KR20220026827A - A stretchable in-body implantable device - Google Patents

Abstract

A stretchable in-body implantable device according to the present invention includes: a neutral substrate having stretchable characteristics; an external substrate placed on the upper side of the neutral substrate and on which a first electronic device is placed; an internal substrate placed under the neutral substrate and on which a second electronic device is placed; a capsule layer for protecting the external substrate; and another encapsulation layer for protecting the internal substrate.

Description

A stretchable in-body implantable device

The present invention relates to a stretchable bioimplantable device. Here, the stretchable may refer to a device that is not only flexible in addition to being flexible in the meaning of being flexible, but also allowing contraction and extension with respect to an external force.

Conventionally, as an operating device to be inserted into a living body, there are devices such as a cardiac pacemaker (PACE MAKER) and an electrical cerebellar stimulation device. These operating devices have their own built-in battery and generally receive energy from the battery. Since the life of the battery is limited in the operating device inserted into the living body, it is inconvenient to undergo surgery to replace the battery in a certain manual period, for example, 3-5 years. This has a problem of causing great discomfort to the patient. Here, the living body may include an animal such as a mouse.

In some cases, the power supply device is placed outside the living body, but there is a problem that it does not receive favorable reviews from patients due to adverse effects on the skin and inflexibility of activity.

In order to improve this problem, the inventor of the present invention has proposed a technology for mounting a photovoltaic device inside a living body as Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0078398, a bio-insertion device. This technology suggests inserting a photoelectric element into a living body, but does not suggest direct use as a bio-insertion device.

10-2014-0078398, Bioimplantation Device

The present inventors have repeatedly researched to achieve a configuration necessary for a stretchable bioinsertable device that can be inserted into a living body.

The present invention proposes a stretchable bio-insertion device that can be inserted into a living body and used for a specific purpose.

The present invention proposes a stretchable bio-insertion device that can be intensively mounted on a plurality of electronic devices.

A stretchable bioinsertable device according to the present invention includes: a neutral substrate having stretchable characteristics; an external substrate placed on the upper side of the neutral substrate and on which the first electronic device is placed; an internal substrate placed under the neutral substrate and on which a second electronic device is placed; a capsule layer protecting the external substrate; and another encapsulation layer for protecting the inner substrate. According to the present invention, it is possible to arrange optimal electronic devices on the front and rear surfaces, thereby increasing the space efficiency of the bio-insertion device.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a device that is inserted into a living body and contributes to the health of the living body.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a bio-insertion device by utilizing a narrow two-dimensional area and a three-dimensional space due to a high degree of intensity. Moreover, there is an advantage that there is no problem in motion even if there is movement of the living body by reflecting the stretchable characteristics of the living body.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a stretchable bio-insertion device according to an embodiment;
2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the neutral substrate, the external substrate, and the internal substrate.
3 is a view for explaining a modification of the bio-insertion device.
4 is a diagram illustrating a connection between the external substrate and the internal substrate;
5 is a view for explaining a manufacturing process of the neutral substrate.
6 is a view for explaining fastening of the external substrate to the neutral substrate.
7 is a view for explaining the fastening of the internal substrate to the neutral substrate.
8 is a plan view of the inner substrate.
9 is a view for explaining the operation of the connection unit.
10 is a view for explaining the operation of the bio-insertion device according to the embodiment.
11 is a view showing the configuration of the internal substrate in more detail.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, it is not limited to the embodiments presented below of the present invention, and those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention can easily change other embodiments included within the scope of the same idea by adding, changing, deleting, and adding components. However, this will also be included within the scope of the present invention.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a stretchable bio-insertion device according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the stretchable bio-insertion device of the embodiment has a vertical symmetrical structure. The stretchable bio-insertion device includes a neutral substrate (1) having a stretchable property of a soft material, an external substrate (2) placed on an upper side of the neutral substrate, and a first placed on the external substrate (2) 1 Electronic device 21, the inner substrate 3 placed on the lower side of the neutral substrate, the second electronic device 31 placed on the inner substrate 3, the first electronic device 21 and the external substrate 2 ) may include an encapsulation layer (4) to protect, the inner substrate (3) and the encapsulation layer (5) to protect the second electronic device (31).

