Retina chip

Abstract

The utility model discloses a retina chip, and relates to the technical field of medical instruments. The photosensitive layer is positioned on one side surface of the transparent substrate; the photosensitive layer is divided to form a plurality of photosensitive pixel units, and the plurality of photosensitive units are distributed in an array to form a photosensitive pixel array. A photosensitive layer is cut, so that a photosensitive pixel array is structurally segmented, and each photosensitive pixel unit is equivalent to a pixel point. Pixel cutting is carried out on the photosensitive layer to form pixel-like functional units, so that the functional units can effectively identify optical signals and generate corresponding stimulation current to ganglion cells, the structure is beneficial to more efficiently generate the optical signals and convert the optical signals into electric signals, and the image identification degree is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of medical devices, in particular to a retinal chip. Background Art

[0002] Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a complex retinal degenerative disease characterized by the gradual death of photoreceptors in the retina. In the late stage of RP, retinal photoreceptors in patients almost completely apoptose. Due to the lack of effective treatments to prevent the loss of photoreceptors and the lack of regeneration mechanisms of photoreceptor cells, patients with retinitis pigmentosa will eventually become permanently blind.

[0003] The retinal chip is a type of bionic artificial retina that can receive external visual signals, generate corresponding patterns of electric current through photoelectric conversion, replace apoptotic photoreceptors to produce light stimulation effects, activate downstream retinal nerve cells, and enable blind people to have visual perception.

[0004] When the chip is implanted under the retina, the photosensitive layer directly contacts the retinal nerve cell layer, converting light signals into electrical signals. The substrate primarily provides support for the photosensitive layer and does not conduct electricity. However, existing retinal chips have low recognition accuracy, so how to develop a high-resolution retinal chip is an urgent problem for those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of the utility model is to provide a retinal chip with high recognition.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a retinal chip, comprising:

[0007] transparent substrate;

[0008] A photosensitive layer is located on one surface of the transparent substrate; the photosensitive layer is divided to form a plurality of photosensitive pixel units, and the plurality of photosensitive units are distributed in an array to form a photosensitive pixel array.

[0009] Optionally, the photosensitive pixel unit is hexagonal.

[0010] Optionally, a plurality of the photosensitive pixel units are distributed in a honeycomb pattern to form the photosensitive pixel array.

[0011] Optionally, the side length of the photosensitive pixel unit is 50 μm.

[0012] Optionally, the photosensitive layer is a titanium dioxide nanowire array layer modified with gold nanoparticles.

[0013] Optionally, the transparent substrate is a glass substrate.

[0014] Optionally, the length of the photosensitive pixel array ranges from 2.5 mm to 4 mm, including the endpoint values; the width of the photosensitive pixel array ranges from 2 mm to 3.5 mm, including the endpoint values.

[0015] Optionally, the retinal chip is rectangular, and a marker structure is provided at a preset corner of the edge of the retinal chip.

[0016] Optionally, the marking structure is a depression and / or a protrusion provided at the corner.

[0017] Optionally, the marking structure is a cut corner set at one of the corners.

[0018] The utility model provides a retinal chip comprising: a transparent substrate; a photosensitive layer located on one surface of the transparent substrate; the photosensitive layer is divided into a plurality of photosensitive pixel units, and the plurality of photosensitive units are distributed in an array to form a photosensitive pixel array.

[0019] By cutting the photosensitive layer, the structure is divided into a photosensitive pixel array, where each photosensitive pixel unit is equivalent to a pixel point. By pixel-cutting the photosensitive layer, functional units similar to pixels are formed, enabling these functional units to effectively recognize light signals and generate corresponding stimulation currents to ganglion cells. This structure facilitates more efficient generation of light signals and conversion to electrical signals, improving image recognition. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions of the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a retinal chip provided by an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of a specific retinal chip provided by an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0023] In the figure: 1. Transparent substrate, 2. Photosensitive pixel unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The core of this utility model is to provide a retinal chip. In the existing technology, because its photosensitive layer is a whole layer structure, the recognition of the retinal chip depends solely on the performance of the material forming the photosensitive layer itself, which greatly limits the recognition of the retinal chip and leads to the low recognition of the retinal chip at this stage.

[0025] The present invention provides a retinal chip comprising: a transparent substrate; a photosensitive layer located on one surface of the transparent substrate; the photosensitive layer is divided into a plurality of photosensitive pixel units, and the plurality of photosensitive units are distributed in an array to form a photosensitive pixel array.

[0026] By cutting the photosensitive layer, the structure is divided into a photosensitive pixel array, where each photosensitive pixel unit is equivalent to a pixel point. By pixel-cutting the photosensitive layer, functional units similar to pixels are formed, enabling these functional units to effectively recognize light signals and generate corresponding stimulation currents to ganglion cells. This structure facilitates more efficient generation of light signals and conversion to electrical signals, improving image recognition.

