Electrode Carrier for Eye Electrostimulation Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing eye electrostimulation devices face challenges in handling and hygiene due to the fragile and thin wire-shaped stimulation electrodes, making it difficult for visually impaired or blind patients to mount and use them correctly, and requiring frequent replacement.
Innovation Solution
A stimulation electrode arrangement featuring a detachable electrode carrier that forms a pre-assembled economic unit with the stimulation electrode, providing a more substantial and easier-to-handle component for attachment, along with weights for easier positioning and a U-shaped bracket design for secure and cost-effective production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a thin wire-shaped stimulation electrode is used, then the device can be made cost-effective and flexible, but the electrode becomes fragile and difficult to handle for visually impaired patients
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the thin wire-shaped stimulation electrode with a larger electrode carrier into a single pre-assembled unit. The carrier provides a substantial handle that is easy for visually impaired patients to grip and manipulate, while the thin wire electrode maintains its cost-effectiveness and flexibility. This merging resolves the contradiction by making the overall device easy to handle without sacrificing the advantages of the thin electrode.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode carrier acts as an intermediary between the patient's hand and the fragile wire electrode. The carrier provides a robust interface for handling and mounting, while the wire electrode remains thin and flexible for its intended function. This intermediary structure allows patients to manipulate the device without directly handling the fragile wire, resolving the handling difficulty while maintaining cost-effectiveness.
2Device complexity
If a thin wire-shaped stimulation electrode is used, then the device structure remains simple, but the electrode requires frequent replacement due to breakage and hygiene concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the electrode system into two parts: a reusable electrode carrier and a disposable wire electrode. The carrier can be sterilized and reused, while the wire electrode is replaced frequently for hygiene reasons. This segmentation maintains structural simplicity while improving reliability by allowing easy replacement of the fragile wire component without replacing the entire device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a system where the wire electrode is discarded after use (or after a limited number of uses) and the electrode carrier is recovered for sterilization and reuse. This approach maintains structural simplicity by keeping the carrier design unchanged while improving reliability through systematic replacement of the consumable wire electrode, addressing both hygiene concerns and breakage issues.
3Ease of operation
If the stimulation electrode is made substantial and easier to handle, then handling improves for visually impaired patients, but the electrode becomes less flexible and more difficult to position correctly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the substantial electrode carrier with the flexible wire electrode in a pre-assembled unit. The carrier provides the substantial handle for easy handling, while the attached wire electrode maintains its flexibility for correct positioning on the eye. This combination resolves the contradiction by allowing patients to grip the substantial carrier while the thin wire electrode adapts to the correct position.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a dynamic structure where the rigid electrode carrier transitions to a flexible wire electrode. The carrier provides stable handling, while the wire electrode can bend and adapt to the contours of the eye for correct positioning. This dynamic transition from rigid to flexible allows both easy handling and proper adaptability to be achieved simultaneously.
Data Source
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AI summary
A stimulation electrode arrangement for a device (10) for electrostimulation of the eye is described, the device (10) having a spectacles-like frame (11) with a nosepiece (12), an arrangement, connected to the nosepiece (12), for holding the frame (11) on the head of the patient,and at least one electrode holder (24, 25), arranged on the nosepiece (12) in adjustable fashion, for the wire-shaped stimulation electrode (26, 27). The stimulation electrode arrangement comprises an electrode carrier, which can be attached to the electrode holder (24, 25) in detachable fashion and on which the stimulation electrode (26, 27) is arranged