Electrode assembly and a system with impedance control

• US 7,424,319 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2003
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Muehlsteff, Jens, Schmidt, Ralf, Perkuhn, Michael, Such, Olaf, Reiter, Harald, Lauter, Josef, Kohler, Fabian, Montvay, Andras
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen; Lee S
• Application Number:
  US10/539,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20060111624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: 600/372
• US Class Current: 600/372
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/046 Specially adapted for shock therapy, e.g. defibrillation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0476 Array electrodes (including any electrode arrangement with more than one electrode for at least one of the polarities)
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0492 Patch electrodes A61N1/0412, A61N1/0428 take precedence

Abstract

An electrode assembly arranged to carry out a bioelectrical interaction with an individual, said electrode assembly comprising a conductive material having a contact surface arranged to be brought into contact with a receiving area of the individual'"'"'s skin, said conductive material being electrically connectable to a suitable electronic device to enable said interaction, the electrode assembly having an impedance control means arranged to measure and control the impedance of the receiving area of the individual'"'"'s skin prior to an event of the bioelectrical interaction.

Claims

1. An electrode assembly arranged to carry out a bioelectrical interaction with an individual, said electrode assembly comprising a conductive material having a contact surface arranged to be brought into contact with a receiving area of the individual'"'"'s skin, said conductive material being electrically connectable to a suitable electronic device to enable said interaction, characterized in that said electrode assembly comprises impedance control means arranged to measure and control the impedance of the receiving area of the individual'"'"'s skin prior to an event of the bioelectrical interaction, the impedance control means including a depot of a conductive fluidum and an actuatable discharge means arranged to discharge said fluidum in a space between the contact surface and the receiving area.

2. An electrode assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the contact surface of the conductive material comprises a layer provided with pores, the impedance control means comprising a container with an ignitable pressurized gas arranged to induce a force on said depot in a direction of the pores upon an event of ignition.

3. An electrode assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the contact surface of the conductive material is formed by a compartment housing said depot, the discharge means comprising a settable fiber located in said compartment and extending in a direction transversal to the contact surface.

4. An electrode assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that the settable fiber comprises an electrostrictive material.

5. An electrode assembly according claim 3, characterized in that the settable fiber comprises a thermoelectric material.

6. An electrode assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the conductive material comprises a conductive fabric.

7. A system for enabling a bioelectrical interaction with an individual, said system comprising an electrode assembly according to claim 1 and a power supply unit electrically connected to the electrode assembly.

8. A system according to claim 7, further comprising a vital sign monitoring means for measuring an electrical signal on the body of an individual.

9. A system according to claim 7, further comprising a means for inducting electrical current in the body of the individual.