Inflatable external auditory canal electroencephalogram signal acquisition device

Abstract

The invention discloses an inflatable external auditory canal electroencephalogram signal acquisition device, and relates to the technical field of medical apparatus and instruments, the device comprises an inflatable earplug which is provided with a hollow cavity, and the cavity wall of the cavity has the action of expanding towards the outer circumference or contracting towards the inner circumference according to the change of the internal air pressure of the cavity; the air source is connected with the tail part of the inflatable earplug through a conduit, and the conduit is hermetically communicated with the cavity so as to inflate the cavity or recover the air in the cavity; the electrodes are arranged on the outer wall face of the cavity wall, the electrodes are connected with a wire, the wire penetrates through the cavity wall and extends into the cavity, and the wire extends out of the cavity through the catheter cavity of the catheter and penetrates out of the catheter wall in a sealed mode at a certain position of the catheter to be connected with a rear-end electroencephalogram collecting and processing device. According to the device, on one hand, the electrode can be conveniently taken out and put in, on the other hand, the electrode can be tightly and stably attached to the skin of the inner wall of the ear canal, and therefore electroencephalogram signals can be accurately obtained.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of medical devices, and particularly to an inflatable electroencephalogram signal acquisition device for the external auditory canal. Background Art

[0002] A brain-computer interface refers to a direct connection created between the brain of a human or animal and an external device to achieve information exchange between the brain and the device. Brain-computer interface technology is a transformative human-computer interaction technology. Its principle is to capture brain signals, that is, brain waves, and identify and convert them to achieve information transmission and control. Therefore, the acquisition of brain waves is one of the key technologies of the brain-computer interface.

[0003] Currently, the methods for obtaining brain waves include invasive and non-invasive methods. Among the non-invasive methods, one is to use an electrode cap worn on the head to obtain brain waves through the scalp; the other is to place electrodes into the external auditory canal. Since the ear canal is close to the brain, the electrodes in the ear canal can capture useful brain electrical activities. Moreover, this technology has the advantages of strong portability, high comfort, suitability for long-term wearing, and being less susceptible to movement interference, so it has received extensive attention.

[0004] However, since brain electrical signals are very weak, the electrodes for collecting brain waves need to be closely attached to the skin to reduce the resistance at the contact interface. Different from the electrode cap, the electrodes in the ear canal are severely restricted by the narrow space and the long and curved characteristics of the ear canal during design and use, resulting in the electrodes being difficult to insert into or remove from the ear canal, and the electrodes not fitting closely and stably with the skin of the inner wall of the ear canal.

[0005] Therefore, aiming at the above technical problems, how to make the electrodes convenient to take out and put in and be able to fit closely and stably with the skin of the inner wall of the ear canal is a technical problem that those skilled in the art need to solve. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this application is to provide an inflatable electroencephalogram signal acquisition device for the external auditory canal, which is convenient for taking out and putting in the electrodes on the one hand, and can make the electrodes fit closely and stably with the skin of the inner wall of the ear canal on the other hand, thereby contributing to the accurate acquisition of electroencephalogram signals.

[0007] To achieve the above purpose, this application provides an inflatable electroencephalogram signal acquisition device for the external auditory canal, including:

[0008] An inflatable earplug with a hollow cavity, and the cavity wall of the cavity has an action of expanding outwards or contracting inwards according to the change of the internal air pressure of the cavity;

[0009] An air source connected to the tail of the inflatable earplug through a conduit, and the conduit is hermetically communicated with the cavity to inflate the cavity or recover the gas in the cavity;

[0010] Electrodes, several of which are arranged on the outer wall surface of the cavity wall. The electrodes are connected with wires, the wires penetrate through the cavity wall and extend into the cavity. The wires extend out of the cavity through the lumen of the catheter, and are hermetically passed through the catheter wall at a certain position of the catheter and connected to the posterior electroencephalogram acquisition and processing device.

[0011] Preferably, the top of the inflatable earplug is a solid hemisphere, the waist of the inflatable earplug is a hollow frustum with the cavity, and the bottom of the inflatable earplug is a cylinder. And the diameter of the sphere of the solid hemisphere is smaller than the diameter of the cylinder.

