JP6222546B2 - Electrical impedance tomography measuring device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention, electrical impedance tomography [E lectrical I mpedance T omography (hereinafter, herein referred to as "EIT".): Electrical impedance tomography] for running, the living body to be measured the belt The present invention relates to a measuring apparatus that wraps around a part of a body and measures tomographic image data of the part.

The basic principle of EIT is that a weak constant current is passed through a measurement target site (for example, chest) via at least two electrodes (112A, 112B) (FIG. 1), and the potential difference generated thereby is transferred to other electrodes ( 112C to 112H) (FIG. 2), and by rotating the electrode pair for current supply and potential difference detection, the resistivity and the distribution of the change rate on the tomographic plane of the measurement target region are imaged (FIG. 3). .

In EIT measurement, the use of 8 to 64 electrodes is generally performed. These electrodes are attached to the periphery of the site to be measured, and electrode cables are individually connected to these electrodes and connected to the measurement signal processing circuit. Therefore, in the conventional EIT measurement, long work and high measurement cost are unavoidable, and for example, it is difficult to easily measure patient data in a hospital.

In recent years, methods have been proposed in which electrode assemblies are modularized to facilitate electrode attachment / detachment, and methods using cable modules in which a plurality of electrode cables are integrated into one, and attempts have been made to simplify measurement.

In this regard, an invention (Patent Document 1) in which a large number of electrode cables used in EIT have been modularized and connected to a plurality of electrodes, and a large number of electrodes necessary for EIT measurement are connected to the body surface. In order to simplify the procedure to be performed and to reduce the cost of holding electrode assemblies having different lengths for each body shape, an invention (Patent Document 2) in which a plurality of electrodes are modularized has been proposed.

JP2012-228514 Special table 2009-523037

However, at least the following problems are pointed out in the prior art.
(1) Since the thickness (diameter) of the integrated electrode module is applied as a load on the skin as a local pressure especially when used for a long time, especially for ICU patients, the risk of pressure sores increases (Patent Document) 1).
(2) The electrode assembly is expensive (Patent Document 2).
(3) The connection between the electrode and the electrode cable is complicated (Patent Document 2).

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to realize a simple EIT measurement at a low cost, having a structure suitable for long-time use and capable of withstanding high sterilization treatment. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus capable of performing the above-mentioned.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical impedance tomography measuring device in which the measuring means can be accommodated in a cloth measuring belt and formed into a compact shape.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical impedance tomography measurement apparatus that can realize EIT measurement at low cost and can cope with EIT measurement of subjects and parts having different perimeters and shapes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus that can cope with children, adults, and elderly people, can cope with differences in body type between men and women, and has a wide measurement subject area.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus that is a measurement application target from the measurement target site to the head, neck, chest, abdomen, and upper and lower limbs.

Yet another another object of the present invention is to avoid the like curing tape or drain tube fixed part and selecting an electrode arrangement, FEM (F inite E lement M ethod: FEM) exact resistivity in such analysis An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus capable of calculating a distribution.

Means for solving the problem

An electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus according to the present invention includes a conductive cloth electrode capable of contacting a living body, and a plurality of the conductive cloth electrodes are arranged in parallel to form a conductive cloth electrode group. A cloth measuring belt including an electrode group is included.

An electrical impedance tomography measurement apparatus according to the present invention includes a flexible substrate surrounded by the cloth measurement belt, and the flexible substrate includes contact means that can contact the conductive cloth electrode, and the contact means. Supplies a current that can be passed through the living body to the conductive cloth electrode when the conductive cloth electrode is in contact with the living body to be measured, and outputs a voltage signal related to the bioimpedance obtained from the surface of the living body. It can be received via the cloth electrode.

The electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus according to the present invention is configured to pass through the conductive cloth electrode and the contact means when current is supplied to the living body via at least a part of the conductive cloth electrode and the contact means. A measurement signal processing circuit that measures a voltage signal related to the detected bioelectrical impedance and analyzes the measured voltage signal as information necessary for creating an electrical impedance tomography image.

The contact means may be formed of an electrode pad, and the electrode pad may connect the conductive cloth electrode and the signal line of the flexible substrate.

