An implantable nerve stimulator suitable for the human neck

Abstract

The present invention provides an implantable nerve stimulator suitable for the human neck, belonging to the technical field of medical devices, comprising: an end part, a housing part and a tail part which are connected in sequence, wherein a circuit board is arranged in the housing part; a wireless charging coil is arranged in the end part, and the central axis of the wireless charging coil is parallel to the length direction of the housing part; a stimulating electrode contact is arranged in the tail part, and the stimulating electrode contact is arranged transversely with respect to the length direction of the housing part; the implantable nerve stimulator of the present invention optimizes the layout of internal components, thereby reducing the overall length, width and thickness of the nerve stimulator, so that the nerve stimulator is suitable for implantation at the human neck.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical devices, and particularly to an implantable nerve stimulator suitable for the human neck. Background Art

[0002] An implantable nerve stimulator is implanted at different positions in the human body to send electrical pulse signals to specific tissues in the human body, thereby playing a role in treating or improving related disease symptoms. It is a reversible method of nerve regulation.

[0003] Currently, the fields of nerve regulation applications using implantable nerve stimulators mainly include deep brain stimulation (DBS), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), spinal nerve stimulation (SCS), sacral nerve stimulation (SNM), and tibial nerve stimulation (TNS). The diseases treated include Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, pain, urinary retention, etc.

[0004] Implanting a nerve stimulator inevitably causes harm to the patient. Miniaturizing the nerve stimulator according to different parts of the human body where it is implanted can reduce the harm to the patient during the implantation surgery, reduce the surgical difficulty, and improve the aesthetics. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the defect that the existing implantable nerve stimulators are not miniaturized according to different positions in the human body, so as to provide an implantable nerve stimulator suitable for the human neck.

[0006] To solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides an implantable nerve stimulator suitable for the human neck, including:

[0007] An end part, a housing part, and a tail part that are sequentially connected to form a uniform cylinder;

[0008] A circuit board is disposed inside the housing part;

[0009] A wireless charging coil is disposed inside the end part, and the central axis of the wireless charging coil is parallel to the length direction of the housing part;

[0010] The tail part is provided with stimulation electrode contacts, and the stimulation electrode contacts are arranged transversely with respect to the length direction of the housing part.

[0011] Optionally, inside the housing part, a battery and electrical components are arranged in parallel on the circuit board.

[0012] Optionally, the housing part includes a housing shell, an end flange, and a tail flange, and the two ends of the housing shell are respectively connected to the end flange and the tail flange.

[0013] Optionally, the housing shell includes a planar wall and an arc-shaped wall. The circuit board is disposed within the housing component near the planar wall of the housing shell, and the circuit board is disposed parallel and spaced apart from the planar wall of the housing shell.

[0014] Optionally, a partial area on the housing shell is set as a conductor area, and the remaining part is an insulating area. This conductor area serves as a stimulation contact of the implantable nerve stimulator.

[0015] Optionally, detachable support brackets are provided at both ends of the housing shell, and the inner wall of the support bracket has support bosses for supporting the circuit board.

[0016] Optionally, mounting holes for mounting feedthrough components are respectively provided on the end flange and the tail flange. The wireless charging coil, the antenna, and the stimulation electrode contacts are electrically connected to the circuit board inside the housing component via connection leads through the feedthrough components.

[0017] Optionally, the end component and the tail component are made of a polymer material.

[0018] Optionally, the end component and the tail component are formed by epoxy resin casting.

[0019] Optionally, suture holes are designed on the end component and / or the tail component.

[0020] The technical solution of the present invention has the following advantages:

[0021] 1. The implantable nerve stimulator provided by the present invention optimizes the layout of internal components, thereby reducing the overall length, width, and thickness of the nerve stimulator. Specifically, by arranging the central axis of the wireless charging coil parallel to the length direction of the housing component, the wireless charging coil can be installed without increasing the overall diameter of the nerve stimulator. By horizontally arranging the stimulation electrode contacts within the tail component, the overall length of the nerve stimulator is reduced, making the nerve stimulator suitable for implantation in the human neck.

[0022] 2. The implantable nerve stimulator provided by the present invention reduces the diameter of the housing component by disposing the circuit board within the housing component and arranging the battery and electrical components side by side on the circuit board, thereby reducing the overall width and thickness of the nerve stimulator.

[0023] 3. After the implantable nerve stimulator provided by the present invention is vertically implanted into the human neck, the wireless charging coil located within the end component is in a vertical state. In this state, an external device cooperating with the wireless charging coil can be sleeved around the human neck to cooperate with the wireless charging coil, facilitating charging of the battery.

