Patent Application
20250099006
The invention relates to a bio-signal receiving device, a flexible patch electrode structure, bio-signal apparatus and a connection method of a bio-signal apparatus.
An electronic device, which measures bio-signals such as ECG (ElectroCardioGram) and EEG (ElectroEncephaloGram), must be well contacted with the electrodes that are in contact with the body and mechanically reliably fixed to its support. At least some kind electromechanical part is used for connecting and attaching a non-disposable bio-signal measurement device with a disposable patch electrode arrangement, and the electromechanical part is structurally and/or electrically rather complicated. It may also contain metal parts or even some assembled electrical connector to interface with the non-disposable bio-signal measurement device. There has been development in this field but further improvement is still desired.
The present invention seeks to provide an improvement in the measurements.
The invention is defined by the independent claims. Embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.
If one or more of the embodiments is considered not to fall under the scope of the independent claims, such an embodiment is or such embodiments are still useful for understanding features of the invention.
Example embodiments of the present invention are described below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
The following embodiments are only examples. Although the specification may refer to “an” embodiment in several locations, this does not necessarily mean that each such reference is to the same embodiment(s), or that the feature only applies to a single embodiment.
The articles “a” and “an” give a general sense of entities, structures, components, compositions, operations, functions, connections or the like in this document. Note also that singular terms may include pluralities.
Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments. Furthermore, words “comprising” and “including” should be understood as not limiting the described embodiments to consist of only those features that have been mentioned and such embodiments may also contain features/structures that have not been specifically mentioned. All combinations of 30 the embodiments are considered possible if their combination does not lead to structural or logical contradiction.
Many bio-signals are electrical signals formed by the nervous system or electrical conduction system of a mammal and hence such signals may also be in such cases called bioelectrical signals. Some other bio-signals are not electrical signals, per se, and examples of such signals are temperature and sound.
Patch electrode structure 18 comprises a second electrical connector structure 104, which is electrically connected with the electrodes 50 through electrical conductors of the patch electrode structure 18. The electrical conductors of the patch electrode structure 18 are not shown in Figs because a person skilled in the art is familiar with a patch electrode structure, per se.
The patch electrode structure 18 is typically a piece of sheet that may be narrow like a band or broad like a wide planar surface and it is often fairly thin and flexible. Thickness of the patch electrode structure 18 may resemble those of sheet of plastic, paper, board or cloth. The patch electrode structure 18 is configured to be in contact with skin or mucous membrane of a mammal such as a human being for a bio-signal measurement. The bio-signal may be related to body movement, body temperature, heart rate variability, electrocardiogram, electromyogram, electroencephalogram or the like for example. During a measurement, the patch electrode structure 18 feeds directly or indirectly electrical bio-signals to a non-disposable bio-signal receiving device 200 that is separate from the patch electrode structure 18. The disposable patch electrode structure 18 may have a PET-layer, for example.
The first connection part 10 comprises a plane arrangement 110 that comprises the first electrical connector structure 103 on an outer surface of the plane arrangement 110. The first electrical connector structure 103 comprises electrical connectors 101 such as electrical pads for an electrical coupling. The electrical connectors 101 are electrically coupled with an electrical circuit of the bio-signal receiving device 200. The coupling may be based on electrical conductors therebetween.
The first mechanical connector 100 comprises at least one bar 112 and an asymmetrical plate structure 114. A longitudinal axis LA of the bar 112 is at least approximately parallel to a normal to the plane arrangement 110. The longitudinal axis LA of the at least one bar 112 is also parallel to a rotational axis RA. The at least one bar 112 is integrated with the asymmetrical plate structure 114. One end of each of the at least one bar 112 is in contact with the asymmetrical plate structure 114. The integration may mean that the asymmetrical plate structure 114 and the at least one bar 112 are of the same material in a continuous manner. The integration may mean that the asymmetrical plate structure 114 and the at least one bar 112 are separate pieces of material but they are attached with each other. Another end of the at least one bar 112 is structurally coupled with the plane arrangement 110. The at least one bar 112 may be structurally attached with the plane arrangement 110.
