Segmented Wearable EEG Housing with Variable Rigidity
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wearable brain wave measurement devices face issues with durability and fitting comfort, leading to signal quality instability and increased risk of wire breakage due to soft materials and inadequate electrode fixation.
Innovation Solution
A brain wave measurement device with a housing unit comprising distinct components of varying rigidity, including a central and left/right front-side components, and a rear-side component, with measurement electrodes fixed to the rear-side component, providing improved durability and comfort by distributing the device's weight and reducing wire stress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a wearable electroencephalograph made of soft materials (e.g., hairband type) is used, then comfort and fitting feeling are improved, but durability deteriorates with high frequency of wire breakages
Solution Approach 1:
The headband is divided into multiple independent components (first headband component, second headband component, connection component) that can move relative to each other. This segmentation allows the device to maintain overall flexibility for comfort while individual rigid components provide structural support and durability, preventing wire breakage.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the headband have different rigidity characteristics. The first and second headband components have flexibility for comfort, while the connection component containing the wire has higher rigidity to protect the wire. This local differentiation of mechanical properties resolves the contradiction between overall comfort and localized durability.
2Reliability
If a wearable electroencephalograph with housing structure made of hard material is used, then durability is improved, but fitting feeling deteriorates causing pain and unstable signal quality
Solution Approach 1:
The headband is segmented into multiple components with different mechanical properties. The first and second headband components are made of flexible material to ensure comfort and adaptability to head shape, while only the connection component containing the wire is made of hard material for durability. This segmentation allows the device to be comfortable overall while protecting critical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The hard material is applied locally only to the connection component where the wire is housed, rather than the entire headband. This localized application of rigid material provides durability where needed (wire protection) while maintaining flexibility and comfort in the portions that contact the user's head.
3Measurement precision
If electrodes project from a main body in a wearable electroencephalograph, then measurement capability is improved, but durability deteriorates due to wire breakage risk and electrode fixation stability
Solution Approach 1:
The wire is nested inside the connection component, which acts as a protective housing. This nested structure protects the wire from external forces and prevents breakage, while still allowing the electrodes to extend outward for measurement. The connection component serves as both structural support and wire protection.
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to provide a wearable brain wave measurement device having a structure that can achieve both of improvement of durability and improvement of fitting feeling in order to contribute to improvement of the quality of a brain wave signal to be measured. The present invention provides a brain wave measurement device wearable on a living body head, the brain wave measurement device including a housing unit including at least a central front-side component, a left front-side component, a right front side component, and a rear-side component, the housing unit having a curved shape such that the housing unit is disposed along the living body head from a left temporal region through a frontal region to a right temporal region at a time of wearing, at least one measurement electrode that is fixed to the rear-side component and comes into contact with the frontal region at the time of wearing, and a signal processing unit housed in the housing unit, the signal processing unit processing an electric signal obtained via the measurement electrode. Rigidities of at least two components among the central front-side component, the left front-side component, the right front-side component, and the rear-side component are different from each other.