ELECTRODE FOR ELECTROSTIMULATION

Abstract

An electrode for electrostimulation includes an electric path having a storage structure for an electrolyte which comprises a front side for placing the electrode onto the skin of a living being and a rear side for making electric contact, at least one electrically conductive contacting structure, and an electric pad comprising at least one barrier structure for preventing a lateral flow of electrolytes.

Claims

1. An electrode for electrostimulation, comprising an elastic pad having a storage structure for an electrolyte, a front side for placing the electrode onto skin of a living being and a rear side for making electric contact, and at least one electrically conductive contacting structure, wherein said elastic pad comprises at least one barrier structure for preventing a lateral flow of electrolyte.

2. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein said elastic pad is segmented into at least two subareas by the at least one barrier structure.

3. The electrode according to claim 2, wherein each subarea of said elastic pad comprises its own electrically conductive contacting structure.

4. The electrode according to claim 2, wherein all subareas of said elastic pad comprise a common electrically conductive contacting structure.

5. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein the barrier structure encloses an edge region of said elastic pad.

6. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein the at least one barrier structure comprises a groove-like depression between two adjacent subareas.

7. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein said elastic pad comprises a foamed elastomer.

8. The electrode according to claim 7, wherein the storage structure comprises an open-pore foamed elastomer.

9. The electrode according to claim 7, wherein the at least one barrier structure comprises a region of said elastic pad of non-foamed elastomer.

10. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein the at least one barrier structure comprises several of at least partially interconnected material strands arranged one above the other.

11. The electrode according to claim 10, further comprising at least two mutually intersecting barrier structures formed in such a way that material strands of a first storage structure and material strands of a second storage structure intersecting said first storage structure in an intersecting region are arranged alternately one above the other, and wherein mutually contacting material strands of said first storage structure and said second storage structure are connected to one another in the intersection region.

12. The electrode according to claim 9, wherein regions of non-foamed elastomer of said elastic pad project beyond a surface of the storage structure forming the front side of said elastic pad.

13. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein said elastic pad comprises a continuous rear side layer of non-foamed elastomer or closed-pore foamed elastomer on the rear side.

14. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein said elastic pad on the rear side comprises a rear side layer of mutually intersecting material strands, which are connected to one another in an intersection region.

15. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein said storage structure is electrically conductive.

16. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein the at least one barrier structures is electrically non-conductive.

17. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein said elastic pad comprises a circumferential elastic collar for securing said elastic pad to said electrically conductive contacting structure.

18. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein said electrically conductive contacting structure comprises at least one contact element projecting into said elastic pad.

19. The electrode according to claim 7, wherein the at least one barrier structure comprises a region of said elastic pad of closed-pore foamed elastomer.

20. The electrode according to claim 19, wherein regions of closed-pore foamed elastomer of said elastic pad project beyond a surface of the storage structure forming the front side of said elastic pad.

Description

[0031] The invention is described below in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments and associated drawings. Here

[0032] FIGS. 1 to 6 show plan views of exemplary embodiments of elastic pads with several subareas and barrier structures,

[0033] FIGS. 7 to 9 show cross-sectional views of exemplary electrodes, and

[0034] FIGS. 10 to 12 show three views of an exemplary embodiment.

[0035] The illustrations of FIGS. 1 to 6 show various embodiments of elastic pads 1 comprising barrier structures 12 for hindering a lateral flow of electrolyte, wherein these barrier structures 12 are only schematically indicated as dashes, without going into their specific configuration in more detail.

[0036] Each of the elastic pads 1 shown is subdivided into several subareas 11 by such barrier structures 12, whereby barrier structures 12 arranged between two adjacent subareas 11 prevent the lateral flow of electrolyte between these subareas 11.

[0037] In addition, a barrier structure 12 is arranged in each case in such a way that it encloses the edge region of elastic pad 1 so that the lateral leakage of electrolyte from elastic pad 1 is also prevented.

[0038] In the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 4, elastic pads 1 each have a circular shape, whereas elastic pads 1 are square in the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 5 and 6. Other forms, for example, oval or polygonal basic shapes of elastic pads 1 are also possible and are also encompassed by the invention.

[0039] The circular basic shape of elastic pad 1 is segmented into several subareas 11 in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 by barrier structures 12 in the form of concentric circles, in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2 in the form of two perpendicular diameters, and in the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4, by a combination of concentric circles and radial lines.

[0040] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 5, the square basic shape of elastic pad 1 is divided into a matrix-like arrangement of square subareas 11 by barrier structures 12 in the form of lateral-parallel lines, while subareas 11 in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 6 are produced by a combination of barrier structures 12 in the form of a square and several diagonally extending lines.

[0041] Specific embodiments of the barrier structures 12 as well as of the electrically conductive contacting structures are illustrated in the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 7 to 9.