[0024] 4. The implantable nerve stimulator provided by the present invention has a housing shell with a planar wall. In the first accommodation cavity of the housing component, the circuit board is arranged close to the planar wall and parallel to the planar wall, so that the circuit board is offset in the first accommodation cavity, facilitating the arrangement of electrical components and batteries on the circuit board, thereby maximizing the utilization of the space in the first accommodation cavity and reducing the overall width and thickness of the nerve stimulator. Description of the Drawings

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0026] Figure 1 Stereogram of the implantable nerve stimulator suitable for the human neck provided in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 For Figure 1 exploded view.

[0028] Figure 3 For Figure 2 exploded view of the housing component in

[0029] Figure 4 For Figure 3 enlarged view of the circuit board area in

[0030] Figure 5 For Figure 4 stereogram of the support bracket in

[0031] Figure 6 For Figure 3 stereogram of the end flange in

[0032] Figure 7 For Figure 6 rear-view stereogram of the end flange in

[0033] Figure 8 For Figure 3 stereogram of the tail flange in

[0034] Figure 9 For Figure 8 rear-view stereogram of the tail flange in

[0035] Figure 10 Stereogram of the implantable nerve stimulator suitable for the human neck provided in another embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Description of the Reference Numerals:

[0037] 1. End component; 2. Housing component; 3. Tail component; 4. Circuit board; 5. Card slot; 6. Battery; 7. Electrical components; 8. Wireless charging coil; 9. Antenna; 10. Stimulating electrode contact; 11. Housing shell; 12. Flat wall; 13. Conductor area; 14. Arc wall; 15. End flange; 16. Tail flange; 17. Support bracket; 18. Feed-through component; 19. Support boss; 20. First clamping platform structure; 21. Mounting hole; 22. Step structure; 23. Stitching hole; 24. Second clamping platform structure; 25. Card slot structure; 26. Positioning rib. Detailed implementation manners

[0038] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are some but not all of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0040] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation", "connection", and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations.

[0041] In addition, the technical features involved in different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0042] This embodiment provides an implantable nerve stimulator suitable for the human neck, such as Figure 1As shown, it includes: an end component 1, a housing component 2, and a tail component 3. The end component 1, the housing component 2, and the tail component 3 are sequentially connected along a direction, which can be referred to as the length direction of the implantable nerve stimulator. Further, the end component 1, the housing component 2, and the tail component 3 are combined to form a uniform cylindrical shape, so as to facilitate implanting the implantable nerve stimulator into narrow parts such as the human neck.

[0043] As Figure 2 shown, for the implantable nerve stimulator provided in this embodiment, larger parts such as the circuit board 4 and the battery 6 are arranged in the first accommodation cavity of the housing component 2, and the battery 6 and the electrical components 7 on the circuit board 4 are arranged side by side to reduce the occupied space of the internal parts and reduce the overall size. In addition, a wireless charging coil 8 is arranged in the end component 1. The central axis of the wireless charging coil 8 is parallel to the length direction of the housing component 2. And preferably, the wireless charging coil 8 is eccentrically arranged with respect to the housing component 2, and the offset space can be used to arrange the antenna 9. Among them, the wireless charging coil 8 is used to cooperate with an external device to charge the battery 6 in the housing component 2. The parallel setting of the central axis of the wireless charging coil 8 and the length direction of the housing component 2 can facilitate the connection and cooperation with the external device. Specifically, since the implantable nerve stimulator provided in this embodiment is applicable to the human neck, when the implantable nerve stimulator is implanted into the human neck, the axial direction of the wireless charging coil 8 located in the end component 1 is parallel to the length direction of the human neck. In this state, the external device cooperating with the wireless charging coil 8 can be sleeved on the human neck to cooperate with the wireless charging coil 8 to facilitate charging the battery 6.

[0044] As Figure 1 shown, in this embodiment, the main body of the housing shell 11 is made of a metal material, such as titanium, titanium alloy, stainless steel, etc. Most of the outer shell is coated with an insulating coating, such as parylene coating. A local area on the outer side of the housing shell 11 is not coated with the insulating coating to form a conductor area 13, which is used as a stimulation contact of the implantable nerve stimulator; specifically, an electrical connection is formed between the inside of the housing shell 11 and the circuit board 4 through a connecting wire to transmit the stimulation signal to the conductor area 13. The end component 1 and the tail component 3 are made of a polymer material. Preferably, they can be formed by epoxy resin casting.

[0045] As Figure 2 shown, an antenna 9 is also arranged in the second accommodation cavity of the end component 1. The antenna 9 is arranged along the outside of the wireless charging coil 8 and can be used to interact with external devices through the antenna 9. Specifically, Bluetooth communication can be used for information interaction. Preferably, the antenna 9 is bent back and forth along the outer arc contour of the wireless charging coil 8 and extends along the axial direction of the wireless charging coil 8.

