Bioelectrical Information Acquisition Device And Inappropriately-Attached-Electrode Identifying Method

• US 20090012381A1
• Filed: 01/25/2007
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Inventors: Kuramori, Akira, Sadoyama, Tsugutake, Kamijo, Masayoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,195,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/393
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0215 Silver or silver chloride containing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/276 Protection against electrode failure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure

Abstract

A plurality of electrode pairs, each of which is constituted by two electrodes of the plurality of biomedical electrodes are set and at least one of an electrical impedance value between two electrodes forming a pair and a resistance value between the two electrodes, for each of the electrode pairs is measured. An attachment state of each of the electrode pairs is judged by comparing the impedance value or the resistance value, with a predetermined range of numeric values. An electrode in an inappropriate attachment state is identified from the plurality of electrode pairs based on the judged attachment state o each of the plurality of electrode pairs.

Claims

1. A bioelectrical information acquisition device comprising:

at least three or more biomedical electrodes attached to a skin surface of a person to be measured for monitoring a bioelectrical information, the bioelectrical information generated along with biological activities of the person;

an acquisition section for acquiring the monitored bioelectrical information;

a resistance measuring section for setting a plurality of electrode pairs, each pair constituted by two electrodes of the plurality of biomedical electrodes and measuring at least one of an electrical impedance value and a resistance value between two electrodes forming each of the electrode pairs,

an attachment state judging section for judging an attachment state of each of the electrode pairs, by comparing the impedance value or the resistance value measured by the resistance measuring section, with a predetermined range of numeric values; and

an inappropriate electrode identifying section for identifying an electrode in an inappropriate attachment state from the plurality of electrode pairs based on the attachment state of each of the plurality of electrode pairs, the attachment state judged by attachment state judging section.

2. The bioelectrical information acquisition device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a signal judgment section for judging whether the inappropriate attachment state occurs in at least one of the plurality of biomedical electrodes, by comparing the bioelectrical information acquired by the acquisition section with a predetermined range of numeric values; and

a control section for controlling an operation of each of the acquisition section, the resistance measuring section, the attachment state judging section, the inappropriate electrode identifying section, and the signal judgment section;

wherein the control section causes the acquisition section to stop acquiring the bioelectrical information, in a case where the signal judgment section has judged that the inappropriate attachment state occurs in at least one of the plurality of biomedical electrodes,

the control section causes the resistance measuring section to measure at least one of the electrical impedance value and the resistance value,

the control section causes the attachment state judging section to judge the attachment state of each of the electrode pairs, and

the control section causes the inappropriate electrode identifying section to identify an electrode in the inappropriate attachment state, while acquiring the bioelectrical information is being stopped.

3. The bioelectrical information acquisition device according to claim 1, further comprising a notification section for notifying the person to be measured of a position of the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state identified by the inappropriate electrode identifying section.

4. The bioelectrical information acquisition device according to claim 3, wherein the notification section gives an electrical stimulus from a specified electrode to the person to be measured by applying a voltage to the specified electrode, the specified electrode corresponding to the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state identified by the inappropriate electrode identifying section, to thereby notify the person to be measured of a position of the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state.

5. The bioelectrical information acquisition device according to claim 3, further comprising an alarming section for generating at least one of sound and light, the alarming section provided to each of the electrodes;

wherein the notification section operates an alarming section provided to the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state to thereby notify the person to be measured of a position of the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state, the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state identified by the inappropriate electrode identifying section.

11. The bioelectrical information acquisition device according to claim 2, further comprising a notification section for notifying the person to be measured of a position of the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state identified by the inappropriate electrode identifying section.

12. The bioelectrical information acquisition device according to claim 11, wherein the notification section gives an electrical stimulus from a specified electrode to the person to be measured by applying a voltage to the specified electrode, the specified electrode corresponding to the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state identified by the inappropriate electrode identifying section, to thereby notify the person to be measured of a position of the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state.

13. The bioelectrical information acquisition device according to claim 11, further comprising an alarming section for generating at least one of sound and light, the alarming section provided to each of the electrodes;

wherein the notification section operates an alarming section provided to the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state to thereby notify the person to be measured of a position of the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state, the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state identified by the inappropriate electrode identifying section.

6. An inappropriately-attached-electrode identifying method for identifying an electrode in an inappropriate attachment state when monitoring and acquiring bioelectrical information, the bioelectrical information generated in accordance with biological activities of a person to be measured by using at least three or more biomedical electrodes attached to a skin surface of the person to be measured, comprising the steps of:

setting a plurality of electrode pairs, each of which is constituted by two electrodes of the plurality of biomedical electrodes and measuring at least one of an electrical impedance value between two electrodes forming a pair and a resistance value between the two electrodes, for each of the electrode pairs;

judging an attachment state of each of the electrode pairs, by comparing the impedance value or the resistance value thus measured, with a predetermined range of numeric values; and

identifying an electrode in an inappropriate attachment state from the plurality of electrode pairs based on the judged attachment state of each of the plurality of electrode pairs.

7. The inappropriately-attached-electrode identifying method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

judging whether an inappropriate attachment state occurs in at least one of the plurality of biomedical electrodes, by comparing the bioelectrical information obtained with a predetermined range of numeric values, prior to the measuring,

stopping the acquiring of the bioelectrical information, in the case where it has been judged that the inappropriate attachment state occurs in at least one of the plurality of biomedical electrodes in the judging,

performing the judging and the identifying, while the acquiring of the bioelectrical information is being stopped.

8. The inappropriately-attached-electrode identifying method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of notifying the person to be measured of a position of an electrode in the inappropriate attachment state identified in the identifying step.

9. The inappropriately-attached-electrode identifying method according to claim 8;

wherein in the notifying step, the person to be measured is notified of the position of the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state by giving an electrical stimulus to the person to be measured from specified electrode, the electrical stimulus given by applying a voltage to the specified electrode, the specified electrode corresponding to the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state identified in the identifying step.

10. The inappropriately-attached-electrode identifying method according to claim 8, wherein each of the electrodes comprises an alarming section for generating at least one of sound and light;

wherein in the notifying step, the person to be measured is notified of the position of the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state by operating the alarming section of the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state, the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state identified in the identifying step.

14. The inappropriately-attached-electrode identifying method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of notifying the person to be measured of a position of an electrode in the inappropriate attachment state identified in the identifying step.

15. The inappropriately-attached-electrode identifying method according to claim 14;

wherein in the notifying step, the person to be measured is notified of the position of the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state by giving an electrical stimulus to the person to be measured from specified electrode, the electrical stimulus given by applying a voltage to the specified electrode, the specified electrode corresponding to the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state identified in the identifying step.

16. The inappropriately-attached-electrode identifying method according to claim 14, wherein each of the electrodes comprises an alarming section for generating at least one of sound and light;

wherein in the notifying step, the person to be measured is notified of the position of the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state by operating the alarming section of the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state, the electrode in the inappropriate attachment state identified in the identifying step.