Electrode and nerve stimulator

Abstract

The utility model relates to an electrode and a nerve stimulator, the electrode comprises an annular electrode body, the electrode body is provided with a gap, so that the electrode body is disconnected at the gap; a first contour line and a second contour line are formed at the boundary of the outer ring surface of the electrode body and the gap; the orthographic projection parts of the first contour line and the second contour line in the same plane perpendicular to the axis direction of the electrode body coincide in the axis direction of the electrode body. A to-be-stimulated nerve is contacted with at least one of the first contour line and the second contour line when passing through the electrode, so that the electrode can be ensured to apply electrical stimulation to the to-be-stimulated nerve, and a treatment effect is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of medical equipment, in particular to an electrode and a nerve stimulator. Background Art

[0002] The stimulation principle of an implantable neurostimulator using wireless charging is as follows: the transmitting coil located outside the body generates a changing magnetic field, and the receiving coil located inside the human body receives the magnetic field energy generated by the changing magnetic field and converts it into electrical energy, which is transmitted to the stimulation contacts through the circuit, and the stimulation contacts apply electrical stimulation to the nerves to be stimulated. The electrical stimulation intensity of the neurostimulator directly affects the treatment effect. For small implantable neurostimulators using wireless charging, improving their power supply efficiency as much as possible to increase the electrical stimulation intensity has always been one of the research directions in the industry.

[0003] Neurostimulators usually use ring electrodes as stimulation contacts. However, during the wireless power supply process, eddy currents will be generated in the ring electrodes, causing the ring electrodes to heat up. On the one hand, this causes part of the electrical energy received by the ring electrodes to be lost in the form of heat energy, reducing the power supply efficiency of the neurostimulator, thereby reducing the electrical stimulation intensity of the neurostimulator and affecting the treatment effect; on the other hand, the heating of the ring electrodes will make the patient feel uncomfortable. Utility Model Content

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide an electrode and a neurostimulator to address the above problems, which can reduce the eddy currents generated in the electrode, reduce the heat loss of the electrode, improve the power supply efficiency of the neurostimulator to increase the electrical stimulation intensity of the neurostimulator, and also reduce the patient's discomfort.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the utility model provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] An electrode comprises an annular electrode body, wherein the electrode body is provided with a notch so that the electrode body is disconnected at the notch; the outer annular surface of the electrode body forms a first contour line and a second contour line at the boundary with the notch; along the axial direction of the electrode body, the orthographic projections of the first contour line and the second contour line in the same plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the electrode body overlap.

[0007] The electrode has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0008] The electrode is disconnected at the notch, which is equivalent to increasing the resistance of the eddy current path in the electrode, which can reduce the eddy current generated in the electrode, reduce the heat loss of the electrode, and improve the power supply efficiency of the neurostimulator to increase the electrical stimulation intensity of the neurostimulator, while also reducing the patient's discomfort. When the nerve to be stimulated passes through the electrode, it will contact at least one of the first contour line and the second contour line, so that it can ensure that the electrode applies electrical stimulation to the nerve to be stimulated, thereby exerting a therapeutic effect.

[0009] In one embodiment, the first contour line and the second contour line have the same shape, and the positional relationship between the first contour line and the second contour line satisfies that: the second contour line can be obtained by translation transformation of the first contour line.

[0010] Such an arrangement facilitates the manufacture of electrodes.

[0011] In one embodiment, the interval between the first contour line and the second contour line is greater than 0.1 mm.

[0012] Such an arrangement is beneficial to reducing the heat loss of the electrode.

[0013] In one embodiment, the first contour line is wavy.

[0014] In one embodiment, the first contour line is curved.

[0015] Such an arrangement can ensure that the electrodes contact as many nerves to be stimulated as possible.

[0016] In one embodiment, the first contour line is stepped.

[0017] In one embodiment, the first contour line is an elliptical arc.

[0018] Such a configuration is beneficial to prevent the nerve to be stimulated from passing through the electrode through the notch, and is beneficial for the electrode to contact the nerve to be stimulated so as to apply electrical stimulation to the nerve to be stimulated. On the other hand, making the first contour line in one plane and the second contour line in another plane is convenient for manufacturing the electrode.

[0019] In one embodiment, the angle between the plane where the first contour line is located and the axis of the electrode body is α, and α satisfies: α≥45°.

[0020] Such an arrangement can prevent the nerve to be stimulated from passing through the electrode through the notch, thereby ensuring that the electrode contacts the nerve to be stimulated so as to apply electrical stimulation to the nerve to be stimulated.

[0021] The utility model also provides a nerve stimulator, which comprises a shell and the above-mentioned electrode, wherein the electrode is arranged on the shell and exposed on the outer peripheral surface of the shell.

[0022] Because the neurostimulator includes the above-mentioned electrode, the neurostimulator has the technical effect of the above-mentioned electrode.

