FR2528709A1 - BIOLOGICAL ELECTRIC STIMULATOR - Google Patents

Abstract

BIOLOGICAL ELECTRIC STIMULATOR. THIS STIMULATOR 11 IS AGENCY WHEN POWERED BY AN APPROPRIATE BATTERY AND CONNECTED BY ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS AND ELECTRODES TO SEVERAL REGIONS OF A LIVING ORGANISM, TO ELECTRICALLY STIMULATE THIS ORGANISM. IT INCLUDES ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS TO MODIFY THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ELECTRIC STIMULATION APPLIED TO THE ORGANIZATION IN RESPONSE TO ONE OF SEVERAL PROGRAMS OR CIRCUITS SUITABLE TO BE COMMANDED TO AFFECT OR MODIFY THE STIMULATOR CIRCUITS CHARACTERISTICS IN ORDER TO MODIFY THE STIMULATOR CIRCUITS. APPLICATION TO TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL STIMULATION OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.

Description

BIOLOGICAL ELECTRIC STIMULATOR

  The present invention relates to a biological electrical stimulator, such as a transcutaneous electrical stimulator of the nervous system, which is suitable for softening human pain, although the invention is not limited to devices of this kind. Biological electrical stimulators have been manufactured and sold and are now prescribed

  by different doctors to relieve human pain.

  They can also be used to treat animals,

  like racehorses and other living organisms.

  In addition to relieving pain, stimulation may have other desirable effects on an organism, such as: facilitating circulation, helping to determine the state and reaction of different parts of the body; stimulate bone growth; increase blood circulation; exercise the muscles, and help in

medical research.

  An object of the invention is therefore to provide an improved biological electrical stimulator that is versatile, attractive, easy to use and fault-free. The invention therefore relates to a biological electrical stimulator arranged, when powered by a battery

  or a suitable battery, and connected by

  electrodes and electrodes to several regions of a living organism, to electrically stimulate this organism; this stimulator has electrical circuits for modifying the characteristics of the electrical stimulation applied to the body in response to any one of several programs that may affect

  these circuits to modify the characteristics of

  This programmable pacemaker can be controlled by any of the different program cards that can be introduced into the pacemaker and be there.

  connected to contacts of it in order to program the stimulation

  These programs can be used to set the pacemaker to operate in a traditional mode, acupuncture-like mode, pulse train mode or short and intense pulse, or on one or more channels. channels, and they can purposely apply only to certain parameters so that others can be controlled manually or by any other non-programmable means In addition to the mode control, the programs can also control the amplitude, the width or duration of the impulses, their

  frequency, series of pulses and other characteristics

  stimulator, and can also modulate one or more

  In some cases, it may be desirable to use a program control to select low, medium, high or very high frequencies, and in other cases, the program can modify the stimulator to work

  in the milliamps or microamperes range.

  The invention also relates to an improved stimulator that offers the possibility of an audible alert and a sound analyzer. In addition, to facilitate the control of the state of the batteries used in the biological electrical stimulator, a device for

  Battery control will be described.

  Another development of the programmable pacemaker according to the invention, which will be obvious to any specialist in the field with regard to the drawings and

  of the description is that the stimulator includes in

  its circuits several, and preferably a large number of programs, sometimes going beyond a hundred, numbers from 10 to 150 and more or less being practicable The specific operation of the stimulator can be selected using a keyboard, a program, a radio-frequency controlled switching mechanism, a manual switch, an electronic control or any other means for the desired operation of the stimulator to be obtained and for the characteristics of electrical stimulation to be selected for the most effective treatment of a certain type of pain in a certain region of a patient, in a certain weight range it is envisaged that the operating program cards of these programmable circuits for which they are suitable may be created by games, each card bearing the code to set the pacemaker for treatment of a certain type of pain or for several types of pain When a card has several

  codes, the pacemaker may include an additional mechanism

  selection device, such as a mechanical switch, to block some of the signals of the card so that only one treatment is transmitted at a time per channel Of course, when a device according to the invention is miniaturized and made impermeable to body fluids it can be implanted in the human body or animal so that its parts can continually or intermittently

  at the command, relieve themselves of chronic or acute pains.

