a “terminal device”. However, the terminal device may be another terminal device such as a foldable mobile phone, a tablet terminal device, or a personal computer (PC).

The network 30 for connecting the terminal device 10 and the electrotherapy device 20 employs a short-range wireless communication method, and typically employs BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) low energy). Therefore, the terminal device 10 and the electrotherapy device 20 are BLE devices having a function of performing wireless communication using BLE. However, the network 30 is not limited to this, and other wireless communication methods such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and wireless LAN (local area network) may be adopted.

In the treatment system 1 according to the second embodiment, the terminal device 10 gives various instructions to the paired and

connected electrotherapy devices

20A and 20B using an installed application. Moreover, the terminal device 10 displays various information on the display 158 and notifies the user of necessary information. For example, the terminal device 10 may display information received from the electrotherapy device 20 on the display 158.

(Configuration of electrotherapy device 20)
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the electrotherapy device 20 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state where main body 4 provided in electrotherapy device 20 according to the second embodiment is separated from holder 3 and pad 2.

9 and 10, the electrotherapy device 20 is a so-called cordless type low-frequency treatment device, and includes a pad 2, a holder 3, and a main body 4.

The pad 2 has a sheet shape and is attached to the user's body. Of the outer surface of the pad 2, a conductive layer 2a is provided on the surface (lower surface) of the body side portion 21 facing the body. The pad 2 is affixed on the user's skin using a conductive gel or the like, and a low frequency pulse current is supplied to the user through the conductive layer 2a.

Referring to FIG. 10, pad 2 has attachment portion 2X and treatment portion 2Y. The attachment portion 2X is held by the holder 3. The attachment portion 2X is provided with a window portion 23 and a through hole 2H. A positioning projection 312 of the holder 3 is disposed inside the window portion 23. The interlock pin 33 of the holder 3 is inserted through the through hole 2H. The treatment part 2Y is provided on both left and right outer sides of the attachment part 2X, and the conductive layer 2a is exposed on the body side part 21 of the treatment part 2Y.

The conductive layer 2 a is also exposed on the surface of the mounting portion 2 </ b> X facing the body portion 4, and this exposed portion constitutes the pad side electrode portion 22. The pad side electrode part 22 is formed for electrical connection with the main body part side electrode part 43, and the conductive layer 2a corresponding to one electrode part (for example, + electrode) is exposed at one end of the attachment part 2X. The conductive layer 2a corresponding to the other electrode part (for example, the negative electrode) is exposed at the other end of the attachment part 2X.

Referring to FIG. 10, the holder 3 includes a pad holding portion 31 having a plate shape, and a pair of wall portions 32 rising from both ends of the pad holding portion 31. A mounting portion 2X for the pad 2 is disposed on the upper surface 311 of the pad holding portion 31. A double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, glue, adhesive, or the like is disposed between the upper surface 311 and the attachment portion 2X as necessary.

The pad holding part 31 is provided with a positioning protrusion 312. The pad 2 is positioned with respect to the holder 3 by aligning the inner peripheral edge of the window portion 23 provided on the pad 2 with the positioning protrusion 312. An interlock pin 33 is also provided at the center of the pad holding portion 31. When the pad 2 is attached to the holder 3, the interlock pin 33 is inserted into the through hole 2H.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, body portion 4 includes case 4a having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as an exterior body. A guide engagement portion 5 (FIG. 9) is formed between the case 4 a and the holder 3, and the main body portion 4 (case 4 a) is detachably attached to the holder 3. The guide engaging portion 5 includes a protrusion 51 (FIG. 10) formed on the side surface 41 of the case 4 a and a groove portion 52 (FIG. 10) formed on the wall portion 32 of the holder 3.

Referring to FIG. 10, the groove part 52 includes a vertical groove part 521 and a horizontal groove part 522. The vertical groove portion 521 is formed in the vertical direction and is open upward. The lateral groove portion 522 is formed in the lateral direction and is open at both ends. When the main body 4 is attached to the holder 3, the protrusion 51 and the groove 52 are moved toward each other in the direction in which they face each other to be engaged. By rotating the main body 4 relative to the holder 3, the engagement between the two is released and the main body 4 can be removed from the holder 3.

The main body 4 supplies a low-frequency pulse current to the conductive layer 2 a of the pad 2 while being attached to the holder 3. Specifically, the main body 4 includes a pair of main body side electrodes 43, a substrate (not shown), an electric circuit (not shown), and an interlock mechanism (not shown). The electric circuit includes various control devices and is mounted on the surface of the substrate.

The control device includes a processor for executing various processes, a memory for storing programs and data, a communication interface for wirelessly communicating various data with the terminal device 10, boosting of power supply voltage, low frequency pulse current (treatment A waveform generating / outputting device for generating and outputting current).

The substrate, electric circuit, and interlock mechanism are provided inside the main body 4 (case 4a). A power source (not shown) such as a battery is also provided inside the main body 4 (case 4a). Outside the case 4a, a switch 48S, a display unit (not shown) such as an LED (light emitting diode), a button (not shown), and the like are provided.

In the state where the main body 4 is attached to the holder 3, the tip of the main body side electrode 43 is in contact with the pad side electrode 22. Thereby, the main body side electrode part 43 and the pad side electrode part 22 are brought into conduction, and the electric circuit can supply a low frequency pulse current to the pad side electrode part 22.

(Configuration of terminal device 10)
FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an exemplary hardware configuration of terminal apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment. Referring to FIG. 11, the terminal device 10 includes, as main components, a processor 152, a memory 154, an input device 156, a display 158, a wireless communication unit 160, a memory interface (I / F) 164, A communication interface (I / F) 166, a speaker 168, and a microphone 170 are included.

The processor 152 is typically an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU or MPU. The memory 154 is realized by a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, or the like.

The input device 156 accepts an operation input to the terminal device 10. Typically, the input device 156 is realized by a touch panel. The touch panel is provided on a display 158 having a function as a display unit, and is, for example, a capacitance type. However, the input device 156 may include a button or the like.

The wireless communication unit 160 connects to the mobile communication network via the communication antenna 162 and transmits and receives signals for wireless communication. Thereby, the terminal device 10 can communicate with other communication devices via a mobile communication network such as LTE (Long Term Evolution).

The processor 152 reads the data stored in the storage medium 165 via the memory interface 164 and stores the data in the memory 154. The processor 152 reads data from the memory 154 and stores the data in the external storage medium 165 via the memory interface 164.

The storage medium 165 is non-volatile such as CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), BD (Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc), USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, SD (Secure Digital) memory card, etc. Includes media for storing programs.

The communication interface (I / F) 166 is a communication interface for exchanging various data between the terminal device 10 and the electrotherapy device 20, and is realized by an adapter, a connector, or the like. As the communication system, for example, a wireless communication system such as BLE or wireless LAN is adopted.

The speaker 168 converts the audio signal given from the processor 152 into audio and outputs it to the outside of the terminal device 10. The microphone 170 receives an audio input to the terminal device 10 and gives an audio signal corresponding to the audio input to the processor 152.

(Functional configuration)
The electrotherapy device 20 has the same configuration as the voltage control unit 304 and the setting unit 306 in the configuration of the electrotherapy device 200 illustrated in FIG. 6. Each of these configurations is realized by a control device included in the main body 4 of the electrotherapy device 20. In addition, the operation unit 302 illustrated in FIG. 6 is realized by the processor 152 of the terminal device 10.