[0023] In one of the embodiments, the outer circumferential surface of the shell is a circular surface, and a plurality of electrodes are provided, and the plurality of electrodes are arranged in sequence and spaced apart, and each of the electrodes is coaxial with the outer circumferential surface of the shell; the plurality of electrodes are arranged in sequence and spaced apart along the axial direction of the outer circumferential surface of the shell, and any plane passing through the axis of the outer circumferential surface of the shell passes through the notch of at most one of the electrodes.

[0024] Such an arrangement helps to avoid a situation where the total contact area between each electrode and the nerve to be stimulated is too small when performing multi-point stimulation on the nerve to be stimulated, so as to ensure the electrical stimulation intensity of the nerve to be stimulated by the neurostimulator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a neural stimulator according to an embodiment of the utility model;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of a neural stimulator according to another embodiment of the utility model;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of a neural stimulator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Reference numerals:

[0029] 1. Electrode; 11. Electrode body; 111. Outer annular surface; 1111. First contour line; 1112. Second contour line; 12. Notch; 2. Shell. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the utility model more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the utility model are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the utility model. However, the utility model can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the utility model, so the utility model is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0031] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0032] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present utility model, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0033] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like 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 a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0034] In the present utility model, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0035] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be the only implementation method.

[0036] See also Figures 1 to 3 The utility model first provides an electrode 1, which includes a ring-shaped electrode body 11, and a notch 12 is provided on the electrode body 11, so that the electrode body 11 is disconnected at the notch 12. The electrode body 11 is disconnected at the notch 12, which is equivalent to increasing the resistance on the eddy current path in the electrode 1, which can reduce the eddy current generated in the electrode 1, reduce the heat loss of the electrode 1, and improve the power supply efficiency of the neurostimulator to increase the electrical stimulation intensity of the neurostimulator, and also reduce the discomfort of the patient.

[0037] See also Figures 1 to 3 , the outer annular surface 111 of the electrode body 11 forms a first contour line 1111 and a second contour line 1112 at the boundary with the notch 12. The nerve to be stimulated is usually roughly straight. Before the nerve stimulator is implanted in the human body, an implantation device such as a puncture needle is used to create a channel in the human body for implanting the nerve stimulator, and the channel extends roughly along the nerve to be stimulated. Therefore, the axial direction of the electrode 1 is roughly parallel to the nerve to be stimulated. If the first contour line 1111 or the second contour line 1112 is a line segment parallel to the central axis of the electrode 1, then the nerve to be stimulated may just pass through the electrode 1 from the notch 12 without contacting the electrode 1. If this happens, the electrode 1 will not be able to apply electrical stimulation to the nerve to be stimulated and will not be able to play a therapeutic role.

[0038] In order to prevent the nerve to be stimulated from passing through the electrode 1 through the notch 12, see Figures 1 to 3 , along the axis direction of the electrode body 11, the orthographic projections of the first contour line 1111 and the second contour line 1112 in the same plane perpendicular to the axis direction of the electrode body 11 overlap. In this way, the nerve to be stimulated will contact at least one of the first contour line 1111 and the second contour line 1112 when passing through the electrode 1, so that the electrode 1 can apply electrical stimulation to the nerve to be stimulated, thereby exerting a therapeutic effect.

[0039] See also Figures 1 to 3 , the first contour line 1111 and the second contour line 1112 have the same shape. In other embodiments, the first contour line 1111 and the second contour line 1112 have different shapes, and the first contour line 1111 and the second contour line 1112 can be any shape.

[0040] Preferably, see Figures 1 to 3 , the positional relationship between the first contour line 1111 and the second contour line 1112 satisfies that the second contour line 1112 can be obtained by translation transformation of the first contour line 1111. In this way, it is convenient to manufacture the electrode 1.

[0041] exist Figures 1 to 3 In the illustrated embodiment, the interval between the first contour line 1111 and the second contour line 1112 is greater than 0.1 mm. It has been found through experiments that this is beneficial to reducing the heat loss of the electrode 1 .

[0042] See also Figure 3 In some embodiments, the first contour line 1111 and the second contour line 1112 are both wavy, such as a sine wave, an S shape, or a square wave. In these embodiments, preferably, in order to ensure that the electrode 1 contacts the nerve to be stimulated as much as possible, the first contour line 1111 and the second contour line 1112 are both curved, such as a sine wave or an S shape.

[0043] See also Figure 1 In some embodiments, the first contour line 1111 and the second contour line 1112 are stepped.

[0044] See also Figure 2 In some embodiments, the first contour line 1111 and the second contour line 1112 are both elliptical arcs (the oblique cut curve of a cylindrical surface is an ellipse). In other words, the first contour line 1111 and the second contour line 1112 can be regarded as being obtained by obliquely cutting the electrode 1 by two mutually parallel planes. On the one hand, this helps prevent the nerve to be stimulated from passing through the electrode 1 through the notch 12, and helps the electrode 1 contact the nerve to be stimulated to apply electrical stimulation to the nerve to be stimulated. On the other hand, this makes the first contour line 1111 located in one plane and the second contour line 1112 located in another plane, which facilitates the manufacture of the electrode 1.