The contact means may be constituted by an electrode cable connector, and the electrode cable connector may connect the conductive cloth electrode and the signal line of the flexible substrate.

The contact means may be constituted by an electrode cable connector, and the flexible substrate may be formed to be extensible.

The flexible board is equipped with a strain confirmation sensor that detects the strain of the measurement site of the living body that is the object to be measured, and the strain confirmation sensor can detect the strain of the measurement site of the living body and estimate the surrounding shape of the measurement site of the living body It can also be made.

The flexible substrate has a position confirmation sensor that detects the position of the measurement site of the living body to be measured. The position confirmation sensor can detect the position of the measurement site of the living body and estimate the circumference of the measurement site of the living body. It can also be made.

The flexible substrate includes an electrode position confirmation sensor for detecting an electrode position, and the electrode position confirmation sensor detects the number of electrodes and the position of the electrodes so that the effective number of electrodes and the position of the electrodes can be estimated. You can also.

Further, the cloth measuring belt may include a signal line connected to the selected conductive cloth electrode, and the signal line may be formed as a coaxial cable having elasticity.

It is also possible to obtain three-dimensional EIT information by using a plurality of electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatuses according to the present invention around a measurement object, or by forming a plurality of them integrally.

Effect of the invention

The present invention has the following effects.
(1) It is possible to obtain an electrical impedance tomography measuring device that is low in cost, suitable for long-term use, has a structure that can withstand high sterilization treatment, and can easily realize EIT measurement.
(2) An electrical impedance tomography measuring device can be obtained in which the measuring means can be accommodated in a cloth measuring belt and formed into a compact shape.
(3) EIT measurement can be realized at low cost, and an electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus that can be adapted to subjects and parts having different perimeters and shapes can be obtained.
(4) As an object to be measured, an electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus capable of dealing with children, adults, and elderly people, capable of dealing with differences in body type between men and women, and having a wide area to be measured can be obtained.
(5) An electrical impedance tomography measurement device that is a measurement application target is obtained from the measurement target region to the head, neck, chest, abdomen, and upper and lower limbs.
(6) It is possible to select an electrode arrangement that avoids a curing tape, a drain tube fixing portion, and the like, and an electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus capable of calculating a precise resistivity distribution even in FEM analysis or the like is obtained.

