Closed-Loop Nerve Stimulation Patch for Non-Invasive Headache Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing headache treatments, particularly for migraines and cluster headaches, often require invasive surgical procedures and implanted devices, posing risks and high costs, while non-invasive solutions lack effective feedback mechanisms for adjusting electrical stimulation based on patient anatomy and environmental changes.
Innovation Solution
A non-invasive, self-powered nerve/tissue patch with integrated circuitry and feedback loops that boost voltage to a stable level for nerve activation, allowing users to apply electrical stimulation to the skin for headache treatment, featuring adaptive protocols to adjust stimulation parameters based on real-time feedback and environmental changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If invasive surgical procedures and implanted devices are used for headache treatment, then treatment efficacy is improved, but patient safety and cost are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces invasive surgical mechanical procedures with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), substituting a non-invasive electrical field-based system for traditional surgical intervention. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining treatment efficacy through electrical stimulation of nerves while eliminating surgical risks such as infection, bleeding, and anesthesia complications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a feedback control system as an intermediary between the patient's physiological state and the stimulation delivery. Sensors detect physiological parameters (such as muscle activity or nerve signals), and this information feeds back to adjust stimulation parameters automatically, ensuring effective treatment while preventing over-stimulation or adverse effects, thus resolving the safety-efficacy contradiction.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If non-invasive electrical stimulation is used for headache treatment, then patient safety is improved, but treatment efficacy is worsened due to lack of feedback mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a closed-loop feedback system where sensors continuously monitor physiological parameters (such as electromyography signals or nerve activity) and this information is used to automatically adjust stimulation intensity, frequency, and duration. This resolves the contradiction by providing real-time feedback that ensures treatment efficacy is optimized while maintaining patient safety through automated parameter adjustment based on actual physiological response.
3Reliability
If voltage boosting circuitry is integrated into the patch, then stimulation effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and size are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates voltage boosting circuitry directly within the portable patch device, nesting the voltage regulator and power management components inside the compact patch housing. This resolves the contradiction by incorporating necessary high-voltage generation capabilities within the small form factor, maintaining stimulation effectiveness while minimizing device size through integrated circuit design and efficient power management.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The patch provides effective, user-controlled, non-invasive headache relief by stabilizing voltage and adjusting stimulation parameters, improving patient safety and treatment efficacy while reducing battery consumption and device size.
Implementation Method 1
treating headaches by stimulating the nerves with transcutaneous electrical stimulation
Data Source
AI summary
Example inventions treat a headache by affixing a patch externally on a dermis of a user on a head of the user adjacent to one or more targeted nerves, the patch comprising a flexible substrate, a processor directly coupled to the substrate, and electrodes directly coupled to the substrate. Example inventions activate the patch to initiate a treatment session, the activating comprising generating electrical stimuli to the targeted nerves via the electrodes.