Foldable Electrode Array for Spinal Cord Stimulation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current electrode arrays for spinal cord stimulation have limited spatial resolution and are prone to shifting, leading to inefficient current distribution and potential adverse effects due to their flexible, rounded shape, which results in imprecise targeting of pain signals and unnecessary energy expenditure.
Innovation Solution
A foldable electrode array with a curved, frame-shaped design featuring electrodes arranged in rows and columns, allowing for precise placement and adjustment of current flow paths to optimize therapeutic benefits while minimizing side effects, and a mechanism for secure implantation without invasive surgical procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a flexible, rounded electrode array is used for spinal cord stimulation, then the device can be minimally invasively implanted, but the array shifts during operation and provides poor spatial resolution for current delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode array is divided into multiple independent electrodes arranged in rows and columns on a rigid frame, allowing precise positioning of each electrode. This segmentation enables targeted current delivery to specific spinal cord segments while maintaining minimal invasiveness through the rigid structure's stability
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid frame is shaped to conform to the curved surface of the spinal cord, providing stable contact and precise spatial positioning. This curved rigid structure eliminates the shifting problem of flexible arrays while maintaining the ability to deliver current to specific locations on the spinal cord surface
2Manufacturing precision
If a rigid, frame-shaped electrode array is used to improve spatial resolution, then current delivery precision is enhanced, but the implantation procedure becomes more invasive
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode array transitions from a flexible one-dimensional strip to a rigid two-dimensional frame structure with electrodes arranged in rows and columns. This dimensional change enables precise spatial targeting while the frame's rigidity provides stability during implantation, reducing the need for invasive securing procedures
3Length of moving object
If electrodes are arranged in a flexible array, then the device can be delivered through a narrow cannula, but the array cannot maintain stable positioning after deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid frame-shaped electrode array is folded into a compact configuration that nests within a narrow cannula for delivery. Once deployed at the target site, the frame unfolds to its stable rigid structure, providing precise and stable positioning. This nesting approach enables minimal invasiveness while maintaining post-deployment stability
4Ease of manufacture
If the electrode array is made flexible to ease implantation, then surgical invasiveness is reduced, but current distribution becomes inefficient and energy is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode array employs a rigid frame structure with electrodes arranged in rows and columns, providing stable geometric configuration for efficient current distribution. The rigidity prevents electrode migration and maintains optimal current pathways, reducing energy waste while the folded delivery configuration enables minimal invasiveness
Data Source
AI summary
An electrode array assembly with a frame that is foldable or bendable on which electrodes are disposed. The frame includes laterally spaced apart bridges. Tabs extend laterally outwardly from the bridges Electrodes are disposed on the tabs. Beams, also part of the frame, extend between the laterally adjacent bridges. The frame can be folded around the beams so as to cause the laterally spaced bridges to at least partially overlap. When the beams are so bent, the electrode array can be disposed in an access cannula that has a diameter less than the width of the unfolded array.