Fabric electrode and garment

Abstract

The invention provides a fabric electrode and clothes, and relates to the technical field of flexible electronics, the fabric electrode comprises an attaching part and a conductive layer, and the attaching part and the conductive layer are both made of flexible materials; the conductive layer is fixedly connected with the garment body, covers the surface of the attaching part, is in electric contact with the attaching part, is in contact with the skin of the human body and is used for collecting biological signals generated by the human body; the attaching part is arranged between the conductive layer and the garment body, and a salient point structure is arranged on the surface of the attaching part; the conductive layer is provided with a positioning hole, and the positioning hole is connected with the salient point structure in a matched mode and used for positioning the salient point structure. When the human skin drives the attaching part to move between the conductive layer and the garment body, the salient point structures penetrate through the positioning holes to be in contact with the human skin so as to fix the attaching part. The fabric electrode can be in full contact with the skin under various use conditions, the sensitivity, accuracy and stability of signal acquisition are improved, and the fabric electrode is comfortable to wear and wide in application scene.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of flexible electronic technology, and in particular to a fabric electrode and clothing. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of wearable devices, telemedicine and health monitoring technologies, the demand for high-performance, stable and reliable fabric electrodes is growing. Due to their softness, breathability and good fit with the skin, fabric electrodes have become an important tool for collecting bioelectric signals.

[0003] Currently, the adhesion of fabric electrodes to the human body surface primarily relies on the elasticity and stability of the base material. However, over extended use, the adhesion of the electrodes gradually decreases due to factors such as perspiration and oil secretion, resulting in a loss of close contact with the skin and a tendency for them to shift or even fall off. These issues can cause fluctuations or drift in the signal acquisition process, affecting the stability and reliability of the data and making it impossible to meet the needs of long-term monitoring. Particularly during exercise, the relative slippage between the base fabric and the skin interface can lead to insufficient contact between the electrodes and the skin, making the interface impedance unstable. This not only reduces the quality of electrocardiogram (ECG) images but also affects the accurate calculation of heart rate values. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In response to the above-mentioned shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention provides a fabric electrode and clothing, which solves the technical problem in the existing technology that the fabric electrode is not in sufficient contact with the human skin during long-term use or exercise, thereby affecting the signal acquisition quality.

[0005] In one aspect, the present invention provides a fabric electrode comprising an attachment portion and a conductive layer, wherein both the attachment portion and the conductive layer are made of flexible materials;

[0006] The conductive layer is fixedly connected to the garment body and covers the surface of the attachment portion, and is in electrical contact with the attachment portion. The conductive layer is in contact with human skin and is used to collect biological signals generated by the human body;

[0007] The attachment portion is arranged between the conductive layer and the garment body, and a convex point structure is arranged on the surface of the attachment portion;

[0008] The conductive layer is provided with a positioning hole, and the positioning hole is connected with the bump structure for positioning the bump structure;

[0009] When the human skin drives the attachment portion to move between the conductive layer and the clothing body, the convex point structure passes through the positioning hole and contacts the human skin to fix the attachment portion.

[0010] Optionally, the attachment portion includes a silicone layer and an insulating fabric that are bonded to each other; the silicone layer is arranged on a side close to the conductive layer, and the bump structure is arranged on the surface of the silicone layer; the insulating fabric is arranged on a side close to the clothing body, and the surface of the insulating fabric is smoothed.

[0011] Optionally, the silicone layer includes self-adhesive silicone and supporting silicone that are bonded to each other; the self-adhesive silicone is arranged on a side close to the conductive layer, and the bump structure is arranged on the surface of the self-adhesive silicone; the supporting silicone is arranged on a side close to the insulating cloth, and the surface of the supporting silicone is smoothed.

[0012] Optionally, the insulating fabric is a multi-layer composite fabric.

[0013] Optionally, the conductive layer is made of silver nanofiber.

[0014] Optionally, the convex structure is made of an elastic material, and the surface of the convex structure is a sticky contact surface, and the sticky contact surface is attached to human skin.

[0015] Optionally, the fabric electrode further includes a packaging layer, which is arranged at both ends of the conductive layer and is used to fixedly connect the conductive layer to the clothing body.

