Wearable multi-lead electrocardiogram monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes

Abstract

According to the wearable multi-lead electrocardiogram monitoring vest based on the fabric electrodes, in the wearable multi-lead electrocardiogram monitoring vest based on the fabric electrodes, a vest body comprises a front piece area and a rear piece area; a plurality of fabric electrodes are distributed on the front piece area and the rear piece area and arranged at preset positions on the inner surface of the vest body so as to make contact with the skin of the trunk of a user when the vest is worn, a second connecting component is detachably connected with the first connecting component, and the conductive fabric element is detachably connected with the first connecting component. And the sensing part is detachably fixed between the first connecting part and the second connecting part and is provided with a sensing surface which is in contact with the skin of the user at the preset position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical monitoring equipment, in particular to a wearable multi-lead electrocardiogram monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes. Background Art

[0002] Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have become the leading cause of death worldwide. As a basic, non-invasive, and cost-effective test, the electrocardiogram (ECG) plays a vital role in the diagnosis, monitoring, and management of heart disease. The standard 12-lead ECG captures the heart's electrical activity from multiple spatial perspectives, providing rich and comprehensive diagnostic information and becoming the cornerstone of clinical cardiology assessment. However, the acquisition process for a standard 12-lead ECG typically requires specialized medical personnel to adhere multiple electrodes to specific locations on the patient's body based on precise anatomical positioning. This procedure is not only complex and requires specialized training, but also limits its convenience and accessibility in out-of-hospital settings, at home, or in settings where users need to perform it themselves. Furthermore, many arrhythmias (such as paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and premature beats) are characterized by intermittent onset. Traditional, short-duration resting ECGs performed only in medical institutions (even standard 12-lead ECGs) may fail to capture these occasional abnormalities. Therefore, technology capable of continuous ECG monitoring for long periods of time (e.g., 24 hours, days, or even weeks) is crucial to improving the detection rate of these diseases.

[0003] To meet the needs of long-term continuous monitoring, Ambulatory ECG (Holtermonitoring) technology came into being. Traditional Holter monitoring systems usually require patients to stick multiple (usually 5-10) disposable gel electrodes on specific locations on the torso. These electrodes are connected to a portable recording box via wires. Although the Holter system can provide multi-lead (although usually not a complete standard 12-lead) information and achieve long-term recording, its application still has many limitations: (1) Wearing discomfort and skin irritation: Long-term application of gel electrodes can easily cause skin allergies, rashes or pressure sores, especially in hot and humid environments; (2) Activity restriction and wire interference: Numerous wires are easily entangled and pulled, restricting user activities. They are easily entangled or cause electrodes to fall off during sleep, affecting monitoring continuity and user compliance; (3) Motion artifacts: Limb movement or changes in body position can easily cause wire shaking and relative displacement of the electrode-skin interface, resulting in strong motion artifacts. In severe cases, they can drown out the true ECG signal and reduce diagnostic accuracy; (4) Operation and maintenance: Electrode attachment must follow specific anatomical positioning, the gel has a limited shelf life and is easy to dry out, and daily maintenance is relatively cumbersome.

[0004] To overcome the shortcomings of traditional Holter monitors, wearable ECG monitoring technology has developed rapidly in recent years. Several single-lead or limited-lead wearable devices, such as smart bracelets and chest-mounted recorders, based on flexible or fabric electrodes have emerged on the market. While these devices offer improvements in convenience and comfort, their primary drawback is the limited information provided by a single physiological lead. Single-lead ECGs are limited in their ability to determine arrhythmia type and localize myocardial ischemia, making them a poor substitute for the diagnostic value of a standard 12-lead ECG.

[0005] Given the excellent properties of textile electrodes, such as their inherent flexibility, breathability, good biocompatibility, and easy seamless integration with clothing substrates, thus achieving truly "invisible" wearing and long-term monitoring, the development of a better wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring product based on textile electrodes is an urgently needed solution in this field.

[0006] The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the shortcomings and deficiencies of the prior art, a wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes is provided. This design addresses the existing shortcomings of multi-lead ECG monitoring in terms of comfort, convenience, electrode layout accuracy, and stability. It effectively integrates multiple fabric electrodes and ensures precise positioning and stable skin contact on the torso. This invention can serve as a reliable sensing front end for high-quality multi-lead or high-density ECG signal acquisition, laying the foundation for subsequent connection to various types of data acquisition systems.

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions.