[0012] Preferably, the upper bottom surface of the hollow frustum corresponds to the bottom surface of the solid hemisphere, and the lower bottom surface of the hollow frustum corresponds to the top surface of the cylinder.

[0013] Preferably, the cylinder is provided with a through hole, the catheter communicates with the cavity through the through hole, and an adhesive is used for sealing and fixing at the connection of the catheter and the through hole.

[0014] Preferably, a reinforcing rib for connecting the solid hemisphere and the cylinder is arranged in the cavity.

[0015] Preferably, the gas source includes an airbag and a one-way valve. The catheter connects the inflatable earplug, the one-way valve and the airbag. The flow direction of the one-way valve is from the airbag to the inflatable earplug;

[0016] The one-way valve is manually openable. By pressing the tail of the one-way valve, the internal valve core thimble moves, so that air flows back from the inflatable earplug to the airbag.

[0017] Preferably, the wire penetrates through the catheter wall near the one-way valve, and an adhesive is used for sealing and fixing at the penetration position.

[0018] Preferably, the material hardness of the airbag is higher than the material hardness of the inflatable earplug.

[0019] Preferably, both ends of the one-way valve are provided with openings matching the outer diameter of the catheter, the front end of the airbag is provided with an opening matching the outer diameter of the catheter, and the catheter is respectively connected to the airbag and the one-way valve, the one-way valve and the inflatable earplug through the openings, and an adhesive is used for sealing and fixing at the openings.

[0020] Preferably, a pressure gauge is arranged at the front end of the airbag to display the inflation pressure.

[0021] Compared with the above background art, the present application fixes the electrodes of the electroencephalogram acquisition and processing device on the surface of the inflatable earplug, specifically on the outer wall surface of the hollow cavity of the inflatable earplug, and the cavity wall of the cavity can expand outward or contract inward according to the air pressure change in the cavity; during use, the cavity is inflated through a gas source, and the cavity wall is pressed to expand outward, and gradually clings to the inner wall of the ear canal after expansion, so that the electrodes also closely and stably fit with the inner wall of the ear canal, realizing accurate acquisition of electroencephalogram signals; after use, the gas source can recover the gas in the cavity, and the air pressure in the cavity decreases, so that the cavity wall changes from the expanded state to the state of contracting inward, which is convenient for taking out the inflatable earplug from the ear canal. In addition, the fitting force of the electrodes can be changed by controlling the air pressure in the inflatable earplug, that is, the same fitting degree can be achieved when users with different ear canal sizes use it, reducing the signal strength fluctuation caused by different contact forces; and it can also avoid the situation that some users feel ear canal discomfort or even ear canal trauma due to excessive force during use. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only the embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained according to the provided drawings.

[0023] Figure 1 Structural schematic diagram of the inflatable external auditory canal electroencephalogram signal acquisition device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 Structural schematic diagram of the cavity of the inflatable earplug after inflation provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0025] In the figure:

[0026] 1 - inflatable earplug; 11 - solid hemisphere; 12 - cylinder; 13 - cavity; 14 - reinforcing rib; 2 - electrode; 3 - wire; 4 - catheter; 5 - one-way valve; 6 - airbag. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0027] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0028] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by "up", "down", "front", "back", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, so it should not be construed as a limitation to the present application. In addition, "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0029] In order to enable those skilled in the art of this technical field to better understand the solution of the present application, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments.

[0030] As Figure 1 shown, in this embodiment, an inflatable ear canal electroencephalogram signal acquisition device is provided. The device includes an inflatable earplug 1, a gas source, and an electrode 2. The inflatable earplug 1 has a hollow cavity 13. The cavity wall of the cavity 13 has an action of expanding outward or contracting inward according to the air pressure change in the cavity 13. When the air pressure in the cavity 13 remains unchanged, the cavity wall of the cavity 13 remains motionless, that is, it remains in the existing state unchanged. Since the cavity wall of the cavity 13 needs to deform, the inflatable earplug 1 needs to be made of a material with deformation performance. In some embodiments, the inflatable earplug 1 can be made of food-grade silicone material.

