Adhesive Electrode Positioning for Hard-to-Reach Electrotherapy Sites
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrotherapy devices face challenges in accurately positioning the adhesive portion of the electrode at desired treatment sites, particularly in hard-to-reach areas like the lower body or back, due to the need for manual alignment and potential misplacement or peeling of the adhesive.
Innovation Solution
The electrotherapy device incorporates a non-adhesive portion that can be moved or manipulated to align with the body surface, allowing the adhesive portion to be accurately positioned at the desired site through various mechanisms such as sliding, rotating, or using a drive unit, ensuring precise attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the adhesive portion is provided on the electrode portion, then the electrode portion can be attached to the body surface, but the adhesive portion cannot be repositioned once attached
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode portion is divided into a non-adhesive portion (main body) and an adhesive portion (pad), allowing the non-adhesive portion to be repositioned while the adhesive portion remains attached to the body surface. This segmentation enables independent movement of the main body relative to the adhesive pad, resolving the contradiction between attachment reliability and positioning flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a movable connection between the non-adhesive portion and adhesive portion, allowing the non-adhesive portion to move relative to the adhesive portion. This dynamic connection enables the electrode to adapt its position while maintaining secure attachment, transforming a static attachment system into a dynamic repositionable system.
2Device complexity
If the main body portion and pad portion are integrated, then the structure is simplified, but positioning accuracy deteriorates due to simultaneous holding requirement
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode is segmented into a non-adhesive main body portion and an adhesive pad portion connected by a movable joint. This segmentation allows the main body to be held and positioned independently from the adhesive pad, enabling precise positioning without the constraint of simultaneously holding the entire integrated structure, thus improving positioning accuracy while maintaining reasonable structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable connection acts as an intermediary between the non-adhesive main body and the adhesive pad. This intermediary element decouples the positioning function from the attachment function, allowing the main body to be positioned accurately while the adhesive pad maintains its attachment to the body surface, thereby resolving the positioning accuracy issue in integrated structures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the adhesive portion is frequently attached and peeled off during positioning, then positioning flexibility is improved, but operation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the electrode into a non-adhesive main body and an adhesive pad connected by a movable joint, the system allows the main body to be repositioned without detaching the adhesive pad. This eliminates the need for repeated attachment and peeling operations, significantly reducing operation time while maintaining positioning flexibility through the movable connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable connection enables dynamic repositioning of the main body relative to the adhesive pad without requiring detachment and reattachment. This dynamic mechanism allows the electrode to adapt to different positions efficiently, eliminating the time-consuming cycle of repeated attachment and peeling while maintaining full positioning flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrotherapy device includes an electrode portion having an adhesive portion, a non-adhesive portion provided so as to be capable of being in contact with a body surface, and an operation portion configured to switch from a state in which the adhesive portion is not in contact with the body surface to a state in which the adhesive portion is in contact with the body surface. The adhesive portion abuts the body surface, by operating the operation portion in an abutting state in which the non-adhesive portion abuts the body surface such that the adhesive portion is not in contact with the body surface.