[0042] Shown in each case are cross-sections through the electrode, which comprises in each case an elastic pad 1 and an electrically conductive contacting structure 2.

[0043] Elastic pad 1 comprises in each case several subareas 11, two of which are visible in the selected sectional view. These subareas 11 are each delimited from one another by barrier structures 12 in such a way that a lateral flow of electrolyte flow, i.e., an exchange of electrolyte, is prevented between adjacent subareas 11. In addition, the edge regions of elastic pad 1 are also delimited by a circumferential barrier structure 12, so that a lateral leakage of electrolyte from elastic pad 1 is prevented.

[0044] Elastic pad 1 comprises a storage structure for an electrolyte. This storage structure corresponds to subareas 11, which are formed by an open-pore elastomeric foam. In the chosen illustration of FIGS. 7 to 9, the upper side of the electrode represents the surface which is brought into contact with the skin.

[0045] On the rear of elastic pad 1, i.e. in the chosen illustration at the bottom, there is a continuous rear side layer 14 made of closed-pore elastomeric foam. Elastic pad 1 is attached at this bottom portion in each case to a contacting structure 2. This contacting structure 2 is in electrically conductive connection with the storage structure. To this end, contacting structure 2 in each case comprises at least one base plate having at least one contact element 21 which establishes the conductive connection to a subarea 11, and at least one connection pin 23 for connecting a signal cable.

[0046] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 7, two contact elements 21, which establish the conductive connection to a respective subarea 11, are arranged on a base plate 22. All barrier structures 12 of elastic pad 1, that is to say both the barrier structure 12 enclosing elastic pad 1 and the barrier structure 12 which is arranged between the two subareas 11, like the rear side layer 14 of the elastic pad 1 consist of closed-pore elastomer foam.

[0047] In the embodiment of FIG. 8, contacting structure 2, on the other hand, comprises two base plates 22 each having one contact element 21, each contact element 21 establishing the conductive connection to one of the two subareas 11. Barrier structure 12 enclosing elastic pad 1, in turn, consists of non-closed-pored elastomeric foam, while the barrier structure 12 arranged between the two adjacent subareas 11 is formed by a groove-like depression between the adjacent subareas 11.

[0048] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 9, two contact elements 21 are arranged on a base plate 22 so that each contact element 21 establishes the conductive connection to one of the two subareas 11. In this exemplary embodiment, contact elements 21 are conical in shape, so that their tips can easily penetrate the rear side layer 14 of the electric pad which are made of non-foamed elastomer.

[0049] In this exemplary embodiment, the barrier structure 12 enclosing elastic pad 1 does not consist of foamed elastomer. The barrier structure 12 arranged between the two adjacent subareas 11, on the other hand, comprises a groove-like depression between the adjacent subareas 11 and, in addition, on the edge of each subarea, a strip of non-foamed elastomer.

[0050] In this exemplary embodiment, elastic pad 1 additionally comprises a circumferential elastic collar 13, with which elastic pad 1 is attached at the electrically conductive contacting structure 2.

[0051] All the barrier structures 12 in the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 7 to 9, which consist of non-foamed elastomer are configured to be higher than the storage structures, i.e., the barrier structures 12 of non-foamed elastomer top the front side of elastic pad 1 and thus the skin facing surface of the storage structure.

[0052] The illustrations of FIGS. 10 to 12 show different views of an elastic pad 1, which consists entirely of plotted silicone strands, which form a rear side layer 14 as well as barrier structures 12 to hinder a lateral flow of electrolyte. FIG. 10 shows a plan view of the front side, FIG. 11 shows a plan view of the rear side, and FIG. 12 shows a perspective view.

[0053] Rear side layer 14 is formed of a layer of several rows and columns of mutually intersecting material strands, which are respectively connected in the intersection region, wherein the spacings between the material strands are large enough to leave small holes between them.

[0054] Barrier structures 12, which were also produced from mutually intersecting material strands in the same operation, are arranged on the rear side layer. In this case, material strands deposited in rows of several first barrier structures 12a and material strands deposited in columns of several second barrier structures 12b intersecting the first barrier structures 12a are arranged alternately one above the other, wherein material strands of the first storage structures 12a and the second storage structures 12b in the respective intersection region are connected to one another. The arrows indicate the direction in which the first barrier structures 12a and the second barrier structures 12b run.

[0055] The exemplary embodiment shown corresponds approximately to the configuration of FIG. 5. However, it is understood that using the method described any other configurations such as are shown, for example, in FIGS. 1 to 4 and 6, can be made.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0056] 1 Elastic pad [0057] 11 Subarea [0058] 12 Barrier structure [0059] 12a First barrier structure [0060] 12b Second barrier structure [0061] 13 Collar [0062] 14 Rear side layer [0063] 2 Contacting structure [0064] 21 Contact element [0065] 22 Baseplate [0066] 23 Connection pin