[0016] Optionally, a plurality of the convex structures are evenly distributed on the surface of the attachment portion; a plurality of the positioning holes are evenly distributed on the conductive layer; and the number of the convex structures is greater than the number of the positioning holes.

[0017] Another aspect of the present invention provides a garment comprising a garment body and at least one fabric electrode as described above;

[0018] At least one of the fabric electrodes is fixedly connected to the garment body.

[0019] Optionally, the clothing further includes a covering fabric; the covering fabric covers the surface of the fabric electrode, and the clothing body and the fabric electrode are integrated into one by a thermal compression bonding process.

[0020] The fabric electrodes and clothing provided by the present invention utilize the convex structure on the attachment portion to pass through the positioning hole so that the fabric electrodes can be firmly adhered to the skin, preventing the occurrence of shedding, ensuring that the fabric electrodes can always be in full contact with the skin when the human skin is sweating or exercising, greatly improving the sensitivity of signal acquisition; the provision of the convex structure enables the fabric electrodes to adaptively adjust the contact state with the skin, thereby effectively reducing the artifact interference caused by movement, improving the accuracy and stability of signal acquisition, and are particularly suitable for application scenarios that require long-term monitoring, such as sports monitoring or health tracking; the fabric electrodes made of flexible materials ensure user comfort even under long-term use, improving the user experience. The above-mentioned fabric electrodes can ensure full contact with the skin under various usage conditions, improve the sensitivity, accuracy and stability of signal acquisition, are comfortable to wear, and have a wide range of application scenarios.

[0021] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be described in the following description, and in part will become apparent from the description, or will be understood by practicing the present invention. The purposes and other advantages of the present invention can be realized and obtained by the structures particularly pointed out in the written description, claims, and drawings.

[0022] The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below through the accompanying drawings and embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present invention, they are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute a limitation of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings:

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a fabric electrode in one embodiment provided in this application;

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the connection structure between the fabric electrode and the garment body in one embodiment provided in this application;

[0026] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the structure of a fabric electrode in one embodiment provided in this application.

[0027] In the picture:

[0028] 1. Conductive layer; 101. Positioning hole;

[0029] 2. Attachment part; 201. Self-adhesive silicone; 2011. Bump structure; 202. Support silicone; 203. Insulation fabric;

[0030] 3. Encapsulation layer;

[0031] 4. Clothing body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with embodiments. It should be noted that, unless there is a conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other.

[0033] In one embodiment, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a fabric electrode is provided, comprising an attachment portion 2 and a conductive layer 1, wherein the attachment portion 2 and the conductive layer 1 are both made of flexible material; the conductive layer 1 is fixedly connected to the clothing body 4 and covers the surface of the attachment portion 2, electrically contacting the attachment portion 2, and the conductive layer 1 is in contact with human skin for collecting biological signals generated by the human body; the attachment portion 2 is arranged between the conductive layer 1 and the clothing body 4, and a convex structure 2011 is provided on the surface of the attachment portion 2; the conductive layer 1 is provided with a positioning hole 101, which is cooperatively connected with the convex structure 2011 for positioning the convex structure 2011; when the human skin drives the attachment portion 2 to move between the conductive layer 1 and the clothing body 4, the convex structure 2011 passes through the positioning hole 101 and contacts the human skin to fix the attachment portion 2.

[0034] The fabric electrode provided in this embodiment utilizes the convex structure 2011 on the attachment portion 2 to pass through the positioning hole 101 so that the fabric electrode can be firmly adhered to the skin, preventing the occurrence of shedding, ensuring that the fabric electrode can always be in full contact with the skin when the human skin is sweating or exercising, greatly improving the sensitivity of signal acquisition; the provision of the convex structure 2011 enables the fabric electrode to adaptively adjust its contact state with the skin, thereby effectively reducing artifact interference caused by movement, improving the accuracy and stability of signal acquisition, and is particularly suitable for application scenarios that require long-term monitoring, such as sports monitoring or health tracking; the fabric electrode made of flexible material ensures user comfort even under long-term use, thereby improving the user experience. The above-mentioned fabric electrode can ensure full contact with the skin under various usage conditions, improve the sensitivity, accuracy and stability of signal acquisition, and is comfortable to wear and has a wide range of application scenarios.