[0046] As Figure 2 shown, the implantable nerve stimulator provided in this embodiment has a third accommodation cavity inside the tail component 3. A stimulation electrode contact 10 is arranged in the third accommodation cavity, and the stimulation electrode contact 10 is electrically connected to the circuit board 4 inside the housing component 2. At least one main surface of the stimulation electrode contact 10 exposes the implantable nerve stimulator, so as to stimulate the human nerve through this main surface. In addition, the stimulation electrode contact 10 is of a flat plate structure, and the stimulation electrode contact 10 is arranged transversely with respect to the length direction of the housing component 2, so as to reduce the occupied space of the stimulation electrode contact 10 in the length direction in the third accommodation cavity while ensuring the contact area of the main surface, thereby reducing the length of the implantable nerve stimulator, so as to facilitate implanting the implantable nerve stimulator into a narrow space such as the human neck.

[0047] The implantable nerve stimulator provided in this embodiment optimizes the layout of internal components, thereby reducing the overall length, width and thickness of the nerve stimulator; specifically, by arranging the circuit board 4 inside the housing component 2 and arranging the battery 6 and electrical components 7 side by side on the circuit board 4 to reduce the diameter of the housing component 2, thereby reducing the overall width and thickness of the nerve stimulator; by arranging the central axis of the wireless charging coil 8 parallel to the length direction of the housing component 2, the wireless charging coil 8 can be installed without increasing the overall diameter of the nerve stimulator; by arranging the stimulation electrode contact 10 transversely in the tail component 3, the overall length of the nerve stimulator is reduced, so that the nerve stimulator is suitable for implantation at the human neck.

[0048] The implantable nerve stimulator provided in this embodiment is also convenient for assembly and disassembly. As Figure 3 shown, the housing component 2 includes: a housing shell 11, an end flange 15 and a tail flange 16. The two ends of the housing shell 11 are respectively connected to the end flange 15 and the tail flange 16.

[0049] As Figures 1 - 3 shown, the housing shell 11 includes: a flat wall 12 and an arc wall 14. The circuit board 4 is arranged close to the flat wall 12 of the housing shell 11 in the first accommodation cavity of the housing component 2, and the circuit board 4 is arranged parallel and spaced from the flat wall 12 of the housing shell 11.

[0050] As Figure 4 、 Figure 5As shown, both ends of the housing shell 11 are provided with detachable support brackets 17. The support bracket 17 has an outer wall adapted to the inner wall of the housing shell 11, including a flat wall and a curved wall, which can ensure the relative fixation of the support bracket 17 and the housing shell 11 in the circumferential direction. The inner wall of the support bracket 17 has a support boss 19 for fixedly supporting the circuit board 4; specifically, the support boss 19 is a support protruding on the inner wall at the intersection of the flat wall and the curved wall of the support bracket 17. Preferably, a limiting rib 26 is further provided inside the support bracket 17. The limiting rib 26 is provided at one end of the support bracket 17 and is disposed on a part of the support boss 19. Correspondingly, a card slot 5 is provided on the circuit board 4 to cooperate with the limiting rib 26. During installation, the two support brackets 17 are arranged facing each other with the end having the limiting rib 26 facing outwards, and the limiting rib 26 is snapped into the card slots 5 at both ends of the circuit board 4, so that a part of the circuit board 4 is inserted into the inside of the support bracket 17, and the support boss 19 supports the bottom end of the part of the circuit board 4 inserted into the inside of the support bracket 17, which can improve the stable support of the circuit board 4 and further shorten the length of the nerve stimulator. Additionally, as Figure 5 shown, outside the end of the support bracket 17 where the limiting rib 26 is provided, there is a second card table structure 24, which is used for plug-in connection with the end flange 15 or the tail flange 16; the outer wall surface of the second card table structure 24 is a combination of an arc shape and a flat shape, so that when the second card table structure 24 is inserted into the end flange 15 or the tail flange 16, the relative fixation of the two connecting parts in the circumferential direction can be ensured.