  Another improvement over other biological stimulators is increased versatility because this stimulator has multiple channels with independent controls for amplitude, pulse duration, and duration.

  frequency, so that multi-mode stimulation

  tiples is possible A stimulator of this kind may have variable amplitude controls

  independently in a range of from 0 to 80 milli-

  amperes, pulse duration controls that are independently variable in a range of about 200 to 300 microseconds and pulse independent frequencies that allow selective use of different frequencies on each channel, these frequencies being in the range of about 2 to 10 K Hz Also, a pulse series mode that is adjustable over a period of about 0.2 to 4 seconds is provided and an audible analyzer to simulate the stimulation and / or a

  audible alarm of fault can be included.

  Biological electrical stimulators are generally intended to be used by the patient himself, according to prior instructions given to him by a physician, a physiotherapist or other health professional. In this case, the patient does not have to know the different characteristics of stimulation But for clinical use, it is often desirable to be able to directly read the various parameters of amplitude, duration and frequency of pulses rather than relying on a knob or a dial Also for the clinical use, various other operations are often desirable when the physician attempts to relieve the patient's pain to a greater extent. Therefore, in what might sometimes be referred to here as a clinical biological electrical stimulator, several independent channels are provided and means are provided to modify the stimulation characteristics of each channel, in which relates to amplitude, pulse frequency and pulse series, continuously in ranges for each of these parameters. Preferred clinical stimulators include a polarity inversion switch; output levels in the milliamp and microamp ranges; a device for selectively producing single-phase and two-phase waveforms; a device for modulating the stimulation characteristics, generally in the range of 10 to 90%, for example 40 to 90%; amplitude, pulse duration, pulse frequency and pulse series displays for a plurality of channels, which displays can be made using light-emitting diodes or liquid crystals; a stop timer; an elapsed time indicator; an amplitude growth characteristic whereby the amplitude can be incrementally increased to a desired maximum during the

  stimulation; an audible alert feature; a characteristic

  audible analyzer characteristic; and a portable probe that can also function as a punctual stimulator. Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the reading of the

  following description of several examples of reali-

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view on a slightly reduced scale of a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator made according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a rear view on a larger scale of a 3 is a front view of the map of FIG. 2, rotated 900, FIG. 4 is a diagram of the stimulator of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a diagram of a FIG. Another embodiment of the invention, FIG. 6 is a front view of a clinical stimulator showing a wide variety of modifiable parameters and the modes that it can obtain. FIG. 7 is a diagram of this clinical stimulator. 8 is a large-scale perspective view of a non-programmable biological electrical stimulator of the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation type with a cover by means of a probe. Fig. 9 is a simplified diagrammatic representation of the operation of the stimulator of Fig. 8, with broken lines connecting different commands and representations of Fig. 9 to similar broken lines of the Fig. 9. 8, for a better illustration, FIG. 10 is a diagram of the stimulator of FIG. 8, omitting the audible alarm and audible analyzer signaling circuit, FIG. 11 is a diagram of an audible signaling circuit which can be be used with the circuit of Figure 10,

  FIG. 12 is a bottom view of a device

  control device according to the invention, and FIG. 13 is a diagram of the device

control of Figure 12.

  The stimulator 11 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a body 13 which contains a power source (battery), electrical circuits and a device for introducing a program card, such as that illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, in electrical contact

  correct with the parts of these circuits After the introduction

  card, on the left side of the stimulator, as shown, and the establishment of appropriate contacts, electrode leads are normally connected to pacemaker contacts at the position. Adjustment buttons 17 and 19 are shown on the display. the pacemaker to adjust the amplitude of two channels so that stimulations can be applied to different regions of the body (or that different stimulations can be applied to the same part of the body) Thus, the patient retains the possibility of increasing or reduce the level of stimulation although otherwise the characteristics of the stimulator

can be fixed.

