Retina implant

• US 6,804,560 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2001
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Retina Implant AG
• Original Assignee: Eberhard-Karls-Universitat Tubingen Universitatsklinikum
• Inventors: Stett, Alfred, Hammerle, Hugo, Schubert, Markus, Stelzle, Martin, Graf, Michael, Nisch, Wilfried, Zrenner, Eberhart, Graf, Heinz Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Schaetzle, Kennedy
• Application Number:
  US10/011,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20020177895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 607/54, 607/53, 607/61, 607/1, 607/88, 607/95, 623/6.63
• US Class Current: 607/54
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/14 Eye parts, e.g. lenses, corneal implants; Implanting instruments specially adapted therefor; Artificial eyes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0543 Retinal electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36046 of the eye
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14609 Pixel-elements with integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements scanning details of imagers (circuitry of solid-state image sensors H04N25/00); circuitry of imagers H04N25/70

Abstract

A retina implant, comprises a surface and a plurality of pixel elements disposed on the surface for receiving and converting incoming light energy into electric energy. At least one amplifier is provided in the implant, and a plurality of stimulation electrodes supplied via the at least one amplifier as a function of signals received by the pixel elements. At least one light-sensitive reference element is coupled with the at least one amplifier for controlling amplification thereof as a function of light energy impinging on the at least one reference element.

Claims

1. A retina implant comprising:

a) a surface;

b) a plurality of pixel elements disposed on the surface for receiving and converting incoming light energy into electrical energy;

c) at least one amplifier in communication with the pixel elements;

d) a plurality of stimulation electrodes, the electrodes being supplied via the at least one amplifier as a function of the incoming light energy received by the pixel elements; and

e) at least one light-sensitive reference element coupled with the at least one amplifier for controlling amplification thereof as a function of light energy impinging on the at least one reference element.

2. The retina implant of claim 1, wherein a common reference element is provided extending over a selected portion of said surface, said pixel elements being disposed on said reference element as isolated areas.

3. The retina implant of claim 2, wherein said pixel elements are disposed on said reference element along a grid pattern.

4. The retina implant of claim 1, wherein a plurality of reference elements is distributed over a selected portion of said surface along a predetermined pattern between said pixel elements.

5. The retina implant of claim 4, wherein said reference elements are distributed over a selected portion of said surface as stripes.

6. The retina implant of claim 5, wherein further reference elements are disposed between individual stripes and pixel elements.

7. The retina implant of claim 4, wherein said reference elements are distributed over a selected portion of said surface as an oblique grid.

8. The retina implant of claim 4, wherein one reference element each is associated to a plurality of pixel elements.

9. The retina implant of claim 4, wherein each pixel element has one reference element associated thereto.

10. The retina implant of claim 4, wherein one pixel element has a plurality of reference elements associated thereto.

11. The retina implant of claim 1, wherein each pixel element has an amplifier and a stimulation electrode associated thereto.

12. The retina implant of claim 11, wherein a plurality of reference elements is distributed over a selected portion of the surface in a chessboard pattern, each pixel element being surrounded by a plurality of reference elements arranged at an angle with respect to each other.

13. The retina implant of claim 1, wherein said at least one amplifier amplifies a difference between output signals of said pixel elements and of reference elements associated thereto, and controls associated stimulation electrodes as a function of said amplified signals.

14. The retina implant of claim 1, wherein the pixel elements and the at least one reference element have the same wavelength sensitivity.

15. The retina implant of any of claim 1, wherein said pixel elements and said at least one reference element are configured as photodiodes.

16. The retina implant of claim 1, wherein said pixel elements as well as said at least one reference element each have a predetermined surface facing said incoming light, said surface of said reference element being larger than a surface of said pixel element associated thereto.

17. The retina implant of claim 1, wherein said pixel elements as well as said at least one reference element each have a predetermined surface facing said incoming light, a sum of said surfaces of a plurality of reference elements being larger than a surface of said pixel element associated thereto.

18. The retina implant of claim 1, wherein said pixel element and said at least one reference element are configured as different components.

19. The retina implant of claim 1, wherein said pixel elements and said at least one reference element are each the same component.

20. A retina implant comprising:

a plurality of pixel elements disposed on a first surface of a substrate wherein the substrate is adapted to be positioned such that the first surface faces the lens of an eye so as to receive incident light;

at least one amplifier in communication with the pixel elements and receiving external power;

plurality of stimulation electrodes positioned on the first surface so as to stimulate adjacent retinal cells of the eye; and

at least one light-sensitive reference element receiving incident light wherein the amplifier controls the stimulus of the stimulation electrodes as a function of the intensity of the incident light to the pixel elements and the at least one reference element.

21. The retina implant of claim 20, wherein the external power comprises incident electro-magnetic radiation.

22. The retina implant of claim 21, wherein the external power comprises incident electro-magnetic radiation of a range of wavelengths at least partially outside the range of wavelengths of visible light.

23. The retina implant of claim 21, further comprising a filter interposed between the pixel elements and the at least one light-sensitive reference element wherein the filter substantially passes visible light and at least partially blocks electro-magnetic radiation of wavelengths outside those of visible light.

24. The retina implant of claim 20, wherein the at least one reference element comprises a sample of the incident light received by at least one of the pixel elements.

25. A retina implant comprising:

a plurality of pixel elements disposed on a first surface of a substrate wherein the substrate is adapted to be positioned such that the first surface faces the lens of an eye so as to receive incident light;

at least one amplifier in communication with the pixel elements and receiving external power;

a plurality of stimulation electrodes positioned on the first surface so as to stimulate adjacent retinal cells of the eye; and

at least one reference element in communication with at least one of the pixel elements and the at least one amplifier wherein the at least one reference element receives at least a periodic signal representative of the intensity of the incident light received by the at least one pixel element and provides a control signal to the at least one amplifier as a function of the intensity of the incident light as received by the pixel elements and the at least one reference element.

26. A retina implant comprising:

at least one pixel element that is adapted to be implanted in an eye so as to receive light incident on the eye, wherein the pixel element produces a pixel intensity signal; and

at least one reference element that is adapted to be implanted in the eye so as to receive light incident on the eye, wherein the at least one reference element is adapted to determine an average intensity value of the light incident on the eye and wherein the retina implant produces stimulation signals as a function of the pixel intensity signal and the average intensity value.

27. The retina implant of claim 26, further comprising an amplifier receiving the pixel intensity signal and the average intensity value and producing the stimulation signals as a function thereof.

28. The retina implant of claim 27, further comprising at least one stimulation electrode positioned so as to provide the stimulation signals to the retina of the eye.

29. The retina implant of claim 26, wherein the retina implant receives external power.

30. The retina implant of claim 29, wherein the external energy comprises incident electromagnetic radiation.

31. The retina implant of claim 30, wherein the incident electromagnetic radiation is of wavelengths at least some of which are outside the wavelengths of visible light.