Electrode system for electrical stimulation
Inventors
Wingeier, Brett • Bar-Or, Tal • Davis, Colin • Hammett, Victoria • Lin, Randall
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-10238869-B2
Publication Date
2019-03-26
Expiration Date
Abstract
A system for electrically stimulating a user comprising: a first housing portion defining an array of openings; an array of permeable bodies with portions exposed through the array of openings and wetted with a solution that facilitates electrical coupling between the system and a body region of the user, wherein each permeable body has a cavity at a proximal portion and a distal portion and is configured to transmit the solution to the body region of the user; a substrate region defining an array of protrusions configured to support the array of permeable bodies and composed of a conductive polymer; and a set of conductors in communication with the substrate region and including a first conductor that provides a first subset of the array of permeable bodies with a first polarity and a second conductor that provides a second subset of the array of permeable bodies with a second polarity.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to an electrode system for electrically stimulating a user, and optionally for non-invasive electrical stimulation and/or biosignal detection. The system includes an array of permeable bodies that facilitates electrical coupling between the system and a body region of the user during use, and each permeable body has a cavity at a proximal portion and a tapered distal portion.
The array of permeable bodies is configured to transmit an electrolyte solution through hair of the user to the body region during use. A housing portion defines an array of openings at a broad surface, and distal portions of the permeable bodies are exposed through the array of openings.
A substrate region defines an array of protrusions corresponding to and residing within cavities of the array of permeable bodies, and the substrate region is composed of a conductive material. A set of conductors in communication with the substrate region couples to an electronics subsystem for transmission of current through the set of conductors and the array of permeable bodies for electrically stimulating the user during use.
The description further includes conductor sets providing different electrical polarities to subsets of the permeable bodies, wet electrode behavior and elastic recovery, optional fluid-management via channels and manifold structures with reservoirs and delivery, barrier bypassing or penetration geometry using tapered tips and recessed or bowl-shaped opening bases, modular coupler structures with corrosion prevention, and an electrode-unit identification and detection concept using characteristic resistors and probe voltage to generate a characteristic detection voltage and trigger an alert state.
Claims Coverage
The partial content includes two independent claims. Across the two independent claims, the inventive coverage centers on an elastically deformable permeable polymer electrode array with tapered distal portions that deliver an electrolyte solution through hair, combined with a conductive protrusion substrate region and a conductor set that transmits current via exposed housing openings.
Electrode array with tapered, elastically deformable permeable bodies transmitting electrolyte through hair
The system includes an array of permeable bodies facilitating electrical coupling between the system and a body region during use, where each permeable body has a cavity at a proximal portion and a tapered distal portion, is configured to transmit an electrolyte solution through hair of the user to the body region during use, and is composed of an olefin polymer that elastically deforms upon interfacing with the body region of the user.
Conductive protrusion substrate region residing in permeable body cavities
A substrate region defines an array of protrusions corresponding to and configured to reside within cavities of the array of permeable bodies, where the substrate region is composed of a conductive material.
Conductor set coupled to an electronics subsystem for current transmission
A set of conductors is in communication with the substrate region and configured to couple to an electronics subsystem for transmission of current through the set of conductors and the array of permeable bodies for electrically stimulating the user during use of the system.
Housing with openings exposing tapered distal portions
A housing portion defines an array of openings at a broad surface, wherein distal portions of the array of permeable bodies are exposed through the array of openings of the housing portion.
Across both independent claims, the system electrically stimulates a user by coupling current through an array of elastically deformable permeable polymer bodies with tapered distal portions that transmit an electrolyte solution to a body region, including through hair, using a conductive substrate region with protrusions received in cavities, a set of conductors coupled to an electronics subsystem, and a housing portion whose openings expose the tapered distal portions.
Stated Advantages
Documented Applications
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