The material of the neutral substrate may be PDMS.

The external substrate 2 may be placed to correspond to the external viewing direction when dividing the living body into an interior viewing direction and an exterior viewing direction. The external substrate 2 is provided to receive energy from outside the living body. The first electronic device 21 may exemplify an optical power generator. A plurality of the first electronic device 21 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other. The first electronic device 21 may be placed on the outer surface of the external substrate 2 .

The internal substrate 3 may be placed corresponding to the direction in which the body is viewed when dividing the living body into a direction to see the inside and a direction to see the outside. The internal substrate 3 may be provided to receive a signal inside the living body or to transmit a signal or energy to the inside of the living body. The second electronic device 31 may be an ECG sensor, an electrical stimulator, or the like. A plurality of the second electronic devices 31 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other. The second electronic device 31 may be placed on the inner surface of the internal substrate 2 .

In the encapsulation layers 4 and 5 , the first encapsulation layers 41 , 51 and the second encapsulation layers 42 , 52 may be sequentially stacked toward the outside of the neutral substrate 1 . In the first encapsulation layers 41 and 51, 150 micrometers of silbione (registered trademark silbione) having a Young's modulus of 3 KPa may be stacked. The second encapsulation layers 42 and 52 may be formed by stacking PDMS having a Young's modulus of 1.21 MPa by 20 micrometers.

Hereinafter, when a bio-insertion device is described, it can be referred to as a stretchable bio-insertion device.

2 is a schematic view showing the neutral substrate, the external substrate, and the internal substrate.

Referring to FIG. 2 , on the neutral substrate 1, an island 11 on which the first and second electronic devices 21 and 31 are placed, and the island 11 are connected, and flexible and stretchable characteristics A flexible portion 12 that can have a strong The flexible portion 12 may be provided to have a thinner thickness than that of the island 11 . The flexible part 12 may have a trench structure recessed in the island 11 . The flexible part 12 may have a configuration in which the island 11 is symmetrically recessed from the upper surface and the lower surface.

The interior of the trench 13 may be empty, contain air at atmospheric pressure, or contain gas at atmospheric pressure. The present invention is not limited thereto, and as another embodiment, the interior of the trench may be filled with the first encapsulant layer having a low Young's modulus for stability and manufacturing convenience.

When an external force is applied to the bio-insertion device, the island 11 may not be bent or stretched. The flexible portion 12 may be bent or stretched.

3 is a view for explaining a modification of the bio-insertion device.

3A is a perspective view and a cross-sectional view showing only the neutral substrate 1 . Referring to FIG. 3A , a configuration in which the island 11 , the flexible part 12 , and the trench 13 are connected to each other can be clearly identified.

3B is a view showing bending when an external force is applied to the bio-insertion device.

Referring to FIG. 3B , it can be seen that the flexible part is bent considerably according to the load applied to the flexible part 12 . In contrast, the island 11 hardly exhibits a bending characteristic. This is possible because the flexible portion 12 is thin and soft material. Referring to FIG. 3C , it can be seen that the deformation is concentrated in the flexible part 12 .

The inner substrate 2 and the outer substrate 3 may include a placing portion as a portion on which an electronic device is placed, respectively, and a connection portion connecting the placing portion to transmit a signal of the electronic device.

The configuration of the internal substrate and the external substrate will be described using the internal substrate as an example.

8 is a plan view of the internal substrate.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the internal substrate 2 includes a placing part 34 on which the second electronic device 31 is placed and a connection part 35 electrically connecting the placing part 34 to each other. A plurality of interconnectors 351 may be provided in parallel to the connection part 35 . The interconnector may have a plurality of curved portions that are curved left and right. When the bent portion is bent up and down, it may be undesirable because it may have a limit in bending in contact with the neutral substrate during bending. However, it does not mean that the present invention is excluded from bending up and down or that the practice of the invention is impossible.

