EAR STIMULATOR FOR PRODUCING A STIMULATION SIGNAL TO AN EAR

• US 20110166619A1
• Filed: 06/18/2009
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NasoPhlex B.V.
• Original Assignee: NasoPhlex B.V.
• Inventors: de Vos, Gerrit Johannis
• Granted Patent: US 8,639,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/42
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4818 Sleep apnoea
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7217 of noise originating from a therapeutic or surgical apparatus, e.g. from a pacemaker
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/003 Detecting lung or respiration noise
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2205/027 Ears
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2230/04 Heartbeat characteristics, e.g. E.G.C., blood pressure modulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2230/10 Electroencephalographic signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2230/207 partial O2-value
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2230/40 Respiratory characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2230/65 Impedance, e.g. skin conductivity; capacitance, e.g. galvanic skin response [GSR]
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 39/002 Using electric currents electrotherapy A61N1/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3601 of respiratory organs
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36036 of the outer, middle or inner ear

Abstract

An electronic stimulation system to be worn in, behind or on a human ear having a casing; a detection device to sense breathing activity from a human being and to generate a detection signal; electronics within the casing and having a controller connected to the detection device to process the detection signal and generate a control signal when the controller has determined that the human being is in a state of developing apnoea; a stimulation device to receive the control signal from the electronics and to provide stimuli to one or more points of the human ear; wherein when the electronic stimulation system is worn in, behind or on the human ear, the stimulation device is pushed against a predetermined portion of the human ear.

Claims

1. An electronic stimulation system arranged to be worn in, behind or on a human ear comprising

a casing;

a detection device arranged to sense at least breathing activity from a human being and to generate a detection signal accordingly;

electronics arranged within said casing and comprising a controller connected to said detection device and arranged to process said detection signal and to generate a control signal when said controller has determined that said human being is in a state of developing apnoea;

a stimulation device arranged to receive said control signal from said electronics and to provide stimuli to one or more points of said human ear; and

characterized in that said electronic stimulation system is arranged such that, when worn in, behind or on said human ear, the stimulation device is pushed against a predetermined portion of said human ear.

2. The electronic system according to claim 1, wherein the system comprises a second detection device arranged to sense a heartbeat of the human being, to generate a heartbeat signal to that effect and to transmit said heartbeat signal to said electronics, the electronics being arranged to generate said control signal also in dependence on said heart beat signal.

3. The electronic system according to claim 2, wherein the system comprises a third detection device arranged to sense electrical signals from the brain of the human being and to generate an electro encephalogram (EEG) signal from the electrical signals, the electronics being arranged to generate said control signal also in dependence on said electro encephalogram signal.

4. The electronic stimulation system according to claim 1, wherein the first detection device is fixed to a holding device arranged to attach the first detection device to a human nose to allow said first detection device to sense airflow caused by breathing through at least one of the nose or mouth.

5. The electronic stimulation system according to claim 4, wherein said holding device is at least one of a nose plug, nose cap, a piercing, a screw, a nail, a bolt, a click system, a rivet, a staple and a bayonet.

6. The electronic stimulation system according to claim 5, wherein the holding device is a nose cap fixed to a supporting structure allowing said nose cap to be worn by the human being.

7. The electronic stimulation system according to claim 1, wherein said first detection device and said electronics are arranged to communicate with one another either via a wired connection or wirelessly.

8. The electronic stimulation system according to claim 2, wherein said second detection device is arranged to sense the heartbeat in at least one of a human carotid and another artery

9. The electronic stimulation system according to claim 2, wherein said second detection device is arranged to generate a heartbeat signal from noise sensed within a human ear and thus to allow said electronics to generate an audio cardiogram.

10. The electronic stimulation system according to claim 1, wherein said system comprises two microphones arranged such that, when the system is worn in or on the human ear one of said microphones is directed inward to said human ear and another one of said microphones is directed outward from said human ear.

11. The electronic stimulation system according to claim 1, wherein the stimulation device is arranged to generate a plurality of stimulation signals during a stimulation time divided by a waiting time.

12. The electronic system according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of stimulation signals each have a form of one of a plurality of pulses, a plurality of triangular signals, a plurality of sinusoidal signals, a plurality of block signals.

13. The electronic system according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the waiting time and stimulation time is variable.

14. The electronic system according to claim 11, wherein the waiting time is between 0 and 10 seconds, preferably between 0 and 5 seconds, more preferably between 0.5 and 2 seconds.

15. The electronic system according to claim 11, wherein the stimulation time is between 0 and 10 seconds, preferably between 0 and 5 seconds, more preferably between 0.5 and 2 seconds.

16. The electronic stimulation system according to claim 1, wherein said casing is made from a flexible material, like silicone.

17. The electronic stimulation system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic stimulation system comprises a plurality of stimulation units arranged in a two dimensional matrix form.

18. The electronic stimulation system according to claim 1, wherein said stimulation system is arranged as an auto-optimizing system.

19. The electronic stimulation system according to claim 18, wherein said stimulation system is arranged to identify a best location to provide a stimulus based on feedback signals from the detection device.

20. The electronic stimulation system according to claim 17, wherein the stimulation units are arranged as at least one of electrical stimulation units and mechanical stimulation units.

21. The electronic system according to claim 1, wherein the system comprises a sensor to measure oxygen saturation in the blood of the subject at the ear.

22. A method of providing stimuli to a human ear comprising

detecting at least breathing activity from a human being and generating a detection signal accordingly,

processing said detection signal and generating a control signal when said human being is in a state of developing apnoea;

receiving said control signal and providing stimuli to one or more points of said human ear; and

characterized by providing said stimuli to a predetermined portion of said human ear.

23. An electronic stimulation system arranged to be worn in, behind or on a human ear comprising

a casing;

a detection device arranged to sense at least one parameter from a human being and to generate a detection signal accordingly,

electronics arranged within said casing and comprising a controller connected to said detection device and arranged to process said detection signal and to generate a control signal when said controller has determined that said human being is in a state of one of fibrillating heart disorder, transient ischemic attacks (TIA), hypotension, syncope, haemorhagic shock (loss of blood), bronchospasm, laryngospasm, hiccup, tremor associated with Parkinson'"'"'s disease, epileptic seizure, absence type epilepsy, migraine, alternating hemiplegia, Alzheimers disease, depression, anorexia nervosa, bulimia, autism, psychiatric disorders, insomnia, sleep paralysis, and comatose states;

a stimulation device arranged to receive said control signal from said electronics and to provide stimuli to one or more points of said human ear; and

characterized in that said electronic stimulation system is arranged such that, when worn in, behind or on said human ear, the stimulation device is pushed against a predetermined portion of the auricle of said human ear.