Optical bundle apparatus and method for optical and/or electrical nerve stimulation of peripheral nerves
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a non-transitory computer-readable memory having a stored mapping of stimulation signals to responses stored therein;
a plurality of laser light sources operatively coupled to the computer-readable memory and configured to generate a plurality of independently controlled laser light signals from selected ones of the plurality of laser light sources based on the stored mapping;
a plurality of concentric waveguide bundles including a first waveguide bundle, and a second waveguide bundle arranged to encircle the first waveguide bundle,wherein the plurality of waveguide bundles is operatively coupled to the plurality of laser light sources,wherein the plurality of waveguide bundles is configured to emit the plurality of independently controlled laser light signals toward a first plurality of peripheral nerves in a nerve bundle of an animal in order to independently and separately optically stimulate selected ones of the first plurality of peripheral nerves of the animal,wherein the first waveguide bundle includes a first plurality of waveguides that have a first length and are arranged around a longitudinal axis,wherein the second waveguide bundle includes a second plurality of waveguides that have a second length and are arranged around the longitudinal axis, andwherein the first length is not equal to the second length;
a controller operatively coupled to the plurality of laser light sources and configured to selectively control selected ones of the plurality of laser light signals emitted from selected ones of the first and second plurality of waveguides, wherein the selective control of the plurality of laser light signals provides controlled optical stimulation to the selected ones of the first plurality of peripheral nerves of the animal that independently triggers action potentials in the selected ones of the first plurality of peripheral nerves; and
a plurality of insulated electrical conductors extending along the first waveguide bundle and operatively coupled to the controller, the plurality of electrical conductors including a first electrical conductor connected to a first exposed electrode and a second electrical conductor connected to a second exposed electrode, wherein the controller is configured to selectively apply an electrical signal to the first electrical conductor and the second electrical conductor to create an electric field across a volume of tissue of the animal between the first electrode and the second electrode.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and method for making and using devices that generate optical signals, and optionally also electrical signals in combination with one or more such optical signals, to stimulate (i.e., trigger) and/or simulate a sensory-nerve signal in nerve and/or brain tissue of a living animal (e.g., a human), for example to treat nerve damage in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) or the central nervous system (CNS) and provide sensations to stimulate and/or simulate “sensory” signals in nerves and/or brain tissue of a living animal (e.g., a human) to treat other sensory deficiencies (e.g., touch, feel, balance, visual, taste, or olfactory) and provide sensations related to those sensory deficiencies, and/or to stimulate (i.e., trigger) and/or simulate a motor-nerve signal in nerve and/or brain tissue of a living animal (e.g., a human), for example to control a muscle or a robotic prosthesis.
269 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a non-transitory computer-readable memory having a stored mapping of stimulation signals to responses stored therein; a plurality of laser light sources operatively coupled to the computer-readable memory and configured to generate a plurality of independently controlled laser light signals from selected ones of the plurality of laser light sources based on the stored mapping; a plurality of concentric waveguide bundles including a first waveguide bundle, and a second waveguide bundle arranged to encircle the first waveguide bundle, wherein the plurality of waveguide bundles is operatively coupled to the plurality of laser light sources, wherein the plurality of waveguide bundles is configured to emit the plurality of independently controlled laser light signals toward a first plurality of peripheral nerves in a nerve bundle of an animal in order to independently and separately optically stimulate selected ones of the first plurality of peripheral nerves of the animal, wherein the first waveguide bundle includes a first plurality of waveguides that have a first length and are arranged around a longitudinal axis, wherein the second waveguide bundle includes a second plurality of waveguides that have a second length and are arranged around the longitudinal axis, and wherein the first length is not equal to the second length; a controller operatively coupled to the plurality of laser light sources and configured to selectively control selected ones of the plurality of laser light signals emitted from selected ones of the first and second plurality of waveguides, wherein the selective control of the plurality of laser light signals provides controlled optical stimulation to the selected ones of the first plurality of peripheral nerves of the animal that independently triggers action potentials in the selected ones of the first plurality of peripheral nerves; and a plurality of insulated electrical conductors extending along the first waveguide bundle and operatively coupled to the controller, the plurality of electrical conductors including a first electrical conductor connected to a first exposed electrode and a second electrical conductor connected to a second exposed electrode, wherein the controller is configured to selectively apply an electrical signal to the first electrical conductor and the second electrical conductor to create an electric field across a volume of tissue of the animal between the first electrode and the second electrode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of laser light sources configured to generate a plurality of independently controlled laser light signals; a plurality of concentric waveguide bundles including a first waveguide bundle, and a second waveguide bundle arranged around the first waveguide bundle, wherein the plurality of waveguide bundles is operatively coupled to the plurality of laser light sources, wherein the plurality of waveguide bundles is configured to emit the plurality of independently controlled laser light signals toward a first plurality of peripheral nerves in a nerve bundle of an animal in order to independently and separately optically stimulate the first plurality of peripheral nerves of the animal, wherein the first waveguide bundle includes a first plurality of waveguides that have a first length and are arranged around a longitudinal axis, and wherein the second waveguide bundle includes a second plurality of waveguides that have a second length and are arranged around the longitudinal axis; a controller operatively coupled to the plurality of laser light sources and configured to selectively control the plurality of laser light signals emitted from each of the plurality of waveguide bundles such that the plurality of laser light signals provide controlled optical stimulation to the first plurality of peripheral nerves of the animal that triggers action potentials in the first plurality of peripheral nerves; and a first plurality of insulated electrical conductors extending along the first waveguide bundle and operatively coupled to the controller, the plurality of electrical conductors including a first electrical conductor connected to a first exposed electrode and a second electrical conductor connected to a second exposed electrode, and wherein the controller is configured to selectively apply an electrical signal to the first electrical conductor and the second electrical conductor to create an electric field across a volume of tissue of the animal between the first electrode and the second electrode. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An apparatus comprising:
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a computer-readable non-transitory memory having a stored mapping of stimulation signals to responses stored therein; a plurality of laser light sources operatively coupled to the computer-readable memory and configured to generate a plurality of independently controlled laser light signals from selected ones of the plurality of laser light sources based on the stored mapping; a plurality of concentric waveguide bundles including a first waveguide bundle having a first length, and a second waveguide bundle having second length and arranged to encircle the first waveguide bundle, wherein the plurality of waveguide bundles is operatively coupled to the plurality of laser light sources, wherein the plurality of waveguide bundles is configured to emit the plurality of laser light signals toward a first plurality of peripheral nerves of an animal in order to independently optically stimulate selected ones of the first plurality of peripheral nerves of the animal, wherein the first length is not equal to the second length, and wherein the plurality of concentric waveguide bundles is configured to be fully implanted in the animal; means for delivering the plurality of independently controlled laser light signals through the plurality of waveguide bundles to the first plurality of peripheral nerves of the animal in order to independently and separately optically stimulate the first plurality of peripheral nerves of the animal; means for selectively controlling selected ones of the plurality of independently controlled laser light signals emitted from selected ones of the first and second plurality of waveguides wherein the means for selectively controlling the plurality of laser light signals provides controlled optical stimulation to the selected ones of the first plurality of peripheral nerves of the animal that independently triggers action potentials in the selected ones of the first plurality of peripheral nerves; and means for creating an electric field across a volume of tissue of the animal, wherein the means for creating the electric field extends along the first waveguide bundle, and wherein the means for creating the electric field is operatively coupled to the means for selectively controlling. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification