This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. ยง 119 of German Application DE 10 2004 058 781.1 filed Dec. 7, 2004, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention pertains to an occupational safety product with at least one contactless measuring electrode
Electrodes commonly used hitherto are used to measure physiological parameters on the basis of time-dependent potentials for an electrocardiogram (ECG) or the heart rate (HR) of the user of occupational safety products such as breathing masks or respirators. The physical load during the performance of work is thus monitored. The integration of the physiological sensors, such as ECG electrodes used so far in the protective gear of users of respirators usually requires direct contact with the skin. For example, ECG electrodes consist of a silver-silver chloride combination and are applied with a gel-like electrolyte. The contact resistance varies, among other things, with the pressure with which the electrodes are applied and the properties of the skin surface of the user. In addition, there exist electrochemical potentials called half-cell potentials at the transition between electrodes and electrolyte, which lead to d.c. signals and make signal processing difficult because of the offset voltages that are variant in time.
ECG measuring set-ups, in particular, require a reference electrode on the body which must be arranged additionally, so that a direct galvanic connection is established with the body at a suitable site. The rapid and reliable arrangement of measuring electrodes with measuring cables has not been easy to bring about so far and is not feasible in every region of the body, because integration in occupational safety products such as breathing masks or respirators, such as compressed air breathing apparatus, is possible with difficulty at best. The reliability and the durability of the application of the electrodes is additionally greatly compromised by the work typically performed by users of occupational safety products.
The object of the present invention is to improve the measuring electrodes in terms of handling and measurement for users of occupational safety products, so that the adaptation of the measuring electrodes is possible in a short time and reliably at a defined distance from the skin surface. In addition, a reference electrode can be integrated in the occupational safety product.
According to the invention an occupational safety product is provided with at least one said contactless measuring electrode for detecting physiological parameters of the user of the occupational safety product.
Due to the use of contactless measuring electrodes and especially due to the use of measuring electrodes detecting the voltage potentials capacitively, as is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,686,800 B2, a direct galvanic skin contact of the measuring electrodes is no longer necessary. Measuring electrodes detecting voltage potentials capacitively also operate through one or more layers of textile, so that they can also be applied for applications other than users of protective clothes. The most constant distance possible between the skin of the body/body surface and the measuring electrode, which is determined by the geometry of the occupational safety product used for the measuring electrodes, should be ensured.
The occupational safety product may be a breathing mask and the at least one contactless measuring electrode may be incorporated in the mask body or in the strap of the mask.
The occupational safety product may be a respirator and the at least one contactless measuring electrode may be incorporated in the respirator itself, in the carrying device of the respirator or in the carrying belt of the respirator.
The occupational safety product may be protective clothes of the user and the at least one contactless measuring electrode may be incorporated in the protective clothes.
The at least one contactless measuring electrode may be an electrode capacitively detecting the electric voltage potential of the user of the respirator product.
The at least one measuring electrode may be used, together with the additional electrodes, to record an electrocardiogram and/or to detect the heart rate of the user of the occupational safety product.
A reference electrode may be present in the occupational safety product that is in direct contact with the skin of the user of the occupational safety product.
The at least one measuring electrode and/or the reference electrode may be connected to a evaluating unit for the measured signals of the electrodes, which is worn by the user of the occupational safety product. The evaluating unit may be connected to a mission command center for data transfer in a wireless manner.
The contactless measuring electrodes used can be installed in a breathing mask, in a respirator, such as a compressed air breathing apparatus, or the protective clothes of, for example, a firefighter. The drawbacks described in the introduction are avoided now and no additional handling steps are necessary to place and fix the measuring electrodes for detecting physiological parameters correctly at a defined distance from the skin surface on the user's body.
In particular, slipping of the measuring electrodes is also avoided during the mission of the user of the occupational safety product. The reference electrode necessary for an ECG measurement can likewise be arranged at the occupational safety product, but in direct contact with the user's skin.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below on the basis of the figures. The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.
In the drawings:
Referring to the drawings in particular,
If it is ensured by the dimensioning of the occupational safety product at the site of the measuring electrodes 2 that the distance between the measuring electrodes 2 and the user's body is only a few mm, a measured signal quality that corresponds at least to [that of] the conventional electrodes with direct skin contact is obtained.
The ECG signals determined from the measured signals in the evaluating unit 40 are optionally stored or can be sent, for example, to a mission command center of the fire station by means of a line or even in a wireless manner.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2004 058 781.7 | Dec 2004 | DE | national |