Vision regeneration assisting apparatus

• US 20070038267A1
• Filed: 08/11/2006
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nidek Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nidek Company Limited
• Inventors: Tokuda, Takashi, Ohta, Jun, Shodo, Kenzo, Uehara, Akihiro
• Application Number:
  US11/502,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20070038267A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/54
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0543 Retinal electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36046 of the eye
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36185 Selection of the electrode configuration

Abstract

A vision regeneration assisting apparatus includes: a substrate which is to be placed in a body of a patient; a plurality of electrode groups each having a plurality of electrodes which are arranged on the substrate, the electrodes applying electrical stimulation pulse signals to cells forming a retina of the patient; and a plurality of switch units which are arranged on the substrate and of which one is provided for each electrode group, the switch units selectively switching output of the electrical stimulation pulse signals from each of the electrodes.

Claims

1. A vision regeneration assisting apparatus comprising:

a substrate which is to be placed in a body of a patient;

a plurality of electrode groups each having a plurality of electrodes which are arranged on the substrate, the electrodes applying electrical stimulation pulse signals to cells forming a retina of the patient; and

a plurality of switch units which are arranged on the substrate and of which one is provided for each electrode group, the switch units selectively switching output of the electrical stimulation pulse signals from each of the electrodes.

2. The vision regeneration assisting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switch units are arranged on a side of the substrate opposed to a side where the electrodes are arranged.

3. The vision regeneration assisting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switch unit comprises a multiplexer.

4. The vision regeneration assisting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vision regeneration assisting apparatus is of an external photographing type, and further comprises a photographing unit for photographing an external object to be recognized by the patient.

5. The vision regeneration assisting apparatus according to claim 4 further comprising a control unit which is to be placed in the body and generates the electrical stimulation pulse signals based on image data obtained by the photographing unit or data obtained by subjecting the image data to a predetermined process, and transmits the generated electrical stimulation pulse signals to each of the switching units.

6. The vision regeneration assisting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the switching units and the control unit are arranged on a side of the substrate opposed to a side where the electrodes are arranged.