CN210114746U - Implantable electrical stimulator and electrical stimulation system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an implantable electrical stimulator including a first housing, a second housing, a circuit board, a plurality of connection pins, a gel, a groove, a gel element, and a connection module. The first shell and the second shell can be connected with each other to form an accommodating space, and the first shell is provided with a hole connected with the accommodating space. The circuit board is arranged in the accommodating space, and the connecting pin penetrates through the hole to be electrically connected with the circuit board. The colloid is arranged in the accommodating space and at least partially covers the circuit board. The groove is formed between the side surfaces of the first housing and the second housing and surrounds the second housing, and the aforementioned gel-like member may be disposed in the groove. The connecting module is electrically connected with the connecting pin.

Description

Implantable electrical stimulator and electrical stimulation system

Technical Field

The utility model relates to an electrical stimulator and system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an implantable electrical stimulator and electrical stimulation system.

Background

The human nerve is mainly used as a conduction path of a command (current) sent by the brain, wherein the human nerve has a threshold value, and the threshold value of the damaged nerve region is often reduced, so that the human body is particularly easy to feel uncomfortable ache at the damaged nerve region, and chronic pain is formed after a long time.

In recent years, there have been tens of therapeutic electrical nerve stimulators developed, and at least tens of thousands of people receive an implantation operation of the electrical stimulators every year. However, in order to ensure safety and life span, the aforementioned electrical stimulator must have good sealing property to prevent the invasion of liquid (such as interstitial fluid) or foreign materials. Especially, the implanted medical electronic device has to pay more attention to the waterproof mechanism to avoid danger to the patient.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In order to solve the above-mentioned current problem, the utility model provides an implantable electrical stimulator, including a first casing, a second casing, a circuit board, a plurality of connecting pin, a colloid, a recess, a gelatinous component and a connection module. The first shell and the second shell can be connected with each other to form an accommodating space, and the first shell is provided with a hole connected with the accommodating space. The circuit board is arranged in the accommodating space, and the connecting pin penetrates through the hole to be electrically connected with the circuit board. The colloid is arranged in the accommodating space and at least partially covers the circuit board. The groove is formed between the side surfaces of the first housing and the second housing and surrounds the second housing, and the aforementioned gel-like member may be disposed in the groove. The connecting module is electrically connected with the connecting pin.

The utility model discloses an in the embodiment, the surface of first casing and the surface of second casing are through sandblast abrasive treatment, and the roughness on the surface of recess is greater than the roughness of the surface of second casing, and colloidal component does not bulge in the surface of second casing. The second housing is connected to the first housing by ultrasonic welding.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the connection module includes a housing, at least one connector, another gel-like element, and a sealing element. The housing has an opening. The connector is arranged in the shell, and the connecting opening of the connector faces to the opening. The other jelly-like element is arranged in the shell and covers the connector. The closing element is detachably arranged on the shell and covers the opening.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the circuit board includes a receiving coil.

The utility model also provides an electrical stimulation system, including aforementioned implanted electrical stimulator, a wire and a controlling means, wherein the wire can be connected to implanted electrical stimulator's connection module, and controlling means accessible wireless mode transmission signal to implanted electrical stimulator then to make implanted electrical stimulator provide electric power to aforementioned wire.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing an electrical stimulation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2A is a schematic diagram of an implantable electrical stimulator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2B is an exploded view of an implantable electrical stimulator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2C is a sectional view taken along a-a in fig. 2A.

Fig. 3A is an exploded view of a connection module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3B is a sectional view taken along B-B in fig. 2A.

Description of reference numerals:

10 implanted electric stimulator

20 conducting wire

30 control device

100 main body

110 first shell

111 concave part

112 side wall

112a stepped structure

113 side edge

114 holes

115 top surface

120 second shell

121 flat plate part

122 foot part

123 bottom surface

124 side surface

125 upper surface

130 accommodation space

200 circuit board

210 receiving coil

300 connecting pin

310 first end

320 second end

400 conductive sheet

500 colloid

600 connection module

610 outer cover

611 recess

612 opening

613 perforation

620 connector

622 connection port

630 securing element

640 colloid

650 jelly-like element

660 closure element

700 jelly element

P hole

PL closing bolt

R groove

Detailed Description

The following describes the implanted electrical stimulator and the electrical stimulation system including the implanted electrical stimulator according to the embodiments of the present invention. It should be appreciated, however, that the embodiments of the invention provide many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The particular embodiments disclosed are illustrative only of the use of the invention in particular ways, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Referring to fig. 1, an electrical stimulation system E according to an embodiment of the present invention is an electrical nerve stimulation system, and includes an implantable electrical stimulator 10, at least one lead 20, and a control device 30. The implantable electrical stimulator 10 and the lead 20 may be surgically or via an implantation tool placed within the body of a living being (e.g., the spinal epidural space, the peripheral nerve of a human being), wherein one end of the lead 20 is connected to the implantable electrical stimulator 10 and the other end is adjacent to or in contact with a site requiring electrical stimulation (e.g., the spinal cord, ganglia, vagus nerve, or peripheral nerve). The control device 30 can control and transmit energy to the implanted electrical stimulator 10 in a wireless manner, so that the implanted electrical stimulator 10 provides power to the lead 20, thereby achieving the effect of electrically stimulating the aforementioned parts.

Fig. 2A and 2B are a perspective view and an exploded view respectively showing the implantable electrical stimulator 10, and fig. 2C is a sectional view taken along a direction a-a in fig. 2A. As shown in fig. 2A to 2C, the implantable electrical stimulator 10 mainly includes a body 100, a circuit board 200, a plurality of connecting pins 300, a plurality of conductive members 400, a gel 500, a connecting module 600, and a gel element 700.

The body 100 includes a first housing 110 and a second housing 120, wherein the first housing 110 has a recess 111, and the second housing 120 can be a flat plate. A stepped structure 112a is formed around the top end region of the side wall 112 of the recess 111, and fig. 2C illustrates two steps, but only one step may be provided. The second housing 120 has a flat plate portion 121 and a leg portion 122, wherein the leg portion 122 is disposed on a bottom surface 123 of the flat plate portion 121 and protrudes from the bottom surface 123.

When the second housing 120 is connected to the first housing 110, the plate portion 121 covers the recess 111 of the first housing 110, and the leg portion 122 contacts the stepped structure 112a of the first housing 110. It should be noted that the side 124 of the second housing 120 does not contact the first housing 110, i.e. a space is formed therebetween, so that a groove R can be formed between the side 124 of the second housing 120 and the first housing 110 to serve as a tolerance threshold for the first housing 110 to accommodate the second housing 120. The gel member 700 can be filled in the groove R to prevent liquid or foreign materials from entering the body 100.

In the embodiment, the groove R is annular and is located around the second housing 120, and the distance between the side surface 124 of the second housing 120 and the first housing 110 is substantially the same, so that the width of each part of the groove R is substantially the same. When the second housing 120 is connected to the first housing 110, the top surface 115 of the first housing 110 is substantially aligned with the upper surface 125 of the second housing 120, and when the gel-like element 700 is disposed in the groove R, the gel-like element 700 will not protrude from the upper surface 125 of the second housing 120. Therefore, the appearance of the product can be kept complete, the colloidal element 700 can be prevented from falling off, and the tightness of the accommodating space can be further kept.

In addition, the roughness of the surface of the groove R may be greater than the roughness of the outer surface 125 of the second housing 120, so as to facilitate the adhesion of the gel element 700. The gel member 700 may be Room temperature vulcanized silicone Rubber (RTV) or silicone rubber, for example. In some embodiments, the foot portion 122 of the second housing 120 may be omitted, and the bottom surface 123 of the flat plate portion 121 is directly bonded to the stepped structure 112a of the first housing 110.

With reference to fig. 2A to fig. 2C, an accommodating space 130 may be formed in the body 100 by combining the first casing 110 and the second casing 120. A plurality of holes 114 may be formed on one side 113 of the first casing 110, and the holes 114 are communicated with the accommodating space 130.

The circuit board 200 may be disposed in the accommodating space 130 and include at least one receiving coil 210 and a power supply unit (not shown). The receiving coil 210 can be used to receive a control signal from the control device 30 to transmit an electrical stimulation signal to the lead 20, and the power supply unit can convert the energy received by the receiving coil 210 into electric power to provide the electric power to the lead 20. Of course, in other embodiments, the power supply unit may be a rechargeable battery unit.

The connecting pins 300 are disposed on the body 100 and pass through the holes 114 of the first housing 110 one by one. The first end 310 of the connecting pin 300 is received in the receiving space 130, and the second end 320 opposite to the first end 310 protrudes from the side 113 of the first shell 110. The aforementioned first end 310 and second end 320 may be connected to circuit board 200 and conductive member 400 by soldering, respectively.

