GB2499585A

GB2499585A - Controller for electro-stimulation device

Info

Publication number: GB2499585A
Application number: GB1202885.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew James Smith
Original assignee: CYREX Ltd
Current assignee: CYREX Ltd
Priority date: 2012-02-20
Filing date: 2012-02-20
Publication date: 2013-08-28
Anticipated expiration: 2032-02-20
Also published as: GB2499585B; GB201202885D0

Abstract

An electrical stimulator apparatus for providing neuromuscular stimulation to a human or animal body is disclosed. In particular, the device can be used to stimulate the genitalia of a user. The stimulator comprises a housing having a longitudinal axis, an electrical power source, cathode and anode electrode connections, a movement sensor and control circuit means. The movement sensor detects changes in movement of the housing and the controller receives and process signals of varying amplitude and frequency from the movement sensor. The controller varies one or more stimulating parameters in direct sympathy with applied physical motion. Preferably the movement sensor is one of a piezoelectric sensor, strain gauge, accelerometer, hall-effect transducer, magnetic transducer, infrared transmitter or receiver, visible light sensor, LDR sensor, or electrical field sensor. The stimulator optionally comprises more than one sensor, the sensor(s) being able to detect omni-directional movement of the housing.

Description

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APPARATUS FOR STIMULATING LIVING TISSUE

Field of the invention

5 The present invention relates to electrical stimulator apparatus for applying an electrical stimulation to living tissue. The invention is particularly applicable, but in no way limited, to apparatus for electrically stimulating penile, scrotal, anal, vaginal and clitoral tissue.

10 Background to the invention

It is well known that the application of electrical stimulation to certain neuromuscular areas in or near the genitalia can be used to cause sexual arousal and can induce orgasm. There are a wide range of devices and apparatus available which can be used to apply the necessary electrical stimulation to the subject areas. Such 15 apparatus inevitably includes electrodes which are spaced apart by means of some type of insulator and which are placed in contact with the living tissue which is to be stimulated. Typically, existing electrodes are in the form of rings capable of transmitting low levels of electricity to the skin, nerves and muscle and which are applied to the penis or scrotum. Alternatively, a probe type of electrode is used to 20 stimulate the skin inside and surrounding the vagina or anus.

These devices require a controller, or an electrical stimulator to provide an electrical signal between an anode and a cathode. An example of such an electrical stimulator is the Power Box sold by Paradise Electro Stimulations Inc of 1509 West 25 Oakley Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89102, USA. Such electrical stimulators currently have limited functionality. They would typically have an on/off switch and some means for the operator to manually control the stimulation parameters applied to the electrodes. Such parameters include current, voltage, pulse frequency, and pulse width. This manual control is typically by means of one or more rotatable 30 dials/potentiometers. The operator can adjust these settings during use, but this must be done manually, as and when required. Pre-programmed stimulators also exist, which automatically change the stimulation parameters in order to produce pulsing and waving patterns of electrical stimulation. The Erostek model ET-312 sold by ECForbes Inc of 4320 Redwood Highway, Suite 400, San Rafael CA 94903 35 USA, and ElectraStim models EM32/EM140 sold by Cyrex Ltd of Unit M5 The

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Maltings, Ware, Herts, SG12 8HG, UK are programme controlled electrical stimulators.

It is the object of the present invention to overcome or at least mitigate the 5 limitations of present electrical stimulators and provide stimulators wherein the stimulation parameters are modulated by some motion of an operator or the user.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an electrical 10 stimulator apparatus for providing neuromuscular stimulation to a human or animal body, said electrical simulator apparatus comprising:-

(i) a housing having a longitudinal axis;

(ii) an electrical power source;

(iii) cathode and anode electrode connections;

15 (iv) a movement sensor adapted to detect movement or physical motion of the housing;

(v) control circuit means adapted to receive and process signals of varying amplitude and frequency from the movement sensor in direct sympathy with applied physical motion in order to vary one or more 20 stimulating parameters of the electrical output of the stimulator apparatus.