The plane arrangement 110 and the at least one bar 112 may be of the same material in a continuous manner. The plane arrangement 110 and the at least one bar 112 may be separate pieces of material attached with each other. The asymmetrical plate structure 114 and the plane arrangement 110 have a non-zero distance therebetween based on a height of the at least one bar 112. As shown in
The asymmetrical plate structure 114 limits a connection and orientation between the first mechanical connector 100 and a counterpart to those with acceptance of the asymmetry. That is, both the plate 114 and its counterpart must be compatible with each other from the asymmetry point of view.
The asymmetrical plate structure 114 is inserted into a counterpart and the first mechanical connection part 100 is connected with the counterpart by a rotation between them. The rotation moves an upper surface 116 of the asymmetrical plate structure 114 against a surface of the counterpart, the upper surface 116 facing the plane arrangement 110. The counterpart structure enters to a gap between the upper surface 116 and the plane arrangement 110, which mechanically couples the asymmetrical plate structure 114 and the counterpart together. A backward rotation enables disconnection between the asymmetrical plate structure and the counterpart. A possible counterpart is the second connection part 12 of the flexible patch structure 18, which enables a connection and a disconnection between the bio-signal receiving device 200 and the flexible patch structure 18.
In an embodiment, the asymmetrical plate structure 114 extends radially in all directions from a rotational axis RA such that some sectors extend further than some other sectors. Thus, the asymmetrical plate structure 114 comprises several sectorial extensions 120 that extend radially further outward from the rotational axis RA than neighboring sectorial sections 121 of the asymmetrical plate structure 114 beside them as shown in
In an embodiment, at least part of the first connection part 10 is made of a wear-proof and/or abrasion-resistant material that is resistant to wear and friction caused by repeated attachment and release with a counterpart. The material of the first connection part 10 may be tougher than that of a case of the bio-signal receiving device 200. In an embodiment, the asymmetrical plate structure 114 is made of wear-proof and/or abrasion-resistant material while the bar 112 and the plane arrangement 110 are not necessarily made of such material or material of corresponding wear-proof and/or abrasion-resistance.
A flexible patch electrode structure 18 of a bio-signal apparatus comprises skin electrodes 50 for contact with the skin of a mammal as shown in an example of
The second electrical connection part 12 is in an electrical connection with the skin electrodes 50 through conductors of the structure of the flexible patch electrode structure 18 (this feature is not illustrated in Figs but a person skilled in the art is familiar with such connections in the flexible patch electrode structure 18, per se).
As shown in example of
The second connection part 12 comprises a plane structure 150 that comprises an asymmetrical hole 152 therethrough. The asymmetrical hole 152 and the asymmetrical plate structure 114 are similarly asymmetrical which enables insertion of the asymmetrical plate structure 114 into the asymmetrical hole 152. That is, the asymmetrical hole 152 is wide in locations which are configured to accept the sectorial extensions 120 and correspondingly the asymmetrical hole 152 is narrow in locations which are configured to accept the sectorial sections 121. That the asymmetrical hole 152 is wide means that a diameter of the asymmetrical hole 152 is larger in such a location than in a location where the asymmetrical hole 152 is narrow.
The second electrical connector structure 104 is on a second side of the plane structure 150. The second side is opposite to a first side, the first side facing the skin in conjunction with an application of the flexible patch electrode structure 18 to the skin. In that manner the first electrical connector structure 103 and the second electrical connector structure 104 may face each other that enables a galvanic contact between electrical connectors 101 associated with the bio-signal receiving device 200, for example, and electrical connectors 105 of the plane structure 150 of the flexible patch electrode structure 18 (see
In an embodiment an example of which is illustrated in
In an embodiment, the asymmetrical hole 152 and the wedge structure 154 are parts of the second connector 12. The asymmetrical hole 152 and the counterpart that accepts the asymmetry are configured to attach together in response to a rotational movement between the second connection part 12 and the counterpart. The counterpart may be the first mechanical connection part 100 or the like for example.
The wedge structure 154 may cause tightening and loosening a mechanical connection between the second mechanical connector 12 and the counterpart in response to a rotational movement between the second connection part 12 and the counterpart.