The colloid 500 is disposed in and fills the accommodating space 130 of the body 100, and the circuit board 200 and the solder joints between the circuit board 200 and the connecting pins 300 can be covered by the colloid 500 to protect the circuit board and the solder joints, thereby preventing the circuit board 200 from being damaged or the solder joints from falling off due to the shaking of the implanted electrical stimulator 10. For example, the colloid 500 may be an epoxy resin (epoxy). Here, the colloid 500 is taken as an example to substantially completely fill the accommodating space 130 of the body 100, and if there is an accommodating space with a gap, the volume percentage is less than 5%.

Fig. 3A is an exploded view illustrating the connection module 600, and fig. 3B is a sectional view illustrating a direction B-B in fig. 2A. Referring to fig. 3A and 3B, the connection module 600 may include a housing 610, at least one connector 620, at least one fixing element 630, at least one glue 640, at least one glue element 650, and at least one sealing element 660.

The housing 610 has at least one recess 611, and an opening 612 and a through hole 613 communicating with the recess 611. The connector 620 is used to connect with the lead 20 to transmit signals from the circuit board 200 to each electrode on the lead 20. The connector 620 may be disposed in the recess 611, and the connection port 622 of the connector 620 may face and align with the opening 612. In this way, the wires 20 can pass through the openings 612 and connect with the connector 620. In addition, when the connection module 600 is connected to the circuit board 200 of the implantable electrical stimulator 10 via the connection pin 300, the connection pin 300 or the conductive member 400 additionally attached to the connection pin 300 contacts the connector 620 (as shown in fig. 3B), so that the power of the power supply unit of the circuit board 200 can be sequentially transmitted to the wires 20 through the connection pin 300 (the conductive member 400) and the connector 620.

As shown in fig. 3B, when the connection module 600 has a plurality of connectors 620, the connection pins 300 or the conductive members 400 may have the same and/or different lengths corresponding to the positions of the connectors 620, respectively, so as to span the adjacent connectors 620.

A fixing element 630 (e.g., a screw) can be inserted through the through hole 613 and the hole P on the connector 620, so as to fix the lead 20 (not shown) passing through the connector 620 from the opening 612 to the connector 620, and the gel 640 can partially close the through hole 613 to prevent or reduce the failure of the implantable electrical stimulator 10 caused by the penetration of liquid (e.g., interstitial fluid) or foreign materials through the through hole 613. The gel element 650 may fill the recess 611 of the housing 610 and cover the connector 620. The colloid 640 may be, for example, silica gel, and the colloid element 650 may be silica gel.

When the lead 20 is not connected to the connector 620 through the opening 612, the closing pin PL may removably close the opening 612 in the housing 610 to prevent/reduce fluid or foreign materials from penetrating into the implantable electrical stimulator 10 through the opening 612. Even if only one lead 20 is used later, as determined by implantation, the other, empty opening 612 may be used with a closing pin PL to further prevent/reduce fluid or foreign material from penetrating the implantable electrical stimulator 10 through the opening 612.

The following describes an assembly method of the electrical stimulation system E. Referring to fig. 2B to fig. 3B, first, a user may insert the connection pin 300 through the hole 114 of the first housing 110, and the circuit board 200 may be placed in the recess 111 of the first housing 110.

Next, the first end 310 of the connection pin 300 may be soldered to the circuit board 200, and the adhesive 500 may then be filled into the recess 111 to at least partially cover the circuit board 200 and the solder joint between the circuit board 200 and the connection pin 300, so as to primarily fix the circuit board 200 and protect the solder joint. Then, the second housing 120 may be disposed on the stepped structure 112a of the first housing 110, and fixed thereto by ultrasonic welding. It should be noted that the outer surfaces of the first and second housings 110 and 120 may be smoothed by sand blasting.

After the first casing 110 and the second casing 120 are fixed by ultrasonic welding, the groove R may be formed between the side surface 124 of the second casing 120 and the first casing 110, and a user may perform plasma treatment on the surface of the groove R to roughen the surface of the groove R, so as to improve the adhesion of the subsequent gel element 700 disposed in the groove R. Next, the gel member 700 may be filled in the groove R.

The connector 620 may be disposed in the recess 611 of the housing 610, and the through hole 613 through which the fixing element 630 passes may be partially closed by the gel 640. Next, the user may connect both ends of conductive member 400 to connecting pin 300 and connector 620, respectively, by welding, and fill recess 611 with gel element 650.