A conceptual diagram of EIT is shown, and an example of electrode mounting in EIT measurement is shown. It is the schematic which shows the example of a combination of the electric current supply and voltage detection in EIT measurement. It is an image showing an EIT image and the luminance represented by the rate of change of impedance of maximum inspiration with respect to maximum expiration. It is a perspective view which shows the outline of the electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the cloth measurement belt of the electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus which concerns on this invention, a flexible substrate, and a measurement signal processing circuit. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows the positional relationship of the cloth-made measurement belt and flexible substrate which comprise the electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic which shows the electrode structure of the cloth-made measurement belt which comprises the electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows that the cloth measurement belt which comprises the electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus which concerns on this invention is formed of the isotonic rubber belt. The cross-sectional enlarged schematic diagram of the flexible substrate which comprises the electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus which concerns on this invention is shown. The positional relationship between the conductive cloth electrode which comprises the electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus which concerns on this invention, and the contact means (electrode pad) on a flexible substrate is shown, and it is movable while a conductive cloth electrode contacts a contact means. FIG. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows the positional relationship of a conductive cloth electrode, a biological body surface, and a contact means. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a usage state of an electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus according to the present invention. An example of the measured EIT image is shown, and an image using data at the time of the maximum inspiration with respect to the maximum expiration is shown. A chest X-ray CT image is shown. The cross-sectional enlarged schematic of the other example of a flexible substrate is shown. It is the schematic which shows the relationship between the wiring structure of a flexible substrate, and a measurement signal processing circuit, and shows the example which connected the electrode pad to one measurement signal processing circuit. It is the schematic which shows the relationship between the wiring structure of a flexible substrate, and a measurement signal processing circuit, and shows the case where the measurement signal processing circuit is distributed and installed on an electrode pad. It is the outline which shows the example of a connection of a flexible substrate and a conductive cloth electrode. The connection relationship of the electrode pad of a flexible substrate and a signal wire (electrode cable wire) is shown, (a) is the schematic which shows the example in which the electrode pad is connected by the signal wire (electrode cable wire) of a bellows structure, (b ) Is a schematic cross-sectional view thereof. The connection relation of the electrode pad of a flexible substrate and a signal wire (electrode cable wire) is shown, (a) is a schematic diagram showing the example where the electrode pad is connected by the signal wire (electrode cable wire) of a wave line structure, (b) ) Is a schematic cross-sectional view thereof. The connection relation of the electrode pad of a flexible substrate and a signal wire (electrode cable wire) is shown, (a) is a schematic diagram showing the example where the electrode pad is connected by the signal wire (electrode cable wire) of a spiral structure, (b) ) Is a schematic cross-sectional view thereof. It is the schematic of the state which installed the distortion confirmation sensor (gauge) on the electrode pad on a flexible substrate. It is a figure which shows the thorax shape P2 obtained by estimating based on the local curvature calculated from the installation points 90A-90H of eight strain confirmation sensors , and the actual thorax P1. It is the front schematic of the flexible substrate which installed the circumference measurement sensor. It is a schematic plan view showing a state where a flexible substrate on which a perimeter measurement sensor is installed is wound. It is the front schematic of the cloth measurement belt which installed the conductive cloth electrode narrowly. It is the schematic which shows the relationship between the flexible substrate which has arrange | positioned the position confirmation sensor of an electroconductive cloth electrode, and an electroconductive cloth electrode. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows the state which wound the cloth measurement belt which installed the conductive cloth electrode in the narrow width around 5 A of body surfaces. It is the schematic which shows the state which the electrode made from conductive cloth contacted the body surface, and a non-contact state. When one of the conductive cloth electrodes on the body surface cannot maintain a sufficient contact state with the skin, it is a conceptual diagram that is used for EIT measurement by selecting electrodes arranged at equal intervals. It is a conceptual diagram which uses the remaining electrode with a favorable contact state for EIT measurement when the area | region of a low contact state is large on the body surface. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the state used for EIT measurement as a single electrode by conducting a pair of adjacent electrodes when a conductive cloth electrode group placed in a narrow width is in good contact with a measurement object. The flexible substrate can be used by cutting the end portion. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the state which bonded the elastic signal wire [coaxial cable (electrode cable)] with the laminate film etc. to the conductive cloth electrode which comprises the cloth measurement belt. It is a conceptual diagram which shows that it can cut | disconnect and use what the woven fabric of the electroconductive cloth electrode and the nonelectroconductive fiber is necessary belt width.

Embodiments of an electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

An electrical impedance tomography measurement apparatus 1 according to the present invention includes a cloth measurement belt (electrode built-in belt) 10 having an electrode built therein and a flexible substrate 20 surrounded by the cloth measurement belt, and a measurement signal processing circuit 30. Measures and analyzes the signal (FIG. 4). Reference numeral 7 in FIG. 4 denotes an EIT image display display constituting the analysis display device, and 8A denotes a chest EIT image.

Among these, the cloth measuring belt 10 includes a conductive cloth electrode group 11 in which a plurality of conductive cloth electrodes 12 capable of contacting a living body are formed in parallel (FIG. 5).

The cloth measuring belt 10 is composed of a conductive cloth electrode 12 made of conductive fibers and a non-conductive fiber portion 13 (FIGS. 5, 6, and 7), and is gentle to the user's skin and has high mass productivity. I have. The cloth measuring belt 10 is formed so as to be washable, and can realize a low measurement cost for the user. The conductive cloth electrode 12 has a structure in which pressure is locally applied to maintain electrical adhesion with the living body ( body surface ) 5 (FIGS. 6 and 7). The conductive cloth electrode 12 generally uses a silver-plated thread having high bactericidal properties and biocompatibility. However, a plated thread such as gold, aluminum or copper, or a thread or cloth dyed with conductive ink. Etc. can also be used.

The flexible substrate 20 is surrounded by the cloth measuring belt 10 (FIG. 4) and includes contact means 21 that can contact the conductive cloth electrode 12 (FIGS. 5 and 6). The contact means supplies a current that can be passed through the living body to the conductive cloth electrode when the conductive cloth electrode is in contact with the living body 5 to be measured, and a voltage signal related to bioimpedance obtained from the surface of the living body. Can be received via the conductive cloth electrode. Reference numeral 20A denotes a substrate body, 28 denotes a connector for connection to the measurement signal processing circuit 30, and reference numerals 35 and 36 in FIG. 6 denote air layers.

