Signal generation device, paired electrode identification method and electric field treatment system

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a signal generation device, comprising: an information acquisition unit configured to acquire identification information of a plurality of electrode patches from each of the electrode patches, an electrode identification unit configured to identify electrode patches arranged in pairs in the plurality of electrode patches according to the identification information; and the signal output unit is configured to output the alternating electric signals for each pair of electrode patches to the corresponding electrode patches according to the identification information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular to a signal generating device, a paired electrode identification method, and an electric field therapy system. Background Art

[0002] Using electric fields to treat tumors is one of the current research and development frontiers. Tumor electric field therapy is a therapy implemented through portable, non-invasive medical devices. Its principle is to use low-intensity, medium-frequency (100-500kHz) alternating electric fields to act on the microtubules of proliferating cancer cells, interfere with tumor cell mitosis, cause affected cancer cells to apoptosis and inhibit tumor growth.

[0003] At present, the tumor therapeutic field TTF technology has gradually begun to be applied to tumor treatment, and the TTF equipment developed by major manufacturers is mainly composed of three parts: TTF signal generator, adapter, and electrode. When connecting the adapter to the electrode, the user needs to identify the corresponding socket of each electrode to prevent mis-insertion. If mis-insertion is made, the electric field signal applied by the tumor therapeutic field device may not cover the tumor position or the applied intensity may be insufficient, thus failing to achieve the expected treatment effect. Summary of the invention

[0004] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a signal generating device is provided, comprising: an information acquisition unit configured to acquire identification information of each electrode patch from a plurality of electrode patches; an electrode identification unit configured to identify electrode patches arranged in pairs among the plurality of electrode patches according to the identification information; and a signal output unit configured to output an alternating electrical signal for each pair of electrode patches to the corresponding electrode patch according to the identification information.

[0005] In some embodiments, the information acquisition unit is configured to acquire a key signal of the corresponding electrode patch from a key circuit arranged on each electrode patch as the identification information.

[0006] In some embodiments, the electrode identification unit is configured to identify electrode patches arranged in pairs from the plurality of electrode patches according to the order in which the key signals are acquired.

[0007] In some embodiments, identifying electrode patches arranged in pairs from the multiple electrode patches according to the order in which the key signals are acquired includes: in response to key signals of two electrode patches among the multiple electrode patches being acquired simultaneously, determining that the two electrode patches are electrode patches arranged in pairs.

[0008] In some embodiments, the information acquisition unit is configured to acquire a radio frequency signal of the corresponding electrode patch from a radio frequency transmitting circuit arranged in each electrode patch as the identification information.

[0009] In some embodiments, the electrode identification unit is configured to identify the electrode patches arranged in pairs according to the signal strength of the radio frequency signal of each electrode patch measured at a predetermined position.

[0010] In some embodiments, identifying electrode patches arranged in pairs based on the signal strength of the radio frequency signal of each electrode patch includes: in response to determining that the strengths of the radio frequency signals from two electrode patches of the plurality of electrode patches are the same, determining that the two electrode patches are electrode patches arranged in pairs.

[0011] In some embodiments, the information acquisition unit is configured to acquire identity information of the corresponding electrode patch from an identity memory arranged on each electrode patch as the identification information.

[0012] In some embodiments, the electrode identification unit is configured to determine that the two electrode patches are arranged in pairs according to a mapping relationship between identity information of each electrode patch and a predetermined position.

[0013] In some embodiments, there are at least two types of electrode patches among the plurality of electrode patches, wherein different types of electrode patches are configured with different numbers of electrode units.

[0014] In some embodiments, the signal generating device is connected to each electrode patch via the same interface.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for identifying paired electrodes is also provided, which is performed by a signal generating device as described above, and the method includes: acquiring identification information of an electrode patch from each of a plurality of electrode patches, and identifying electrode patches arranged in pairs among the plurality of electrode patches according to the identification information; and outputting an alternating electrical signal for each pair of electrode patches to the corresponding electrode patch according to the identification information.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided an electric field therapy system, comprising: at least one pair of electrode patches; a host; and the signal generating device as described above.

[0017] These and other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Further details, features and advantages of the present disclosure are disclosed in the following description of example embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 An exemplary block diagram of an electric field generator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the connection between an electrode patch and an adapter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 3 An exemplary circuit structure of an electric field therapy device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0022] Figure 4 An example of electrode patch arrangement on a human chest cross-section model is shown;

[0023] FIG. 5A to FIG. 5B Another exemplary circuit structure of an electric field therapy device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0024] Figure 6 Another exemplary circuit structure of an electric field therapy device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0025] Figure 7 and Figure 6 Similar, specifically based on Figure 6 The schematic diagram of the human body position when the electric field therapy device is working is shown;

[0026] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the circuit structure of burning an ID chip of an electric field therapy device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0027] Fig. 9 Another exemplary partial circuit structure of an electric field therapy device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0028] FIG. 10A to FIG. 10C Three examples of human chest cross-section models are shown;

[0029] Fig.11 Another exemplary circuit structure of an electric field therapy device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0030] FIG. 12A to FIG. 12C shows an example of impedance between electrode patches according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Fig.13 An exemplary flow chart of an alternating current signal application method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0032] Fig.14 Another exemplary flow chart of the method for applying an alternating current signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0033] Fig.15 Another exemplary flow chart of the method for applying an alternating current signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0034] Fig.16 Another exemplary flow chart of the method for applying an alternating current signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0035] Fig.17 Another exemplary flow chart of the method for applying an alternating current signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The electrode patches used in TTF work usually appear in pairs, because they need to form a circuit with the human body for the medium-frequency current to flow. And the electrode patches usually come in various forms, such as electrode patches with 9 electrode units, 13 electrode units, 16 electrode units, 20 electrode units, etc., and each form corresponds to a model of the manufacturer. Four electrode patches can usually be inserted into the adapter, and two of them form a pair. That is to say, there can be two groups of electrode pairs on the adapter, each group has two electrode patches, and a controlled electric field is applied between the groups.

