Personalized Sound-Electrical Stimulus Sequences for Tinnitus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tinnitus treatment methods lack personalization and customization based on individual patient symptoms, leading to suboptimal treatment outcomes.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that determine optimal complex stimuli by combining user-selected sound and electrical stimuli, adjusting duration and sequence, and incorporating effect diagnosis scores to personalize treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If standardized treatment methods are used for tinnitus, then treatment coverage is broad, but treatment effectiveness is reduced due to lack of personalization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by customizing treatment parameters (sound frequency, electrical stimulus intensity, pulse duration) according to each patient's specific tinnitus characteristics. The system adjusts stimulus frequency to match the patient's tinnitus frequency, modifies electrical stimulus parameters based on individual pain thresholds, and personalizes treatment sequences according to patient feedback, thereby making the treatment effective for each individual rather than using a standardized approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by allowing treatment parameters to change adaptively during the treatment process. The system dynamically adjusts stimulus intensity based on real-time patient feedback, modifies treatment sequences according to effectiveness measurements, and evolves the treatment protocol over multiple sessions based on accumulated patient responses, making the treatment adaptable rather than static.
2Reliability
If complex personalized treatment protocols are implemented, then treatment effectiveness improves, but device complexity and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling patients to actively participate in their own treatment process. Patients provide real-time feedback on stimulus effectiveness, report their tinnitus symptom changes, and complete self-assessments that automatically feed into the treatment protocol adjustments. This patient self-monitoring and self-reporting system reduces the need for complex manual adjustments by healthcare providers while maintaining personalized treatment effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where patient responses to stimuli are continuously collected and used to adjust subsequent treatment parameters. The system measures treatment effectiveness through patient-reported outcomes, uses this feedback to modify stimulus frequency, intensity, and sequencing, and iteratively optimizes the treatment protocol based on accumulated feedback data, thereby managing complexity through systematic information loops.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple stimulus types and sequences are used, then treatment adaptability improves, but patient boredom and adaptation occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by structuring treatment delivery in varied temporal patterns. The system uses different pulse frequencies, alternates between sound and electrical stimuli in varying sequences, implements treatment sessions with different durations and intervals, and rotates through multiple stimulus protocols over time. This periodic variation in treatment delivery maintains patient engagement while preventing neural adaptation to repetitive stimuli.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making treatment sequences adaptable and changeable rather than fixed. The system dynamically modifies stimulus sequencing based on patient response patterns, introduces variability in treatment protocols to prevent boredom, and adjusts the complexity and variety of stimuli according to treatment progression, thereby maintaining long-term patient engagement while preserving treatment adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
Proposed are a method and device of determining optimal complex stimuli for tinnitus treatment. The method of determining the optimal complex stimuli for tinnitus treatment includes: identifying one or more sound stimuli selected by a user input from among a plurality of sound stimuli; identifying one or more electrical stimuli selected by the user input from among a plurality of electrical stimuli; determining a first complex stimulus sequence of complex stimuli in which the one or more selected sound stimuli and the one or more selected electrical stimuli are combined; and applying the complex stimuli to a user, wearing a tinnitus treatment device, according to the determined first complex stimulus sequence.