  According to FIG. 2, the program card 21 comprises program circuits 23 and contacts 25, (only the contact A being designated specifically). FIG. 2 also shows conductors coming from the internal circuits of the stimulator 11, which can be brought into position. For example, when the program card is introduced into the stimulator, the contact 25 is in good electrical contact with the conductor 27, and it

  is the same for other contacts and drivers.

  FIG. 3 shows on the front face of the program card 21 a representation 29 of a human silhouette, with positions such as those identified by 31 for the positioning of the electrodes or probes. Thus, for the program n 2 illustrated by FIGS. FIGS. 2 and 3, three positions are indicated, one of which is provided for a common ground. In the case of stimulators comprising four electrodes, an additional position for an electrode application.

may be indicated.

  FIG. 4 and the diagrams of FIGS. 5 and 7 are completely self-explanatory and do not have to be described in detail. It should be noted that in the diagram of FIG. 4, contacts A to L corresponding to those In addition, Figure 4 does not show the details of the audible alarm and the audible analyzer shown in Figure 11. FIG. 5 is a diagram of another version of an improved pacemaker according to the invention, in which different changes of maids and parameters can be made by manipulating the different switches (SI, 52) in order to modify the parameters and the characteristics The circuit of FIG. 5 can be housed in a pacemaker body as shown in FIG.

  Figure 1 or in any other variant of the latter.

  Figure 6 shows a clinical stimulator 33, or its control panel and maneuver This figure is explained almost entirely by itself, but some features will be mentioned especially It should be noted that the stimulator shown is a two-channel apparatus C Hil, CH 2, the right side of the panel being a-duplication on the left side, but applying to a second channel Thus, if one refers to the left side, it should be noted that a switch 35 is provided to select an upper range S or lower r frequency and the setting of this range can be performed by turning the knob 37 A display panel 39 shows the actual frequency when the frequency switch 41 is in the appropriate position In a similar way, the duration

  pulses (D I) are cammandée by the adjustment button 43.

  Other changes that are possible are the presence or absence of the pulse series, the choice of a positive or negative polarity, the choice of a frequency modulation and the use of a timer For some displays, such as represented, both the

  Current and voltage can be read on the panel.

  Of course, while representing a typical clinical pacemaker panel according to the invention, the pacemaker panel shown may be modified to include other settings and in some cases some of those shown may be removed if However, it is necessary to consider that the representation indicates the important utility of this stimulator, especially when equipped with a visual reading device with liquid crystal or other, so that the practitioner can know

  exactly the characteristics of the stimulation adminis-

  Tree. Like the other schemes, that of Figure 7 is considered to be explained by itself to any specialist in the field But it should be noted that a separate mass is provided for the different channels as it turned out that this gives a greater independence of operations, which is often important especially for the stimulation of research This diagram is representative of the device described and shows what is considered to be its best embodiment but, as for almost all electronic circuits , similar effects could be obtained with other combinations of components, while remaining within the scope of the invention to the extent that these modifications are

  brought by an electronics specialist.

  FIG. 8 represents a unit 111 of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, comprising a case

  113 for the battery pack (which is not

  felt, but which is present under a portion of the lid), normally hidden controls that will be described, electrical circuits (not shown) and a sliding cover 115 which is removable to access the controls and to introduce and remove the battery The buttons 117 and 119 are amplitude controls to adjust

  the intensity of the currents to the electri-

  trodes of the two channels, these currents flowing from the

  tacts in position 121, by leads and electrodes to regions of the living organism (usually the human body) to be treated The button 123 serves to control the duration of the pulses of channel 1 and the button 125 serves the same way to control the duration of the pulses of the channel 2 The button 127 is used to control the frequency and, in the unit shown, it controls this frequency for both channels The button 129 is used to control the pulse series mode and does not include that a position is on and a stop position, the series of pulses with this unit for a quarter of a second, followed by a rest period of a quarter of a second The lamp 121 is on when one of the buttons 117 , 119 or both is running Ticks 137 and 135 are provided near the pulse duration and frequency buttons

  to indicate the current duration of the pulses in micro-

  seconds and the frequency in Hertz Similar graduations on the buttons 117 and 119 indicate the current intensity in milliamperes Schematic links as shown in 131 indicate the relationships

  between the parts of that figure and the corresponding parts

of Figure 9.