[0031] The gas source can be connected to the tail of the inflatable earplug 1 through a catheter 4, and the catheter 4 can be hermetically connected to the cavity 13, so as to inflate the cavity 13 through the gas source to increase the air pressure in the cavity 13; or recover the gas in the cavity 13 through the gas source to reduce the air pressure in the cavity 13. Of course, there can be various ways to set the gas source. For example, components with functions of inflating and recovering gas such as an airbag 6, a syringe, or a micro air pump all fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0032] The electrode 2 is an electrode 2 of an electroencephalogram acquisition and processing device. A plurality of electrodes 2 are arranged on the outer wall surface of the cavity wall of the cavity 13. The electrode 2 is connected with a wire 3. The wire 3 can penetrate through the cavity wall of the cavity 13 into the cavity 13, and the wire 3 can be led out of the cavity 13 through the lumen of the catheter 4, and hermetically penetrate through the catheter wall at a certain position of the catheter 4 and be connected to the rear electroencephalogram acquisition and processing device. The material of the electrode 2 is copper and its surface is gold-plated; the wire 3 is an enameled copper wire. Through the above setting method, it can be ensured that there is only the electrode 2 on the outer surface of the inflatable earplug 1 and there is no wire 3, avoiding the influence of the wire 3 on the measurement result.

[0033] In summary of the above embodiments, the electrode 2 of the EEG acquisition and processing device of the present application is fixed on the surface of the inflatable earplug 1, specifically on the outer wall surface of the inner cavity 13 of the inflatable earplug 1, and the wall of the cavity 13 can expand outward or contract inward according to the air pressure change in the cavity 13; during use, the cavity 13 is inflated through a gas source, and the wall of the cavity 13 is pressed to expand outward, and gradually adheres tightly to the inner wall of the ear canal after expansion, so that the electrode 2 also closely and stably adheres to the inner wall of the ear canal, realizing accurate acquisition of EEG signals; after use, the gas source can recover the gas in the cavity 13, and the air pressure in the cavity 13 decreases, so that the wall of the cavity 13 changes from the expanded state to the state of contracting inward, which is convenient for taking out the inflatable earplug 1 from the ear canal. In addition, the fitting force of the electrode 2 can be changed by controlling the air pressure in the inflatable earplug 1, that is, it can ensure the same fitting degree when users with different ear canal sizes use it, and reduce the fluctuation of the signal intensity caused by different contact forces; it can also avoid the situation that some users feel ear discomfort or even ear trauma due to excessive force during use.

[0034] In some embodiments, the top of the inflatable earplug 1 is a solid hemisphere 11, the waist of the inflatable earplug 1 is a hollow frustum with a cavity 13, and the bottom of the inflatable earplug 1 is a cylinder 12. The solid hemisphere 11, the hollow frustum, and the cylinder 12 are connected to form the main structure of the inflatable earplug 1. Considering that the ear canal opening of the external auditory canal has a structure with a larger outer diameter and a smaller inner diameter, the diameter of the solid hemisphere 11 is smaller than the diameter of the cylinder 12, and the solid hemisphere 11 and the cylinder 12 are transitioned through the hollow frustum, so that the inflatable earplug 1 is more adapted to the structure of the ear canal, improving the adaptability and comfort of the inflatable earplug 1 during use.

[0035] Further, the diameter of the solid hemisphere 11 is 4 mm, the diameter of the cylinder 12 is 5 mm, the upper bottom diameter of the hollow frustum is 4 mm, the lower bottom diameter of the hollow frustum is 5 mm, and the wall thickness of the cavity wall is 0.7 mm. Of course, for the above parameters, fine-tuning can also be carried out according to the actual adaptation situation, and details are not described one by one here, and all fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0036] The upper bottom surface of the hollow frustum is correspondingly arranged with the bottom surface of the solid hemisphere 11, and the lower bottom surface of the hollow frustum is correspondingly arranged with the top surface of the cylinder 12, so that the outer wall surface of the inflatable earplug 1 forms a smooth outer surface structure and is not easy to damage the ear canal.