The measurement signal processing circuit 30 detects when the current is supplied to the living body via at least a part of the conductive cloth electrode 12 and the contact means 21, via the conductive cloth electrode and the contact means. A voltage signal related to the bioimpedance to be measured is measured, and the measured voltage signal is processed as information necessary for creating an electrical impedance tomography image.

The contact means 21 is formed by an electrode pad 22, which connects the conductive cloth electrode 12 and the signal line 27 of the flexible substrate 20 ( FIGS. 5, 6, 10, and 11).

FIG. 12 shows a measurement example of the chest EIT, in which the EIT measurement apparatus 1 is formed as an EIT measurement belt and actually measured using the EIT measurement belt. Here, eight electrodes are used. The EIT measurement belt 1 was wound around the fourth intercostal space of one healthy male, and EIT data was measured at 12 sheets / second with a drive current of 0.5 mA and a measurement frequency of 450 kHz. For the image reconstruction method, the most common back projection method was used, and a 16 * 16 pixel image was smoothed and displayed in real time as 128 * 128 pixels. FIG. 13 is an example of the measured EIT image, which was imaged using data at the time of maximum inspiration with respect to maximum expiration. When air enters the left and right lungs by breathing, the electrical impedance increases. As the change in electrical impedance increases, the display changes from white to black. FIG. 14 shows a chest X-ray CT image. When the image 8C in FIG. 13 and the image 8D in FIG. 14 are compared, the image 8C in FIG. 13 has a shape closer to the lung field at the time of inspiration than the image 8D in FIG. It is measured as an EIT image.

When reconstructing an EIT image, a back projection method suitable for real-time processing is often used, and the constraint condition that the electrode spacing is uniform is required, so that the cloth measuring belt 10 is fixed on one side and the other side on the other side. It is formed so as to have a structure in which the local tension is changed so that the distance between the electrodes becomes uniform even if it is stretched (FIG. 8).

As a wiring method to this electrode built-in belt and the measurement signal processing circuit,
(1) A method using a flexible substrate (paragraphs 0037 to 0051),
(2) A method of fixing the wiring by processing a stretchable laminate film (paragraph 0052),
Of course, any of

(1) Method using a flexible substrate:
A. Since the flexible substrate is very thin and flexible, it has high electromagnetic shielding properties and high-density wiring properties, and has an advantage that it can fit into a complicated system. In addition, since it withstands high-temperature sterilization of about 200 degrees and has high waterproofness, it can be used many times in hospitals while avoiding the risk of infection such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

An example of this flexible substrate is shown in FIG. A part of the electrode pad surface contacts the conductive electrode 12 of the cloth measuring belt 10. The electrode pad surfaces are connected to the measurement signal processing circuit 30 via signal lines (electrode cables) 27 installed in the flexible substrate. Usually, since the flexible substrate does not stretch, when the cloth measuring belt (electrode built-in belt) stretches, the electrode spacing in the belt changes, so the electrode pad is set so that the connection surface is positioned (FIG. 10). . Furthermore, the contact between the electrode 12 and the electrode pad 22 can be stabilized by forming the conductive electrode 12 in a cotton shape as shown in FIG. The electrode pad 22 and the electrode cable 27 are installed so as to avoid the pad surface if the substrate is a single-sided substrate, but can also be installed on the pad if a double-sided substrate or a multilayer substrate is used. For this reason, the substrate width can be freely set. As shown in FIG. 9, the electrode cable wiring layer 20B of the flexible substrate 20 is disposed so as to be surrounded by the shield layer 20C and includes a high electromagnetic wave shield. Further, if the signal sent through the signal line 27 is fed back and transmitted to the screen drive layer 20E (FIG. 15), the potential difference between the signal line and the screen drive layer becomes theoretically zero, so that a higher level of noise resistance can be achieved. The signal transmission which has is attained (FIG. 15). Reference numeral 20D in FIGS. 9 and 15 denotes an insulating layer.