[0035] In one embodiment, Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the attachment portion 2 includes a silicone layer and an insulating fabric 203 that are bonded to each other; the silicone layer is arranged on the side close to the conductive layer 1, and the convex structure 2011 is arranged on the surface of the silicone layer; the insulating fabric 203 is arranged on the side close to the clothing body 4, and the surface of the insulating fabric 203 is smoothed.

[0036] Among them, the insulating fabric 203 is located on the side close to the clothing body 4, which plays the role of isolating electronic components, preventing current leakage, and ensuring the safety of users. The surface of the insulating fabric 203 is smoothed to reduce friction, improve wearing comfort, and facilitate cleaning and maintenance.

[0037] In this embodiment, the convex structure 2011 increases the actual contact area between the silicone layer and the skin, thereby improving the accuracy and stability of signal acquisition; the smooth-treated insulating fabric 203 reduces the friction between the clothing body 4 and the fabric electrode, thereby reducing the loss of the fabric electrode and the clothing body 4 during movement; the flexibility and elasticity of the silicone layer enable the electrode to adapt to skin surfaces of different shapes, providing users with a more natural and comfortable wearing experience; the insulating fabric 203 effectively isolates electronic components, prevents current leakage, and improves product safety.

[0038] In one embodiment, Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the silicone layer includes self-adhesive silicone 201 and supporting silicone 202; the self-adhesive silicone 201 is arranged on the side close to the conductive layer 1, and the bump structure 2011 is arranged on the surface of the self-adhesive silicone 201; the supporting silicone 202 is arranged on the side close to the insulating fabric 203, and the surface of the supporting silicone 202 is smoothed.

[0039] In this embodiment, self-adhesive silicone is a silicone material with self-adhesive properties. It can be directly attached to other surfaces or itself without using additional adhesives. It usually has good flexibility and elasticity, can adapt to various shapes and surface textures, and provides a certain adhesion strength to ensure stability. Therefore, self-adhesive silicone is widely used in many industries such as medical, electronics, and textiles. For example, it is used to make fasteners for medical devices, sealing rings in electronic devices, or comfortable attachment layers in wearable devices; while supporting silicone provides basic support and protection to enhance the stability and durability of the structure.

[0040] In one embodiment, the insulating fabric 203 is a multi-layer composite fabric.

[0041] In this embodiment, insulating fabric 203 is not made of a single material, but rather is composed of multiple layers of fabrics made of different materials. This multi-layer structure combines the advantages of various materials to provide superior performance. Specifically, cotton and polyester fabrics are included. Cotton has excellent air permeability and moisture absorption, which improves wearing comfort and is skin-friendly, making it suitable for long-term wear. Polyester, as a synthetic fiber, has high strength, wear resistance, and quick drying properties, which increase the durability and wrinkle resistance of the fabric. The multi-layer composite fabric can flexibly adjust the proportions and combinations of each layer according to actual needs to achieve the optimal performance balance.

[0042] In one embodiment, the conductive layer 1 is made of silver nanofiber.

[0043] Among them, silver nanofibers can provide very low resistivity, ensuring efficient and accurate collection of bioelectric signals, and silver nanofibers have good flexibility and ductility, which are very suitable for application scenarios that require bending and stretching, such as wearable electronic devices or motion monitoring devices. At the same time, the conductive layer 1 woven from silver nanofibers can be designed to be very light and thin, which will hardly affect the wearer's comfort, allowing users to still feel comfortable when wearing it for a long time.

[0044] In this embodiment, the highly conductive silver nanofibers ensure high-quality bioelectric signal transmission, reduce signal loss and interference, and improve the accuracy and reliability of data acquisition; the soft and ductile silver nanofibers enable the conductive layer 1 to adapt to various shapes and dynamic changes, providing better fit and wearing comfort, and are suitable for scenarios such as long-term wear and sports monitoring; although the silver nanofibers are very light and thin, they also have good durability and can still maintain their conductive properties after multiple bending and stretching, extending the service life of the product and ensuring stability and reliability in long-term use.

[0045] In one embodiment, the convex structure 2011 is made of an elastic material, and the surface of the convex structure 2011 is a sticky contact surface that is attached to human skin.

