Measurement and stimulation of muscle tissue
First Claim
1. An apparatus for electrical stimulation of muscle tissue, comprising:
- an electrode system comprising;
a flexible carrier of a flexible material which is configured to be placed against skin nearby muscle tissue to be stimulated;
an electrode array arranged on the flexible carrier comprising a plurality of electrode pads positioned in rows and columns wherein the electrode pads are positioned at a surface of the flexible carrier, wherein the electrode pads are in electrical communication with said muscle tissue when the flexible carrier is placed against the skin nearby the muscle tissue;
a row selector unit and a column selector unit positioned on the flexible carrier which select individual electrode pads based on their row and column location;
an electrode selector which communicates to the row selector unit and the column selector unit the row and column locations of the individual electrode pads to be selected;
individual electrode pads in the electrode array being selected and used to measure muscle activity of the muscle tissue based on an electrical signal received by the selected electrode pad; and
a signal generator connected to said electrode array which signal generator generates an electrical signal of selected current and duration to said at least one selected electrode pad.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus (1) for electrical stimulation of muscle tissue. The apparatus has an electrode system (10) with an electrode array (13). The array has a plurality of electrode pads (12) and can be placed in electrical contact with the muscle tissue. The electrode system Further has a sensor (30; 31-36) for sensing a property of the muscle tissue. The property forms a measure for the activity of the muscle tissue. The apparatus (1) has an electrode selector (530) for selecting one or more stimulating electrode pads. A signal generator (531) is connected to the electrode array (13) for providing an electrical stimulation signal to the stimulation electrode pad. A signal processor (532) is connected to said sensor (30; 31-36), for determining from the sensor signal a value of the muscle activity and outputting the value in a for humans perceptible form. This reduces the accuracy required to position the electrode system (10) and increases the accuracy of measuring the muscle tissue activity.
32 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An apparatus for electrical stimulation of muscle tissue, comprising:
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an electrode system comprising; a flexible carrier of a flexible material which is configured to be placed against skin nearby muscle tissue to be stimulated; an electrode array arranged on the flexible carrier comprising a plurality of electrode pads positioned in rows and columns wherein the electrode pads are positioned at a surface of the flexible carrier, wherein the electrode pads are in electrical communication with said muscle tissue when the flexible carrier is placed against the skin nearby the muscle tissue; a row selector unit and a column selector unit positioned on the flexible carrier which select individual electrode pads based on their row and column location; an electrode selector which communicates to the row selector unit and the column selector unit the row and column locations of the individual electrode pads to be selected; individual electrode pads in the electrode array being selected and used to measure muscle activity of the muscle tissue based on an electrical signal received by the selected electrode pad; and a signal generator connected to said electrode array which signal generator generates an electrical signal of selected current and duration to said at least one selected electrode pad. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An electrode system, comprising:
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an electrode array comprising a plurality of electrode pads, wherein the electrode array is configured to be placed on skin of a person in electrical contact with muscle tissue, said electrode array being connected to an electrode selector which selects from said plurality of electrode pads at least one stimulating electrode pad and provides an electrical stimulation signal to said at least one stimulation electrode pad; and a sensor for sensing a property of said muscle tissue, which property forms a measure for the activity of said muscle tissue, the sensor comprising a measuring circuit which measures an impedance between at least two of the electrode pads and a surface of the skin on which the electrode array is placed.
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10. An apparatus for electrical stimulation of muscle tissue comprising:
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an array of electrodes configured to be positioned on skin of a body surface covering the muscle tissue to be stimulated, the array of electrodes being arranged in a plurality of rows and columns; a row selector unit connected to the array which selects one or more of the electrode rows; a column selector unit connected to the array which selects one or more of the electrode columns; one or more sensors which measure an activity of the muscle tissue, the measured activity being based on an impedance between one or more electrodes and the body surface on which the electrode array is positioned; an electrode selector connected to the row selector unit and the column selector unit to select a subset of the electrodes of the array based on the measured activity; and a signal generator that provides an electrical signal to the selected subset of the electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. An apparatus for electrical stimulation of muscle tissue, comprising:
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an electrode system comprising; a flexible carrier of a flexible material which is configured to be placed against skin nearby muscle tissue to be stimulated; an electrode array arranged on the flexible carrier comprising a plurality of electrode pads positioned in rows and columns wherein the electrode pads are positioned at a surface of the flexible carrier, wherein the electrode pads are in electrical communication with said muscle tissue when the flexible carrier is placed against the skin nearby the muscle tissue; a row selector unit and a column selector unit positioned on the flexible carrier which select individual electrode pads based on their row and column location; an electrode selector which communicates to the row selector unit and the column selector unit the row and column locations of the individual electrode pads to be selected; a signal generator connected to said electrode array which signal generator generates an electrical signal of selected current and duration to said at least one selected electrode pad; and an alarm connected to the electrode system which compares a measured impedance with a threshold and outputs a warning signal in response to the measured impedance exceeding the threshold. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification