AGITATOR TO STIMULATE THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

• US 20090287265A1
• Filed: 05/01/2009
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dymedix Corporation
• Original Assignee: Dymedix Corporation
• Inventors: Henke, Reinhold
• Granted Patent: US 8,579,794 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/3
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/56 Devices for preventing snoring by influencing the respiratory system by gas treatment A61M16/00

Abstract

A tactile and audible sensation can be provided to a patient using a coiled or scrolled film in response to a received control signal. The tactile and audible sensation can be configured to stimulate the patient'"'"'s central nervous system to sufficiently interrupt and undesirable sleep behavior of the patient, but avoid significantly changing a sleep state of the patient.

Claims

1. An agitator device for stimulating a central nervous system of a patient suffering from a sleep disorder, comprising:

a housing sized and shaped to fit within, on, around, or behind an ear of the patient;

a film within the housing, the film configured to receive a control signal and to provide a tactile and audible sensation to the patient in response to the received control signal, the tactile and audible sensation configured to stimulate the patient'"'"'s central nervous system to sufficiently interrupt an undesirable sleep behavior of the patient, but avoid significantly changing a sleep state of the patient.

2. The agitator device of claim 1, wherein the film includes a coiled or scrolled polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film.

3. The agitator device of claim 2, wherein the PVDF film includes a metalized PVDF film having at least one of a series or parallel bimorphic structure.

4. The agitator device of claim 1, wherein the housing is configured to fit within the ear.

5. The agitator device of claim 1, wherein the control signal includes an alternating current (AC) excitation voltage control signal configured to control expansion and contraction of the film according to an instantaneous voltage polarity of the control signal, causing the film to vibrate, the vibration providing the tactile and audible sensation.

6. The agitator device of claim 5, wherein a frequency of the control signal is configured to substantially match a resonant frequency of the film to provide a desired efficiency of the tactile and audible sensation.

7. The agitator device of claim 6, wherein the frequency of the control signal includes a frequency between 1 Hz and 100 Hz.

8. A system for stimulating a central nervous system of a patient suffering from a sleep disorder, comprising:

a sleep sensor configured to receive sleep information from the patient;

an agitator including;

a housing sized and shaped to fit within, on, around, or behind an ear of the patient; and

a film within the housing, the film configured to provide a tactile and audible sensation to the patient, the tactile and audible sensation configured to stimulate the patient'"'"'s central nervous system; and

a controller configured to receive sleep information from the sleep sensor, to produce a control signal for the agitator using the received sleep information, and to provide the control signal to the to the agitator, the control signal configured to control the tactile and audible sensation of the agitator to sufficiently interrupt an undesirable sleep behavior of the patient, but avoid significantly changing a sleep state of the patient.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the sleep sensor includes a respiration sensor configured to receive respiration information from the patient.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the sleep sensor includes a sleep state sensor configured to receive information indicative of a sleep state of the patient.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the film includes a coiled or scrolled metalized polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film having at least one of a series or parallel bimorphic structure.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the housing is configured to be affixed behind the ear using an adhesive.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to produce an alternating current (AC) excitation voltage control signal to control expansion and contraction of the film according to an instantaneous voltage polarity of the control signal, causing the film to vibrate, the vibration providing the tactile and audible sensation, and wherein the frequency of the AC excitation voltage control signal is configured to substantially match a resonant frequency of the film to provide a desired efficiency of the tactile and audible sensation.

14. A method for stimulating a central nervous system of a patient suffering from a sleep disorder, comprising:

receiving a control signal from a controller; and

providing a tactile and audible sensation to the patient using a coiled or scrolled film in response to the received control signal, the tactile and audible sensation configured to stimulate the patient'"'"'s central nervous system to sufficiently interrupt an undesirable sleep behavior of the patient, but avoid significantly changing a sleep state of the patient.

15. The method of claim 14, including:

receiving sleep information from a patient, the sleep information including at least one of;

respiration information of the patient from a respiration sensor;

or

information indicative of a sleep state of the patient from a sleep state sensor; and

producing the control signal using the received sleep information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the receiving the sleep information from the patient includes receiving the respiration information of the patient from the respiration sensor.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the providing the tactile and audible sensation to the patient using the coiled or scrolled film includes using a metalized polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film having at least one of a series or parallel bimorphic structure.

18. The method of claim 14, including providing a housing sized and shaped to fit within, on, around, or behind an ear of the patient, the housing including the coiled or scrolled film.

19. The method of claim 14, including producing an alternating current (AC) excitation voltage control signal to control expansion and contraction of the coiled or scrolled film according to an instantaneous voltage polarity of the control signal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the producing the AC excitation voltage control signal includes at a frequency configured to substantially match a resonant frequency of the coiled or scrolled film to provide a desired efficiency of the provided tactile and audible sensation.