[0037] The electric field therapy device includes an electric field generator, electrode patches arranged in pairs, and an adapter that electrically connects the electric field generator and the electrode patches arranged in pairs. The electrode patches are applied to the epidermis corresponding to the tumor site of the patient. The alternating electric signal generated by the electric field generator is transmitted to the paired electrode patches through the adapter to form an alternating electric field between the paired electrode patches to act on the tumor site of the patient for electric field therapy.

[0038] In order to achieve the desired therapeutic effect, the electric field generator needs to send appropriate alternating signals to the corresponding electrode patches according to the locations of the electrode patches. In related technologies, users need to identify the corresponding sockets of each electrode patch when connecting the electrode patch to the adapter. If the electrode patch is plugged in incorrectly, the alternating electric field will not be applied in the desired manner, resulting in the electric field signal failing to cover the tumor location or the application intensity being insufficient, which in turn leads to failure to achieve the desired therapeutic effect.

[0039] In order to solve the above problems, the present disclosure provides a new signal generating device.

[0040] Figure 1 An exemplary block diagram of a signal generating device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0041] like Figure 1 As described above, the signal generating device 100 includes an information acquiring unit 110 , an electrode identifying unit 120 and a signal output unit 130 .

[0042] The information acquisition unit 110 is configured to acquire identification information of each electrode patch from the plurality of electrode patches.

[0043] The electrode identification unit 120 is configured to identify electrode patches arranged in pairs among the plurality of electrode patches according to the identification information.

[0044] The signal output unit 130 is configured to output an alternating electric signal for each pair of electrode patches to the corresponding electrode patches according to the identification information.

[0045] By using the signal generating device 100 provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to automatically determine which two electrode patches among multiple electrode patches are arranged in pairs by obtaining identification information from the electrode patches, thereby avoiding errors when the user manually identifies the connectors of the electrode patches.

[0046] When there are 4 electrode patches connected to the signal generating device 100 at the same time, the corresponding identification information can be obtained from the 4 electrode patches respectively, and two of the 4 electrode patches are identified according to the identification information to form an electrode pair, and the other two electrode patches form another electrode pair. Based on such an identification result, the signal generating device 100 outputs the alternating electrical signals for the two electrode pairs to the corresponding electrode pairs. In some embodiments, the signal generating device 100 is connected to each electrode patch via the same interface. In this way, the user does not need to identify the interface form of different electrode patches when connecting the electrode patches.

[0047] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the connection between an electrode patch and an adapter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0048] like Figure 2 As shown in the figure, a partial connection diagram of the adapter 1 and the electrode patch 2 is shown. As can be seen in the figure, the electrode socket 3, electrode socket 4, electrode socket 5, and electrode socket 6 on the adapter 1 all have the same female socket interface ( Figure 2 The type-C female socket is used as an example), and the electrode plug 7 is also configured as a male plug corresponding to the female socket interface ( Figure 2 The type-C male connector is used as an example). Therefore, in terms of structure, the user can arbitrarily adapt the electrode patch to the electrode interface of the adapter 1 (that is, the plug 7 in the figure can be inserted into any of the sockets 3, 4, 5, and 6). Therefore, from a structural point of view, it can be achieved that no matter which electrode patch the user gets, he can insert it into any electrode socket 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the adapter 1 at will. Arbitrary adaptation is achieved in structure. With the arbitrary adaptation in structure, the electric field therapy device automatically identifies which two electrode patches inserted into each adapter 1 interface are a group, which is convenient for the subsequent control and application of the electric field.

[0049] The identification information of the electrode patch may be provided in various ways. The identification information may be provided by arranging an identification device on the electrode patch, wherein the identification device may be used to store or generate identification information indicating the location of the electrode patch.

[0050] According to some embodiments, the identification information of the electrode patch may be a key signal. According to other embodiments, the identification information of the electrode patch may be a radio frequency signal. According to still other embodiments, the identification information of the electrode patch may be identity information. According to still other embodiments, the identification information of the electrode patch may also be a combination of the above-mentioned different types of information. The desired type of identification information may be generated by arranging a suitable circuit on the electrode patch.

[0051] In some embodiments, the information acquisition unit 110 may be configured to acquire a key signal of the corresponding electrode patch from a key circuit arranged on each electrode patch as identification information. The key signal may indicate the position where the corresponding electrode patch is arranged in a predetermined manner. For example, the key signal may be generated by pressing keys on each electrode patch according to a predetermined sequence or according to a predetermined key duration.

[0052] The electrode identification unit 120 may be configured to identify electrode patches arranged in pairs from the plurality of electrode patches according to the order in which the key signals are obtained. For example, the electrode identification unit 120 may determine that the two electrode patches are electrode patches arranged in pairs in response to the key signals of two electrode patches being obtained simultaneously from the plurality of electrode patches.