In the first embodiment, the user gives various instructions to the electrotherapy device 200 via the operation interface 230. In the second embodiment, the user gives various instructions to the terminal device 10 via the input device 156, and the instructions are transmitted from the terminal device 10 to the electrotherapy device 20, thereby indirectly to the electrotherapy device 20. Give these instructions. That is, the electrotherapy device 20 receives an instruction input from the user via the terminal device 10. More specifically, the electrotherapy device 20 receives an instruction input from the user transmitted from the terminal device 10 via the communication interface. For example, the terminal device 10 receives an operation for adjusting the electrical stimulation intensity, and transmits a signal indicating the operation to the electrotherapy device 20. The electrotherapy device 20 adjusts the level of the electrical stimulation intensity according to the operation corresponding to the signal.

In the first embodiment, the treatment current is supplied to the treatment site by applying a voltage between the electrode of one pad 270 having a positive polarity and the electrode of the other pad 270 having a negative polarity. . In the second embodiment, since two electrodes corresponding to the positive polarity and the negative polarity are formed on one pad 2, the treatment current is applied to the treatment site by applying a pulse voltage waveform between these electrodes. It becomes the composition which flows.

Further, various information stored in the memory 220 for the electrotherapy device 200 to execute the above-described processing in the first embodiment is typically stored in the memory of the electrotherapy device 20. However, a configuration in which some information is stored in the memory 154 of the terminal device 10 may be employed. Further, the electrotherapy device 20 is configured to transmit information necessary for notifying the user, information to be stored in the terminal device 10, and the like to the terminal device 10.

<Other embodiments>
(1) In the first embodiment described above, the configuration using the pair of pads 270 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and an electrode for positive polarity and an electrode for negative polarity are formed on one pad. It may be configured.

(2) In the embodiment described above, it is also possible to provide a program that causes a computer to function and execute control as described in the above flowchart. Such a program is recorded on a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk attached to the computer, a CD (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), a secondary storage device, a main storage device, and a memory card. It can also be provided as a program product. Alternatively, the program can be provided by being recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk built in the computer. A program can also be provided by downloading via a network.

(3) The configuration exemplified as the above-described embodiment is an example of the configuration of the present invention, and can be combined with another known technique, and a part thereof is not deviated from the gist of the present invention. It is also possible to change and configure such as omitting. In the above-described embodiment, the processing and configuration described in the other embodiments may be adopted as appropriate.

[Appendix]
As described above, the present embodiment includes the following disclosure.

[Configuration 1]
A plurality of electrodes in contact with a part of the user's body;
An operation unit (302) for receiving an operation for adjusting the electrical stimulation intensity applied to the site;
A voltage control unit (304) for performing treatment of the site by discretely changing applied voltages to the plurality of electrodes according to the operation;
The voltage control unit (304)
Until the electrical stimulation intensity reaches a predetermined stimulation intensity, the applied voltage is changed by a first change amount according to the operation,
An electrotherapy device (200) that changes the applied voltage by a second change amount smaller than the first change amount in accordance with the operation after the electric stimulus intensity reaches the predetermined stimulus intensity.

[Configuration 2]
The voltage control unit (304)
Until the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined stimulation intensity, the applied voltage is increased by the first change amount according to an operation of increasing the electrical stimulation intensity by one step,
The electrical therapy device according to configuration 1, wherein after the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined stimulation intensity, the applied voltage is increased by the second change amount according to an operation of increasing the electrical stimulation intensity by one step. 200).

[Configuration 3]
The electrotherapy device (200) according to

configuration

1 or 2, further comprising a setting unit (306) for setting the predetermined stimulation intensity.

[Configuration 4]
The voltage control unit (304), based on the voltage value of the applied voltage corresponding to the maximum intensity of the electrical stimulation intensity and the voltage value of the applied voltage corresponding to the predetermined stimulation intensity, The electrotherapy device (200) according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein

[Configuration 5]
The electrotherapy device (200) according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, wherein the electrotherapy device (200) is a low frequency treatment device.

[Configuration 6]
The electrotherapy device (200) according to Configuration 5, wherein the first change amount is set to comply with a predetermined standard related to the low frequency treatment device.