By including some type of movement sensor within the circuitry that controls the electrical output of the electrical stimulator apparatus it is possible, for the first time, to control the output by motion of a movement sensor. This adds to the pleasure of 25 the person wearing the electrode(s) connected to the anode and cathode electrode connections on the apparatus

Preferably the movement sensor is selected from the group of sensors comprising: piezoelectric sensors;

30 strain gauges;

accelerometers;

hall effect/magnetic transducers;

infra-red transmitter/receivers;

visible light / LDR sensors;

35 electrical field sensors;

and combinations thereof.

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More preferably the movement sensor comprises a piezoelectric sensor.

A wide range of movement sensors can be used in this application. A piezoelectric 5 vibration type sensor is preferred because these are relatively inexpensive, reliable and produce a variable voltage output which is relatively straightforward to accommodate and manipulate using the circuitry of a bespoke electrical stimulator.

Preferably the motion sensor is mounted in or associated with the housing. When 10 this is the case it is preferred that the movement sensor is mounted substantially in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the housing. However, other mounting orientations are perfectly as described below.

The housing is typically held by the operator by grasping the housing around its 15 longitudinal axis. In that way a flicking or shaking action of the operator's hand causes the motion sensor to experience a flexing force and generate a signal proportional to the strength and rate of the flicking motion. In order to facilitate movement of the housing without holding the housing, the said housing could be mounted to the back of the hand, the arm or any other part of the human body via a 20 suitable strap and/or pouch.

In an alternative preferred embodiment the movement sensor is mounted at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the housing, in order to measure movement in more than one direction or axis. For example, the sensor could be mounted in general 25 alignment with the longitudinal axis of the housing but at an angle of substantially 45° either above or below that axis. This allows the sensor to detect motion along the longitudinal axis of the housing, as well as a transverse or shaking action.

In an alternative embodiment the movement sensor could be mounted at an angle 30 away from the longitudinal axis of the housing, yet still substantially in the plane of the longitudinal axis of the housing. An angle of substantially 45° is also a suitable angle in this variation.

In a particularly preferred embodiment the apparatus comprises two movement 35 sensors.

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Preferably the two movement sensors are mounted substantially orthogonally to each other. This includes arrangements where the movement sensors are mounted substantially in the plane of the longitudinal axis of the housing, and where one or both movement sensors are mounted at an angle to the plane of the longitudinal 5 axis of the housing.

Preferably the movement sensor comprises a cantilever beam-type vibration sensor, and more preferably the end of the cantilever beam-type vibration sensor is loaded with a mass. The addition of a mass at the distal end of the movement sensor 10 increases sensitivity to low acceleration or gentle movements.

It is particularly preferred that the mass is an elongate mass which extends above or below the cantilever or both above and below the cantilever. This increases sensitivity to motion which is not exclusively in a direction transverse to the 15 cantilever axis.

Preferably the stimulating parameters which are varied in response to signals from the movement sensor are parameters selected from the group comprising:-current;

20 voltage;

pulse frequency;

pulse width;

pulse duty cycle;

or any combination thereof.

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Brief Description of the Drawings

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:-

Figure 1 illustrates the front face of the outer housing of a single channel 30 electrical stimulator apparatus;

Figure 2 illustrates the front face of the outer housing of a dual channel electrical stimulator apparatus;

Figure 3 illustrates in a block diagram format one method by which a signal from a movement detector can be processed.

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Description of the preferred embodiments

The present invention will now be described by way of examples only. These are not the only ways that the invention may be put into practice, but they are the best ways currently known to the applicant.

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The present invention adds a new and inventive feature to a neuromuscular stimulator (NMS) device or apparatus. Such stimulating machines are widely available in the medical field and are often called TENS (Transcutaneous Electronic Nerve Stimulator) and are used to apply a stimulating electrical current to the human 10 body in order to reduce pain symptoms, or at higher intensity levels to force involuntary muscle contractions. The stimulating current generated by the NMS is applied to the human body by a wide variety of electrode designs which are either placed in contact with the surface of the skin or inserted into the genitals.

15 In general, NMS devices, whether used for medical purposes or for recreational pleasure, do not have any form of input stimulus. The output or stimulating parameters on known NMS devices are controlled by switches and/or rotational control devices (potentiometers, digital encoders and the like) located on a control panel on the NMS.