[0046] In this embodiment, the bump structure 2011 is made of an elastic material with good flexibility and elasticity, so that the bumps can be deformed when subjected to external force and quickly return to their original shape after the external force is removed, ensuring good fit with the skin and adapting to dynamic changes in the skin; the surface of the bump structure 2011 is specially treated or made of specific materials to form a sticky contact surface, which can ensure that it is firmly attached to human skin without the use of additional adhesives, providing a stable contact effect, enhancing the stability and tightness between the fabric electrode and the skin, and preventing the electrode from falling off or shifting during exercise, thereby ensuring the quality and stability of signal acquisition.

[0047] In one embodiment, Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the fabric electrode further includes a packaging layer 3 , which is disposed at both ends of the conductive layer 1 and is used to securely connect the conductive layer 1 to the garment body 4 .

[0048] In this embodiment, the conductive layer 1 is generally rectangular, and the encapsulation layer 3 is arranged at both ends of the conductive layer 1, thereby stably fixing the conductive layer 1 on the clothing body 4 to form a complete fabric electrode structure, preventing the conductive layer 1 from shifting or falling off, and improving the overall stability of the entire fabric electrode system.

[0049] In one embodiment, a plurality of bump structures 2011 are evenly distributed on the surface of the attachment portion 2 ; a plurality of positioning holes 101 are evenly distributed on the conductive layer 1 ; and the number of the bump structures 2011 is greater than the number of the positioning holes 101 .

[0050] Among them, the conductive layer 1 is usually arranged horizontally in a rectangular shape, and is used to directly contact human skin to collect bioelectric signals, and a plurality of positioning holes 101 are evenly distributed on the conductive layer 1, which are used to cooperate with the convex structure 2011 on the attachment part 2 to ensure that the convex points can pass through and contact the skin, and at the same time play a role in positioning and fixing the attachment part 2; the attachment part 2 is usually a rectangular structure. With respect to the contact surface between the conductive layer 1 and the attachment part 2, the conductive layer 1 is longer in the horizontal length, while the attachment part 2 is longer in the vertical length, which also makes the attachment part 2 have a larger moving space under the conductive layer 1, and multiple convex structures 2011 are evenly distributed on the surface of the attachment part 2, and the number of convex structures 2011 is more than the number of positioning holes 101 on the conductive layer 1. No matter how the attachment part 2 moves, there are always a certain number of convex structures 2011 on the surface of the attachment part 2 that can pass through the positioning holes 101 to contact the skin and be positioned by the positioning holes 101.

[0051] In this embodiment, the number of the bump structures 2011 is greater than the number of the positioning holes 101, which provides redundancy and ensures that sufficient bumps can maintain good contact with the skin, further improving the stability of signal acquisition, while providing additional fixing force and enhancing the stability of the electrode; the attachment part 2 has a larger moving space under the conductive layer 1, adapting to the dynamic changes of the skin and providing better wearing comfort.

[0052] The fabric electrodes provided in this application have been proven to be able to effectively monitor the subjects' electrocardiograms in preliminary human trials. Experimental data show that the measurement results of electrocardiogram and heart rate are highly correlated with the results of medical-grade standard equipment, and the error range is controlled within a clinically acceptable level.

[0053] In one embodiment, a garment is provided, comprising a garment body 4 and the above-mentioned fabric electrode; at least one fabric electrode is fixedly connected to the garment body 4 .

[0054] The clothing provided in this embodiment uses fabric electrodes to continuously collect bioelectric signals generated by the human body, such as electrocardiograms and electromyograms, in real time, and transmit them to corresponding processing equipment or applications for analysis. The fabric electrodes are directly fixed on the clothing body 4, so that users do not need to wear additional independent sensors or devices, providing a more convenient user experience; the clothing is suitable for various scenarios, such as daily health monitoring, physiological data recording during sports training, continuous monitoring during medical rehabilitation, etc., and multiple fabric electrodes can be flexibly arranged on the clothing according to different needs to achieve biosignal monitoring of different parts and support more functional expansions, with strong flexibility and applicability.

[0055] In one embodiment, the clothing further includes a covering fabric; the covering fabric covers the surface of the fabric electrode, and the clothing body 4 and the fabric electrode are integrated into one by a thermal compression bonding process.