[Configuration 7]
An electrotherapy device (20) having a plurality of electrodes in contact with a body part of the user;
A terminal device (10) configured to be capable of wireless communication with the electrotherapy device (20),
The terminal device (10) receives an operation for adjusting the electrical stimulation intensity given to the site, and transmits a signal indicating the operation to the electrotherapy device (20).
The electrotherapy device (20)
A voltage control unit (304) for performing treatment of the region by discretely changing the applied voltage to the plurality of electrodes according to the operation;
The voltage control unit (304)
Until the electrical stimulation intensity reaches a predetermined stimulation intensity, the applied voltage is changed by a first change amount according to the operation,
The treatment system (1), wherein after the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined stimulation intensity, the applied voltage is changed by a second change amount smaller than the first change amount according to the operation.

The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

1 treatment system, 2,270 pad, 2H through-hole, 2X attachment part, 2Y treatment part, 2a conductive layer, 3 holder, 4 body part, 4a case, 5 induction engaging part, 10 terminal device, 20,200 electrotherapy 21 body side part 22 pad side electrode part 23 window part 30 network 31 pad holding part 32 wall part 33 interlock pin 40 supporter 43 body part side electrode part 48S switch 51 protrusion 52 groove part, 152, 210 processor, 154, 220 memory, 156 input device, 158, 260 display, 160 wireless communication part, 162 communication antenna, 164 memory interface, 165 storage medium, 168 speaker, 170 microphone, 205 control device, 230 Operation interface Chair, 232 power button, 234 mode selection button, 236 treatment start button, 238 adjustment button, 240 power supply unit, 250 waveform generation output device, 280 code, 282 plug, 302 operation unit, 304 voltage control unit, 306 setting unit, 312 Positioning projections, 521, vertical groove, 522, horizontal groove.

Claims

A plurality of electrodes in contact with a part of the user's body;
An operation unit that receives an operation for adjusting the electrical stimulation intensity given to the part;
A voltage control unit that treats the site by discretely changing applied voltages to the plurality of electrodes according to the operation;
The voltage controller is
Until the electrical stimulation intensity reaches a predetermined stimulation intensity, the applied voltage is changed by a first change amount according to the operation,
An electrotherapy device that changes the applied voltage by a second change amount smaller than the first change amount in accordance with the operation after the electric stimulus intensity reaches the predetermined stimulus intensity.
The voltage controller is
Until the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined stimulation intensity, the applied voltage is increased by the first change amount according to an operation of increasing the electrical stimulation intensity by one step,
2. The electrotherapy device according to claim 1, wherein after the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined stimulation intensity, the applied voltage is increased by the second change amount according to an operation of increasing the electrical stimulation intensity by one step. .
The electrotherapy device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a setting unit for setting the predetermined stimulation intensity.
The voltage control unit calculates the second change amount based on a voltage value of the applied voltage corresponding to the maximum intensity of the electrical stimulation intensity and a voltage value of the applied voltage corresponding to the predetermined stimulation intensity. The electrotherapy device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The electrotherapy device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the electrotherapy device is a low frequency therapy device.
The electrotherapy device according to claim 5, wherein the first change amount is set to comply with a predetermined standard related to the low frequency treatment device.
An electrotherapy device having a plurality of electrodes in contact with a body part of a user;
A terminal device configured to be capable of wireless communication with the electrotherapy device,
The terminal device receives an operation for adjusting the electrical stimulation intensity given to the site, transmits a signal indicating the operation to the electrotherapy device,
The electrotherapy device is:
In accordance with the operation, including a voltage control unit that treats the site by discretely changing the voltage applied to the plurality of electrodes,
The voltage controller is
Until the electrical stimulation intensity reaches a predetermined stimulation intensity, the applied voltage is changed by a first change amount according to the operation,
After the electrical stimulation intensity reaches the predetermined stimulation intensity, the treatment system changes the applied voltage by a second change amount smaller than the first change amount according to the operation.