CN113769269A

CN113769269A - Implantable nerve stimulator suitable for human body

Info

Publication number: CN113769269A
Application number: CN202111052940.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张高龙; 王航; 马伯志; 郝红伟; 李路明
Original assignee: Tsinghua University; Beijing Pins Medical Co Ltd
Current assignee: Tsinghua University; Beijing Pins Medical Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-09-07
Filing date: 2021-09-07
Publication date: 2021-12-10

Abstract

The invention provides an implanted nerve stimulator suitable for human body, belonging to the technical field of medical instruments, comprising: a housing part in the form of a uniform cylinder, inside which a circuit board is arranged; the concave top cover main body is connected to one side of the shell component in parallel, and the top cover main body and the shell component form a flat structure together; and an electrode connector, a wireless charging coil and an antenna are arranged in the top cover main body along the length direction of the shell component. The implantable nerve stimulator is of a flat structure formed by the shell component and the top cover main body, is suitable for being implanted into the trunk of a human body, and the electrode connector, the wireless charging coil and the antenna are arranged in the top cover main body along the length direction of the shell component, so that the thickness of the nerve stimulator is reduced as much as possible, and the nerve stimulator is prevented from protruding too much in the human body.

Description

Implantable nerve stimulator suitable for human body

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of medical instruments, in particular to an implantable nerve stimulator suitable for human body trunks.

Background

The implanted nerve stimulator is implanted into different positions inside human body to send electric pulse signal to specific tissue inside human body to treat or improve relevant diseases and symptoms.

Currently, there are areas of neuromodulation applications using implantable neurostimulators, mainly Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS), spinal (SCS) and Sacral (SNM), Tibial (TNS), and the diseases treated include: parkinson, epilepsy, pain, urinary retention, and the like.

Implant neural stimulator inevitably and cause the injury to the patient, according to implanting human different positions, miniaturize neural stimulator, can reduce the injury of implantation operation to the patient, reduce the operation degree of difficulty, promote the aesthetic property.

Disclosure of Invention

Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the defect that the implantable neural stimulator in the prior art is not miniaturized according to different positions of the human body, so as to provide an implantable neural stimulator suitable for the human body.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides an implantable neural stimulator adapted to a human trunk, including:

a housing part in the form of a uniform cylinder, inside which a circuit board is arranged;

the concave top cover main body is connected to one side of the shell component in parallel, and the top cover main body and the shell component form a flat structure together;

an electrode connector, a wireless charging coil and an antenna are arranged in the top cover main body in parallel to the length direction of the shell component.

Optionally, a central axis of the wireless charging coil is arranged perpendicular to a flat surface of a flat structure formed by the top cover main body and the housing component together.

Optionally, the connection channel of the electrode connector is arranged parallel to the length direction of the housing part.

Optionally, the housing component comprises: the shell comprises a shell, an end flange and a tail flange, wherein two ends of the shell are respectively connected with the end flange and the tail flange.

Optionally, the housing shell comprises: the circuit board is arranged close to the plane wall of the shell in the shell component, and the circuit board is arranged in parallel with the plane wall of the shell at intervals.

Optionally, the two ends of the housing shell are provided with detachable support brackets, and the inner walls of the support brackets are provided with support bosses for supporting the circuit board.

Optionally, the end flange and the tail flange are respectively provided with a mounting hole for mounting a feed-through component, and the electrode connector and the wireless charging coil are electrically connected with a circuit board inside the shell component through the feed-through component by connecting leads.

Optionally, one end of the electrode is fixed by snapping in the connection channel of the electrode connector.

Optionally, the electrode connector has an annular groove in the connection channel, and the electrode has an annular flange thereon adapted to snap into the annular groove.

Optionally, the top cover body is designed with a suture hole.

The technical scheme of the invention has the following advantages:

1. the invention provides an implanted nerve stimulator, which is of a flat structure formed by a uniform cylindrical shell component and a concave top cover main body, is suitable for being implanted into the trunk position of a human body, and is provided with an electrode connector, a wireless charging coil and an antenna which are arranged in the top cover main body along the length direction of the shell component, so that the thickness of the nerve stimulator is reduced as much as possible, and the nerve stimulator is prevented from protruding too much in the human body.

2. According to the implantable nerve stimulator provided by the invention, the central axis of the wireless charging coil is perpendicular to the flat surface of the flat structure formed by the shell component and the top cover main body in the top cover main body, and when the wireless charging coil is used for charging, the charging equipment can be parallel to the flat surface, namely, the charging equipment can be matched with the wireless charging coil for charging.

3. The invention provides an implanted nerve stimulator, wherein a plane wall and an arc wall are arranged on a shell of the shell, the arc wall can keep the nerve stimulator to be in smooth contact with the tissues in a human body, a plane convenient for installing a circuit board is formed in a first accommodating cavity of the shell through the arrangement of the plane wall, the circuit board is arranged on the plane in parallel, and components such as electrical elements, batteries and the like can be conveniently arranged on the circuit board.