Through the foregoing steps, assembly of the implantable electrical stimulator 10 may be completed. It should be noted that, in the embodiment, when the connection module 600 is connected to the body 100, the connection module 600 can shield the hole 114 on the first casing 110.

Finally, when the user desires to connect implantable electrical stimulator 10 to lead 20, closure pin PL may be removed from opening 612. The wires 20 may be connected to the connector 620 (shown in fig. 1) through the opening 612. As previously described, implantable electrical stimulator 10 and lead 20, which are coupled to each other, may be implanted within a living body, and control device 30 may wirelessly control implantable electrical stimulator 10 such that implantable electrical stimulator 10 provides power to lead 20 for performing electrical stimulation.

In some embodiments, the circuit board 200 may be provided with an induction coil and omit the aforementioned power supply unit, and the control device 30 may be close to the implanted electrical stimulator 10 to enable the implanted electrical stimulator 10 to generate power in a wireless charging manner (inductive coupling). In some embodiments, the receiving coil 210 may also be used as an induction coil.

By the structure of the implantable electrical stimulator 10, the implantable electrical stimulator 10 can be ensured to have sufficient sealing performance, so as to prevent liquid or foreign matters from penetrating into the implantable electrical stimulator 10 and causing damage or non-use (for example, due to short circuit), and furthermore, the convenience of assembly of the implantable electrical stimulator 10 can be improved.

To sum up, the utility model provides an implantable electric stimulator, including a first casing, a second casing, a circuit board, a plurality of connecting pin, a colloid, a recess, a gelatinous component and a connection module. The first shell and the second shell can be connected with each other to form an accommodating space, and the first shell is provided with a hole connected with the accommodating space. The circuit board is arranged in the accommodating space, and the connecting pin penetrates through the hole to be electrically connected with the circuit board. The colloid is arranged in the accommodating space and at least partially covers the circuit board. The groove is formed between the side surfaces of the first housing and the second housing and surrounds the second housing, and the aforementioned gel-like member may be disposed in the groove. The connecting module is electrically connected with the connecting pin.

Although the embodiments of the present invention and their advantages have been disclosed, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification, but rather, the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in connection with the embodiment illustrated herein will be understood to one skilled in the art from the disclosure to be included within the scope of the present application as presently perceived, or in any future developed form of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention includes the processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps described above. In addition, each claim constitutes a separate embodiment, and the scope of protection of the present invention also includes combinations of the respective claims and embodiments.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to several preferred embodiments, it is not intended to be limited thereto. The technical personnel in the technical field of the utility model can do a few changes and decorations within the spirit and scope of the utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the appended claims. Furthermore, each claim constitutes a separate embodiment, and combinations of various claims and embodiments are within the scope of the invention.

Claims (10)

1. An implantable electrical stimulator, comprising:

a first shell with a plurality of holes;

the second shell is connected with the first shell to form an accommodating space, and the plurality of holes are communicated with the accommodating space;

a circuit board arranged in the accommodating space;

the connecting pins penetrate through the holes and are electrically connected with the circuit board;

the colloid is arranged in the accommodating space and at least partially covers the circuit board;

a groove formed between the side surfaces of the first shell and the second shell, and surrounding the second shell;

a colloidal element arranged in the groove; and

and the connecting module is electrically connected with the connecting pins.

2. The implantable electrical stimulator of claim 1, wherein the gel-like element does not protrude beyond the outer surface of the second housing.

3. The implantable electrical stimulator of claim 1, wherein a surface roughness of the recess is greater than a roughness of an outer surface of the second housing.

4. The implantable electrical stimulator of claim 1, wherein the second housing is coupled to the first housing by ultrasonic welding.

5. The implantable electrical stimulator of claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the first housing and the outer surface of the second housing are treated by grit blasting.

6. The implantable electrical stimulator of claim 1, wherein the coupling module comprises:

a housing having an opening; and

at least one connector is arranged in the shell and provided with a connecting port, and the connecting port faces the opening.

7. The implantable electrical stimulator of claim 6, wherein the coupling module further comprises another gel-like element disposed in the housing and covering the connector.

8. The implantable electrical stimulator of claim 6, wherein the coupling module further comprises a closure element removably disposed on the housing and covering the opening.

9. The implantable electrical stimulator of claim 1, wherein the circuit board comprises a receive coil.

10. An electrical stimulation system, comprising:

an implantable electrical stimulator according to any one of claims 1 to 9;

a wire connected to the connection module; and

and the control device transmits a signal to the implanted electric stimulator in a wireless mode so that the implanted electric stimulator provides power to the lead.

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