[0027] To help those skilled in the art better understand the present invention, the present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Obviously, the embodiments described are only a portion of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments derived by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are also within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] Example 1

[0029] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a retinal chip provided by an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0030] See also Figure 1 In an embodiment of the present utility model, the retinal chip includes a transparent substrate 1; a photosensitive layer located on one side surface of the transparent substrate 1; the photosensitive layer is divided to form a plurality of photosensitive pixel units 2, and the plurality of photosensitive units are distributed in an array to form a photosensitive pixel array.

[0031] The core functional layer of the above-mentioned retinal chip is the photosensitive layer, which can receive light signals and convert the received light signals into electrical signals. During use, the photosensitive layer will specifically contact the retinal nerve cell layer to transmit the converted electrical signals to the retinal nerve cell layer, thereby stimulating the retinal nerve cell layer. The above-mentioned transparent substrate 1 is specifically the substrate that carries the photosensitive layer. In this embodiment, it is specifically required that the photosensitive layer and the substrate are both transparent materials to ensure that they have extremely high light transmittance. Therefore, in this embodiment, a transparent substrate 1 is specifically selected to carry the photosensitive layer.

[0032] In this embodiment, the transparent substrate 1 provides support for the photosensitive layer and generally does not have an electrical conduction function. The above-mentioned transparent substrate 1 can specifically be a glass substrate. Of course, in this embodiment, a substrate of other materials can also be selected, as long as it is ensured that most areas thereof have sufficient light transmittance and can carry or grow a photosensitive layer. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned photosensitive layer can specifically be a titanium dioxide nanowire array layer modified with gold nanoparticles, that is, the material of the photosensitive layer is specifically a titanium dioxide nanowire array modified with gold nanoparticles, and the nanowire array is specifically grown on the surface of one side of the above-mentioned transparent substrate. Of course, in this embodiment, a photosensitive layer of other materials can also be used. The specific material of the photosensitive layer is not specifically determined in this embodiment, as long as it can convert light signals into electrical signals, is suitable for implantation into the human eye, and has a high adaptability to retinal nerve cells.

[0033] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned photosensitive layer will be divided into a plurality of photosensitive pixel units 2. Obviously, adjacent photosensitive pixel units 2 are separated from each other, and each photosensitive pixel unit 2 works independently, that is, each photosensitive pixel unit 2 can convert the received light signal into an electrical signal for stimulating the retinal nerve cell layer. At this time, the function of the photosensitive pixel unit 2 is similar to that of a pixel point, so the recognition of the retinal chip in this embodiment will depend on the size and arrangement of the above-mentioned photosensitive pixel unit 2. By reasonably dividing the photosensitive layer, the recognition of the retinal chip can be effectively improved. That is, it is usually divided to form a photosensitive pixel array, simulating the functional units of the retina to simulate the physiological function, which can further improve the recognition of the retinal chip.

[0034] Specifically, in this embodiment, the photosensitive pixel unit 2 can be in a hexagonal structure, which is usually a regular hexagonal structure. When a titanium dioxide nanowire array layer modified with gold nanoparticles is selected as the photosensitive layer, the titanium dioxide nanowire array layer modified with gold nanoparticles will specifically grow on the surface of one side of the transparent substrate, and in this embodiment, the grown nanowire array cluster will be cut to form a photosensitive pixel unit 2, and the cut-out photosensitive pixel unit 2 can specifically be in a hexagonal shape. Furthermore, a plurality of the photosensitive pixel units 2 can be distributed in a honeycomb shape to form the photosensitive pixel array. At this time, the hexagonal photosensitive pixel units 2 can be spread over the entire transparent substrate 1 based on the honeycomb distribution without leaving any gaps, thereby forming a photosensitive pixel array.

[0035] Specifically, the side length of the photosensitive pixel unit 2 is typically 50 μm. Setting the side length of the photosensitive pixel unit 2 to 50 μm is the minimum size that the nanowire can currently recognize light signals. Of course, there is hope that it will be even smaller in the future. Therefore, in this embodiment, the specific size of the photosensitive pixel unit 2 is not specifically limited and will be determined based on specific circumstances.

[0036] In this embodiment, in order to make the retinal chip more suitable for the human eye, the size of the above-mentioned photosensitive pixel array is optimized. In this embodiment, the retinal chip is generally rectangular, and the length of the photosensitive pixel array ranges from 2.5mm to 4mm, inclusive; the width of the photosensitive pixel array ranges from 2mm to 3.5mm, inclusive. Preferably, the length of the above-mentioned photosensitive pixel array is 2.5mm, and the width is 2.0mm. Of course, in this embodiment, there is no specific limitation on the size of the photosensitive pixel array, which depends on the specific situation.

[0037] The embodiment of the present invention provides a retinal chip, comprising: a transparent substrate 1; a photosensitive layer located on one surface of the transparent substrate 1; the photosensitive layer is divided to form a plurality of photosensitive pixel units 2, and the plurality of photosensitive units are distributed in an array to form a photosensitive pixel array.