[0045] Preferably, the angle between the plane where the first contour line 1111 is located and the axis of the electrode body 11 is α, and α satisfies: α≥45°. This can prevent the nerve to be stimulated from passing through the electrode 1 through the notch 12, ensuring that the electrode 1 contacts the nerve to be stimulated to apply electrical stimulation to the nerve to be stimulated.

[0046] See also Figures 1 to 3 The utility model secondly provides a neurostimulator, which includes a housing 2 and the above-mentioned electrode 1, wherein the electrode 1 is disposed in the housing 2 and exposed on the outer peripheral surface of the housing 2. Because the neurostimulator includes the above-mentioned electrode 1, the neurostimulator has the technical effect of the above-mentioned electrode 1. Since the relevant technical effects have been fully described in the foregoing text, they will not be repeated here.

[0047] Exemplarily, the electrode 1 is embedded in the shell 2 or sleeved on the outer circumference of the shell 2 .

[0048] Optionally, see Figures 1 to 3 The outer circumference of the shell 2 is a circular surface, and a plurality of electrodes 1 are provided, and the plurality of electrodes 1 are arranged in sequence and at intervals, and each electrode 1 is coaxial with the outer circumference of the shell 2; the plurality of electrodes 1 are arranged in sequence and at intervals along the axial direction of the outer circumference of the shell 2, and any plane passing through the axis of the outer circumference of the shell 2 passes through at most the notch 12 of one of the electrodes 1. In this way, when performing multi-point stimulation on the nerve to be stimulated, it is helpful to avoid the situation where the total contact area between each electrode 1 and the nerve to be stimulated is too small, so as to ensure the electrical stimulation intensity of the nerve stimulator on the nerve to be stimulated.

[0049] It should be noted that if a plane passing through the axis of the outer peripheral surface of the shell 2 passes through the gaps 12 of multiple electrodes 1, and the nerve to be stimulated happens to be located in the plane, then the nerve to be stimulated happens to pass through the gaps 12 of multiple electrodes 1, resulting in the total contact area between each electrode 1 and the nerve to be stimulated being too small.

[0050] Preferably, the locations where the notches 12 on the electrodes 1 are located are evenly distributed along the axial direction of the outer circumference of the shell 2 in the orthographic projection circumference in the same plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the outer circumference of the shell 2 .

[0051] Preferably, the plurality of electrodes 1 are sequentially spaced apart along the axial direction of the outer circumference of the housing 2 .

[0052] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described 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.

[0053] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the utility model, and the description is relatively specific and detailed, but it cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the utility model patent. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this field, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the utility model, which all belong to the protection scope of the utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of the utility model patent shall be based on the attached claims.

Claims

1. An electrode, characterized in that: The invention comprises an annular electrode body (11), wherein a notch (12) is provided on the electrode body (11), so that the electrode body (11) is disconnected at the notch (12); an outer annular surface (111) of the electrode body (11) forms a first contour line (1111) and a second contour line (1112) at a boundary with the notch (12); along the axial direction of the electrode body (11), the orthographic projections of the first contour line (1111) and the second contour line (1112) in the same plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the electrode body (11) partially overlap.

2. The electrode according to claim 1, characterized in that The first contour line (1111) and the second contour line (1112) have the same shape, and the positional relationship between the first contour line (1111) and the second contour line (1112) satisfies that: the second contour line (1112) can be obtained by translation transformation of the first contour line (1111).

3. The electrode according to claim 2, characterized in that The interval between the first contour line (1111) and the second contour line (1112) is greater than 0.1 mm.

4. The electrode according to claim 2, characterized in that The first contour line (1111) is wavy.

5. The electrode according to claim 4, characterized in that The first contour line (1111) is in a curved shape.

6. The electrode according to claim 2, characterized in that The first contour line (1111) is in a step shape.

7. The electrode according to claim 2, characterized in that The first contour line (1111) is an elliptical arc.

8. The electrode according to claim 7, characterized in that The angle between the plane where the first contour line (1111) is located and the axis of the electrode body (11) is α, and α satisfies: α≥45°.

9. A neural stimulator, characterized in that: The invention comprises a shell (2) and an electrode according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the electrode is arranged in the shell (2) and exposed from the outer peripheral surface of the shell (2).

10. The neurostimulator according to claim 9, characterized in that The outer peripheral surface of the shell (2) is a circular surface, and a plurality of electrodes are provided. The plurality of electrodes are arranged in sequence and at intervals, and each of the electrodes is coaxial with the outer peripheral surface of the shell (2); the plurality of electrodes are arranged in sequence and at intervals along the axial direction of the outer peripheral surface of the shell (2), and any plane passing through the axis of the outer peripheral surface of the shell (2) passes through the notch (12) of at most one of the electrodes.

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