  FIG. 9 shows the amplitude button 117, and the slots 139 have variable heights, which means an increase in the intensity of the current in the first channel when the button 117 is turned to the right. In a similar way, the button 119 changes the amplitude in the second channel and the reference 141 designates a lower intensity of the current than that designated by the reference 139 When the buttons 117 and 119 are turned, and if it is assumed that the electrodes are connected to the stimulator and that the contacts are good so that the current flows properly towards the body in treatment, it results initially an audible signal, indicating that the battery works but after the button has been turned about 150 from its position However, if the battery is good, but if a contact between the electrode and the surface of the body is abnormally high, the audible signal is emitted initially and sub If the battery pack is bad, there is no signal at all and no current flows to the subject. References 123 and 125 refer to pulse duration control buttons which are represented by the slots 143 and 145, the last of these indicating that the duration of the pulses of the second channel is greater than that of the first channel It appears that when the button is turned in the direction of clockwise, the duration of the pulses The reference 129 designates a pulse series switch and the reference 147 designates a pulse series mode. The reference 127 designates the frequency control knob and the bars 149 show this frequency. The distance between the bars 149 is inversely proportional. at the frequency and as indicated, this frequency increases when the button 127 is turned in the direction of

Clockwise.

  FIG. 12 shows the battery control device 151, in the form of a key ring, comprising a body 153, a key holder portion 155, and claws or jaws 157 and 159 with end surfaces 161 facing each other. Facing and facilitating the taking of the control buttons of the pacemaker, particularly recessed control buttons that can be difficult to turn by disabled patients or by those with arthritis of the fingers Other achievements of the claws can also be used, for example a structure in the form of socket wrenches fitting on the buttons (the buttons being fluted to be more easily held) The body 153 has a projecting portion 163 in which there are hollow contacts 165 'and 167 for the positive terminal and the negative terminal of a 9 V battery The electronic circuits shown in Figure 13 are embedded in the part 163 and they are of such a type, that if the terminals of 'a fully charged battery are connected to the contacts 165 and 167, the light-emitting diode 169 lights up (green light) But if the battery is not new or does not have its total output voltage, but still works, the diode 175 is lit, provided that the battery voltage is at least of the order of 5 V If the voltage is less than 5 V, no light will come on Thus, the battery-4 control device is a portable article that is extremely useful for the operation of the present biological electrical stimulator and for controlling its power source. The battery monitor may also use a liquid crystal display instead of the light emitting diodes so that the voltage of the battery can be read directly and the body of this device can simulate or resemble the body of the stimulator, in its appearance. and its finish to suggest

the pacemaker to a user.

  Certain other aspects of the various embodiments of the invention are now explained, with the resulting advantages. In general, the improved flexibility of stimulator programming made possible by precision electronic circuits and to some extent by exit orders

  accurately calibrated, can significantly improve

  The control of various pacing parameters to improve examination, treatment, and research on patients can be improved. Settings for better treatments can be recorded and can be used as guides for future treatments.

  independence of parameter settings and

  cited units using common or separate masses, so that with two channels it is possible to use 3 or 4 electrodes, treatment can be done on a region of the body, at the crossroads of two channels, or treatments several regions can be made and different stimulations applied,

  in the same region or in different regions.

  When sequential pacing is used, where the current is applied to two channels at different times so that the effect is not

  additive to a 'shock' effect, a more comfortable feeling

  table is obtained and the energy efficiency as well as

  t battery life are improved.

  With respect to programmable pacemakers, whether controlled by program cards, built-in microprocessors or combinations of programming and switching devices, research has established the best effects of treatments for different types of pain and for different modes of application, some of which are considered

  the best for particular types of pain.

  These treatments can be noted in booklets to help doctors prescribe the best transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for pain. It should be noted that more than 100 programs could

  possibly be produced, on the basis of these combinations

  parameters and modes, and probably about 300 maps (3 variations of each program) could be made in such a way that any of the 100 programs can be selected for any one of three body weights of a patient ( lean, normal and heavy) The choice of these three body weights seems sufficient to allow optimal stimulation on the basis of a

  experimental evidence, higher levels of

  tion being necessary for heavier patients.