[0037] The catheter 4 can be communicated with the cavity 13 through the cylinder 12. Specifically, a through hole is provided on the cylinder 12, the inner diameter of the through hole is adapted to the outer diameter of the catheter 4, the catheter 4 is communicated with the cavity 13 through the through hole, and a silicone adhesive is used for sealing and fixing at the connection between the catheter 4 and the through hole to ensure the sealing and stability of the connection. Particularly, the diameter of the through hole and the outer diameter of the catheter 4 can be set to 2 mm, and the inner diameter of the catheter 4 can be set to 1 mm.

[0038] Please refer to Figure 1 Figure 1 , a reinforcing rib 14 for connecting the solid hemisphere 11 and the cylinder 12 is provided in the cavity 13. The hardness of the reinforcing rib 14 is greater than that of the inflatable earplug 1, which can improve the overall strength of the inflatable earplug 1. On the one hand, it can avoid bending when the inflatable earplug 1 is inserted into the ear canal, and on the other hand, it can reduce the longitudinal deformation during inflation and deflation of the earplug, improving the positioning accuracy of the electrode 2 and the wearing comfort.

[0039] In some embodiments, the gas source is selected as the airbag 6. The gas source further includes a one-way valve 5 connecting the airbag 6 and the inflatable earplug 1. The airbag 6 and the one-way valve 5, and the one-way valve 5 and the inflatable earplug 1 are connected through the conduit 4. The flow direction of the one-way valve 5 is from the airbag 6 to the inflatable earplug 1 and cannot flow back to the airbag 6 freely, ensuring the stability of the air pressure in the cavity 13 when inflating the inflatable earplug 1.

[0040] However, since the cavity 13 of the inflatable earplug 1 also needs to be deflated, the one-way valve 5 is designed to be manually openable. By pressing the tail of the one-way valve 5, the internal valve core thimble moves, enabling the gas to flow reversely in the one-way valve 5, and allowing the air to flow back from the inflatable earplug 1 to the airbag 6, thus realizing the deflation of the inflatable earplug 1.

[0041] In addition, the conduit 4 can also be made of food-grade silicone material. The wire 3 passes through the conduit wall near the one-way valve 5, and is sealed and fixed at the passing-out position with silicone adhesive; of course, the passing-out position of the wire 3 is on the conduit 4 between the one-way valve 5 and the inflatable earplug 1 and does not cross the one-way valve 5.

[0042] In some embodiments, the material of the airbag 6 can be LDPE (high-pressure polyethylene) material. The size of the airbag 6 is not overly restricted. The hardness of the material of the airbag 6 is higher than that of the inflatable earplug 1, which is beneficial to accelerating the deflation of the inflatable earplug 1 by using the resilience of the airbag 6.

[0043] At both ends of the one-way valve 5, namely the inlet end and the outlet end, there are openings matching the outer diameter of the conduit 4. The front end of the airbag 6 has an opening matching the outer diameter of the conduit 4. The conduit 4 is connected to the airbag 6 and the one-way valve 5, and the one-way valve 5 and the inflatable earplug respectively through the openings, and is sealed and fixed at the openings with silicone adhesive.

[0044] In addition, a pressure gauge can be provided at the front end of the airbag 6. In the case where the inflation pressure of the inflatable earplug 1 needs to be controlled, the inflation pressure can be displayed on the pressure gauge to achieve the purpose of accurately controlling the inflation pressure.

[0045] When using this device, it includes the following steps:

[0046] Check that all parts of the device are clean, complete, and well-sealed, the conduit 4 is not damaged or knotted, and the wire 3 is complete without interruption;

[0047] Manually open the one-way valve 5 and gently press the inflatable earplug 1 to put it in a deflated state;

[0048] Put the inflatable earplug 1 into the ear canal, slowly press the airbag 6 to inflate the inflatable earplug 1 so that it expands and tightly adheres to the inner wall of the ear canal. After the appropriate force, release the airbag 6. As Figure 2 shown, the one-way valve 5 can keep the inflatable earplug 1 in a continuously inflated state;

[0049] Connect the electroencephalogram acquisition and processing device to the tail of the wire 3 and start acquiring electroencephalogram signals;

[0050] After the electroencephalogram signal acquisition is completed, manually open the one-way valve 5, the airbag 6 automatically rebounds, and the inflatable earplug 1 deflates and contracts;

[0051] Take out the inflatable earplug 1 from the ear canal, clean, disinfect and store it.