[0038] By cutting the photosensitive layer, a photosensitive pixel array is structurally divided, where each photosensitive pixel unit 2 is equivalent to a pixel point. By pixel-cutting the photosensitive layer, functional units similar to pixels are formed, enabling the functional units to effectively recognize light signals and generate corresponding stimulation currents to ganglion cells. This structure facilitates more efficient generation of light signals and conversion into electrical signals, improving image recognition.

[0039] The specific structure of the retinal chip provided by the present invention will be described in detail in the following embodiments of the present invention.

[0040] Example 2

[0041] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of a specific retinal chip provided by an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0042] Different from the above-mentioned utility model embodiment, the present utility model embodiment further defines the structure of the retinal chip based on the above-mentioned utility model embodiment. The remaining contents have been described in detail in the above-mentioned utility model embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0043] See also Figure 2In this embodiment of the utility model, the retinal chip is rectangular, and a marker structure is positioned at a predetermined corner of the edge of the retinal chip. In practice, even if the materials and optical properties of the two sides of the retinal chip differ, the chip's small size makes it difficult to observe and distinguish under a microscope, making it difficult to ensure that the photosensitive layer is oriented toward the nerve cells during implantation. Therefore, a "marker" is required that does not affect the chip's function and allows the operator to easily identify the chip's orientation. In this embodiment, the marker structure is used to distinguish the front and back of the retinal chip. Specifically, in this embodiment, the retinal chip is generally rectangular, and the edge of the retinal chip has four corners corresponding to the four corners of the rectangle. To enable the marker structure to distinguish the front and back of the retinal chip, the marker structure can be positioned at one of these four corners. Given the overall rectangular shape of the retinal chip, the orientation of the photosensitive layer can be determined by confirming the orientation of the retinal chip and the position of the marker structure. For example, if during fabrication, it was determined that the marking structure would be located in the upper right corner of the retinal chip when the long side of the chip extends left-right and the photosensitive layer faces downward, then the marking structure would only appear in the upper right or lower left corner of the retinal chip when the long side of the chip extends left-right. A marking structure located in the lower left corner indicates that the photosensitive layer faces upward, not downward. By determining the direction of the retinal chip's long side and the location of the marking structure, the orientation of the photosensitive layer can be determined, ensuring the correct orientation of the retinal chip for implantation.

[0044] Specifically, in this embodiment, the marking structure can be a depression and / or protrusion provided at the corner. The depression and / or protrusion structure is easily distinguishable by appearance, thereby facilitating the operator to quickly distinguish the orientation of the photosensitive layer in the retinal chip. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the marking structure is specifically a cut corner provided at one of the corners. Of course, other morphologies or other types of marking structures can also be provided in this embodiment, such as adding color to the corners of the retinal chip, etc. The specific structure can be set according to actual conditions and is not specifically limited here.

[0045] A retinal chip provided by an embodiment of the present invention increases the photoelectric conversion area and efficiency by manufacturing a larger retinal chip; by setting the retinal chip to be rectangular and cutting one corner, it is used to more intuitively distinguish the surface of the photosensitive layer in the retinal chip during surgery; by pixelating the retinal chip and cutting it into a chip composed of hexagonal functional units with a side length of 50um, the image recognition of the retinal chip can be increased.

[0046] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

[0047] Finally, it should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the element.

[0048] The above describes in detail the retinal chip provided by the present invention. This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above examples is intended only to facilitate understanding of the method and core concept of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various improvements and modifications to the present invention without departing from the principles of the present invention, and such improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A retinal chip, characterized in that: include: Transparent substrate; A photosensitive layer is located on one surface of the transparent substrate; the photosensitive layer is divided to form a plurality of photosensitive pixel units, and the plurality of photosensitive pixel units are arranged in an array to form a photosensitive pixel array; adjacent photosensitive pixel units are separated from each other; the photosensitive layer is a titanium dioxide nanowire array layer modified with gold nanoparticles.

2. The retinal chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The photosensitive pixel unit is hexagonal.

3. The retinal chip according to claim 2, characterized in that: A plurality of the photosensitive pixel units are distributed in a honeycomb shape to form the photosensitive pixel array.

4. The retinal chip according to claim 3, characterized in that: The side length of the photosensitive pixel unit is 50 μm.

5. The retinal chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transparent substrate is a glass substrate.

6. The retinal chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length of the photosensitive pixel array ranges from 2.5 mm to 4 mm, including the endpoint values; the width of the photosensitive pixel array ranges from 2 mm to 3.5 mm, including the endpoint values.

7. The retinal chip according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The retinal chip is rectangular, and a predetermined corner of the edge of the retinal chip is provided with a marking structure.

8. The retinal chip according to claim 7, characterized in that: The marking structure is a depression and / or a protrusion arranged at the corner.

9. The retinal chip according to claim 8, characterized in that: The marking structure is a cut corner arranged at one of the corners.

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