[0053] Taking the case where the signal generating device 100 is connected to 4 electrode patches, and these 4 electrode patches are respectively applied to the patient's chest, back, left side, and right side as an example, the user can simultaneously press the buttons of two electrode patches arranged relatively to each other (for example, simultaneously press the buttons on the left and right electrode patches), so that the signal generating device 100 simultaneously receives the button signals from the electrode patches on the left and right sides, and thus recognizes that the two electrode patches that transmit signals at the same time belong to the same electrode pair, and the other two electrode patches that do not transmit signals belong to another electrode pair. The user can also press the buttons of the four electrode patches of the front, back, left, and right in sequence according to a predetermined order, so that the signal generating device 100 can determine the location of each electrode patch according to the order in which the button signals are received, and thus determine which two electrode patches are arranged in pairs.

[0054] A key signal can also be generated by continuously pressing the keys on each electrode patch for different durations according to a predetermined rule. In this case, the electrode identification unit 120 can identify the electrode patches arranged in pairs from the multiple electrode patches according to the duration of the key signal. For example, the user can long press the keys on the left and right electrode patches, and short press the keys on the electrode patches on the chest and back, so that the signal generating device 100 recognizes that the two electrode patches corresponding to the key signal with a longer duration belong to the same electrode pair, and the two electrode patches corresponding to the key signal with a shorter duration belong to another electrode pair.

[0055] Usually, two electrode patches form a group, and only one group of electrode patches transmits alternating electrical signals to work in the same period of time when the electric field is applied. In manual identification, it is generally believed that the two electrodes on the front chest and back are one electrode pair, and the two electrodes on the left and right sides are another electrode pair. The results of the system's self-identification of electrode pairs should be consistent with the results of manual identification, so the results of the system's self-identification can be used to replace the results of manual identification.

[0056] Figure 3 FIG. 2 shows an exemplary circuit structure of an electric field treatment device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 As shown, the electric field therapy device may include an AC signal generator 15 for generating an alternating electric signal, a voltage detection unit 16 electrically connected to the AC signal generator 15 for detecting the voltage of the alternating electric signal, a current detection unit 17 electrically connected to the AC signal generator 15 for detecting the current of the alternating electric signal, electrode patches 8, electrode patches 9, electrode patches 10, and electrode patches 11 electrically connected to the AC signal generator 15 for outputting alternating electric signals to a subject, a switch array 18 electrically connected to the AC signal generator 15 for controlling the on and off of the alternating electric signals output by the corresponding electrode patches 8, electrode patches 9, electrode patches 10, and electrode patches 11, and a switch array 18 disposed on the electrode patches 8, electrode patches 9, electrode patches 10, and electrode patches 11. Electrode sockets 4, 3, 6, 5 for plugging corresponding electrode patches between electrode patch 9, electrode patch 10, electrode patch 11 and switch array 18, switch array control circuit 19 electrically connected to switch array 18 and used to control the on and off of multiple switches in switch array 18, controller 21 electrically connected to switch array control circuit 19 for giving control signals, buttons K1, K2, K3, K4 respectively arranged corresponding to electrode patch 8, electrode patch 9, electrode patch 10, electrode patch 11, and button detection circuit 20 electrically connected to controller 21 and buttons K1, K2, K3, K4 respectively and used to detect the corresponding button status. It can be understood that Figure 3 The circuit structure shown in FIG. is only an exemplary illustration. Without departing from the principles of the present disclosure, Figure 3In the circuit structure shown, modules implementing other functions are added or modules irrelevant to the functions are reduced.

[0057] Specifically, the signal applied to the human body by the electric field therapy device is an alternating sinusoidal electric signal. Figure 3 As shown, although the alternating current has no positive or negative, in order to distinguish, one phase of the alternating current can be artificially defined as L and the other phase as N. A total of 8 switches are provided in the switch array 18, and the 8 switches are switch S1, switch S2, switch S3, switch S4, switch S5, switch S6, switch S7, and switch S8; wherein one end of switch S1 is connected to the L phase, one end of switch S2 is connected to the N phase, and the other end of switch S1 is short-circuited with the other end of switch S2 and connected to the electrode socket 3, and the electrode socket 3 is plugged with the corresponding electrode patch 9; one end of switch S3 is connected to the L phase, one end of switch S4 is connected to the N phase, and the other end of switch S3 is connected to the switch S4. The other end is short-circuited and connected to the electrode socket 4, and the electrode socket 4 is plugged with the corresponding electrode patch 8; one end of the switch S5 is connected to the L phase, one end of the switch S6 is connected to the N phase, and the other end of the switch S5 is short-circuited with the other end of the switch S6 and connected to the electrode socket 5, and the electrode socket 5 is plugged with the corresponding electrode patch 11; one end of the switch S7 is connected to the L phase, one end of the switch S8 is connected to the N phase, and the other end of the switch S7 is short-circuited with the other end of the switch S8 and connected to the electrode socket 6, and the electrode socket 6 is plugged with the corresponding electrode patch 10. The controller 21 is respectively provided with detection points A, B, C, and D corresponding to the electrode patch 8, the electrode patch 9, the electrode patch 10, and the electrode patch 11, and the state of the corresponding key is judged by the level of the detection point.

