ELECTRICAL MUSCLE STIMULATION

• US 20120226330A1
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Published: 09/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Kolen, Alexander Franciscus, Puszka, Agathe Melanie
• Granted Patent: US 9,878,152 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/48
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/395 Details of stimulation, e.g. nerve stimulation to elicit EMG response
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5084 Acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2230/08 Other bio-electrical signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2230/62 Posture
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 39/002 Using electric currents electrotherapy A61N1/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 39/02 Devices for locating such points
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36003 of motor muscles, e.g. for walking assistance
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36007 of urogenital or gastrointestinal organs, e.g. for incontinence control
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36031 using physiological parameters for adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36034 specified by the stimulation parameters

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for electrical stimulation of muscle tissue. Electrodes (12) of an electrode array (13) are activated in accordance with a sequence of activation patterns, each pattern defining a subset of the electrodes (12) to be activated, each subset consisting of at least one electrode (12), by providing an electrical muscle stimulation signal to the muscle tissue via the subset of electrodes (12). Alternately with said activating of electrodes (12), a response signal associated with the respective activation pattern is received from a sensor (30; 12). Optionally, at least one electrode (12) is then selected for stimulation, corresponding to a location determined as being suitable for stimulation, and the muscle tissue is stimulated. The process may be repeated in order to track the location suitable for stimulation in a dynamic situation. Optionally, the orientation of body part is estimated from the measured response signals.

Claims

1. A method for providing an electrical muscle stimulation signal to body tissue that contacts muscle tissue, comprising:

positioning an electrode array comprising a plurality of electrodes in electrical contact with said body tissue;

activating said electrodes in accordance with a sequence of activation patterns, each activation pattern defining a subset of the electrodes to be activated, each respective subset including at least one electrode, by providing an electrical muscle stimulation signal to said body tissue via the at least one electrode of the respective subset, and,

alternately with said activating of electrodes in accordance with an activation pattern, measuring a response signal associated with the activation pattern by sensing a property of said muscle tissue, wherein the property forms a measure for activity of said muscle tissue in response to the electrical stimulation signal provided via said at least one electrode of the activation pattern to said body tissue contacting said muscle tissue.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, the method further comprising:

selecting at least one of the plurality of electrodes based on the measured response signals.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said at least one of the plurality of electrodes is selected based on a criterion suitable for determining the muscle activity from the response signal.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, the method further comprising:

selectively providing via said selected at least one electrode and via said body tissue an electrical muscle stimulation signal to said muscle tissue.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein activating said electrodes in accordance with a sequence of activation patterns, measuring, alternately with said activating of electrodes in accordance with an activation pattern, a response signal associated with the activation pattern, and selecting at least one of the plurality of electrodes based on the measured response signals are repeated alternately with selectively providing via the newly selected said at least one electrode and via said body tissue an electrical muscle stimulation signal to said muscle tissue.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein selecting at least one of the plurality of electrodes based on the measured response signals comprises selecting at least one first electrode and at least one second electrode of the plurality of electrodes based on the measured response signals, and

wherein selectively providing via said selected at least one electrode and via said body tissue an electrical muscle stimulation signal to said muscle tissue comprises selectively providing, via at least one of said selected at least one first electrode and said selected at least one second electrode, and via said body tissue, an electrical muscle stimulation signal to at least one of muscle tissue of a first muscle and muscle tissue of a second muscle.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining an orientation of a body part based on the measured response signals.

13. A computer program product comprising program code portions for performing a method according to claim 1 when run on a programmable apparatus.

8. An apparatus for electrical stimulation of muscle tissue, comprising:

an electrode array comprising a plurality of electrodes, for positioning in electrical contact with body tissue that contacts said muscle tissue;

the electrode array being connectable to a signal generator for generating an electrical muscle stimulation signal;

an electrode selector for selecting from the plurality of electrodes one or more electrodes for providing the electrical stimulation signal of a connected signal generator to said body tissue;

a sensor for measuring a signal by sensing a property of said muscle tissue, wherein the property forms a measure for activity of said muscle tissue; and

a control unit for controlling the electrode selector and for receiving a signal from the sensor, the control unit being adapted for;

activating said electrodes in accordance with a sequence of activation patterns, each activation pattern defining a subset of the electrodes to be activated, each respective subset including at least one electrode, by controlling the electrode selector to select the at least one electrode of the respective subset for providing an electrical muscle stimulation signal of the signal generator to said body tissue via said at least one electrode, and,

alternately with said activating of electrodes in accordance with an activation pattern, receiving a response signal associated with the activation pattern from the sensor.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the control unit is further adapted for selecting at least one of the plurality of electrodes based on the response signals.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a signal processing unit for analyzing a response signal received from the sensor, wherein the signal processing unit is adapted for determining a criterion suitable for determining the muscle activity from the response signal.

12. Use of an apparatus according to claim 8, for the treatment of a muscle.

11. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

15. (canceled)