Method and apparatus to provide safety checks for neural stimulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9974953-B2
Application number	US-201213430356-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2012
Priority date	Apr 28, 2006
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling the stimulation of neural tissue which includes a neural stimulator, an input device for providing input to the neural stimulator for neural stimulation, at least one electrode electrically connected to and driven by the neural stimulator and suitable to stimulate neural tissue, a device capable of determining a charge per phase by calculating a discrete integral of the wave form of the input for the at least one electrode, a calculating device for comparing the charge per phase to a predetermined maximum and determining a reduced stimulation for the at least one electrode by the amount necessary not to exceed the predetermined maximum for the at least one electrode, and a current pulse generator for stimulating the neural tissue according to the reduced stimulation level.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for controlling the stimulation of neural tissue comprising:
An implantable neural stimulator;
an input device including a neural stimulation controller connected via a wireless link to the neural stimulator providing input for neural stimulation;
at least one implantable electrode electrically connected to and driven by the neural stimulator and configured to stimulate neural tissue;
an active current monitor taking a discrete integral in the time representation of an arbitrary waveform stimulation pulse within a set of provided arbitrary waveform stimulation pulses of the input for neural stimulation to calculate a charge per phase for the at least one electrode;
a calculating device comparing the charge per phase of each stimulation pulse for the at least one electrode to a predetermined maximum charge per phase, and determining a reduced stimulation level for the at least one electrode by the amount necessary, not to exceed said predetermined maximum charge per phase for the at least one electrode; and
a current pulse generator for stimulating said neural tissue according to said reduced stimulation level.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the active current monitor includes a capacitor.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the active current monitor includes a comparator.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the active current monitor determines a charge on a capacitor charged with a proportional but smaller charge than the charge on the at least one electrode.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the input device is a camera.

6. A method of stimulating neural tissue comprising:
providing an implantable neural stimulator;
providing an input device, including a stimulation controller, providing input for neural stimulation via a wireless link to the neural stimulator;
providing at least one implantable electrode electrically connected to and driven by the neural stimulator and configured to stimulate neural tissue;
taking a discrete integral in the time representation of an arbitrary waveform stimulation pulse within a set of provided arbitrary waveform stimulation pulses of the input for neural stimulation to calculate a charge per phase for the at least one electrode;
comparing the charge per phase of the at least one electrode to a predetermined maximum charge per phase;
calculating a reduced stimulation level for each stimulation pulse for the at least one electrode by the amount necessary not to exceed said predetermined maximum charge per phase for the at least one electrode; and
generating a current pulse for stimulating said neural tissue according to said reduced stimulation level.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the step of taking a discrete integral in the time representation of a stimulation pulse is determining charge on a capacitor.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the step of taking a discrete integral in the time representation of a stimulation pulse is performed with a comparator.

9. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the step of taking a discrete integral in the time representation of a stimulation pulse is determining charge on a capacitor charged with a proportional but smaller charge than the charge on the at least one electrode.

10. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the input device is a camera.

Assignees

• Greenberg Robert Jay
• Mcclure Kelly Hobart
• Little James Singleton
• Dai Rongqing
• Roy Arup
• Castro Richard Agustin
• Reinhold John
• Tang Kea Tiong
• Yadav Sumit
• Zhou Chunhong
• Zhou Dao Min
• Maksy Pishoy
• Second Sight Medical Products Inc

Inventors

• Greenberg Robert Jay
• Mcclure Kelly Hobart
• Little James Singleton
• Dai Rongqing
• Roy Arup
• Castro Richard Agustin
• Reinhold John
• Tang Kea-Tiong
• Yadav Sumit
• Zhou Chunhong
• Zhou Dao Min
• Maksy Pishoy

Classifications

• A61N1/0543

  Retinal electrodes · CPC title

• A61N1/36142

  for improving safety · CPC title

• A61N1/36185

  Selection of the electrode configuration · CPC title

• A61N1/0551

  Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes · CPC title

• A61N1/36046 Primary

  of the eye · CPC title