[0056] Among them, the covering fabric is an additional material that covers the surface of the fabric electrode, plays a protective role and improves the overall aesthetics; hot pressing bonding is a technology that uses heat and pressure to combine different material layers together. Through this process, the covering fabric, fabric electrode and clothing body 4 can be firmly combined together to form a seamless whole structure.

[0057] In this embodiment, the fabric electrode is firmly fixed to the clothing body 4 through the hot pressing bonding process, which reduces the risk of displacement or falling off due to exercise or daily use, and improves the overall stability and durability of the device; the covering fabric and the hot pressing bonding process work together to enhance the overall strength of the clothing, extend its service life, and ensure that it can maintain good performance during multiple washing and wearing processes; the covering fabric makes the fabric electrode and the clothing integrated, and the appearance is more neat and beautiful, which improves the user's wearing experience. Soft and breathable materials are usually selected, which not only provides a comfortable touch, but also ensures comfort for long-term wearing. At the same time, the covering fabric provides an additional protective layer for the fabric electrode to prevent it from being affected by the external environment, thereby extending the service life of the electrode. The presence of the covering fabric further optimizes the contact area between the electrode and the skin, ensuring the efficiency and accuracy of signal transmission.

[0058] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0059] The above embodiments merely illustrate several implementation methods of the present application. While the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art may make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A fabric electrode, characterized in that: It comprises an attachment portion (2) and a conductive layer (1), wherein the attachment portion (2) and the conductive layer (1) are both made of flexible materials; The conductive layer (1) is fixedly connected to the clothing body (4), covers the surface of the attachment portion (2), and is in electrical contact with the attachment portion (2). The conductive layer (1) is in contact with human skin and is used to collect biological signals generated by the human body. The attachment portion (2) is arranged between the conductive layer (1) and the clothing body (4), and a convex point structure (2011) is provided on the surface of the attachment portion (2); The conductive layer (1) is provided with a positioning hole (101), and the positioning hole (101) is connected to the convex structure (2011) for positioning the convex structure (2011); When human skin drives the attachment portion (2) to move between the conductive layer (1) and the clothing body (4), the convex point structure (2011) passes through the positioning hole (101) and contacts the human skin to fix the attachment portion (2).

2. The fabric electrode according to claim 1, characterized in that The attachment portion (2) comprises a silicone layer and an insulating fabric (203) that are bonded to each other; The silicone layer is arranged on a side close to the conductive layer (1), and the bump structure (2011) is arranged on the surface of the silicone layer; The insulating cloth (203) is arranged on a side close to the clothing body (4), and the surface of the insulating cloth (203) is smoothed.

3. The fabric electrode according to claim 2, characterized in that The silica gel layer comprises self-adhesive silica gel (201) and supporting silica gel (202); The self-adhesive silica gel (201) is arranged on a side close to the conductive layer (1), and the convex structure (2011) is arranged on the surface of the self-adhesive silica gel (201); The supporting silica gel (202) is arranged on a side close to the insulating cloth (203), and the surface of the supporting silica gel (202) is smoothed.

4. The fabric electrode according to claim 2, characterized in that The insulating cloth (203) is a multi-layer composite cloth.

5. The fabric electrode according to claim 1, characterized in that The conductive layer (1) is made of silver nanofiber.

6. The fabric electrode according to claim 1, characterized in that The convex point structure (2011) is made of elastic material, and the surface of the convex point structure (2011) is a sticky contact surface, and the sticky contact surface is attached to human skin.

7. The fabric electrode according to claim 1, characterized in that The fabric electrode further comprises a packaging layer (3), which is arranged at both ends of the conductive layer (1) and is used to fixedly connect the conductive layer (1) to the clothing body (4).

8. The fabric electrode according to claim 1, characterized in that A plurality of the convex point structures (2011) are evenly distributed on the surface of the attachment portion (2); A plurality of positioning holes (101) are evenly distributed on the conductive layer (1); The number of the protruding point structures (2011) is greater than the number of the positioning holes (101).

9. A garment, characterized in that: comprising a garment body (4) and at least one textile electrode as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8; At least one of the fabric electrodes is fixedly connected to the clothing body (4).

10. The garment according to claim 9, characterized in that The garment further comprises a covering fabric; The covering fabric covers the surface of the fabric electrode, and the clothing body (4) and the fabric electrode are integrated into one piece by a heat-pressing bonding process.

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