[0058] Figure 4 An example of electrode patch arrangement on a human chest cross-section model is shown. Figure 4 As shown, the figure shows the position diagram after the electrode patch with buttons is applied to the human chest. Wherein button K1 is a button embedded in the electrode patch 8, button K2 is a button embedded in the electrode patch 9, button K3 is a button embedded in the electrode patch 10, and button K4 is a button embedded in the electrode patch 11. After the user wears the electrode patch (8 to 11) and turns on the electric field therapy device, the system of the electric field therapy device will enter the electrode pair recognition mode. At this time, if the user presses the button (K4, K2) on a pair of electrode patches (11, 9) in the front and back directions or the button (K3, K1) on a pair of electrode patches (10, 8) in the left and right directions, the system will automatically recognize that the 2 electrode patches (11, 9) that press the button are one group, and the remaining 2 electrode patches (10, 8) are another group, which completes the recognition work of the paired electrode patches. Afterwards, the system will control the switch array 18 to switch the switch to realize the application of the electric field.

[0059] Considering the convenience of the user, the user usually prefers to press the buttons of the two electrode patches (10, 8) in the left and right directions (such as pressing Figure 4 The buttons K1 and K3 in the middle are used, while the button K2 on the back is usually not pressed during electrode recognition because it is difficult for the user to press it independently). Return to reference Figure 3 When the button K1 is pressed, the controller 21 can detect that the level at point A changes from a high level to a low level (or vice versa, depending on the specific situation of the circuit). At the same time, when the button K3 is pressed, the controller 21 will detect that the level at point C changes from a high level to a low level (or vice versa). The levels detected by the controller 21 at points B and D corresponding to the other two electrode patches that have not been pressed are still high. At this time, the system can recognize that electrode patches 8 and electrode patches 10 are one group, and electrode patches 9 and electrode patches 11 are another group. Then, the switch array 18 can be controlled. When a tumor treatment electric field is to be applied to the group of electrodes 8 and electrode patches 10, S3 and S8 in the switch array 18 can be controlled to be turned on, and the tumor treatment electric field can be applied. Figure 5A When a tumor treatment electric field is to be applied to the electrode patch 9 and the electrode patch 11, the switch array 18 can be controlled to conduct S1 and S6 to apply the tumor treatment electric field. Figure 5B shown.

[0060] By using the above method, only one pairing button needs to be added to the original electrode patch, and a button detection circuit 20 is added to the system hardware to perform pairing identification, so that the electric field therapy device can automatically identify which two electrode patches are in one group and the remaining two are in another group. In the case where the adapter and each electrode patch have a consistent electrode interface, the system can automatically identify the electrode pair without manual identification.

[0061] In some embodiments, the information acquisition unit 110 may be configured to acquire a radio frequency signal of the corresponding electrode patch from a radio frequency transmitting circuit arranged in each electrode patch as identification information. The radio frequency signal may be transmitted in a predetermined manner to indicate the location of the electrode patch. For example, the radio frequency signal may be transmitted at a predetermined transmission intensity or a predetermined transmission frequency.

[0062] The electrode identification unit 120 can be configured to identify the electrode patches arranged in pairs according to the signal strength of the radio frequency signal of each electrode patch measured at a predetermined position. Taking the electrode patch being applied to the patient's chest, back, left side, and right side as an example, the radio frequency transmitting circuit on each electrode patch transmits the radio frequency signal with the same transmission intensity. In this case, radio frequency signals of the same intensity reach the measurement position via different paths, so the electrode pair can be identified according to the different measured signal intensities. For example, the radio frequency signal can be measured at a position directly opposite the patient. In this case, the transmission paths of the radio frequency signals from the left and right sides of the patient are similar, while the transmission paths of the radio frequency signals from the chest and back of the patient are different. In this case, it can be determined that two electrode patches with radio frequency signals of the same intensity form an electrode pair, and the other two electrode patches form another electrode pair. Therefore, the electrode identification unit 120 can determine that the two electrode patches are electrode patches arranged in pairs in response to determining that the intensities of the radio frequency signals from two electrode patches among the multiple electrode patches are the same.

[0063] In another case, the electrode identification unit 120 can also identify the electrode patches arranged in pairs according to the measured radio frequency signal transmission frequency from different electrode patches. For example, the radio frequency transmission circuit arranged on the electrode patch can have a frequency selection button. The user can make the two electrode patches that can form an electrode pair transmit radio frequency signals at the same transmission frequency according to a predetermined rule, while the two electrode patches that cannot form an electrode pair transmit radio frequency signals at different transmission frequencies. Thus, the electrode patches arranged in pairs can be identified according to the transmission frequency of the detected radio frequency signal.

[0064] Figure 6 FIG. 2 shows another exemplary circuit structure of an electric field therapy device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 As shown, the electrode patch 8' is arranged with a radio frequency RF circuit 28 and an RF circuit antenna 29 disposed in the radio frequency RF circuit 28, the electrode patch 9' is arranged with a radio frequency RF circuit 30 and an RF circuit antenna 31 disposed in the radio frequency RF circuit 30, the electrode patch 10' is arranged with a radio frequency RF circuit 32 and an RF circuit antenna 33 disposed in the radio frequency RF circuit 32, the electrode patch 11' is arranged with a radio frequency RF circuit 34 and an RF circuit antenna 35 disposed in the radio frequency RF circuit 34, and at the same time, an RF circuit 26 and an RF circuit antenna 27 for receiving RF signals are arranged at one end of the adapter 1. The RF circuit 26 arranged on the adapter 1 will be connected to the controller 21 in the adapter 1 to perform reception detection of the RF signal strength.

[0065] The strength of the radio frequency signal is related to the transmission distance. The longer the transmission distance, the more the signal attenuates on the transmission path, and the weaker the received radio frequency signal strength. The embodiment of the present disclosure automatically identifies the electrode pair based on the above principle.