[0009] A wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes includes: a vest body comprising a front region and a back region; a plurality of fabric electrodes distributed on the front and back regions and arranged at predetermined positions on the inner surface of the vest body so as to contact the user's torso skin when worn, the fabric electrodes comprising: a first connecting member, a second connecting component, which is detachably connected to the first connecting component and contacts the user's skin; A conductive textile element is detachably fixed between the first connecting component and the second connecting component and has a sensing surface that contacts the user's skin at the predetermined position.

[0010] In the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on textile electrodes, the conductive textile element includes silver-plated conductive yarn.

[0011] In the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes, a circle of fabric edge is provided on the outer edge of the conductive fabric element for sewing or installing it to the predetermined position on the vest body.

[0012] In the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes, the first connecting component is located on the side of the conductive fabric element away from the skin, and the first connecting component is provided with an electrical interface, which is connected to the wire or connector of the external data acquisition module.

[0013] In the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes, the second connecting component is located on the inner side of the conductive fabric element close to the skin, and the sensing surface is plated with silver chloride.

[0014] In the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes, the first connecting component is a copper electrode male buckle, the second connecting component is a bottom buckle plated with silver chloride, and the conductive fabric element is a ring structure fixed between the copper electrode male buckle and the bottom buckle.

[0015] In the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes, the limb lead electrode group for collecting limb lead signals includes: a left upper limb lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the upper surface of the left shoulder strap region of the vest body; a right upper limb lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the upper surface of the right shoulder strap region of the vest body; a left lower limb lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the lower left portion of the front region of the vest body; and The right lower limb lead electrode is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the lower right portion of the front region of the vest body.

[0016] In the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes, the chest lead electrode group for standard electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement includes: a first chest lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the fourth intercostal region at the right edge of the user's sternum; a second chest lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the fourth intercostal region on the left side of the user's sternum; a fourth chest lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the intersection of the user's left clavicle midline and the fifth intercostal space; a third chest lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the midpoint of the line connecting the corresponding positions of the second chest lead electrode and the fourth chest lead electrode; a fifth chest lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the intersection of the user's left anterior axillary line and the same horizontal line as the fourth chest lead electrode; The sixth chest lead electrode is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the intersection area of the user's left mid-axillary line and the same horizontal line as the fourth chest lead electrode.

[0017] In the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes, the limb lead electrode group and the chest lead electrode group together generate a standard 12-lead ECG signal.

[0018] In the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes, the front chest high-density electrode group includes a plurality of fabric electrodes arranged into a predetermined grid structure on the inner surface of the front region, and the predetermined grid structure includes a multi-row and multi-column array structure; and the first chest lead electrode, the second chest lead electrode, the fourth chest lead electrode and the fifth chest lead electrode are simultaneously part of the front chest high-density electrode group, and the back high-density electrode group is arranged on the surface of the back region into a grid structure corresponding to the grid structure of the front chest high-density electrode group, and the back high-density electrode group and the front chest high-density electrode group are distributed symmetrically front to back.

