Vestibular Implant System with Internal and External Motion Sensors

a technology of motion sensor and implant system, which is applied in the field of implantable stimulation systems, can solve problems such as unsteadiness, vertigo, and unsteady vision, and achieve the effects of reducing the risk of stroke, and improving the quality of li

Inactive Publication Date: 2012-01-26
MED EL ELEKTROMEDIZINISCHE GERAETE GMBH
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

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Benefits of technology

[0010]Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a partially implantable vestibular prosthesis system which includes an external movement sensor module that is attachable to the outer skin surface of a patient's head for generating an external movement signal which represents movement of the patient's head. An external transmitter is in communication with the external movement sensor and provides an electromagnetic transmission of an implant communication signal which includes a signal component based on the external movement signal and an electrical power component that provides electrical power for the implanted system co

Problems solved by technology

In some people, the vestibular system is damaged or impaired, causing balance problems such as unsteadiness, vertigo and unsteady vision.
Vestibular implants are currently under development, with one of the initial challenges being the relatively significant amount of power required by the gyroscope/accelerometer arrays used for the movement sensors (gyroscopes and linear accelerometers).
But the power losses for such a transcutaneous supply are roughly a factor of two and there also is an additional risk of the head coil falling off, power being lost, and the patient becoming disoriented and even falling.
A somewhat better solution might be to have an implanted battery supplying power to the implanted movement sensors, but (due to the high power requirements) this approach is likely to require a large battery volume or very frequent re-charging of the battery.
Furthermore, failure of any of the modul

Method used

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  • Vestibular Implant System with Internal and External Motion Sensors
  • Vestibular Implant System with Internal and External Motion Sensors
  • Vestibular Implant System with Internal and External Motion Sensors

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Embodiment Construction

[0025]Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a safe, practicable and wearable partially implantable vestibular prosthesis system which combines both internal and external movement sensors. By making appropriate design choices, many of the drawbacks from earlier approaches can be avoided. For example, in some embodiments the internal implant movement sensor can be mainly used as a backup signal source for a few hours (depending on the battery life of the implant battery) when the main externally worn movement sensor is unavailable or unreliable. Other embodiments may use an implanted movement sensor as its normal main signal source, with an external movement sensor serving as a system backup signal source in the event of failure by the implanted movement sensor.

[0026]FIG. 2 shows one specific example of a partially implantable vestibular prosthesis system with an external movement sensor 208 that includes a three-axis digital gyroscope array 210 that generates an extern...

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Abstract

A partially implantable vestibular prosthesis system is described which includes an external movement sensor that is attachable to the outer skin surface of a patient's head for generating an external movement signal which represents movement of the patient's head. An external transmitter is in communication with the external movement sensor and provides an electromagnetic transmission of an implant communication signal which includes a signal component based on the external movement signal and an electrical power component that provides electrical power for implanted system components. An internal movement sensor is implantable under the skin of the patient's head for generating an internal movement signal which represents movement of the patient's head. And an implant processor also is implantable under the skin and in communication with the internal movement sensor and the external transmitter for generating an implant stimulation signal based on one of the movement signals to electrically stimulate target neural tissue for vestibular sensation by the patient.

Description

[0001]This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61 / 366,345, filed Jul. 21, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]The present invention relates to implantable stimulation systems, and more specifically to a vestibular implant system with internal and external motion sensors.BACKGROUND ART[0003]A normal ear directs sounds as shown in FIG. 1 from the outer ear pinna 101 through the generally cylindrical ear canal 110 (typically about 26 mm long and 7 mm in diameter) to vibrate the tympanic membrane 102 (eardrum). The tympanic membrane 102 moves the bones of the middle ear 103 (malleus, incus, and stapes) that vibrate the cochlea 104, which in turn functions as a transducer to generate electric pulses to the brain that are interpreted as sounds. In addition, the inner ear also includes a balance sensing vestibular system which involves the vestibular labyrinth 105, its three interconnected and mutually orthogonal semi-circul...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): A61N1/372
CPCA61B5/11A61B5/6817A61B5/6867A61N1/375A61N1/36032A61N1/37211A61B5/6814A61B2562/0219A61N1/36036
Inventor GARNHAM, CAROLYNZIMMERLING, MARTINJAGER, ANDREAS
Owner MED EL ELEKTROMEDIZINISCHE GERAETE GMBH
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