[0066] Figure 7 and Figure 6 Similarly, it is specifically shown that when the electrode patches are identified in pairs through the RF signal strength, the front of the human body must face the adapter 1. As shown in the figure, electrode patches 8', 9', 10' and 11' are attached to the human chest cross-section model 12, and each electrode patch is arranged with a corresponding RF circuit. In the example, the RF circuit added to each electrode patch is the same, but we have numbered them to distinguish them for ease of understanding. Figure 7 As shown, the electrode patch 8' has an electrode 1 RF circuit 28, including an RF circuit antenna 29. Other electrode patches also have similar structures, which will not be described in detail here.

[0067] After the user has connected the electrode patch, adapter, host, and power adapter (not shown), the user must ensure that the front of the human body is facing the electrode connector of the adapter, and that the center of the adapter and the center of the human body are kept in the same straight line as much as possible to ensure the accuracy of the RF signal strength received by the RFID solution.

[0068] exist Figure 6 and Figure 7 In the example shown in the figure, the front of the human body is facing the electrode socket surface of the adapter 1, and the center of the adapter 1 and the center of the human body are on the same center line 36. Then, the electric field therapy system is turned on, and the system can automatically enter the radio frequency intensity recognition mode and start to read the radio frequency signal intensity emitted by each electrode patch (8' to 11'). In the example, the radio frequency intensity emitted by each electrode patch (8' to 11') is consistent. Figure 6 As shown, the adapter 1 receives the radio frequency signal sent from each electrode patch (8' to 11') through the RF circuit antenna 27 on the RF circuit 26 and monitors the radio frequency signal strength of the radio frequency signal. Figure 6 In the example shown, the shortest distance from the RF circuit antenna 29 of the electrode patch 8' to the RF circuit antenna 27 at the adapter 1 is defined as RG, the shortest distance from the RF circuit antenna 31 of the electrode patch 9' to the RF circuit antenna 27 at the adapter 1 is defined as RH, the shortest distance from the RF circuit antenna 33 of the electrode patch 10' to the RF circuit antenna 27 at the adapter 1 is defined as RI, and the shortest distance from the RF circuit antenna 35 of the electrode patch 11' to the RF circuit antenna 27 at the adapter 1 is defined as RJ. Figure 7It can be seen from the geometric relationship shown in that RJ<RG=RI<RH. As mentioned above, the strength of the RF signal is related to the transmission distance. The longer the transmission distance, the more the signal attenuates on the transmission path, and the weaker the received RF signal strength. Therefore, the RF signal strength received at the adapter 1 should be: the RF signal strength of electrode patch 11'> the RF signal strength of electrode patch 8'= the RF signal strength of electrode patch 10'> the RF signal strength of electrode patch 9'. Based on the detected RF signal strength, the transmission distance can be inferred, and it can be known that RJ<RG=RI<RH. When determining the distance between each electrode patch (8' to 11') and the adapter RF circuit antenna 27, it can be analyzed that the electrode patch 11' is located on the front chest, the electrode patch 9' is located on the back, and the electrode patch 8' and the electrode 10' are located on the left and right sides of the chest. It can be further identified that the electrode patch 8' and the electrode patch 10' are a group of electrode pairs, and the electrode patch 9' and the electrode patch 11' are another group of electrode pairs. After the paired electrode patches are successfully identified, the switch array control circuit 19 can be controlled to respectively turn on different electrode pairs according to the electric field signal to be applied.

[0069] By adding a radio frequency chip to the electrode patch to form a radio frequency transmitting circuit (such as Bluetooth, 2.4G, WIFI, ZigBee, etc.), and by adding a corresponding radio frequency receiving circuit or radio frequency module to the system hardware (such as an adapter), the radio frequency receiving circuit or radio frequency module on the system can read the radio frequency signal strength emitted by the radio frequency circuit on the electrode patch to determine which two electrode patches are in one group, and the remaining two electrode patches are in another group. In the case where the adapter and each electrode patch have a consistent electrode interface, the system can automatically identify the electrode pair without manual identification.

[0070] The information acquisition unit 110 may also be configured to obtain the identity information of the corresponding electrode patch as identification information from the identity memory arranged on each electrode patch. In some examples, each electrode patch may be applied to the corresponding part of the patient according to a predetermined mapping relationship by each electrode patch having a unique identity information written therein. The electrode identification unit 120 may be configured to determine that the two electrode patches are electrode patches arranged in pairs according to the mapping relationship between the identity information of each electrode patch and a predetermined position. In some cases, the identity information of the electrode patch may be written before applying the electrode identification unit 120, and the electrode patch may be applied to the corresponding part of the patient according to the identity information. In other cases, the electrode patch may also be applied first, and then the corresponding identity information may be written into the electrode patch applied at the corresponding position according to a predetermined mapping relationship.

[0071] Figure 8 A schematic diagram showing a circuit structure of an electric field therapy device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0072] In some use cases, in order to ensure that the electric field generated by the electrode patch can optimally cover the patient's tumor, the manufacturer may provide related computer-aided software to generate the electrode patch application position and other related supporting information. The above computer-aided software can be used to realize a method of automatically identifying electrode pairs based on identity information.

[0073] After the doctor or user scans the patient information and inputs it into the computer-assisted software, the computer-assisted software will output the electrode application position and model information indicator table shown in Table 1 below.

[0074] Table 1

[0075]

[0076] After obtaining the table information, the user will prepare the corresponding electrode patch, and then Figure 8 As shown, the corresponding electrode patches (8" to 11") are connected to the communication protocol converter 38, and the communication protocol converter 38 is further connected to the computer 39. The computer-aided software will burn the electrode application position and model information in the indicator table shown in Table 1 into the corresponding electrode patches (8" to 11").