The wedge structure 154 may thus enable tightening the connection between the first mechanical connection part 100 and the second mechanical connection part 102 in response to rotation in one direction. Correspondinly, the wedge structure 154 enables loosening the connection between the first mechanical connection part 100 and the second mechanical connection part 102 in response to rotation in an opposite direction.
In an embodiment that is illustrated in
The asymmetrical plate structure 114 is configured to pass through the asymmetrical hole 152 in a position allowed by a common asymmetry and proceed on the wedge structure 154 in response to a rotation between the first connection part 10 and the second connection part 12, a rotational axis being parallel with a longitudinal axis of the bar 112.
The wedge structure 154 is configured to cause tightening and loosening the mechanical connection between the first mechanical connector 100 and the second mechanical connector 102 in response to the direction of rotational movement between the first connection part 10 and the second connection part 12. The rotation is configured to move a surface 116 of the asymmetrical plate structure 114, which faces the plane arrangement 110, against a surface of the plane structure 150 of the second connection part 12. The surface of the plane structure 150 against which the asymmetrical plane structure 114 moves is on the same side as the skin electrodes.
In an embodiment, the flexible patch electrode 18 may comprise a first positional structure 300 that is a counterpart for a second positional structure 302 of the first connection part 10. The first positional structure 300 and the second positional structure 302 are configured to attach together in response to the rotation tightening the mechanical connection between the first mechanical connector 10 and the second mechanical connector 12 by the rotational movement between the first connection part 10 and the second mechanical connector 12. The first positional structure 300 and the second positional structure 302 keep the flexible patch electrode 18 and the bio-signal receiving device 200 immobile with respect to each other during their attachment together.
The folded section, which comprises an elastic structure 310 within the fold 14 that can also be called a folded section causes a spring force to attachment of the first connection part 10 and the second connection part 12 when they attached together in a normally tightened manner. The fold 14 is formed such that the patch electrode structure 18 at one end is folded over such so that a part of the electrode structure 18 is positioned on top of another part. An elastic structure 310 may be inserted between the parts positioned on each another as illustrated in
A surface foam 60, which is shown in
In an embodiment an example of which is illustrated in
The user interface 504 means an input/output device and/or unit. Non-limiting examples of a user interface include a touch screen, other electronic display screen, keyboard, mouse, microphone, handheld electronic controller, digital stylus, display screen, speaker, and/or projector for projecting a visual display.
The term “computer” includes a computational device that performs logical and arithmetic operations. For example, a “computer” may comprise an electronic computational device, such as an integrated circuit, a microprocessor, a mobile computing device, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a personal computer, or a mainframe computer. A “computer” may comprise a central processing unit, an ALU (arithmetic logic unit), a memory unit, and a control unit that controls actions of other components of the computer so that steps of a computer program are executed in a desired sequence. A “computer” may also include at least one peripheral unit that may include an auxiliary memory (such as a disk drive or flash memory), and/or may include data processing circuitry.
A bio-signal apparatus comprises both the bio-signal receiving device 200 the flexible patch electrode structure 18 illustrated in
In step 900, an asymmetrical plate structure 114 of a first mechanical connection part 100 of a bio-signal receiving device 200 is inserted through an correspondingly asymmetrical hole 152 of the second mechanical connection part 102 of a flexible patch electrode structure 18, the asymmetrical plate structure 114 being structurally integrated with one side of at least one bar 112 and another side of the at least one bar 112 being coupled with a plane arrangement 110 of the first mechanical connection part 100, the asymmetrical plate structure 114 and the plane arrangement 110 having a non-zero distance therebetween.
In step 902, connection and orientation between the first mechanical connector 100 and the second connection part 102 is limited to those with acceptance of the asymmetry.
In step 904, the bio-signal receiving device 200 and the flexible patch electrode structure 18 are rotated with respect to each other round a rotational axis RA that is parallel to a longitudinal axis LA of the at least one bar 112 in order to move an upper surface 116 of the asymmetrical plate structure 114 against the flat structure 150, the lower surface 116 facing the plane arrangement 110, the rotation causing a mechanical and electrical connection of the bio-signal receiving device 200 and the flexible patch electrode structure 18 together.
It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. The invention and its embodiments are not limited to the example embodiments described above but may vary within the scope of the claims.