4. According to the implantable nerve stimulator provided by the invention, two ends of the circuit board are fixedly clamped in the shell of the shell through the supporting brackets, so that the circuit board is conveniently assembled in the shell of the shell, and the assembly efficiency of a product is improved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an implantable neurostimulator provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the implantable neurostimulator of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front cross-sectional view of the electrode connector and electrode of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view of the electrode.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the housing components of fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the circuit board area in fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the support bracket of fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the end flange of fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a rear perspective view of the end flange of fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the tail flange of fig. 5.

Fig. 11 is a rear perspective view of the tail flange of fig. 10.

Description of reference numerals:

1. a housing component; 2. a cap body; 3. an electrode; 4. an electrode connector; 5. sewing the hole; 6. a wireless charging coil; 7. an antenna; 8. a feedthrough means; 9. an annular groove; 10. an annular flange; 11. a housing shell; 12. a planar wall; 13. an arcuate wall; 14. a support bracket; 15. supporting the boss; 16. a first chuck structure; 17. a circuit board; 18. a card slot; 19. an end flange; 20. a tail flange; 21. mounting holes; 22. a step structure; 23. a battery; 24. an electrical component; 25. a second chuck structure; 26. a slot structure; 27. limiting ribs; 28. a connecting member; 29. an insulating ring; 30. connecting the contacts; 31. a canted coil spring; 32. a spring clamp groove; 33. and (4) a boss.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions of the present invention will be described clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings, and it should be understood that the described embodiments are some, but not all embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience of description and simplicity of description, but do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning either a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral connection; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected between two elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood in specific cases to those skilled in the art.

In addition, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below may be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

The present embodiment provides an implantable neurostimulator, as shown in fig. 1, comprising: a housing member 1 and a cap body 2 connected to the housing member 1 in a sealed manner, wherein an electrode 3 for direct stimulation of a human body is inserted into an electrode connector 4 in the cap body 2. The top cover main body 2 is made of a high polymer material, and can be molded by casting epoxy resin, for example. The top cover main body 2 is provided with a suture hole 5 for fixing the nerve stimulator implanted into the human body on the human tissue.

As shown in fig. 1, the implantable neural stimulator provided in this embodiment has a flat structure formed by a housing member 1 and a cap body 2, which are uniform and cylindrical, and is suitable for implantation in the trunk area of a human body; the extending direction of the uniform column shape can be understood as the length direction of the nerve stimulator, and the electrode connector 4, the wireless charging coil 6 and the antenna 7 are sequentially arranged in the top cover main body 2 in parallel to the length direction of the shell component 1, so that the thickness of the nerve stimulator is reduced as much as possible, and the nerve stimulator is prevented from protruding too much in a human body. Preferably, the top cover main body 2 is formed in a concave shape as a whole and is connected to one side surface and both end surfaces of the case member 1.

As shown in fig. 2, in the top cover body 2, the center axis of the wireless charging coil 6 is perpendicular to the flat surface of the flat structure formed by the housing member 1 and the top cover body 2, and when charging is performed by the wireless charging coil 6, the charging device can be parallel to the flat surface, that is, the charging can be performed in cooperation with the wireless charging coil 6. In addition, an antenna 7 is arranged on one side of the wireless charging coil 6, which is far away from the electrode connector 4, and the antenna 7 is connected with a circuit board 17, so that the information interaction between the implanted nerve stimulator and external equipment is realized; specifically, bluetooth signals may be used for interaction.

As shown in fig. 2, in the implantable neural stimulator provided in the present embodiment, the connection channel of the electrode connector 4 is disposed in parallel with the length direction of the housing component 1, and the top end of the electrode connector 4 extends out of the implantable neural stimulator, so that the electrode 3 can be inserted into the connection channel of the electrode connector 4.