[0019] Compared with existing technologies, the present invention offers the following advantages: It significantly improves wearing comfort and user compliance: It replaces traditional gel and rigid electrodes with flexible fabric electrodes and integrates them into the elastic, form-fitting vest body. This design avoids the skin allergies and discomfort that can be caused by conductive gels, as well as the restrictive feeling of wire entanglement, making the vest as comfortable and breathable as ordinary clothing. This significantly improves the feasibility of long-term continuous monitoring and user compliance, which is particularly important for clinical applications requiring monitoring cycles of several days or even weeks. It also significantly simplifies the operation of multi-lead ECG monitoring and ensures accurate electrode positioning: Existing technologies, particularly multi-lead monitoring, require specialized personnel to apply electrodes individually according to anatomical landmarks, a cumbersome and error-prone process. The present invention integrates all fabric electrodes (including limb leads, standard chest leads, and electrodes required for high-density arrays) directly onto the inner surface of the vest at precisely pre-set locations. Users simply put on the vest like putting on clothes, and all electrodes are automatically placed at the corresponding measurement sites on the body. This requires no specialized knowledge or skills, making the operation extremely simple. This not only lowers the threshold for use, but also effectively ensures the consistency and accuracy of electrode positioning during each monitoring session, which is crucial for ensuring signal quality and comparability of subsequent analysis. Effectively ensures stable contact between the electrode and the skin, laying the foundation for high-quality signal acquisition: The elastic fabric design of the vest body can provide continuous and evenly distributed pressure, ensuring that the fabric electrodes fit tightly and stably on the user's skin surface. Even when the user moves slightly or changes position, good electrical contact can be maintained, which helps reduce baseline drift and motion artifacts caused by poor contact or relative sliding, and provides reliable physical contact for subsequent connected data acquisition systems to obtain low-noise, high-quality ECG signals. Provides the ability and potential to obtain rich ECG information: By integrating up to 66 precisely laid out fabric electrodes on the vest, the present invention not only includes all the electrode sites required to achieve a standard 12-lead ECG (achieved by directly setting or reusing some high-density electrodes), but also covers a large area of the anterior and posterior chest walls, forming a high-density electrode array. This design enables the vest structure to not only support routine clinical 12-lead ECG analysis, but more importantly, it provides the necessary physical electrode foundation for collecting higher-resolution cardiac electrophysiological information (such as 62-lead ECG or constructed body surface potential map (BSPM)). This enables more in-depth and comprehensive cardiac function assessment and disease diagnosis based on this vest platform, and has the potential to surpass traditional Holter and simple wearable devices. Achieving modularity and flexibility of the monitoring front end: The present invention optimizes the electrode material, structure, layout and the carrier clothing itself, separating the sensing front end (vest) from subsequent electronic functional modules such as data acquisition, processing, storage, and transmission. The connecting components on the fabric electrodes (such as copper male buckles) can be used as standard interfaces to facilitate fast and reliable connection and separation with various compatible data acquisition boxes or modules.This modular design not only facilitates the cleaning and maintenance of the vest, but also makes the system easy to upgrade and expand, and can be matched with different back-end electronic equipment according to different application requirements.

[0020] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to make the technical means of the present invention clearer and easier to understand, so that those skilled in the art can implement it according to the contents of the description, and in order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present invention are illustrated below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Various other advantages and benefits of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiments below. The accompanying drawings are intended only to illustrate preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. It should be understood that the drawings described below are merely examples of the present invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to derive other drawings from these drawings without inventive effort. Throughout the drawings, identical reference numerals are used to denote identical components.

[0022] In the attached figure: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure and electrode layout of a wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes provided by one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of a fabric electrode provided by another embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] The present invention will be further explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although specific embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present invention and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0025] It should be noted that certain words are used in the specification and claims to refer to specific components. Those skilled in the art should understand that technicians may use different nouns to refer to the same component. This specification and claims do not use the difference in nouns as a way to distinguish components, but use the difference in the functions of the components as the criterion for distinction. As mentioned throughout the specification and claims, "including" or "comprising" is an open term, so it should be interpreted as "including but not limited to". The subsequent description of the specification is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the description is based on the general principles of the specification and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The scope of protection of the present invention shall be as defined in the attached claims.

[0026] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, several specific embodiments will be further explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the accompanying drawings do not limit the embodiments of the present invention.

[0027] For better understanding, Figures 1 to 2 As shown, a wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes includes: a vest body comprising a front region and a back region; a plurality of fabric electrodes distributed on the front and back regions and arranged at predetermined positions on the inner surface of the vest body so as to contact the user's torso skin when worn, the fabric electrodes comprising: a first connecting member, a second connecting component, which is detachably connected to the first connecting component, and the second connecting component contacts the user's skin; A conductive textile element is detachably fixed between the first connecting component and the second connecting component and has a sensing surface that contacts the user's skin at the predetermined position.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment of the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on textile electrodes, the conductive textile element comprises silver-plated conductive yarn.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment of the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes, a circle of fabric edge is provided on the outer edge of the conductive fabric element for sewing or mounting it to the predetermined position on the vest body.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment of the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on textile electrodes, the first connecting component is located on the side of the conductive textile element away from the skin, and the first connecting component is provided with an electrical interface, which is connected to the wire or connector of the external data acquisition module.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment of the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on textile electrodes, the second connecting component is located on the inner side of the conductive textile element close to the skin, and the sensing surface is plated with silver chloride.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment of the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on textile electrodes, the first connecting component is a copper electrode male buckle, the second connecting component is a bottom buckle plated with silver chloride, and the conductive textile element is a ring structure fixed between the copper electrode male buckle and the bottom buckle.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment of the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes, the limb lead electrode group for collecting limb lead signals includes: a left upper limb lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the upper surface of the left shoulder strap region of the vest body; a right upper limb lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the upper surface of the right shoulder strap region of the vest body; a left lower limb lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the lower left portion of the front region of the vest body; and The right lower limb lead electrode is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the lower right portion of the front region of the vest body.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment of the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes, the chest lead electrode group for standard electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement includes: a first chest lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the fourth intercostal region at the right edge of the user's sternum; a second chest lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the fourth intercostal region on the left side of the user's sternum; a fourth chest lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the intersection of the user's left clavicle midline and the fifth intercostal space; a third chest lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the midpoint of the line connecting the corresponding positions of the second chest lead electrode and the fourth chest lead electrode; a fifth chest lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the intersection of the user's left anterior axillary line and the same horizontal line as the fourth chest lead electrode; The sixth chest lead electrode is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the intersection area of the user's left mid-axillary line and the same horizontal line as the fourth chest lead electrode.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment of the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on textile electrodes, the limb lead electrode group and the chest lead electrode group together generate a standard 12-lead ECG signal.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment of the wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes, the front chest high-density electrode group includes a plurality of fabric electrodes arranged into a predetermined grid structure on the surface of the front region, and the predetermined grid structure includes a multi-row and multi-column array structure; and the first chest lead electrode, the second chest lead electrode, the fourth chest lead electrode and the fifth chest lead electrode are simultaneously part of the front chest high-density electrode group, and the back high-density electrode group is arranged on the surface of the back region into a grid structure corresponding to the grid structure of the front chest high-density electrode group, and the back high-density electrode group and the front chest high-density electrode group are distributed symmetrically front to back.

