Neural electronic interface device for motor and sensory controls of human body

• US 8,498,717 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2008
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gachon University of Medicine & Science Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation
• Original Assignee: Gachon University of Medicine & Science Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation
• Inventors: Lee, Uhn, Choi, Sang Hyouk
• Primary Examiner(s): Heller, Tammie K
• Application Number:
  US12/600,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20110022116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,903 Days
• Field of Search: 607/45, 607/46, 607/48, 607/49, 607/61
• US Class Current: 607/61
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0529 Electrodes for brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0534 Electrodes for deep brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36071 Pain

Abstract

Provided is a neural electronic interface (NEI) device that includes: a deep brain monitoring and stimulation (DBMS) module that wirelessly receives power from a power transmitter at a hat put on a patient, monitors a state of a brain of the patient by collecting various signals of the brain through a probe pin device (PPD), and transmits the collected signals to a communicator of the hat, wherein a remote controller of the hat analyzes the collected signals and controls the DBMS through the controller to stimulate the brain.

Claims

1. A neural network interface (NEI) device for stimulating a cerebral nerve of a patient to control abnormal motor and sensory functions of a brain of the patient, the NEI device comprising:

a hat module configured for placement over a head of the patient, wherein the hat module is configured to wirelessly supply power; and

a deep brain monitoring and stimulation (DBMS) module including;

a thin film configured to be fixed between a skull and a scalp of the patient;

a probe pin device (PPD) having a shape of a pin, having a head portion that is directly attached to a lower surface of the thin film, and configured to be implanted through the skull under the scalp of the patient to thereby contact the cerebral nerve of the patient; and

a power and signal processor disposed on the thin film and configured to wirelessly receive the power from the hat module, wirelessly transmit nervous system data monitored by the PPD to the hat module, and wirelessly receive a control command signal from the hat module to thereby control the DBMS module according to the nervous system data;

wherein;

(a) the hat module is configured to generate a rotating magnetic field toward the DBMS module and the DBMS module is configured to be driven using induced power which is generated by a magnetic induction which is generated by the rotating magnetic field;

or

(b) the hat module is configured to transmit a microwave to the DBMS module and the DBMS module is configured to receive the microwave, transform the microwave into direct current (DC) power, and be driven by the DC power.

2. The NEI device of claim 1, wherein:

the DBMS module is configured to control pulse power for stimulating a nervous system according to a range of the nervous system data and to output the pulse power to the cerebral nerve; and

the hat module is configured to control the power transmitted to the DBMS module according to the nervous system data and control a monitoring period of the DBMS module.

3. The NEI device of claim 1, wherein the PPD comprises:

a sensor which is installed at a tip of the PPD and configured to sense a state of a brain tissue;

a plurality of signal lines embedded within the PPD and configured to transmit a signal detected by the sensor to the power and signal processor; and

a plurality of stimulation electrodes configured to transmit a voltage for stimulating a nervous cell.

4. The NEI device of claim 3, wherein the signal lines are formed of one of a quartz optical fiber, gold lines, and platinum rods.

5. The NEI device of claim 3, wherein the sensor is formed of at least one or combinations of a voltage sensor, a chemistry sensor, a pressure sensor, and a temperature sensor, wherein the voltage sensor detects a voltage in the brain, the chemistry sensor detects a brain disease inducer, the pressure sensor detects a brain pressure, and the temperature sensor detects a brain temperature.

6. The NEI device of claim 5, wherein the chemistry sensor is formed of quantum dots which are formed at the ends of the signal lines to detect the brain disease inducer using fluorescence characteristics of the quantum dots which vary with interactions among the quantum dots occurring when the quantum dots are exposed to the brain disease inducer.

7. The NEI device of claim 6, wherein the chemistry sensor is configured to induce nerve protrusions to be grown on the quantum dots to thereby improve electrical connections to neurons of a cerebral cortex.

8. The NEI device of claim 3, wherein the sensor is an integrated nano-sensor array.

9. The NEI device of claim 1, wherein the body of the PPD is formed of one of a polymer material and a ceramic material, and an insulating material is coated on a surface and a tip of the PPD.

10. The NEI device of claim 1, wherein the power and signal processor comprises:

a power receiver configured to wirelessly receive the power from the hat module;

a power modulator configured to modulate the power into power to drive the PPD;

a DBMS controller configured to control the power modulator according to a monitoring signal transmitted from the PPD; and

a DBMS communicator configured to transmit data monitored by the PPD to the hat module and receive the control command signal from the hat module.

11. The NEI device of claim 10, wherein the power and signal processor comprises a synchronous sample/hold (SSH) module configured to transform an analog signal output from the PPD into a digital signal and transmit the digital signal to the DBMS communicator.

12. The NEI device of claim 10, wherein power output from the power modulator is a pulse wave which has a magnitude between 0V and +10V, a frequency of 200 Hz or more, and a pulse width between 60 psec and 500 psec.

13. The NEI device of claim 1, wherein the hat module comprises:

a power transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the power to the DBMS module;

a communicator configured to perform a wireless communication with the DBMS module; and

a remote controller configured to control a power transmission function of the power transmitter, and analyze and process a monitoring signal transmitted from the communicator to transmit a command signal to control a cerebral nerve stimulation function of the DBMS module through the communicator.

14. The NEI device of claim 13, wherein if the monitoring signal has a shock waveform or abruptly fluctuates, the remote controller is configured to control the power transmitter to increase wireless power transmitted to the DBMS module.

15. The NEI device of claim 13, wherein if the monitoring signal corresponds to a signal type written in a lookup table, the remote controller controls the power transmitter to increase the wireless power transmitted to the DBMS module using the lookup table, wherein abnormal signal types are written in the lookup table through an experiment.

16. The NEI device of claim 13, wherein the remote controller is configured to transmit a command signal to control a monitoring period to the DBMS module through the communicator according to the monitoring signal.