A plurality of the placing portions 34 may be provided as required for the operation of the bio-insertion device. The interconnector 351 may be provided in the number required for the operation of the electronic device.

3D is a view showing bending of the connection part 35 . Referring to FIG. 3D , it can be seen that the contracted side is bent more rapidly than the stretched side. In the drawing, it can be seen that the inner substrate 3 is bent more rapidly.

3E is a view for explaining the stretchable characteristics of the neutral substrate 1 . Referring to FIG. 3E , when pulling up, down, left and right, the degree of stretching is expressed as a percentage. Referring to this figure, it can be seen that the stretchable property is exhibited by the flexible part 12 . The inner substrate and the outer substrate may respond to stretchable characteristics by deforming the interconnector 351 . The interconnector and the flexible portion 12 may be aligned with each other in and out. The stretchable characteristics of each of the substrates 1, 2, and 3 can be well realized by the alignment characteristics. Of course, the island 11 and the electronic devices 21 and 31 may be aligned in and out. Bending stress may not act on electronic devices due to its alignment characteristics. It is possible to prevent damage to the electronic device.

4 is a diagram illustrating a connection between the external substrate and the internal substrate.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a connection line 14 may be provided to transmit energy generated by the external substrate or to transmit a signal from the internal substrate to the external substrate. The connection line 14 may be placed in the island 11 . Conductive epoxy may be used as the connection line.

By the connection line 14 , the external substrate and the internal substrate may cooperate and operate as a single unit.

5 is a view for explaining a manufacturing process of the neutral substrate.

Referring to FIG. 5 , a) a predetermined mold is formed on one surface of the wafer 110 using a guide 111 . A predetermined mold is formed on one surface of the glass 120 using the guide 121 . The guide may use SU-8, and the wafer may use a silicon wafer. b) Injecting the substrate material into the mold. PDMS may be used as the substrate material. c) Place the wafer 110 below and press the glass 120 from above so that the shape of the neutral substrate 1 is provided below. d) The neutral substrate 1 may be completed by removing the glass 120 .

6 is a view for explaining the coupling of the external substrate to the neutral substrate.

Referring to FIG. 6 , a) a stamp 140 to which the external substrate is attached is attached to the upper surface of the neutral substrate 1 . The stamp may use PDMS. b) After the external substrate 2 is transferred to the neutral substrate 1, the stamp 140 may be removed. c) A conductive pad 150 is printed on the external substrate 2 . Here, the conductive pad may be prepared by screen-printing conductive epoxy. d) The first electronic device 21 may be seated on the conductive pad 150 .

7 is a view for explaining the fastening of the internal substrate to the neutral substrate.

Referring to FIG. 7 , a) a stamp 160 to which the inner substrate 3 is attached is attached to the lower surface of the neutral substrate 1 . The stamp may use PDMS. b) After transferring the internal substrate 3 to the neutral substrate 1, the stamp 160 may be removed. c) The second electronic device (31) is fastened to the inner substrate (3) by a soldering part (32). d) The second electronic device 31 can be protected by using the hardening part 33 . The hardening part 33 may use NOA61 as an optical adhesive.

9 is a view for explaining the operation of the connection unit.

FIG. 9A is an enlarged view of a single body of the interconnector. Referring to FIG. 9A , the interconnector 351 includes a conductive structure in which Au and Ti are stacked to a predetermined thickness and PI (polyimide) is formed vertically, horizontally and vertically. It may be provided in a structure that symmetrically protects the

Referring to FIG. 9B , when a bending force is applied to the interconnector 351 in the vertical direction, the neutral line may be placed on Au. This may be due to the nature of the metal.

Referring to FIG. 9C , when bending with a radius of curvature of 0.3 mm, it can be seen that the bent portion absorbs the bending displacement. In addition, it can be seen that the amount of deformation is considerably small in Au and Ti. Accordingly, even if a bending force or tensile force is applied to the connection part 35 , the interconnector 351 may not be damaged.