As shown in fig. 2, the housing member 1 has a uniform cylindrical shape, and the housing member 1 has a first receiving cavity therein, in which a circuit board 17 is disposed. Feed-through parts 8 are respectively packaged at two ends of the shell component 1, and the circuit board 17 is electrically connected with the antenna 7, the wireless charging coil 6 and the electrode connector 4 through the feed-through parts 8 at the two ends of the shell component 1.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the electrode connector 4 includes a plurality of axially disposed connecting members 28. Each connector 28 is spaced apart by an insulating ring 29 to define a connecting passage. Each connection 28 is intended to be electrically connected correspondingly to a respective connection contact 30 of the electrode 3. Specifically, the connecting piece 28 is provided with a spring slot 32 for accommodating a bevel coil spring 31, and the connecting piece 28 is abutted and electrically connected with the connecting contact 30 of the electrode 3 through the bevel coil spring 31. In the present case, the connection contact 30 of the electrode 3 is fixed in the connection channel of the electrode connector 4 by means of a snap connection. Specifically, an annular flange 10 is provided on one of the connection contacts 30 of the electrode 3 remote from the electrode tip, an annular groove 9 is provided on the connection piece 28 at the top end of the electrode connector 4, so that a boss 33 abutting against the annular flange 10 is formed at the bottom end of the connection piece 28, one end of the annular flange 10 is snapped into the annular groove 9 and abuts against the boss 33, and the other end of the annular flange 10 is snapped by a coil spring 31 of the top end connection piece 28, so that the electrode connector 4 forms an axial fixation to the electrode 3. In the present application, the end of the electrode connector 4 near the stimulation end is referred to as the top end, and vice versa for the sake of convenience in description of the orientation. After one end of the electrode 3 is inserted into the electrode connector 4, the stimulation contact at the other end of the electrode 3 is exposed out of the electrode connector 4, namely, out of the top cover main body 2, so as to stimulate the nerve of the human body.

As shown in fig. 5, the case member 1 includes: housing shell 11, support brackets 14, end flanges 19 and tail flanges 20. Wherein, the end flange 19 and the tail flange 20 are respectively connected to two ends of the shell body 11, the outer sides of the end flange 19 and the tail flange 20 are respectively provided with a mounting hole 21 for mounting the feed-through 8, after the feed-through 8 is packaged on the mounting hole 21, the wireless charging coil 6, the antenna 7 and the electrode connector 4 are electrically connected with the circuit board 17 inside the shell body 1 through the feed-through 8 by connecting leads.

As shown in fig. 5, the main body of the housing shell 11 is made of a metal material, such as titanium, titanium alloy, stainless steel, etc., and the shell is coated with an insulating coating, such as parylene coating. The housing case 11 includes: a planar wall 12 and an arcuate wall 13. In the implantable neurostimulator provided by the embodiment, the wireless charging coil 6, the antenna 7 and the electrode connector 4 are arranged on one side of the plane wall 12 of the shell 11. The wireless charging coil 6 and the antenna 7 are connected with a feed-through part 8 at the same end, and the electrode connector 4 is connected with the feed-through part 8 at the other end. The cover body 2 is formed in a concave shape to surround both ends of the case member 1 and one side of the planar wall 12, thereby forming a flat structure to minimize the thickness of the neurostimulator. In addition, the circuit board 17 is disposed in the first receiving cavity of the housing member 1 close to the planar wall 12 of the housing shell 11, and the circuit board 17 is disposed in parallel with and spaced apart from the planar wall 12 of the housing shell 11. In the implantable neurostimulator provided by the embodiment, the arc-shaped wall 13 of the shell 11 can keep smooth contact with the tissues in the human body, the plane for installing the circuit board 17 is formed in the first accommodating cavity of the shell 11 through the plane wall 12 of the shell 11, the circuit board 17 is installed on the plane in parallel, and the components such as the electrical components 24, the battery 23 and the like can be conveniently arranged on the circuit board 17.

As shown in fig. 6, both ends of the housing shell 11 are detachably provided with support brackets 14, respectively. The support bracket 14 has an outer wall adapted to the inner wall of the housing shell 11, including a flat wall and a curved wall, which ensure relative fixation of the support bracket 14 and the housing shell 11 in the circumferential direction. The inner wall of the support bracket 14 has a support boss 15 for fixedly supporting the circuit board 17; specifically, the support boss 15 is a support protruding from an inner wall where a plane wall and an arc-shaped wall of the support bracket 14 meet. Preferably, the support bracket 14 is further provided with a limiting rib 27 inside. The limiting rib 27 is arranged at one end of the supporting bracket 17 and is arranged on part of the supporting boss 15. Correspondingly, the circuit board 17 is provided with a slot 18 which is matched with the limiting rib 27. During installation, the two support brackets 14 are oppositely arranged, one ends with the limiting ribs 26 face outwards, the limiting ribs 27 are clamped into the clamping grooves 18 at the two ends of the circuit board 17, the part of the circuit board 17 is inserted into the support brackets 14, the support bosses 15 support the bottom ends of the part, inserted into the support brackets 14, of the circuit board 17, and therefore stable support of the circuit board 17 can be improved, and the length of the nerve stimulator can be further shortened. This application inserts circuit board 17 back in casing shell 11, and support bracket 14 through both ends is fixed with circuit board 17 joint to the equipment of circuit board 17 in casing shell 11 of being convenient for improves product packaging efficiency. In addition, a battery 23 and an electrical component 24 are connected to the circuit board 17, and the battery 23 and the electrical component 24 are arranged in parallel along the length direction of the housing component 1 to reduce the occupied space of the housing component 1.

