Neural prosthetic with touch-like sensing

• US 20060005845A1
• Filed: 06/24/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alfred E. Mann Foundation For Scientific Research
• Original Assignee: Alfred E. Mann Foundation For Scientific Research
• Inventors: Karr, Lawrence J., Schulman, Joseph H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,361,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/897
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/053 Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of a portion of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6838 Clamps or clips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/08 Detecting organic movements or changes, e.g. tumours, cysts, swellings A61B8/02 - A61B8/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/72 Bioelectric control, e.g. myoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/6827 Feedback system for providing user sensation, e.g. by force, contact or position
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37205 Microstimulators, e.g. implantable through a cannula

Abstract

An apparatus and method is related to providing sensing functions that are similar to “human touch” when located in a prosthetic device such as a BION microstimulator that is implanted in a patient. The apparatus includes a power circuit, a communication circuit, and a sensor circuit. The power circuit provides power to the communication circuit and the sensor circuit. The sensor cooperates with the communication circuit, which communicates to the brain. The sensor uses various techniques to detect changes in the environment for the surrounding tissue using criteria such as reflectivity, impedance, conductivity, return signal spectrum, return signal rate, and return signal phase to name a few. For example, the impedance observed by the sensor changes when: the skin tissue is deformed around the sensor, or when the skin is surrounded by water. The sensory information is interpreted by the brain as an analog of touch or feel.

Claims

1. A neural prosthetic sensor device that is implanted into a tissue, comprising:

an emitter that is arranged to emit a first transmitted signal when activated, wherein the emitter is configured such that the first signal is emitted in the tissue such that changes in the tissue environment influences the first transmitted signal;

a receiver that is arranged to receive a second signal when activated, wherein the second signal corresponds to an altered version of the first transmitted signal, and the altered version is related to the first transmitted signal as influenced by the tissue environment;

a signal processor that is arranged to evaluate at least one of the first signal and the second signal to provide sensory information; and

a controller that is arranged to selectively activate at least one of the emitter and the receiver.

2. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 1, wherein the emitter corresponds to at least one of:

an antenna, a transmitter, a modulator, a modulated transmitter, a matching network, a tuned circuit, a filter circuit, a tuned frequency oscillator, a variable tuned frequency oscillator, a high frequency LC oscillator, an RF transmitter, a signal generator, a pulse generator, an oscillator, a driver, an ultra wide-band pulse generator, a narrow-band pulse generator, a sweep-frequency transmitter, a transducer, an ultrasonic transducer, an infrared source, and a visible light source.

3. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 1, wherein the receiver corresponds to at least one of:

an antenna, an RF signal receiver, a pulse detector, a signal amplifier, a peak detector, an amplitude detector, a phase detector, a frequency detector, a demodulator, a matching network, a tuned circuit, a filter circuit, a capture circuit, a correlator circuit, an integrator circuit, a transducer, an ultrasonic transducer, an infrared detector, and a visible light detector.

4. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 1, wherein the signal processor corresponds to at least one of:

an analog signal processor, a digital signal processor, a frequency detector, a phase detector, an amplitude detector, a peak detector, a limiter, a correlator, an integrator, a signal conditioner, and an encoder.

5. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 1, wherein the emitter and the receiver are arranged to share at least one of:

a common antenna, a common matching network, a common tuned circuit, a common oscillator, a common transducer.

6. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 1, wherein the emitter and the receiver are arranged in a common circuit.

7. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 1, further comprising a communications circuit that is arranged to communicate the sensory information to a master control unit.

8. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 1, wherein the emitter circuit is further arranged to communicate the sensory information to a master control unit at substantially the same time that additional sensory information is collected form the receiver.

9. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the emitter and the receiver are responsive to conditions associated with the tissue such that the sensory information indicates a change in the conditions of the tissue related to at least one of:

an electrical property, a magnetic property, an acoustic property, a mechanical property, a conductivity, a dielectric constant, a magnetic permeability, an acoustic impedance, and a sound velocity.

10. A neural prosthetic sensor device that is implanted into a tissue, comprising:

a tuned circuit that has an operating frequency that varies in response to an environmental condition associated with the tissue;

a signal processor that is arranged to evaluate the operating frequency to provide sensory information; and

a controller that is arranged in cooperation with at least one of the tuned circuit and the signal processor.

11. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 10, wherein the environmental condition comprises at least one of:

ambient temperature of the tissue, surface temperature of a surface of the tissue, pressure exerted on the surface by a foreign object, heat exerted on the surface by the foreign object, cold exerted on the surface by the foreign object, and deformation of a region of tissue about the prosthetic sensor device.

12. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 10, further comprising:

a fixed frequency oscillator that is arranged to generate a first signal having a first frequency;

a voltage controlled oscillator that includes a tuned circuit, wherein the voltage controlled oscillator is arranged to generate a second signal having a second frequency in response to a control signal, wherein the second frequency of the voltage controlled oscillator varies in response to environmental conditions associated with the tissue; and

a controller circuit that is arranged to vary the control signal such that the second frequency is substantially matched to the first frequency.