In addition, the flexible substrate can easily incorporate (mount) an electronic circuit.
An example is shown in FIG. The constant current signal transmitted from the measurement signal processing circuit 30 is transmitted from the conductive cloth electrode 12 to the living body ( body surface ) 5 through the signal line 27 installed in the flexible substrate 20. The resulting voltage is transmitted to the electrode pad 22 via the conductive cloth electrode 12 and introduced into the measurement signal processing circuit 30 via the signal line 27 installed in the flexible substrate. A part or the whole of the measurement signal processing circuit 30 (31) can also be installed on the electrode pad (FIG. 17). Thereby, since the transmission path length of an analog signal can be minimized, a higher SN ratio can be realized.

The following two methods can be proposed as a method of connecting the flexible substrate 20 and the conductive cloth electrode 12.
(A) Method of connecting individual conductive cloth electrodes and electrode pads (connectors) with a single cable or coaxial cable:
In this case, by providing a margin for the cable length, it is possible to cope with variations in the peripheral length of the measurement object and expansion (FIG. 18). Since the conductive cloth electrode 12 and the electrode pad 22 are fixed at one point, it is possible to reduce the influence of the contact fluctuation due to the extension of the electrode built-in belt. In FIG. 18, reference numeral 15 is a contact point with the conductive cloth electrode 12, 17 is a coaxial cable, and 23 is an electrode cable connector.
(B) A method of making the flexible substrate stretchable:
Usually, the flexible substrate does not stretch, but the electrode pads are connected by an accordion-structured electrode cable line (FIG. 19), the electrode pads are connected by an electrode cable line of a wavy line structure (FIG. 20), or the electrode pad is spirally structured It is possible to give the flexible substrate 20 extensibility by connecting with the electrode cable line (FIG. 21). By adopting such a structure, a coaxial cable is unnecessary as compared with the case (a), and a simpler signal transmission structure can be formed. Further, under this condition, if the measurement signal processing circuit 30 (31) is installed on the electrode pad as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a higher SN ratio can be realized.

B. In addition to the flexible substrate structure described in A above,
b-1. A function to measure the shape of the measurement object,
b-2. A function to measure the length of the measurement object,
b-3. A function that measures the distance between multiple electrodes and the state of adhesion to the body surface,
Can be included.

b-1. Function to measure the shape of the measurement object:
As shown in FIG. 22, a strain confirmation sensor (gauge) 41 is built around the electrode pad 22 of the flexible substrate 20. That is, the flexible substrate 20 includes a strain confirmation sensor 41 that detects the strain of the measurement site of the living body 5 that is a measurement target. The surrounding shape can be estimated. Thereby, since local curvature measurement is attained, it becomes possible to estimate the shape of a measuring object using each curvature. FIG. 23 shows the result of estimating the rib cage shape from the curvature measured at each point 90A to 90H of the rib cage as P2. Since the strain confirmation sensor (gauge) can be built in as a printed pattern of the flexible substrate as well as a form adhered on the flexible substrate, efficient installation and wiring are possible.

b-2. Function to measure the length of the measurement object:
As shown in FIG. 24, electrode pads for position detection are finely assembled on the front M and rear N of the flexible substrate (for example, at intervals of 5 mm). Although there is no contact between M and N, when the electrode distance between M and N is very small, the impedance between each electrode can be measured without contact. When the measurement belt is wound around the measurement target (living body) 5 as shown in FIG. 25, the combination of the electrode M1 and the electrode N1-N4 has the smallest impedance in the combination of the electrode M1 and the electrode N4 in FIG. Since the electrode pads are arranged at a strict interval, an accurate perimeter can be known. When measuring the perimeter, conductive rubber is often used. The conductive rubber needs to be periodically calibrated because of its secular change, but is not necessary in the present invention. Thus, the flexible substrate 20 includes a position confirmation sensor 43 that detects the position of the measurement site of the living body to be measured. The position check sensor detects the position of the measurement site of the living body, and the surroundings of the measurement site of the living body. The length can be estimated (see FIG. 25).