  For example, in a particular card or module, for bimodal stimulation using a very high frequency, the pulse series mode and parameters

  of acupuncture-like stimulation, the frequency of

  channel 1 could be 10 KHz, while channel 2 would be 2 KHz, channel 1 might be 40 microseconds long, while channel 2 would be 200 microseconds, amplitude could be 0 to 10 milliamperes in channel 1 and 0 to 8 milliamperes in channel 2 (adjustable in this range by the patient himself) and the pulse series could be 50 Hz in channel 1, without pulse series in channel 2 It is easy to program these characteristics into a program card or an internal integrated circuit for use in a programmable stimulator that can be activated. The described module allows the use of very high frequency stimulation. elevated by channel 1 on the patient's head with stimulation

  simultaneous acupunture type of upper extremities.

  This treatment provides fast relief of headaches with good continuation Electrical stimulation

  transcutaneous nerve of the acupuncture type is not normal.

  applied to the head because it is usually not

  well tolerated by the head or face.

  The programmable pacemaker is normally prescribed by the physician after the assessment of the patient's pain and condition. Thus, the physician can give him a single card which pre-regulates the pacemaker

  the desired operating mode, thus avoiding changes

  Accidental settings If the patient is allowed to apply several parameters, this can be done by giving him several cards or information on the same card with the selector switches on the stimulator. 'a pre-programmed pacemaker is used, a trigger device of the appropriate program is given to the patient and all other programs are normally blocked by the physician before supplying

from the stimulator to the patient.

  The programmable transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator operates in a traditional mode, an acupuncture-like mode, a pulse train mode, a short-intense mode, and a multi-mode mode. In the latter case, each channel can be

  programmed to operate in a different mode.

  In the different modules, a pulse series modulation may be programmed to operate at a predetermined frequency in the range of 0.4 to 3.5 Hz, a channel may be programmed to operate at a predetermined frequency in the range of 0 , 5 to 20 KHz, the unit can be programmed automatically to modulate the amplitude, pulse frequency and / or pulse duration and one or both channels can be programmed so that an amplitude in the microamperes range (as well as milliamperes) can be used A stimulation in the range of microamperes may be desirable with spot probes or in

special cases.

  Among the advantages of the programmable transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator, it should be noted that it helps to eliminate any

  confusion on the part of the patient about the operation of the unit, it allows patients with arthritic hands and fingers to use the pacemaker because it is sufficient to adjust the amplitude control alone (and in some cases, the latter may be preset by the program card) and the patient can easily remove or introduce one or more program cards to place the unit in its mode or modes of operation In cases where different stimulations are desirable for an application in the morning and in the evening, two program cards can be provided, marked appropriately and several similar cards can be used at home and at work In addition, if the pain is variable, different program cards can be provided suitable for each type of

pain.

  The non-programmable pacemaker offers a choice of preset pulse frequencies in the low, usual and very high frequency ranges, which are channel independent. Among the advantages of this specific feature is the possibility of multi-mode pacing. which allows to simultaneously use different modes of stimulation in the different channels so that a patient with two related or non-related regions of pain can benefit

  the use of these separate stimulations.

  very high frequency range, when used with low intensity and short pulse duration allows stimulation that is tolerated

  even to the head, thus helping to make the stimulation

  transcutaneous electrical nerve transmitter for the treatment of

  Headache The possibility of changing the stimulation modes

  By means of the pulse frequency switches, it is possible to switch easily from conventional treatment to acupuncture treatment, which is often desirable after rapid pain relief is achieved in the conventional low-frequency mode ( 2 Hz) with a corresponding increase in amplitudes and duration of pulses can also

  bring long-term persistence of relief.

  Eventually, this change of stimulation mode should be accompanied by a corresponding change in the position of the electrodes at the transition from the very high frequency to the classical mode or the acupuncture type (this procedure of change can often be applied because, while high frequency may be suitable for rapid pain relief, it should not be used for long periods of time) it may be appropriate to switch to conventional mode then acupuncture type mode for the rest of the stimulation and such a change help

to prolong the relief.