13. A neural prosthetic sensor device that is implanted into a tissue, comprising:

a fixed frequency oscillator that is arranged to generate a first signal having a first frequency;

a variable frequency oscillator that includes a tuned circuit, wherein the variable frequency oscillator is arranged to generate a second signal having a second frequency, wherein the second frequency of the variable frequency oscillator varies in response to environmental conditions associated with the tissue; and

a frequency meter circuit that is arranged to compare the first frequency to the second frequency to identify sensory information associated with the environmental conditions associated with the tissue.

14. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 13, wherein the tuned circuit comprises an LC tank circuit, wherein at least one of a capacitance and an inductance associated with the LC tank circuit is varied in response to the environmental conditions associated with the tissue.

15. A neural prosthetic sensor device that is implanted into a tissue, comprising:

a fixed frequency oscillator that is arranged to generate a first signal having a first frequency, a first amplitude, and a first phase;

a tuned circuit that is coupled to the fixed frequency oscillator circuit, wherein the tuned circuit is arranged to provide a second signal having a second frequency, a second amplitude, and a second phase, wherein at least one of the second frequency, the second amplitude, and the second phase is varied in response to environmental conditions associated with the tissue; and

a signal processor circuit that is arranged to compare the first signal to the second signal to identify sensory information that is associated with the environmental conditions associated with the tissue.

16. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 15, wherein the signal processor circuit comprises at least one of:

an amplitude detector, a phase detector, a frequency detector, an amplitude comparator, a phase comparator, and a frequency comparator.

17. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 15, further comprising at least one of:

a communication circuit that is arranged to communicate the sensory information to a master control unit, a capture circuit htat is arranged to store the sensory information, and an encoder that is arranged to encode the sensory information in a data signal.

18. A neural prosthetic sensor device that is implanted into a tissue, comprising:

a transmitter circuit that is arranged to provide an input signal

a transducer circuit that is arranged to provide an emitted signal in response to the input signal;

a detector circuit that is arranged to provide an output signal that is related to the emitted signal, wherein a characteristic of the emitted signal is varied in response to an environmental condition that is associated with the tissue; and

a signal processor circuit that is arranged to identify sensory information that is associated with the environmental conditions associated with the tissue in response to the output signal.

19. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 18, wherein the transmitter circuit corresponds to an ultrasonic signal generator, and wherein the detector circuit is arranged to sense a reflected ultrasonic signal that is received from the transducer circuit.

20. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 18, wherein:

the transmitter circuit corresponds to an ultra-wide band pulse generator, the detector circuit is arranged to receive signals from the transducer circuit, and wherein the signal processor circuit is arranged to evaluate a signal spectrum associated with the received signals to identify the sensory information.

21. A method of collecting sensory information with a neural prosthetic device that is implanted in a tissue, the method comprising:

emitting an emitted signal from an emitter into the tissue;

receiving a return signal in response to the emitted signal; and

evaluating at least one of the emitted signal and the return signal to identify sensory information associated with the operating environment for the tissue.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein evaluating comprises:

identifying at least one of a first phase, a first amplitude, and a first frequency from the emitted signal;

identifying at least one of a second phase, a second amplitude, and a second frequency from the return signal; and

comparing at least one of the first phase, first amplitude and first frequency to a corresponding one of the second phase, second amplitude and second frequency to identify sensory information.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein emitting comprises generating at least one of:

a modulated signal, an RF communication signal, an ultrasonic signal, an infrared signal, a visible light signal, an RF pulse, an ultra-wide band pulse, a wideband pulse, and a narrow band pulse.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

communicating the sensory information to a master control unit with the emitted signal.

25. A neural prosthetic sensor device that is implanted into a tissue, comprising:

an emitter means that is arranged to emit a signal into the tissue;

a receiving means that is arranged to receive a return signal in response to the emitted signal; and

a signal processing means that is arranged to evaluate at least one of the emitted signal and the return signal to identify sensory information associated with the operating environment for the tissue.

26. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 25, wherein the emitter means comprises a resonant circuit that has a characteristic that varies according to the operating environment surrounding the tissue that is proximate to the device, wherein the characteristic corresponds to at least one of:

a complex impedance, an inductance, a capacitance, a signal frequency, a signal amplitude, a signal phase, and a signal spectrum.

27. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 25, wherein the emitter means comprises at least one:

an antenna, a transmitter, a modulator, a modulated transmitter, a matching network, a tuned circuit, a filter circuit, a tuned frequency oscillator, a variable tuned frequency oscillator, a high frequency LC oscillator, an RF transmitter, a signal generator, a pulse generator, an oscillator, a driver, an ultra wide-band pulse generator, a narrow-band pulse generator, a sweep-frequency transmitter, a transducer, an ultrasonic transducer, an infrared source, and a visible light source.

28. The neural prosthetic sensor device of claim 25, wherein the emitter means is arranged to communicate the sensory information to a master control unit at substantially the same time that the signal processing means is evaluating new sensory information.