b-3. Ability to measure the distance between multiple electrodes and the state of adhesion to the body surface:
When the measurement object is a newborn, an infant, an adult, or an elderly person, the circumference of the measurement object is different. In order to cope with these variations, it is necessary to prepare measurement belts having a large number of belt lengths, but securing inventory space and increasing inventory costs are problematic. Therefore, the present invention solves these problems by having the following structure. As shown in FIG. 26, a belt structure including a conductive cloth electrode group in which conductive cloth electrodes 12 having a very narrow width are densely provided and an electrode pad 22 is provided. When a measurement belt is wound around an unknown measurement object, the places where the conductive cloth electrode 12 and the body surface are installed are limited. In this case, the electrode pad group 50 used for measurement is determined as follows. First, the electrical impedance between the electrode pads arranged uniformly on the flexible substrate is measured (FIG. 27). If the electrical impedance of the electrode pad pair (50b and 50C) is close to zero and the electrical impedance of the electrode pad pair (50a and 50b, 50c and 50d, 50d and 50e) is large, the conductive cloth electrode 12A is positioned at that location. To do. Thereby, an accurate arrangement state of the cloth electrode can be grasped. Thus, the flexible substrate 20 includes an electrode position confirmation sensor 45 that detects the electrode position, and this electrode position confirmation sensor detects the number of electrodes and the position of the electrodes, and enables estimation of the effective number of electrodes and the position of the electrodes. (See FIG. 27).

Furthermore, when the electrode belt length is different from the circumference of the measurement object, the electrical impedance between the electrode pads in that area becomes very large. This makes it possible to specify the range of electrode pads that can be used for actual electrical impedance measurement and the distance between the conductive cloth electrodes (in FIG. 29, the section of the conductive cloth electrodes 12B-12C touches the object to be measured. No state). Furthermore, by measuring the electrical impedance between the conductive cloth electrodes, it is possible to identify the state of adhesion to the skin (in FIG. 29, the cloth electrodes 12G-12H are more than the electric impedance between the cloth electrodes 12A-12B. It's much bigger).

In the cloth measuring belt according to the present invention, the conductive cloth electrodes are evenly spaced. In this regard, for example, a bedridden patient or a patient with a ventilator may not necessarily be evenly arranged depending on the friction between the skin and the cloth electrode, particularly when the belt is passed through the back portion. In addition, there may be a region that prevents accurate impedance measurement, such as a fixing tape when inserting between drains, applying a protective tape when opening a chest, and an electrode for monitoring an electrocardiogram. Even under such conditions, by using the method described above, it is possible to identify an electrode having a good connection with the body surface and an electrode pair having an optimum interelectrode distance.

An example is shown in FIGS. In FIG. 30, the cloth electrodes 12B, 12D, 12F, and 12H that can be arranged evenly when the conductive cloth electrode and the skin cannot be sufficiently contacted with the protective tape or the like on the body surface around the cloth electrode 12C. , 12J, 12L, 12N, and 12Q are used for EIT image reconstruction. Thereby, since the electrode spacing is kept uniform, EIT images can be displayed in real time by the back projection method.

FIG. 31 shows a case where a sufficient contact state cannot be maintained in a wide region of the electrodes 12I, 12J, and 12K. In this case, since the uniform electrode arrangement cannot be maintained as shown in FIG. 30, data necessary for EIT measurement is measured using all the remaining electrodes. As described in paragraph “0044”, since accurate electrode positions can be measured, the inverse problem is solved by inputting this information into the finite element model, and the appropriate conductivity distribution of the target tomographic image is obtained. Can be requested.

In FIG. 32, if all the conductive cloth electrodes can maintain a good contact state with the measurement object, it is possible to obtain an EIT image with a high resolution by using all the electrodes independently as measurement electrodes. It is possible to measure an EIT image having a high time resolution even at a low resolution by using a plurality of matching electrodes as an artificially large electrode by conducting them with an analog switch or the like. As described above, an appropriate electrode arrangement can be made according to the contact state between the measurement object and the cloth electrode and the required EIT image information.

Even if the number of electrodes and the electrode spacing are not uniform, the number of effective electrodes and electrode position information can be known. By reflecting these information in the computer model used in the finite element method (FEM), etc., more accurate faults can be obtained. It is possible to estimate the conductivity distribution on the image plane (FIG. 31).

Further, when the circumference of the measurement object is small as in a child, the basic function can be obtained by cutting the cloth measurement belt (electrode belt) 10 and the flexible substrate 20 from the tip only at an unused portion as shown in FIG. Can be maintained.