[0077] At this time, the ID memory (chip) 37 in the electrode patch 11" will be burned with the ID information: X011, the ID chip 37 in the electrode patch 9" will be burned with the ID information: X02, the ID chip 37 in the electrode patch 10" will be burned with the ID information: X033, and the ID chip 37 in the electrode patch 8" will be burned with the ID information: X04. After completing the burning of the electrode ID identity information, the electric field therapy device host and the computer 39 can be connected through, for example, a USB cable, and the information of the electrode application position and model information indicator table can be transmitted to the electric field therapy device host in the form of a data stream. In this way, the electric field therapy device host will have a series of information such as "ID information" and "group" of the electrode patch to be connected. After completing the above operations, the patient can apply the electrode patch according to the requirements of the electrode application position and model information indicator table in Table 1, and the electric field therapy device can be turned on after the connection is completed.

[0078] Fig. 9 An example of a circuit structure of an electric field therapy device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0079] After the electric field therapy device is turned on, Fig. 9As shown, the controller 21 on the adapter can perform handshake interaction with the ID chip 37 on the electrode patch (8" to 11"), read the ID information of each electrode patch (8" to 11") stored in the ID chip on the electrode patch (8" to 11"), and compare it with the ID information in the "electrode patch position and model information indication table" previously stored in the electric field therapy device. After the comparison is successful, it can be learned which two electrode patches are one group and which two electrode patches are another group. Fig. 9 In the example shown, the ID information read from electrode patch 8" is: X04, the ID information read from electrode patch 9" is: X033, the ID information read from electrode patch 10" is: X02, and the ID information read from electrode patch 11" is: X011. By comparing the above-obtained identity information with the "Group" in the electrode patch position and model information indication table in Table 1, it can be learned that electrode patch 8" and electrode patch 10" are one group of electrode pairs, and electrode patch 9" and electrode patch 11" are another group of electrode pairs. After successfully identifying the paired electrode patches, the switch array 18 in the circuit can be controlled to turn on different electrode pairs according to the electric field signal to be applied.

[0080] By adding an ID chip 37 to the original electrode patch (8" to 11"), and the ID chip stores the ID information of the electrode patch (8" to 11"), the controller 21 on the adapter 1 can shake hands with the ID chip on the electrode patch (8" to 11") to read the electrode ID information in the ID chip, and compare and determine which two electrode patches are one group and which two electrode patches are another group based on the ID information and the ID information and group data previously imported into the host of the electric field therapy device by the computer software. In the case where the adapter 1 and each electrode patch (8" to 11") have a consistent electrode interface, the system can automatically identify the electrode pair without manual identification.

[0081] The signal generating device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure can provide automatic identification for various types of electrode patches. There can be at least two types of electrode patches among the multiple electrode patches connected to the signal generating device, wherein different types of electrode patches are configured with different numbers of electrode units.

[0082] The following will describe an embodiment of the present disclosure by taking the use of 4 electrode patches, where the types of the electrode patches are selected from 9-electrode units, 13-electrode units, 16-electrode units, and 20-electrode units as an example.

[0083] When the models of the four electrode patches are consistent (i.e., all four electrode patches have 9 electrode units, or all four electrode patches have 13 electrode units, or all four electrode patches have 20 electrode units), the electrode pairs can be identified by using key signals or radio frequency signals as identification information. Regarding the method of using identity information as identification information, since it is difficult for users to distinguish different electrode patches directly by the model of the electrode patch, it is difficult for users to identify the identity of the electrode patch and apply the electrode patch to the corresponding position when the ID information is written in advance. Therefore, identity information can only be used as identification information when there is additional identity identification information (such as numbers, colors, etc.) on the electrode patch.

[0084] When two of the four electrode patches have the same model, and the models of the other two electrode patches are inconsistent with these two electrode patches (such as two electrode patches have 9 electrode units and the other two electrode patches have 13 electrode units, or two electrode patches have 9 electrode units and the other two electrode patches have 13 electrode units and 20 electrode units respectively), the electrode pairs can be identified by using key signals, radio frequency signals or identity information as identification information.

[0085] When the distribution of electrode patch models among the four electrode patches is in other forms different from the above two forms (such as three electrode patches are 9 electrode units, one electrode patch is 13 electrode units, or four electrode patches are 9, 13, 16, and 20 electrode units respectively), the electrode pairs can be identified by using key signals, radio frequency signals, or identity information as identification information. It should be noted that if the model distribution of the four electrode patches is that three electrode patches are 9 electrode units and one electrode patch is 13 electrode units, when using identity information as identification information, if different electrode patches are distinguished only by the model of the electrode patch, it is difficult to distinguish three identical electrode patches and apply the electrode patches to the corresponding positions. Therefore, in this case, identity information can only be used as identification information if there is additional identity identification information (such as number, color, etc.) on the electrode patch.

[0086] When the models of the four electrode patches are the same, the impedance information between the electrode patches can also be used to identify the electrode pair.

[0087] FIG. 10A to FIG. 10C Three examples of human chest cross-section models are shown.