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Key variable stimulating parameters include the following:

• Current (typically 0 to 100 milliamps peak or more)

• Voltage (typically 0 to 60V peak into a 560R ohm load)

• Pulse Frequency (typically 20Hz to 150Hz)

25 • Pulse Width (typically 50 micro seconds to 200 micro seconds)

All of the above parameters can be varied or modulated in order to generate pulsing or waving sensations at the site of stimulation.

30 Such electrical stimulators consist of a housing, typically a hand held housing, on the front of which is a user interface control panel. An example of a one channel user interface control panel 11 is shown in Figure 1. An example of a two channel user interface control panel 111 is shown in Figure 2 and a similar numbering system has been used in Figure 2 to that used in Figure 1.

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The housing 10, 110 includes on its front face an on/off power button 12, 112, buttons 13, 113 and 14, 114 to decrease or increase respectively the intensity of the stimulus current, and an LED array 15, 115 which gives a visual display of the intensity of that stimulus. An output socket 16, 116 is provided which provides 5 connections for cathode and anode electrodes, which are separate from, and generally detachable from, the electrical stimulator. It will be understood that a single output socket can house multiple connections/ports for connecting the device to electrodes, so one output socket is provided on the single channel device and two output sockets are provided on the dual channel device, one for each channel. In 10 this way a wide range of different electrodes can be used, as selected by the operator, with the same electrical stimulator.

The electrical stimulator includes a movement sensor, described in more detail below, and the amplitude of the signal from the movement sensor is displayed 15 visually on a motion level LED display 17, 117. A motion mode selection button 18, 118 is provided which enables the operator to select the particular stimulating parameter or parameters that are controlled by the movement sensor. This feature is also described in more detail below.

20 A power indicator light 19, 119A and 119B and an on/off switch 20, 120 complete the features that are typically found on the interface control panel of an electrical stimulator apparatus according to the present invention.

In addition to the usual circuitry that is commonly incorporated into neuromuscular 25 stimulating devices for controlling the key variable stimulating parameters, in the present invention there is also incorporated within the housing a movement sensor adapted to detect movement of the housing. This movement sensor is adapted not only to detect movement, but also to measure the acceleration, deceleration, and frequency of movements carried out by the housing. These measurements of the 30 acceleration, deceleration and frequency are translated by circuitry within the housing into electrical signals which are used to vary or modulate any one or more of the key variable stimulating parameters listed above.

It will be appreciated that there are NMS devices that have motion sensors which 35 trigger/switch on the stimulating output when motion is detected. An example of one such device is described in US 5,814,093 (Neuromotion Inc.). However, the device

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described is simply a two state detection feature and has no means of measuring the velocity, acceleration or frequency of the physical movement involved.

A wide variety of movement sensors can be used in this application, including 5 piezoelectric sensors, strain gauges, accelerometers, hall effect/magnetic transducers, infra-red transmitter/receivers, visible light/LDR sensors, electrical field sensors, or combinations thereof.

The choice of the most appropriate movement detector to use in the present 10 application will be made by an appropriate specialist. However, piezoelectric sensors are a particularly preferred type of movement sensor for a number of reasons. As a class they have high sensitivity, good frequency response, excellent linearity, withstand shock and have an analogue output. An example of this type of sensor is a Minisense 100 vibration sensor as sold by Measurement Specialities, 15 Inc., 1000 Lucas Way, Hampton, Virginia VA 23666, USA.

This type of sensor is a cantilever-type vibration sensor loaded by a mass to offer high sensitivity at low frequencies. The mass may be modified to obtain different frequency responses and sensitivity selection. This sensor therefore acts as a 20 cantilever-beam accelerometer. When the beam is mounted horizontally, acceleration in the vertical plan, or in this case flicking the housing, creates bending in the beam, due to the inertia of the mass at the tip of the beam. Flexing of the beam creates a piezoelectric response, which may be detected as a charge or voltage output across the output terminals of the sensor.

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The sensor may be used to detect either continuous or impulsive movements or impacts of the housing. For excitation frequencies below the resonant frequency of the sensor, the device produces a linear output governed by a "baseline" sensitivity.

30 As described above, the housing is typically held by the operator by grasping the housing around its longitudinal axis. In that way a flicking action of the operator's hand causes the motion sensor to experience a flexing force and generate a signal proportional to the strength and rate of the flicking motion. In a preferred embodiment the movement sensor is mounted substantially in alignment with the 35 longitudinal axis of the housing. This axis is show by line A-A' in Figure 1.