  The clinical or research unit is suitable for treating patients, but it is mainly designed for clinical experimentation and evaluation of a patient. The physician using this stimulator can thus determine the mode (s), the parameters, the modulus of lation, stimulation etc. which are best for each

  individual patient In addition, given the great

  The use of this stimulator of highly individualized programs for each patient can be determined and a suitable program for a programmable stimulator according to the invention can be selected or

  to be created according to the prescription The stimulation parameters

  lation are variable so that an infinite variety

  Pain control formulas can be applied.

  Although there are limitations on the various parameters, the presence of upper and lower ranges and the continuous variation that can be achieved provide a wide range of stimulation parameters. Independence of the channels is important because the physician can evaluate the effects of each specific channel, particularly in use on two different regions of the body and it is not necessary to seek a compromise treatment of a region by the fact that another region

  is also processed and that the channels are associated.

  Visual readings of pacing parameters allow the physician to take these readings into account without having to be guided by nominal settings that may sometimes be inaccurate.

  pulses is individually adjustable in the

  from about 1 to 150 Hz and the range of very high

  already mentioned frequency The modulation of the series of im-

  pulses allows for a low-frequency, pulse-train modulated stimulation mode which is often highly desirable It also allows for gentler stimulation treatments and the battery life is increased when pulse sets are used The wide range of series modulations

  available impulses helps to improve the efficiency

  cited of the treatments of electrical stimulations transcutaneous of course Of course, this is also because of the availability of wide ranges

  other electrical stimulation parameters.

  The microamp range switch for one or both channels, allowing the stimulation to be between 0 and 400 microamps allows

  research and treatment with small electri-

  oral and facial trodes, such as those that can be used in dental procedures The possibility of linear variations allows a gradual increase in stimulation to a maximum setting, beyond 0.5 to 10 seconds Thanks to this characteristic, it is possible to It is possible to obtain a muscular contraction that is sometimes desired, with greater comfort and greater tolerance of the patient to more intense stimulation modes. The waveform that can be changed between an asymmetrical and symmetrical waveform. biphasic allows the efficiency of each form to be determined and eventually, each channel can produce a different waveform The timer, with its elapsed time and time limit characteristics allows the doctor to control the time required for the relief of pain and also to limit the stimulation period during treatment (in

  thus avoiding inadvertent prolonged treatment).

  The connection between the probe and the stimulator, which may be of the spring-loaded, ball-bearing, portable probe type, can be used to locate the points of weak resistance on the organism to be treated, which are the optimal stimulation regions. This probe can also function as a punctual stimulator as has already been indicated. A polarity inversion switch is often useful because it has been shown that inversion can cause a stronger sensation or

  can reduce perceived shock effects.

  The possibility of audible alarm, according to which the sound disappears after a setting of current intensity is obtained, for example 5 milliamperes, warns the user of an incorrect condition of electrodes or conductors Yet, due to the In the case of the shock-protection characteristic of the invention, the voltage applied to a patient, for example by changing an electrode contact with the skin, is not increased suddenly to cause an impact. Thus, a combined effect is obtained. so that the audible alarm can detect an incorrect condition of electrodes or conductors without risk of shock to the user It is very important to avoid a shock or a shock when the patient is in a critical environment while using the stimulator, as may be the case in driving a motor vehicle or machine, or when it is in

a dangerous position.

  The audible analyzer according to the invention allows the patient or the doctor to "hear" the characteristics of the electrical stimulation applied. Thus, during a telephone call between the patient and the doctor concerning the application of the stimulator, the doctor can really listen. the penidat stimulation characteristics of which the effects are described The use of a Zener control circuit which limits the output to a desired voltage, for example 40 V, as the absolute maximum, reduces the abnormal voltage excursions which might otherwise occur with load fluctuations

2528709

  resulting from incorrect electrode connections.