[0037] In one embodiment, the vest body is made of elastic fabric and is designed to apply moderate pressure to the torso to ensure stable electrode contact with the skin. The fabric electrodes are made of silver-plated yarn and precisely distributed on the front and back of the vest according to a predetermined pattern. This electrode layout covers locations corresponding to standard limb leads and standard chest leads (V1-V6) and includes high-density anterior and posterior electrode arrays. The present invention provides an ECG monitoring vest structure based on a specific design and electrode layout. This structure serves as a reliable sensing interface and, when connected to an external data acquisition system, can support the generation of standard 12-lead ECGs and higher-density (e.g., 62-lead) ECG signals or body surface potential maps. The present invention provides a comfortable, easy-to-use ECG monitoring garment infrastructure that enables precise multi-lead electrode placement, effectively addressing the shortcomings of existing ECG monitoring technology in terms of long-term wear comfort, ease of operation, and the accuracy and stability of multi-lead electrode placement.

[0038] In one embodiment, a wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on textile electrodes includes a vest body and textile electrodes, wherein the vest body has a front region and a back region. The textile electrodes are distributed on the front region and the back region and are configured at predetermined locations on the inner surface of the vest body to contact the skin of the user's torso when worn. Furthermore, the vest body is made of elastic fabric and is configured to apply a certain amount of pressure to the user's torso to promote stable electrical contact between the textile electrodes and the user's skin.

[0039] Preferably, the vest body has a double-layer structure, comprising an inner layer and an outer layer, wherein the inner layer is adapted to be in direct contact with the skin and the outer layer provides primary structural support and pressure application.

[0040] Furthermore, each of the textile electrodes comprises a conductive textile element, a first connecting component, and a second connecting component. The conductive textile element is formed into a sensing area facing the user's skin and is secured between the first and second connecting components. Preferably, the conductive textile element comprises silver-plated conductive yarn. Preferably, the conductive textile element has an annular structure, the first connecting component is a copper male buckle, and the second connecting component is made of ABS with a silver chloride-plated bottom buckle on its skin-facing surface. Preferably, the inner diameter of the annular conductive textile element is approximately 1 cm and the outer diameter is approximately 2.5 cm; the diameters of the first and second connecting components are approximately 1 cm.

[0041] Furthermore, the total number of fabric electrodes is configured to meet the requirements for multi-lead monitoring, totaling 66, of which 36 are configured in the front region and 30 are configured in the back region. Furthermore, the fabric electrodes are divided into different groups based on function and location, including: a limb lead electrode group comprising 4 fabric electrodes for collecting limb lead signals, whose locations correspond to the measurement points of the left upper limb (LA), right upper limb (RA), left lower limb (LL), and right lower limb (RL) of a standard electrocardiogram; a chest lead electrode group comprising 6 fabric electrodes, whose locations correspond to the measurement points of chest leads V1 to V6 of a standard electrocardiogram; an anterior chest high-density electrode group comprising 30 fabric electrodes, whose locations cover most of the user's anterior chest wall; and a posterior back high-density electrode group comprising 30 fabric electrodes, whose locations cover most of the user's posterior back wall and correspond to the layout of the anterior chest high-density electrode group.