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It will be appreciated that the placement and directional alignment of the movement sensor with respect to the axis along which the housing containing the movement sensor is to be held is important. It could, for example, be mounted perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing. In this arrangement shaking the housing from 5 side to side in the hand causes the motion sensor to experience a flexing force and generates a signal proportional to the strength and rate of the shaking motion.

This type of sensor may be mounted horizontally or vertically, and therefore it is possible to combine two sensors set substantially orthogonally to each other to 10 measure movement in two directions, say along the x and y axes, and in theory to measure movement in three directions, namely along the x, y and z axes.

As an alternative to using two individual sensors, one sensor may be used, but mounted at an angle to the general longitudinal axis of the housing. The housing is 15 usually held by the operator in the hand by grasping the housing around its longitudinal axis. By mounting the sensor at an angle to this longitudinal axis, say at 45°, and by optionally mounting an elongate mass extending on one or both sides of the cantilever, movement in at least two directions can be detected and measured.

20 In practice the operator can 'flick' the housing and this flicking movement is sensed by the movement sensor and converted into electrical signals. The intensity and duration of the flicking action is translated into neuromuscular stimulation.

The foregoing description describes an all-in-one device, in which the housing 25 contains an electrical power source, typically a rechargeable battery, one or more movement sensors, and the associated circuitry and a user interface control panel. However, it will be appreciated that the movement sensor could be located in a separate unit, which could make the portion of the item held by the operator considerably smaller. In this way the movement sensor and some of the associated 30 circuitry and controls found on the user interface control panel could be accommodated in different housings. In addition or in the alternative, the whole apparatus could be miniaturised, as with portable solid state music players, such that it can be worn on the operator's wrist, arm or other part of the body. The necessary miniaturisation circuits are known perse.

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Figure 3 illustrates in a block diagram format the steps used in the processing of the signals from the movement sensor. A range of microprocessor units capable of making and controlling such functions are already commercially available from other applications.

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Claims

1. An electrical stimulator apparatus for providing neuromuscular stimulation to 5 a human or animal body, said electrical stimulator apparatus comprising:-

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(i) a housing having a longitudinal axis;

(ii) a electrical power source;

(iii) cathode and anode electrode connections;

(iv) a movement sensor adapted to detect movement of the housing;

(v) control circuit means adapted to receive and process signals of varying amplitude and frequency from the movement sensor in direct sympathy with applied physical motion in order to vary one or more stimulating parameters of the electrical output of the stimulator apparatus.

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2. An electrical stimulator apparatus according to Claim 1 wherein the movement sensor is selected from the group of sensors comprising:-piezoelectric sensors;

strain gauges;

3. An electrical stimulator apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the movement sensor comprises a piezoelectric sensor.

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4. An electrical stimulator apparatus according to any preceding claims wherein the movement sensor is mounted substantially in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the housing.

5. An electrical stimulator apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 3 inclusive 35 wherein the movement sensor is mounted at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the housing, in order to measure movement in more than one direction or axis.

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accelerometers;

hall effect/magnetic transducers; infra-red transmitter/receivers; visible light/LDR sensors; electrical field sensors; or combinations thereof.

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6. An electrical stimulator apparatus according to any preceding claim comprising two movement sensors.

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7. An electrical stimulator apparatus according to Claim 6 wherein the two movement sensors are mounted substantially orthogonally to each other.

8. An electrical stimulator apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the movement sensor comprises a cantilever beam-type vibration sensor.

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9. An electrical stimulator apparatus according to Claim 8 wherein the end of the cantilever beam-type vibration sensor is loaded with a mass.

10. An electrical stimulator apparatus according to Claim 9 wherein the mass is 15 an elongate mass which extends above or below the cantilever or both above and below the cantilever.

11. An electrical stimulator apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the stimulating parameters are varied or modulated in response to signals from the

20 movement sensor are electrical parameters selected from the group comprising:-current;

voltage;

pulse frequency;

pulse width;

25 pulse duty cycle;

or any combination thereof

12. An electrical stimulator apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to any as illustrated in any combination of the accompanying drawings.

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