Electrode and a Method for Determining Electrical Biopotentials

• US 20130131481A1
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ambu A/S (AMBU)
• Original Assignee: Ambu A/S (AMBU)
• Inventors: Sonnenborg, Finn Albert
• Granted Patent: US 8,874,185 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/372
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0412 Low-profile patch shaped housings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/282 Holders for multiple electrodes for introduction into the body A61B5/287
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/327 Generation of artificial ECG signals based on measured signals, e.g. to compensate for missing leads

Abstract

A set of electrodes suitable for being attached to the skin of an animal or human being at locations normally used for attaching single- lead electrodes with a single sensor point. The electrodes of the set of electrodes have at least three sensors arranged to define two linearly independent directions, which allows sensing corresponding electrical potential differences in the two directions. Signals representing sensed potential differences can be transmitted wirelessly or via conductors to a processing apparatus for being transformed into electrical potentials that approximate traditional potentials obtained with wired single-sensor electrodes. A method is also presented.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A method for sensing electrical potentials at predetermined locations on the skin of an animal or human being, the method comprising

arranging, in each of the predetermined locations, an electrode having at least three sensors arranged so that lines through centres of, respective pairs of sensors define two linearly independent directions, such that an electrode attached at a first location and an electrode attached at a reference location are oriented such that the two linearly independent directions (X, Y) defined by the electrode at the first location (A) are substantially the same as the two linearly independent directions (X, Y) of the electrode at the reference location (R),

connecting to each of the electrodes a wireless transmitter adapted to receive sensed electrical potentials from the sensors and to transmit signals representing the sensed electrical potentials, and

receiving from each transmitter the signals transmitted therefrom.

11. A method of determining the electrical potential of a first location (A) on the skin of an animal or human being relative to a reference location (R) on the skin of an animal or human being, the method comprising the steps of:

attaching, to each of the first location (A) and the reference location (R) an electrode, each electrode having at least three sensors arranged so that lines through centres of respective pairs of sensors define two linearly independent directions, and where the electrode attached at the first location and the electrode attached at the reference location are oriented such that the two linearly independent directions (X, Y) defined by the electrode at the first location (A) are substantially the same as the two linearly independent directions (X, Y) of the electrode at the reference location (R),

sensing, with each of the sensors on each electrode, an electrical potential on the skin,

transmitting signals representing at least two differences between pairs of potentials sensed with corresponding pairs of sensors on each electrode,

receiving the transmitted signals, and

determining the electrical potential at the first location (A) relative to the reference location (R) based on the received signals.

12. A method according to claim 11 further comprising determining parameters representing the instantaneous amplitude of a bioelectrical field in the animal or human being.

13. A method according to claim 11 further comprising determining parameters representing the instantaneous polarity of a bioelectrical field in the animal or human being.

14. A method according to claim 11 further comprising determining parameters representing the instantaneous direction of propagation of a bioelectrical field in the animal or human being.

15. A method of determining the electrical potential at a first location (A) relative to a reference location (R) on the skin of an animal or human being, the method comprising.

attaching to each of the first (A) and reference (R) locations an electrode having at least three sensors arranged so that lines through centres of respective pairs of sensors define two linearly independent directions, such that the electrode attached at the first location and the electrode attached at the reference location are oriented such that the two linearly independent directions (X, Y) defined by the electrode at the first location (A) are substantially the same as the two linearly independent directions (X, Y) of the electrode at the reference location (R),

at the first location (A):

sensing an electrical potential (VA_r) in a first reference position,

sensing an electrical potential (VA_dirX) in a position in a first direction from the first reference position,

determining a first electrical potential difference (VA_dirX)−

(VA_r) between the electrical potential (VA_dirX) in the position in the first direction from the first reference position and the electrical potential (VA_r) in the first reference position,

sensing an electrical potential (VA_dirY) in a position in a second direction from the first reference position,

determining a second electrical potential difference (VA_dirY)−

(VA_r) between the electrical potential (VA_dirY) in the second direction from the first reference position and the electrical potential (VA_r) in the first reference position,

transmitting signals representing the first and second electrical potential difference;

at the reference location (R);

sensing an electrical potential (VR_r) in a second reference position,

sensing an electrical potential (VR_dirX) in a position in a third direction from the second reference position,

determining a third electrical potential difference (VR_dirX)−

(VR_r) between the electrical potential (VR_dirX) in the third direction from the second reference position and the electrical potential (VR_r) in the second reference position,

sensing an electrical potential (VR_dirY) in a position in a fourth direction from the second reference position,

determining a fourth electrical potential difference (VR_dirY)−

(VR_r) between the electrical potential (VR_dirY) in the fourth direction from the second reference position and the electrical potential (VR_r) in the second reference position, and

transmitting signals representing the third and fourth electrical potential difference,

receiving the transmitted signals, and

determining the electrical potential of the first location (A) relative to the reference location (R) based on the first, second, third and fourth potential differences.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the electrical potential of the first location (A) relative to the reference location (R) is based on the difference between the size of a first vector defined by the instantaneous first and second electrical potential differences and the size of a reference vector defined by the instantaneous third and fourth electrical potential differences.

17. A method according to claim 15 wherein the electrical potential of the first location (A) relative to the reference location (R) is based on the difference between the size of a first vector defined by the integrated first and second electrical potential differences and the size of a reference vector defined by the integrated third and fourth electrical potential differences.

18. A method according to claim 15 wherein the electrical potential of the first location (A) relative to the reference location (R) is based on the difference between the time integrated magnitude of a first vector defined by the instantaneous first and second electrical potential differences and the time integrated magnitude of a reference vector defined by the instantaneous third and fourth electrical potential differences.

19. A method according to claim 15, characterized in that the electrical potential of the first location (A) relative to the reference location (R) is determined as the sum of

a first difference between the first electrical potential difference and the third electrical potential difference and

a second difference between the second electrical potential difference and the fourth electrical potential difference.

20. A method according to claim 15, characterized in that the electrical potential of the first location (A) relative to the reference location (R) is determined as the sum of

a first difference between the integration of the first electrical potential difference and the integration of the third electrical potential difference and

a second difference between the integration of the second electrical potential difference and the integration of the fourth electrical potential difference,

21. A method according to claim 15, characterized in that the electrical potential of the first location (A) relative to the reference location (R) is determined as the sum of

a first difference between a moving average of the first electrical potential difference and a moving average of the third electrical potential difference and

a second difference between a moving average of the second electrical potential difference and a moving average of the fourth electrical potential difference.

22. (canceled)