10 is a view for explaining the operation of the bio-insertion device according to the embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 10 , the first electronic device 21 may be disposed on the outside of the external substrate 2 , and the second electronic device 31 may be disposed on the inside of the internal substrate 3 . The first electronic device 21 may be an optical power device. Accordingly, since it is adjacent to the outside to which light is irradiated, the photovoltaic efficiency may be high. The second electronic device may be a biosignal measuring device or an electrical stimulation device. Accordingly, since it can be adjacent to the inside of the living body, the biosignal measurement efficiency and the biostimulation efficiency can be high.

11 is a view showing the configuration of the internal substrate in more detail.

Referring to FIG. 11 , the second electronic device 31 includes an ECG block 311 for measuring an ECG signal, a sensing electrode 312 , a VCC 313 , a GND 314 , a low-pass filter 315 , A microcontroller unit (MCU) 316 , and a stimulation electrode 317 may be included.

By measuring the ECG block 311 based on the signal of the sensing electrode 312 , it can be determined whether the operation of the stimulation electrode 317 is necessary. A low-pass filter 315 may be further installed to remove noise to accurately determine whether the stimulation electrode 317 is operating. According to the determination of the microcontrol unit 316 , a stimulation signal may be transmitted to the heart through the stimulation electrode 317 .

Here, it is important to note that each necessary second electronic device 31 can be placed on a separate island 11 in a narrow area. Each second electronic device may be connected to the first electronic device 21 by a connection line 14 as necessary. Each second electronic device may be connected to another second electronic device by means of each interconnector 351 of the connecting part 35 as necessary. Since the deformation of the island is small, no deformation is applied to each electronic device or only a minimum deformation force can be applied.

According to the present invention, it is possible to manufacture a bio-insertion device in a narrow space and drive the bio-insertion device for a long period of time without supply of external energy.

1: Neutral substrate
2: External board
3: Internal board

Claims (11)

a neutral substrate having stretchable characteristics;
an external substrate placed on the upper side of the neutral substrate and on which the first electronic device is placed;
an internal substrate placed under the neutral substrate and on which a second electronic device is placed;
a capsule layer protecting the external substrate; and
A stretchable bioinsertable device comprising another capsule layer protecting the inner substrate. The method of claim 1,
The external substrate, when dividing the living body into a direction to see the inside and a direction to see the outside, is placed corresponding to the direction to see the outside, the first electronic device is a bio-insertion device that is a photoelectric power generator The method of claim 1,
The inner substrate is placed corresponding to the direction of viewing the inside when dividing the living body into a direction to see the inside and a direction to see the outside,
The second electronic device includes at least one of an ECG block for measuring an ECG signal, a sensing electrode, VCC, GND, a low-pass filter, a microcontroller unit (MCU), and a stimulation electrode. The method of claim 1,
The capsule layer;
a first encapsulation layer adjacent to the substrate and having a small Young's modulus and a thick thickness; and
and a second capsule layer that is far from the substrate and has a large Young's modulus and a thin thickness. The method of claim 1,
The neutral substrate may include: at least two islands thick vertically; and
connecting said at least two islands. A bio-insertion device that includes a flexible part that is depressed up and down and has a thin thickness. The method of claim 1,
At least one of the internal substrate and the external substrate,
a placing portion on which the electronic device is placed; and
A bio-insertion device including a connection part for connecting the placing part. 7. The method of claim 6,
The connection part includes a plurality of interconnectors,
The interconnector is a bio-insertion device having a plurality of curved portions that are bent left and right. 8. The method of claim 7,
The interconnector may include a conductive structure in which Au and Ti are stacked; and
A bio-insertion device including a protective structure for protecting the conductive structure vertically and horizontally. The method of claim 1,
A bio-insertion device further comprising a connection line connecting the internal substrate and the external substrate. 10. The method of claim 9,
The neutral substrate includes a thick portion and a thin portion,
The connecting line is a bio-insertion device provided in the thick portion. 10. The method of claim 9,
The connection line is a bio-insertion device using a conductive epoxy.

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