[0042] Furthermore, in the limb lead electrode group, the left upper limb lead (LA) electrode is configured on the inner surface of the left shoulder strap area of the vest body; the right upper limb lead (RA) electrode is configured on the inner surface of the right shoulder strap area of the vest body; the left lower limb lead (LL) electrode is configured on the inner surface of the lower left part of the front area of the vest body; and the right lower limb lead (RL) electrode is configured on the inner surface of the lower right part of the front area of the vest body.

[0043] Furthermore, the chest lead electrode group includes: a first chest lead (V1) electrode, which is arranged on the inner surface of the vest body and is intended to contact the fourth intercostal area on the right edge of the user's sternum; a second chest lead (V2) electrode, which is arranged on the inner surface of the vest body and is intended to contact the fourth intercostal area on the left edge of the user's sternum; a fourth chest lead (V4) electrode, which is arranged on the inner surface of the vest body and is intended to contact the intersection area of the user's left clavicle midline and the fifth intercostal area; a third chest lead (V3) electrode, which is arranged on the inner surface of the vest body and is intended to contact the midpoint area of the line connecting the corresponding positions of V2 and V4; a fifth chest lead (V5) electrode, which is arranged on the inner surface of the vest body and is intended to contact the intersection area of the user's left anterior axillary line and the same horizontal line of V4; and a sixth chest lead (V6) electrode, which is arranged on the inner surface of the vest body and is intended to contact the intersection area of the user's left mid-axillary line and the same horizontal line of V4.

[0044] Furthermore, the 30 electrodes of the front chest high-density electrode group are arranged in a predetermined grid structure on the inner surface of the front plate area.

[0045] Preferably, the grid structure comprises 6 columns and 5 rows; and the electrodes corresponding to the positions V1, V2, V4 and V5 in the chest lead electrode group are also part of the anterior chest high-density electrode group.

[0046] Furthermore, the 30 electrodes of the back high-density electrode group are arranged on the inner surface of the back plate region into a grid structure corresponding to the grid structure of the front chest high-density electrode group (203).

[0047] Preferably, the back high-density electrode group is arranged symmetrically front to back.

[0048] Based on the above structure, the vest described in the present invention is configured to generate a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram signal when used in conjunction with a compatible data acquisition system by combining the four electrodes of the limb lead electrode group and the six electrodes corresponding to positions V1 to V6 in the chest lead electrode group (where V1, V2, V4, and V5 are reused from the high-density electrode group on the front chest, and V3 and V6 are dedicated electrodes).

[0049] In addition, the vest described in the present invention is also configured to: when used in conjunction with a compatible data acquisition system, by combining the use of 62 monopolar lead electrodes (including 30 electrodes of the front chest high-density electrode group, chest leads V3, V6 and 30 electrodes of the back high-density electrode group), it can provide the necessary electrode interface for generating 62-lead ECG signals or body surface potential maps (BSPM).

[0050] In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on textile electrodes, comprising a vest body and textile electrodes. The electrode layout covers positions corresponding to standard limb leads and standard chest leads (V1-V6), and includes high-density anterior and posterior electrode arrays (V60_1-V60_60). When connected to an external data acquisition system, it can support the generation of standard 12-lead ECGs and higher-density (e.g., 62-lead) ECG signals or body surface potential maps.

[0051] In one embodiment, Figure 1 Figure 2 shows the structure and electrode layout of a wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on textile electrodes. This vest is designed to provide a comfortable, convenient, and precisely arranged sensor interface platform for multi-lead ECG monitoring in conjunction with an external data acquisition system. The vest primarily consists of a vest body and textile electrodes.

[0052] The vest body forms the foundation of the wearable device. In this embodiment, the vest body is made of a highly elastic textile fabric, including a blend of nylon and spandex, allowing it to fit snugly to the torso of users of varying body shapes. This elastic design enables the vest body to apply a preset, relatively uniform pressure to the user's torso. This pressure is crucial, ensuring that the fabric electrodes affixed to the inner surface of the vest body maintain stable and close electrical contact with the user's skin, which is crucial for reducing motion artifacts and obtaining high-quality ECG signals.