(2) Method of fixing wiring by processing a stretchable laminate film (connection method when a flexible substrate is not used):
Multiple coaxial cables are thermocompression bonded with stretchable laminate paper. Each coaxial cable is previously stripped so that only one point 150 can be connected to each electrode (FIG. 34). As a result, a thin belt that can be washed and that maintains a constant distance between the electrodes can be obtained. Costs can be reduced by not using a flexible substrate. The EIT measurement is performed by connecting to the measurement signal processing circuit 30 via the signal connector of the belt. Suitable for obtaining simple EIT information.

As shown in FIG. 35, the cloth measurement belt 10 is woven as a cloth in which the conductive electrode 12 and the non-conductive fiber 13 are integrated, and cut by the necessary belt width to cut the cloth with a desired width. Since the belt can be obtained, the cost can be reduced.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus 5 Living body 5A Trunk 7 Display 8 Chest EIT image 10 Fabric measurement belt 11 Conductive cloth electrode group 12 Conductive cloth electrode 13 Nonconductive fiber 20 Flexible substrate 21 Contact means 22 Electrode pad 23 Electrode cable Connector 27 Signal line 30 Measurement signal processing circuit 35 Air layer 36 Air layer 41 Strain confirmation sensor 43 Position confirmation sensor 45 Electrode position confirmation sensor

Claims (7)

A conductive cloth electrode capable of contacting a living body, a plurality of the conductive cloth electrodes arranged in parallel to form a conductive cloth electrode group, and a cloth measuring belt including the conductive cloth electrode group;
A flexible substrate surrounded by the cloth measurement belt, the flexible substrate including contact means capable of contacting the conductive cloth electrode;
The contact means is constituted by an electrode cable connector, and the electrode cable connector connects the conductive cloth electrode and the signal line of the flexible substrate,
The contact means supplies a current that can be passed through the living body to the conductive cloth electrode when the conductive cloth electrode comes into contact with the living body to be measured, and generates a voltage signal related to the bioimpedance obtained from the surface of the living body. An electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus which can be received via the conductive cloth electrode. A conductive cloth electrode capable of contacting a living body, a plurality of the conductive cloth electrodes arranged in parallel to form a conductive cloth electrode group, and a cloth measuring belt including the conductive cloth electrode group;
A flexible substrate surrounded by the cloth measurement belt, the flexible substrate including contact means capable of contacting the conductive cloth electrode;
The contact means is constituted by an electrode cable connector, and the flexible substrate is Forming stretchable,
The contact means supplies a current that can be passed through the living body to the conductive cloth electrode when the conductive cloth electrode comes into contact with the living body to be measured, and generates a voltage signal related to the bioimpedance obtained from the surface of the living body. An electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus which can be received via the conductive cloth electrode. Further, when a current is supplied to the living body via at least a part of the conductive cloth electrode and the contact means, a voltage signal related to the bioimpedance detected via the conductive cloth electrode and the contact means is generated. The electrical impedance tomography measurement according to claim 1 or 2 , further comprising a measurement signal processing circuit for measuring and analyzing the measured voltage signal as information necessary for creating an electrical impedance tomography image. apparatus. The electrical impedance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the contact means is formed of an electrode pad, and the electrode pad connects the conductive cloth electrode and a signal line of the flexible substrate. Tomography measuring device. Furthermore, the flexible substrate includes a strain confirmation sensor that detects strain of a measurement site of a living body that is a measurement target, detects strain of the measurement site of the living body by the strain confirmation sensor, and determines a surrounding shape of the measurement site of the living body. presumable electrical impedance tomography measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that. Furthermore, the flexible substrate includes a position confirmation sensor that detects the position of the measurement site of the living body to be measured. The position confirmation sensor detects the position of the measurement site of the living body, and the perimeter of the measurement site of the living body is determined. presumable electrical impedance Dan tomography measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that. Furthermore, the flexible substrate includes an electrode position confirmation sensor for detecting an electrode position, the electrode position confirmation sensor detects the number of electrodes and the position of the electrodes, and enables estimation of the effective number of electrodes and the position of the electrodes. The electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the electrical impedance tomography measuring apparatus is characterized.