[0088] As shown in the figure, according to the differences in body shapes of different human bodies, the human chest cross-sectional model can be roughly divided into three types. The first type is: human chest cross-sectional model 12. The characteristic of this model is that the distance X from the front chest to the back is less than the distance Y from the left side to the right side of the chest. The second type is: human chest cross-sectional model 13. The characteristic of this model is that the distance X from the front chest to the back is greater than the distance Y from the left side to the right side of the chest. Human chest cross-sectional model 14. The characteristic of this model is that the distance X from the front chest to the back is less than the distance Y from the left side to the right side of the chest. Theoretically, the farther the relative distance between the electrode pairs applied on the human body, the greater the human body impedance in the middle. Therefore, in any model structure, the electrode pair with the largest impedance can be found, and the electrode pair with the largest impedance is the electrode pair that the system wants to identify, and the remaining two electrode patches constitute another set of electrode pairs for applying the electric field. Fig. 10A For the human chest cross-section model 12 shown in FIG. 1 , the distance between electrode patch 8 and electrode patch 10 is the farthest and the impedance is the largest, so electrode patch 8 and electrode patch 10 form a set of electrode pairs, and an electric field can be applied between the two electrode patches. The remaining electrode patches 9 and electrode patches 11 form another set of electrode pairs, and an electric field can also be applied between the two electrode patches.

[0089] Fig.11 An example of a circuit structure of an electric field therapy device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0090] use Fig.11 The circuit shown in can realize the measurement of the impedance between the loops composed of each electrode patch. After the maximum impedance is measured, it can be known which two electrode patches are one electrode pair and which two electrode patches are another electrode pair, and then the control electric field can be applied.

[0091] The signal applied to the human body by the electric field therapy device is an alternating sinusoidal electric signal. Although alternating current has no positive or negative, in order to distinguish them, one phase of the alternating current can be artificially defined as L and the other phase as N.

[0092] Regardless of the human body model, the maximum distance between the electrode pairs must occur in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction, and the maximum distance corresponds to the maximum impedance, so the maximum impedance must occur in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction.

[0093] First, switch S1 can be turned on. At this time, the L phase of the alternating current is connected to the electrode patch 9 (with the electrode patch 9 as the reference electrode). Keep the electrode patch 9 connected and turn on switch S4. At this time, the N phase of the alternating current is connected to the electrode patch 8, which forms an AC current circulation loop. The voltage detection unit 16 and the current detection unit 17 can be used to measure the voltage and current in the loop, and then the voltage / current can be used to obtain the impedance between the electrode patch 9 and the electrode patch 8. Fig.11The impedance Z1 shown in . After obtaining the impedance Z1 between the electrode patch 9 and the electrode patch 8, S1 is still kept on, S4 is disconnected, and then S6 is turned on. At this time, the N phase of the alternating current is connected to the electrode patch 11, so the electrode patch 9 to the electrode patch 11 forms a loop. Similarly, the voltage detection unit 16 and the current detection unit 17 are used to measure the voltage and current values, and the impedance Z2 between the electrode patch 9 and the electrode patch 11 is calculated. Next, S1 is still kept on, S6 is disconnected, and then S8 is turned on. At this time, the N phase of the alternating current is connected to the electrode patch 10, so the electrode patch 9 to the electrode patch 10 forms a loop. Similarly, the voltage detection unit 16 and the current detection unit 17 are used to measure the voltage and current values, and the impedance Z3 from the electrode patch 9 to the electrode patch 10 is calculated. Using the above method, it can be said that the electrode patch with the electrode patch 9 as the reference is kept continuously connected to the L phase. The switch array 18 is switched continuously to make the electrode patches 8, 10, 11 conduct with the N phase in turn, and the impedance values ​​between the electrode patches 8, 10, 11 and the reference electrode patch 9 are measured in turn. By using a similar method, by switching the switch, the electrode patch 8 can be defined as the reference electrode patch, and the impedance values ​​can be measured. Fig. 12A The impedance shown in FIG. 1 is defined as the electrode patch 10 as the reference electrode patch, and the impedance can be calculated as follows: Fig. 12B The impedance shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 define electrode patch 11 as the reference electrode patch and then the impedance can be calculated as follows: Fig. 12C Impedance. As mentioned above, the farther the relative distance between the electrode pairs applied to the human body, the greater the human body impedance in the middle, and the electrode pair with the largest impedance is the group of electrode pairs that the system wants to identify, and the remaining two electrode patches constitute another group of electrode pairs to which the electric field is applied. Among the impedances Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4, Z5, and Z6, Z5 will be the maximum impedance. Therefore, electrode patch 8 and electrode patch 10 are a group of electrode pairs, and the remaining electrode patch 9 and electrode patch 11 are another group of electrode pairs, so that the system automatically identifies the electrode pair to which the electric field is to be applied. After that, the switch array 18 can be controlled. When the control electric field is to be applied to the group of electrode patch 8 and electrode patch 10, S3 and S8 in the switch array 18 can be controlled to be turned on. When the control electric field is to be applied to the group of electrode patch 9 and electrode patch 11, S1 and S6 in the switch array 18 can be controlled to be turned on.

[0094] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an electric field therapy system is also provided, comprising a plurality of electrode patches, a host, and a signal generating device as described above, wherein the host can be used to provide the required information and control signals to the signal generating device, and the signal generating device can be connected to the plurality of electrode patches and identify the paired electrode patches according to the identification information obtained from the electrode patches.

[0095] Fig.13An exemplary flow chart of a paired electrode identification method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0096] like Fig.13 As shown, in step S1302, identification information of the electrode patch can be obtained from each electrode patch of the plurality of electrode patches. In step S1304, the electrode patches arranged in pairs among the plurality of electrode patches can be identified according to the identification information. In step S1306, the alternating electrical signal for each pair of electrode patches can be output to the corresponding electrode patch according to the identification information.