[0053] In a preferred embodiment, not shown in detail in the figure but applicable in the design, the vest body can have a double-layer structure, including an inner layer and an outer layer. The inner layer directly contacts the user's skin and can be made of a softer, skin-friendly fabric with good moisture absorption and perspiration properties to enhance wearing comfort and breathability. The outer layer can be made of a fabric with stronger compressibility and shaping ability to provide primary structural support and the pressure required to ensure electrode contact. This double-layer design can achieve effective electrode fixation and pressure application while ensuring comfort.

[0054] Fabric electrodes are the core sensing elements for ECG signal acquisition. They are placed (for example, by stitching or attaching them with connectors) at predetermined locations on the inner surface of the vest body. When the user wears the vest, the sensing surfaces of these fabric electrodes directly contact the corresponding skin areas on the user's torso.

[0055] The vest body is naturally divided into the front area (covering the user's chest and abdomen) and the back area (covering the user's back). Figure 1As shown, the ECG vest integrates a total of 66 fabric electrodes, distributed across the front and back of the vest body, forming a specific multi-lead layout. There are 36 fabric electrodes on the front and 30 on the back. These 66 fabric electrodes can be further divided into different groups based on their preset functions and locations: (1) Limb lead electrode group: Contains 4 fabric electrodes for simulating the limb lead signal acquisition of the standard ECG. The specific positions of the electrodes on the vest body are preferably: the electrode corresponding to the left upper limb (LA) is configured on the inner surface of the left shoulder strap area; the electrode corresponding to the right upper limb (RA) is configured on the inner surface of the right shoulder strap area; the electrode corresponding to the left lower limb (LL) is configured on the inner surface of the left lower abdomen area of the front area; the electrode corresponding to the right lower limb (RL) is configured on the inner surface of the right lower area of the vest body (for example, near the right groin area). These positions are selected to be as close as possible to the actual placement points of the limb electrodes in the standard ECG, or to alternative sites on the trunk surface that can effectively collect potentials representing the corresponding limbs.

[0056] (2) Chest lead electrode group: The vest is equipped with fabric electrodes corresponding to at least the V1 to V6 positions of standard ECG measurement. The positions of these electrodes on the vest body are set according to standard anatomical landmarks to ensure that when the user wears the vest correctly, these electrodes can be in contact with (i.e., aligned as accurately as possible) the following human body areas: the electrode corresponding to V1 is in contact with the fourth intercostal space on the right side of the sternum; the electrode corresponding to V2 is in contact with the fourth intercostal space on the left side of the sternum; the electrode corresponding to V4 is in contact with the intersection of the left midclavicular line and the fifth intercostal space; the electrode corresponding to V3 is in contact with the midpoint of the line connecting the corresponding positions of V2 and V4; the electrode corresponding to V5 is in contact with the intersection of the left anterior axillary line and the same horizontal line as V4; the electrode corresponding to V6 is in contact with the intersection of the left mid-axillary line and the same horizontal line as V4.

[0057] (3) High-density electrode group on the front chest: In addition to the electrodes corresponding to V1-V6 that may be included above, 30 fabric electrodes are densely arranged on the front area of the vest body. These electrodes are arranged in a predetermined grid structure, covering most of the area of the front chest wall. For example, they can be arranged in an array of 6 columns and 5 rows. This high-density layout is intended to capture more detailed spatial distribution information of cardiac electrical activity. In particular, in this embodiment, in order to optimize the number and layout of electrodes, the electrodes corresponding to the V1, V2, V4 and V5 positions in the standard chest lead electrode group are designed to be part of the high-density electrode group on the front chest at the same time (i.e., reused, corresponding to V60_12, V60_17, V60_23, V60_28), while the electrodes corresponding to V3 and V6 may be specially set.

[0058] (4) Back High-Density Electrode Group: 30 fabric electrodes are placed on the back of the vest. These electrodes are arranged in a grid structure that corresponds to the grid structure of the chest high-density electrode group. Preferably, the arrangement is symmetrical with the chest electrodes to completely cover the torso surface.

[0059] In another embodiment, Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a single fabric electrode. In this embodiment, each fabric electrode comprises: (1) Conductive fabric element: This is the part that comes into direct contact with the skin and senses ECG signals. It is preferably made of conductive yarn containing silver plating (or other highly conductive metals such as gold, or conductive polymers, carbon materials, etc.) through a weaving or knitting process. Silver-plated yarn has good conductivity, biocompatibility and certain antibacterial properties. The conductive fabric element is formed into a sensing area facing the user's skin. In this preferred embodiment, it is designed as a ring structure, for example, with an inner diameter of about 1 cm and an outer diameter of about 2.5 cm. The ring structure may help to reduce the pressure in the central area and improve breathability while ensuring the contact area. A circle of fixed fabric edge is provided on the periphery of the conductive fabric element for fixing or mounting the fabric electrode to the vest body (for example, by sewing).