As shown in fig. 7, the support bracket 14 has a second locking structure 25 at the outer side of the end where the limiting rib 27 is disposed, and the second locking structure 25 is used for being connected with the end flange 19 or the tail flange 20 in a plugging manner; the outer wall of the second catch formation 25 is shaped as a combination of an arc and a flat surface to ensure that the two connectors are circumferentially fixed relative to one another when the second catch formation 25 is inserted into the end flange 19 or the tail flange 20. The end flange 19 and the end flange 20 have outer walls adapted to the inner walls of the housing shell 11, including a flat wall and an arc wall, which ensure the relative fixation of the end flange 19, the end flange 20 and the housing shell 11 in the circumferential direction. On the sides of the end flange 19 and the rear flange 20 facing the support bracket 14, a slot structure 26 for insertion into the support bracket 14 is provided, and the support bracket 14 is inserted into the slot structure 26 by inserting the second locking structure 25 of the support bracket 14 into the slot structure 26, so that the end flange 19 and the rear flange 20 are inserted into the support bracket 14. The bosses are supported so that the end flange 19, the end support bracket 14, the circuit board 17, the tail support bracket 14 and the tail flange 20 can be connected in series to form a single body for easy assembly into the first receiving cavity of the housing member 1.

As shown in fig. 8-11, the mounting holes 21 of the end flange 19 and the tail flange 20 have outward steps 22, and the steps 22 are used for clamping the feed-through 8 to the mounting holes 21, so that the feed-through 8 seals the housing shell 11. Further, a first locking structure 16 for locking with the housing shell 11 is provided on the side of the end flange 19 and the tail flange 20 facing the support bracket 14, and the first locking structure 16 is used to abut against the end of the housing shell 11, thereby blocking the relative axial movement of the housing shell 11. In addition, after the end flange 19, the tail flange 20, the support bracket 14 and the housing shell 11 are assembled, the housing shell 11 may wrap the end flange 19, the tail flange 20 and the rest of the support bracket 14 except the first clamping structure 16 of the end flange 19, so as to improve the sealing performance of the whole assembly. Through the above design, the sequential assembly or disassembly of the housing component 1 of the implantable neural stimulator from the end flange 15 to the tail flange 16 or from the tail flange 16 to the end flange 15 can be facilitated.

It should be understood that the above examples are only for clarity of illustration and are not intended to limit the embodiments. Other variations and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art in light of the above description. And are neither required nor exhaustive of all embodiments. And obvious variations or modifications therefrom are intended to be within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An implantable neural stimulator adapted to be fitted to a human torso, comprising:

a housing part (1) in the form of a uniform cylinder, in which a circuit board (17) is arranged;

the concave top cover main body (2) is connected to one side of the shell component (1) in parallel, and the top cover main body (2) and the shell component (1) form a flat structure together;

an electrode connector (4), a wireless charging coil (6) and an antenna (7) are arranged in the top cover main body (2) in parallel to the length direction of the shell component (1).

2. The implantable neural stimulator of claim 1, wherein a central axis of the wireless charging coil (6) is disposed perpendicular to a flat face of the flat-like structure formed by the cap body (2) and the housing member (1).

3. The implantable neural stimulator according to claim 1, wherein the connection channel of the electrode connector (4) is arranged parallel to the length direction of the housing component (1).

4. The implantable neural stimulator according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the housing component (1) comprises: the shell comprises a shell (11), an end flange (19) and a tail flange (20), wherein the two ends of the shell (11) are respectively connected with the end flange (19) and the tail flange (20).

5. The implantable neural stimulator of claim 4, wherein the housing shell (11) comprises: the circuit board assembly comprises a plane wall (12) and an arc-shaped wall (13), the circuit board (17) is arranged close to the plane wall (12) of the shell (11) in the shell component (1), and the circuit board (17) and the plane wall (12) of the shell (11) are arranged in parallel at intervals.

6. The implantable neural stimulator of claim 5, wherein both ends of the housing shell (11) are provided with detachable support brackets (14), and the inner walls of the support brackets (14) are provided with support bosses (15) for supporting the circuit board (17).

7. The implantable neural stimulator according to claim 5, wherein the end flange (19) and the tail flange (20) are respectively provided with a mounting hole (21) for mounting the feed-through (8), and the electrode connector (4) and the wireless charging coil (6) are electrically connected with the circuit board (17) inside the housing component (1) through the feed-through (8) by connecting leads.

8. The implantable neural stimulator according to claim 1, wherein one end of the electrode (3) is fixed by snap-fitting within a connection channel of the electrode connector (4).

9. The implantable neurostimulator according to claim 8, wherein the connection channel of the electrode connector (4) has an annular groove (9) therein, and the electrode (3) has an annular flange (10) thereon, said annular flange (10) being adapted to snap into said annular groove (9).

10. The implantable neural stimulator according to claim 1, wherein the cap body (2) is designed with suture holes (5).