  Thus, if an electrode is removed or loses its adhesion during the treatment, there is no overcurrent on the other electrode or the other stimulation channel and any shock is avoided to the patient. Although it is more usual to use one or two channels with two, three, or four electrodes, other electrodes may be connected to the aforementioned channels if this is desirable, or other channels may be used. Eight or more electrodes may be used. In the stimulator described, the pulse series mode may be turned on or off at any time during the stimulation without the need to stop the pacemaker completely. Pulse series mode is limited to a quarter of a second of walking and a quarter of a second of rest but the amplitude, frequency and duration of

  pulses can be modified in ranges relative to

  of about 1 to 80 milliamperes, 3 to 150 Hz and about 40 to 220 microseconds, and these settings can be made while the unit is operating in the pulse series mode or the standard mode. circuits and / or electrodes, other variants of these modes can also be obtained for example those denominated modes of the acupuncture or

short-intense modes.

  It should be noted that the present stimulator can be worn in a clothing pouch or on the belt of the patient (and the stimulator may comprise a hooking clamp not shown) but it is also within the scope of the invention to miniaturize it. way

  that he may be hidden beneath the patient's clothes.

  This miniaturization has been carried out to such an extent that the unit now represents only less than 20% of its initial volume of about 125 cm 3.

21 2528709

  full size is worn on the waist, it is best to be hooked to a swivel clamp that allows the patient to turn it to easily adjust

  the parameters, without taking it off the belt.

  The present stimulators are essentially fault-free, largely because of the advanced design of the integrated circuits. The stimulator is powered by a single 9 V battery, disposable or

  rechargeable, representing a processing time relative to

  Therefore, for a setting of 25 milliamperes, microseconds and 80 Hz, the battery life is normally 135 hours of use if only one channel is used and 75 hours for use of both channels. per pulse series extends the battery life to 325 hours for a

  channel and 225 hours for both channels.

  Use of this power supply circuit

  reduces the size of the stimulator, compared

  circuits using one or more transformers because the transformers must have

  much higher For example, the present inductive

  The oscillator of the present device can develop a frequency in the range of about 1 to 16 KHz and the battery voltage can be increased. from the range of approximately 5 to 9.3 V up to a range of 40 to 60 V, generally of the order of 40 V. In a similar way, the Zener regulation circuit regulates this voltage so that it either within this range or possibly in a slightly wider range, of the order of 30 to 60 V.

  It is preferred that the box of the present

  It is a precision machined metal case, for example stainless steel with a precision slide on one side allowing access to hidden controls and the battery, but it remains within the scope of the invention to use other materials for the case such as synthetic polymeric polymeric plastics and other metals, such as aluminum Although the types and positions of the illustrated controls are preferred, they

  may be changed depending on the circumstances.

  The stimulators described above have been tested in humans to relieve various types of pain, including kidney pain, arthritis pain, trauma pain, tennis elbow pain, and neuralgia. and it turned out that if they are used as prescribed

  of a doctor and under his direction, statistical effects

  In some cases, patients previously immobilized by pain have regained their mobility and can perform their functions almost normally. Of course, many modifications can be made to the embodiments described and illustrated by way of non-limiting examples without departing from the

framework of the invention.

Claims (18)