[0051] As Figures 6 - 9As shown, the end flange 15 and the tail flange 16 have outer walls adapted to the inner wall of the housing shell 11, including a flat wall and a curved wall, which can ensure the relative fixation of the end flange 15, the tail flange 16 and the housing shell 11 in the circumferential direction. The end flange 15 and the tail flange 16 are respectively provided with mounting holes 21 for mounting the feed-through component 18. The wireless charging coil 8, the antenna 9, the stimulation electrode contact 10, and the conductor region 13 are electrically connected to the circuit board 4 inside the housing component 2 via the connection lead through the feed-through component 18. The mounting hole 21 has a stepped structure 22 facing outward, and the feed-through component 18 is clamped at the mounting hole 21 through the stepped structure 22, so as to seal the housing shell 11 through the feed-through component 18. In addition, on the side of the end flange 15 and the tail flange 16 facing the support bracket 17, a slot structure 25 for plugging with the support bracket 17 is respectively provided. By inserting the second clamping structure 24 of the support bracket 17 into the slot structure 25, the support bracket 17 is respectively plugged and connected with the end flange 15 and the tail flange 16. Thus, the end flange 15, the end support bracket 17, the circuit board 4, the tail support bracket 17 and the tail flange 16 are connected in series as a whole along the length direction, which is convenient for assembling into the first accommodation cavity of the housing component 2. In addition, as Figure 6 , Figure 7 shown, on the side of the end flange 15 far from the slot structure 25, a first clamping structure 20 for clamping with the housing shell 11 is further provided. The end of the housing shell 11 is abutted through the first clamping structure 20, so as to block the relative movement of the housing shell 11 along the length direction. The above design facilitates the sequential assembly or disassembly of the housing component 2 of the implantable nerve stimulator from the direction of the end flange 15 to the tail flange 16 or from the direction of the tail flange 16 to the end flange 15. In addition, after assembling the end flange 15, the tail flange 16, the support bracket 17 and the housing shell 11, except for the first clamping structure 20 of the end flange 15, the housing shell 11 can wrap the remaining parts of the end flange 15, the tail flange 16 and the support bracket 17, so as to improve the overall sealing performance of the assembly.

[0052] In addition, as an alternative embodiment, as Figure 10 shown, the end component 1 is designed with a suture hole 23, through which it is convenient to fix the implantable nerve stimulator in the human body. In addition, the suture hole 23 can also be provided on the tail component 3, or provided on both the end component 1 and the tail component 3.

[0053] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples given for clear illustration and are not limitations on the implementation manners. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all implementation manners here. And the obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An implantable nerve stimulator suitable for the human neck, characterized in that, it includes: An end component (1), a housing component (2), and a tail component (3) that are sequentially connected to form a uniform cylinder. The end component (1) and the tail component (3) are made of polymer materials; A circuit board (4) is arranged inside the housing component (2). The housing component (2) includes: a housing shell (11), an end flange (15), and a tail flange (16). The two ends of the housing shell (11) are respectively connected to the end flange (15) and the tail flange (16). The end flange (15) and the tail flange (16) are respectively provided with mounting holes (21) for mounting feedthrough components (18). The feedthrough components (18) seal the housing shell (11). The housing shell (11) includes: a flat wall (12) and an arc wall (14). The circuit board (4) is arranged near the flat wall (12) of the housing shell (11) in the first accommodation cavity of the housing component (2). The circuit board (4) is arranged parallel and spaced from the flat wall (12) of the housing shell (11); A wireless charging coil (8) is arranged inside the end component (1). The central axis of the wireless charging coil (8) is parallel to the length direction of the housing component (2). The wireless charging coil (8) is eccentrically arranged with respect to the housing component (2). An antenna (9) is arranged in the offset space. The antenna (9) extends along the axial direction of the wireless charging coil (8). The end component (1) has a second accommodation cavity, and the antenna (9) is arranged in the second accommodation cavity; The tail component (3) has a third accommodation cavity inside, and a stimulation electrode contact (10) is arranged in the third accommodation cavity. The stimulation electrode contact (10) is arranged transversely with respect to the length direction of the housing component (2).

2. The implantable nerve stimulator according to claim 1, characterized in that, Inside the housing component (2), a battery (6) and electrical components (7) are arranged side by side on the circuit board (4).

3. The implantable nerve stimulator according to claim 1, characterized in that, A partial area on the housing shell (11) is set as a conductor area (13), and the rest is an insulating area. The conductor area (13) serves as a stimulation contact of the implantable nerve stimulator.

4. The implantable nerve stimulator according to claim 1, characterized in that, Detachable support brackets (17) are provided at both ends of the housing shell (11). The inner wall of the support brackets (17) has support bosses (19) for supporting the circuit board (4).

5. The implantable nerve stimulator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wireless charging coil (8), the antenna (9), and the stimulation electrode contact (10) are electrically connected to the circuit board (4) inside the housing component (2) through connection leads via the feedthrough component (18).

6. The implantable nerve stimulator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The end part (1) and the tail part (3) are formed by epoxy resin casting.

7. The implantable nerve stimulator according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that suture holes (23) are designed on the end part (1) and / or the tail part (3).

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