[0060] (2) First connecting component: Located on the outside of the conductive textile element (away from the skin). In this embodiment, a copper male buckle is preferred. Copper has good electrical conductivity. This male buckle provides an electrical interface for connecting to the wires or connector of the external data acquisition module.

[0061] (3) Second connecting component: Located on the inner side (skin-facing side) of the conductive fabric element. In this embodiment, the bottom buckle is preferably made of ABS material. ABS is an engineering plastic with good insulation and mechanical strength. Crucially, the skin-facing surface of the bottom buckle is coated with a layer of silver chloride (Ag / AgCl). Ag / AgCl is an excellent electrode material with a low and stable polarization voltage. It is particularly suitable for measuring bioelectric signals (such as ECG) and can effectively reduce noise, especially when the electrode is dry or only needs to be moistened with a small amount of sweat.

[0062] During assembly, the conductive textile element is clamped and secured between the first connecting component (male buckle) and the second connecting component (bottom buckle). Through the interlocking action of the male and female buckles and a fabric edge surrounding the conductive textile element, it is securely attached to the vest body at a predetermined location. Preferably, the diameters of the first and second connecting components can be designed to match the inner diameter of the conductive textile element, for example, approximately 1 cm.

[0063] The ECG vest provided by this invention is a high-performance sensor interface platform. Its value lies in its ability, through its structure and layout, to provide the necessary, high-quality raw electrical signal input to an external data acquisition system (DAS), such as a detachable recording box or a processing unit connected via a wiring harness.

[0064] Based on the electrode configuration provided in this embodiment: (1) Basis for the implementation of a standard 12-lead ECG: When connected to a suitable DAS, the DAS can calculate and generate a standard 12-lead ECG (I, II, III, aVR, aVL, aVF, V1-V6) according to a standard algorithm by combining the four electrodes (LA, RA, LL, RL) of the limb lead electrode group and the six electrodes corresponding to the positions of V1 to V6 in the chest lead electrode group (V1, V2, V4, V5 reuse the four electrodes in the high-density electrode group on the front chest).

[0065] (2) Basis for high-density ECG signal acquisition: By utilizing most electrodes, especially by combining 62 unipolar lead electrodes (including the 30 electrodes of the anterior chest high-density electrode group, chest leads V3 and V6, and the 30 electrodes of the back high-density electrode group), DAS can acquire 62 unipolar lead ECG signals. These high-density signals can be used to construct a body surface potential map (BSPM), providing richer spatial information of cardiac electrical activity than 12 leads, for more in-depth cardiac pathological and physiological research or more accurate lesion localization.

[0066] The present invention provides a wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on textile electrodes. By utilizing a form-fitting elastic vest body, specially constructed textile electrodes (specifically, Ag / AgCl contact surfaces, silver-coated yarn conductive fabric elements, and convenient connectors), and a precisely designed multi-lead (including high-density array) layout, this design successfully addresses numerous challenges faced by existing technologies in terms of comfort, usability, electrode positioning accuracy, and stability. It provides a clothing-based sensing platform for long-term, comfortable, convenient, and information-rich multi-lead ECG monitoring.

[0067] In one embodiment, the vest body is made of elastic fabric: By using a highly elastic textile fabric (such as a blend of nylon and spandex), the vest can closely conform to the torso of users of varying body shapes, thereby applying a preset, relatively uniform pressure to the user. This design helps ensure stable and close electrical contact between the fabric electrodes affixed to the vest and the skin, reducing motion artifacts and improving the quality of the collected ECG signals.

[0068] The dual-layer design features a soft, skin-friendly, moisture-wicking inner layer that comes into direct contact with the wearer's skin for enhanced comfort and breathability. The outer layer provides primary structural support and ensures the required pressure is applied to the electrodes. This design not only enhances wearer comfort but also ensures electrode stability.

[0069] Conductive fabric elements made of silver-plated yarn: These elements have excellent conductivity, biocompatibility, and certain antibacterial properties, ensuring efficient ECG signal acquisition and safety for the human body. The ring-shaped design helps to reduce pressure in the central area and improve breathability while maintaining a large contact area.