  1 Biological Electrical Stimulator (11)   arranged, when powered by an appropriate battery   pried and connected by electrical conductors and electrodes to several regions of a living organism, to electrically stimulate this organism, characterized   in that it comprises electrical circuits for   to differentiate the characteristics of electrical stimulation   applied to the organism in response to any one   than a plurality of controllable programs or circuits (23) for assigning or modifying the pacemaker circuits to modify the pacing characteristics.   2 Stimulator according to claim 1,   adapted for use on humans or animals, characterized in that different program cards (21) can be introduced into the stimulator to be connected with contacts (27) thereof   in order to program it for the desired operation.   3 Stimulator according to claim 2,   for the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation of human beings, characterized in that the programs (21) which can be introduced are provided for one or more of the following modes, namely traditional, of the kind   acupuncture, pulse train and short-intense.   4 Stimulator according to claim 1,   characterized in that the different electrical circuits   to modify the stimulation are planned to be re-   selected, or operated by a physician or the user.   Stimulator according to claim 3,   characterized in that it comprises several channels of which at least one is programmable.   Stimulator according to claim 1,   characterized in that its current amplitude is controlled by in a non-programmable way.   Stimulator according to claim 1,   for the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation of human beings, characterized in that the programs to be introduced (21) or the controllable circuits control one or more of the characteristics of the stimulator, ie the amplitude, the duration of the pulses. ,   frequency and series of pulses.   Stimulator according to claim 7,   characterized in that one or more of the characteristics   range, amplitude, pulse duration and frequency are Programmable modulated.   Stimulator according to claim 7,   characterized in that the frequency is transformable by   program in a very high frequency.   Stimulator according to claim 7,   characterized in that the amplitude is modifiable by   gram to evolve in the range of microamperes.   11 Biological Electrical Stimulator (11),   arranged when powered by an appropriate battery   pried and connected by electrical conductors and electrodes to several regions of a living organism, to electrically stimulate this organism, characterized   in that it includes electrical circuits for modifying   proud of the characteristics of the electrical stimulation applied to the body in response to any   several programs or multiple circuits incor-   pored into the pacemaker, these programs or   cooked selectively actuated to affect the   stimulator circuits so as to modify the   characteristics of electrical stimulation.   Stimulator according to claim 4,   characterized in that it comprises a device responsive to an externally imposed force or energy for selecting a particular program or circuit and causing it to affect the pacemaker circuitry so that the stimulator   electrical stimulation with characteristics that are   read. Stimulator according to claim 12, characterized in that it comprises several channels of   electrical stimulation, each of them being   in a programmable way by applying a force or external energy.   14 Program card (21) for controlling   der the circuit characteristics of a biological electrical stimulator and to control the stimulation   applied to an organism to which the stimulus   is connected, card characterized in that it comprises a card body, electrical circuits (23) in the card body adapted to be connected by   contacts (25) of the card to corresponding contacts   the pacemaker (27) to modify the characteristics   electrical devices and thus order one or more   pacemaker characteristics, including amplitude, pulse duration, frequency and pulse series, in at least one of the conventional modes, the acupuncture mode,   pulse train mode and short-intense mode.   Stimulator according to claim 1,   characterized in that it is implantable in a human being. Stimulator according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises devices (39) for visual reading of the amplitude, the duration of the pulses, their frequency and series of pulses. for the plurality of channels.   17 biological biological stimulator agency, when powered by a suitable battery and   connected by electrical conductors and elec-   trodes to several regions of a living organism for 26 2528709   electrically stimulating this organism, characterized in that it comprises an audible alert characteristic which causes the emission of a sound when a failure condition, including an incorrect connection of the electrodes, of the interrupted conductors, to the   electrodes or electrodes disconnected, is present.   Stimulator according to claim 17,   characterized in that a sound is emitted when the stimulus   The power is turned on to indicate that the battery is supplying power, the sound output ceases when amplitude adjustment is performed and current flows to the body through normal electrode contacts and normal devices that connect the stimulator to the electrodes, the emission of sound continuing when a normal electric current is not got.   Stimulator according to claim 17, characterized in that the audible alert feature circuits comprise an optical coupler for operating a sound emission device of   non-invasive way when an abnormal impedance   high level is detected in the supply circuit energy to the body.   Biological electric stimulator (11),   arranged when powered by an appropriate battery   pried and connected by electrical conductors and electrodes to several regions of a living organism, to electrically stimulate this organism, characterized   in that it comprises an electrical supply circuit   that increases the battery voltage to a desired voltage for application to an organism, and includes an audible analyzer characteristic that causes a sound to be emitted to simulate amplitude, frequency, and duration impulses delivered by the stimulator.   21 Control device (151) for a battery, characterized in that   includes contacts (165, 167) for connection to   on the terminals of a battery and electrical circuits.   arranged to turn on a plurality of light-emitting diodes (169, 171) when the battery is fully charged and to light a smaller number of these diodes,   or none of these diodes when it is less complete loaded.