Low Frequency Nerve Blocking via Alternating Current
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for controlling nerve activity in the autonomic nervous system, such as electrical stimulation, are invasive and can have non-reversible side effects, and existing technologies like direct current and kilohertz frequency alternating current blocks have limitations in safety and efficacy for long-term use.
Innovation Solution
A nerve activity blocking system using low frequency alternating current (LFAC) with specific frequency and amplitude settings to selectively block action potentials in nerve fibers, employing bipolar or multipolar electrodes and phased blocking signals to avoid tissue damage and allow for reversible intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surgical intervention is used to cut the nerves, then the blocking effect is complete and permanent, but the method is invasive and causes non-reversible side effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of electrical current frequency from conventional high frequency (kilohertz) to low frequency (0.01-100 Hz), and adjusts amplitude parameters to achieve effective nerve blocking without surgical intervention, thereby maintaining reliability while reducing harmful invasiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical surgical cutting method with an electrical field-based blocking mechanism using low frequency alternating current, substituting physical invasion with a controllable electrical phenomenon that achieves the same functional outcome without permanent tissue damage
2Reliability
If high frequency alternating current (kilohertz) is used for nerve blocking, then the blocking effect is achieved, but safety and efficacy for long-term use are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally changes the frequency parameter from kilohertz range to 0.01-100 Hz range, and optimizes amplitude parameters, enabling safe and effective long-term nerve blocking by operating at physiological frequencies that cause less tissue heating and metabolic stress
3Object-affected harmful factors
If electrical stimulation is used to block nerve activity, then the method is non-invasive and reversible, but existing methods generate harmful artifacts during monitoring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the frequency parameter to 0.01-100 Hz, which is outside the typical recording bandwidth of nerve activity monitoring systems, thereby eliminating the generation of harmful artifacts during simultaneous monitoring while maintaining the non-invasive and reversible nature of the blocking effect
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 LFAC system effectively blocks nerve activity with minimal tissue damage, reducing the risk of side effects and enabling non-invasive, reversible treatment of conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome, diabetes, hypertension, and asthma by selectively targeting specific nerve fibers without generating harmful artifacts during monitoring.
Implementation Method 1
Electrical stimulation applied through indwelling electrodes is seen as a method to reduce these excessively high signals through blocking
Data Source
AI summary
A nerve activity blocking system (100) includes a blocking electrode (102) configured to generate a blocking electrical signal that blocks, at least in part, an action potential propagating through a nerve system of a body. using a low frequency alternating current. The blocking electrical signal prevents propagation of the action potential by overriding another electrical signal controlling an organ of the body.