[0097] Can be combined with Figure 1-1 2 implements the paired electrode identification method 1300, so the advantages of the signal generating device described in the foregoing text are also applicable to the paired electrode identification method 1300, which will not be described in detail here.

[0098] Fig.14 Another exemplary flow chart of the paired electrode identification method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Fig.14 In the paired electrode identification method shown in , a key signal is obtained as identification information to identify electrode pairs in a plurality of electrode patches. Figure 3-5B The signal generating device described implements the method 1400 .

[0099] In step S1402, a key trigger signal at the electrode patch end may be obtained. In step S1404, a pair of electrode patches may be determined according to the key trigger signal. In step S1406, a corresponding alternating current signal may be output according to the pair of electrode patches.

[0100] Fig.15 Another exemplary flow chart of the paired electrode identification method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Fig.15 In the paired electrode identification method shown in , a radio frequency signal is obtained as identification information to identify electrode pairs in a plurality of electrode patches. Figure 6-Figure 7 The signal generating device described implements the method 1500 .

[0101] In step S1502, the radio frequency signal strength at the electrode patch end may be obtained. In step S1504, the paired electrode patches may be determined according to the radio frequency signal strength. In step S1506, the corresponding alternating current signal may be output according to the paired electrode patches.

[0102] Fig.16 Another exemplary flow chart of the paired electrode identification method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Fig.16 In the paired electrode identification method shown in , identity information is obtained as identification information to identify electrode pairs in multiple electrode patches. Figure 8-Figure 9 The signal generating device described implements the method 1600 .

[0103] In step S1602, the ID chip information of the electrode patch end can be obtained. In step S1604, the paired electrode patches can be determined according to the ID chip information. In step S1606, the corresponding AC signal can be output according to the paired electrode patches.

[0104] Fig.17 Another exemplary flow chart of the paired electrode identification method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Fig.17 In the paired electrode identification method shown in , the impedance information between two electrode patches is obtained as identification information to identify the electrode pairs in the plurality of electrode patches. Figures 10A-12C The signal generating device described implements method 1700.

[0105] In step S1702, the impedance value between any two electrode patches can be obtained. In step S1704, the paired electrode patches can be determined according to the electrode patches corresponding to the maximum impedance value. In step S1706, the corresponding AC signals can be output according to the paired electrode patches.

[0106] Although the present disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, such illustration and description should be considered illustrative and schematic, not restrictive; the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. By studying the drawings, the disclosure and the appended claims, those skilled in the art will be able to understand and implement variations to the disclosed embodiments when practicing the claimed subject matter. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps that are not listed, the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality, the term "plurality" means two or more, and "based on" should be interpreted as "based at least in part on". The mere fact that certain measures are recorded in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Claims

1. A signal generating device, include: an information acquisition unit configured to acquire identification information of each electrode patch from the plurality of electrode patches, an electrode identification unit configured to identify electrode patches arranged in pairs among the plurality of electrode patches according to the identification information; The signal output unit is configured to output the alternating electric signal for each pair of electrode patches to the corresponding electrode patches according to the identification information.

2. The signal generating device according to claim 1, in, The information acquisition unit is configured to acquire a key signal of the corresponding electrode patch from a key circuit arranged on each electrode patch as the identification information.

3. The signal generating device as claimed in claim 2, in, The electrode identification unit is configured to identify electrode patches arranged in pairs from the plurality of electrode patches according to an order in which the key signals are acquired.

4. The signal generating device as claimed in claim 3, in, Identifying the electrode patches arranged in pairs from the plurality of electrode patches according to the order of acquiring the key signals comprises: In response to simultaneously acquiring key signals of two electrode patches among the plurality of electrode patches, it is determined that the two electrode patches are electrode patches arranged in pair.

5. The signal generating device according to claim 1, in, The information acquisition unit is configured to acquire a radio frequency signal of the corresponding electrode patch from a radio frequency transmission circuit arranged in each electrode patch as the identification information.

6. The signal generating device as claimed in claim 5, in, The electrode identification unit is configured to identify the electrode patches arranged in pairs according to the signal strength of the radio frequency signal of each electrode patch measured at a predetermined position.

7. The signal generating device according to claim 6, in, The electrode patches arranged in pairs are identified based on the signal strength of the radio frequency signal of each electrode patch, including: In response to determining that the strengths of the radio frequency signals from two electrode patches of the plurality of electrode patches are the same, it is determined that the two electrode patches are electrode patches arranged in a pair.

8. The signal generating device according to claim 1, in, The information acquisition unit is configured to acquire identity information of the corresponding electrode patch from an identity memory arranged at each electrode patch as the identification information.

9. The signal generating device according to claim 8, in, The electrode identification unit is configured to determine that the two electrode patches are electrode patches arranged in pairs according to a mapping relationship between identity information of each electrode patch and a predetermined position.

10. The signal generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, in, There are at least two types of electrode patches among the plurality of electrode patches, wherein different types of electrode patches are configured with different numbers of electrode units.

11. The signal generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, in, The signal generating device is connected to each electrode patch via the same interface.

12. A method for identifying paired electrodes, the method being performed by a signal generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the method include: acquiring identification information of each electrode patch from the plurality of electrode patches, Identifying electrode patches arranged in pairs among the plurality of electrode patches according to the identification information; The alternating electrical signal for each pair of electrode patches is output to the corresponding electrode patch according to the identification information.

13. An electric field therapy system, include: at least one pair of electrode patches; Host; as well as A signal generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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