[0070] Silver chloride (Ag / AgCl) coated second connection component: As the surface material facing the skin, Ag / AgCl has a low and stable polarization voltage, which is particularly suitable for bioelectric signal measurement and can effectively reduce noise. It is especially suitable for dry electrodes or when only a small amount of sweat is needed to moisten them.

[0071] Precisely laid out electrode groups: including limb lead electrodes, chest lead electrodes, anterior chest high-density electrodes, and posterior back high-density electrodes, cover the locations corresponding to standard ECG measurements and include high-density anterior chest and posterior back electrode arrays. This layout allows for the simultaneous generation of standard 12-lead ECG signals and higher-density (e.g., 62-lead) ECG signals or body surface potential maps, providing rich information for cardiac pathology and physiology studies.

[0072] Convenient connector design: The copper male buckle and ABS bottom buckle design facilitate the installation and removal of the electrode, while also ensuring a reliable connection between the electrode and the external data acquisition system.

[0073] The basic principles of the present application have been described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, strengths, and effects mentioned in this application are merely illustrative and not restrictive, and it should not be assumed that these advantages, strengths, and effects are required of each embodiment of this application. In addition, the specific details disclosed above are merely illustrative and facilitating understanding, and are not restrictive. The above details do not limit this application to necessarily being implemented using the above specific details.

[0074] The above description has been provided for the purpose of illustration and description. Furthermore, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application to the forms disclosed herein. Although a number of example aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, alterations, additions, and sub-combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes, characterized in that: These include, a vest body comprising a front region and a back region; a plurality of fabric electrodes distributed on the front and back regions and arranged at predetermined positions on the inner surface of the vest body so as to contact the user's torso skin when worn, the fabric electrodes comprising: a first connecting member, a second connecting component, which is detachably connected to the first connecting component and contacts the user's skin; A conductive textile element is detachably fixed between the first connecting component and the second connecting component and has a sensing surface that contacts the user's skin at the predetermined position.

2. The wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conductive textile element includes silver-plated conductive yarn.

3. The wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer edge of the conductive fabric element is provided with a circle of fabric edge, which is used for sewing or installing it to the predetermined position on the vest body.

4. The wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first connecting component is located on the side of the conductive textile element away from the skin, and the first connecting component is provided with an electrical interface, which is connected to a wire or a connector of an external data acquisition module.

5. The wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second connecting component is located on the inner side of the conductive textile element close to the skin, and the sensing surface is plated with silver chloride.

6. The wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first connecting component is a copper electrode male buckle, the second connecting component is a bottom buckle plated with silver chloride, and the conductive fabric element is an annular structure fixed between the copper electrode male buckle and the bottom buckle.

7. The wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The limb lead electrode group for collecting limb lead signals includes: a left upper limb lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the upper surface of the left shoulder strap region of the vest body; a right upper limb lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the upper surface of the right shoulder strap region of the vest body; a left lower limb lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the lower left portion of the front region of the vest body; as well as The right lower limb lead electrode is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the lower right portion of the front region of the vest body.

8. The wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes according to claim 7, characterized in that: The chest lead electrode set for standard ECG measurement includes: a first chest lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the fourth intercostal region at the right edge of the user's sternum; a second chest lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the fourth intercostal region on the left side of the user's sternum; a fourth chest lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the intersection of the user's left clavicle midline and the fifth intercostal space; a third chest lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the midpoint of the line connecting the corresponding positions of the second chest lead electrode and the fourth chest lead electrode; a fifth chest lead electrode, which is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the intersection of the user's left anterior axillary line and the same horizontal line as the fourth chest lead electrode; The sixth chest lead electrode is a fabric electrode disposed on the inner surface of the vest body and intended to contact the intersection area of the user's left mid-axillary line and the same horizontal line as the fourth chest lead electrode.

9. The wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes according to claim 8, characterized in that: The limb lead electrode set and the chest lead electrode set together generate a standard 12-lead ECG signal.

10. The wearable multi-lead ECG monitoring vest based on fabric electrodes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front chest high-density electrode group includes a plurality of fabric electrodes arranged into a predetermined grid structure on the inner surface of the front region, and the predetermined grid structure includes a multi-row and multi-column array structure; and the first chest lead electrode, the second chest lead electrode, the fourth chest lead electrode and the fifth chest lead electrode are simultaneously part of the front chest high-density electrode group, and the back high-density electrode group is arranged in a grid structure corresponding to the grid structure of the front chest high-density electrode group on the inner surface of the back region, and the back high-density electrode group and the front chest high-density electrode group are distributed symmetrically front to back.

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