[0052] It should be noted that in this specification, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity from several other entities, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities.

[0053] In this article, specific examples are used to elaborate on the principle and implementation manner of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and its core idea of the present application. It should be pointed out that for those of ordinary skill in the art of this technology, without departing from the principle of the present application, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. An inflatable external auditory canal electroencephalogram signal acquisition device, characterized in that: include: An inflatable earplug (1) has a hollow cavity (13), wherein the cavity wall of the cavity (13) has the ability to expand toward the periphery or contract toward the periphery according to changes in the internal air pressure of the cavity (13); an air source connected to the rear end of the inflatable earplug (1) via a conduit (4), the conduit (4) being in sealed communication with the cavity (13) so as to inflate the cavity (13) or recover the gas in the cavity (13); Electrodes (2), a plurality of the electrodes (2) are arranged on the outer wall surface of the cavity wall, the electrodes (2) are connected to wires (3), the wires (3) penetrate the cavity wall and extend into the cavity (13), the wires (3) extend out of the cavity (13) through the lumen of the catheter (4), and are sealed and pass through the catheter wall at a certain position of the catheter (4) to be connected to a rear-end EEG acquisition and processing device.

2. The inflatable external auditory canal EEG signal acquisition device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the inflatable earplug (1) is a solid hemisphere (11), the waist of the inflatable earplug (1) is a hollow frustum with the cavity (13), the bottom of the inflatable earplug (1) is a cylinder (12), and the diameter of the solid hemisphere (11) is smaller than the diameter of the cylinder (12).

3. The inflatable external auditory canal EEG signal acquisition device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper bottom surface of the hollow truncated cone is arranged correspondingly to the bottom surface of the solid hemisphere (11), and the lower bottom surface of the hollow truncated cone is arranged correspondingly to the top surface of the cylinder (12).

4. The inflatable external auditory canal EEG signal acquisition device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cylinder (12) is provided with a through hole, the conduit (4) is connected to the cavity (13) through the through hole, and an adhesive is used to seal and fix the connection between the conduit (4) and the through hole.

5. The inflatable external auditory canal EEG signal acquisition device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A reinforcing rib (14) for connecting the solid hemisphere (11) and the cylinder (12) is provided in the cavity (13).

6. The inflatable external auditory canal EEG signal acquisition device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air source comprises an air bag (6) and a one-way valve (5); the conduit (4) is connected to the inflatable earplug (1), the one-way valve (5) and the air bag (6); the air flows from the air bag (6) to the inflatable earplug (1); The one-way valve (5) is manually opened. By pressing the tail of the one-way valve (5), the ejector pin of the valve core inside the one-way valve (5) moves, allowing air to flow from the inflatable earplug (1) back to the airbag (6).

7. The inflatable external auditory canal EEG signal acquisition device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The wire (3) passes through the catheter wall near the one-way valve (5) and is sealed and fixed using an adhesive at the passing position.

8. The inflatable external auditory canal EEG signal acquisition device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The material hardness of the airbag (6) is higher than the material hardness of the inflatable earplug (1).

9. The inflatable external auditory canal EEG signal acquisition device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The one-way valve (5) has openings at both ends thereof that match the outer diameter of the catheter (4); the front end of the airbag (6) has an opening that matches the outer diameter of the catheter (4); the catheter (4) is connected to the airbag (6) and the one-way valve (5), and to the one-way valve (5) and the inflatable earplug (1) through the openings, and the openings are sealed and fixed with adhesive.

10. The inflatable external auditory canal EEG signal acquisition device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The front end of the air bag (6) is provided with a pressure gauge to display the inflation pressure.

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