TW201902436A - Tinnitus treatment apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic apparatus for tinnitus treatment for treating or slowing the tinnitus symptoms of a treated person. The electronic apparatus has at least one electrodes for placement in a predetermined position in the vicinity of a cochlear implant of a subject. The predetermined position is located between a round window and the cochlear implant. The electronic apparatus is connected to an electrode through a driving current generating circuit to generate a predetermined driving current. The driving current is associated with the tinnitus characteristics of the subject by contacting with the round window and a cochlear entrance to stimulate the auditory nerve to treat or slow the tinnitus symptoms of the treated person.

Description

 Tinnitus treatment device and method  

The present invention relates to a device, method and system for treating tinnitus symptoms, and more particularly to a device and method for implanting the inner ear for treating tinnitus symptoms.

There are many reasons for tinnitus, such as problems in the brain, nerves, cochlea, or some auditory cognitive pathway, or other causes. In clinical practice, tinnitus has seriously affected daily life for many people.

Due to the many possible causes of tinnitus and the complex brain operation, a high percentage of patients are currently unable to find out the cause, or even if they know the cause, it is difficult to provide an effective way to treat or alleviate it.

Therefore, if an electronic device capable of eliminating or relieving tinnitus can be designed, it will be able to bring about a great improvement in life for a large number of patients with an increasing number of people.

In view of this, it is necessary to provide an electronic device that is easy to operate and that can eliminate or slow down tinnitus.

An electronic device for treating tinnitus for treating or slowing a tinnitus symptom of a subject, the electronic device comprising: at least one electrode for positioning at a predetermined position near a cochlear entrance of the subject, a predetermined position between the round window and the cochlear inlet; and a drive current generating circuit coupled to the electrode to generate a predetermined drive current, the drive current being associated with the subject's tinnitus characteristics, The drive current is in contact between the round window and the entrance of the cochlea through the electrode, stimulating the associated auditory nerve, and producing an effect of neutralizing the signal of the tinnitus symptom to treat or slow down the tinnitus symptoms of the subject.

Further, the electronic device for treating tinnitus further comprises a wire and a soft coating shell, the wire being covered by the soft coating shell, the wire connecting the electrode and the driving current Generate a circuit.

Further, the electronic device for treating tinnitus, wherein the at least one electrode does not extend to the inside of the cochlea, and the electronic device for treating tinnitus has no other electrode that generates a substantial current, extending to the cochlea Inside.

Further, the electronic device for treating tinnitus further includes a communication circuit for receiving an external command for controlling the drive circuit generating device. Further, an external remote controller is further provided, through the external remote controller, the subject can manually control the driving current generating device through the remote controller when the tinnitus symptom occurs. Furthermore, an application corresponding to the communication circuit is further included for mounting a handheld electronic device used by a subject, and the application provides an interface for the user through the handheld electronic device. The therapist can communicate with the communication circuit through the handheld electronic device when the tinnitus symptom occurs to manually control the driving current generating circuit. The application records at least one control parameter and at least one environmental parameter, wherein the control parameter refers to one or more control parameters for controlling the drive current generating circuit, and the at least one environmental parameter refers to Using the relevant parameters of the process, the application program operates on its own or in conjunction with an external server, and performs machine learning on the control parameters and environmental parameters to find a suitable control signal.

Further, the electronic device for treating tinnitus further includes an inductive switch for sensing a hand operation of the subject, and setting a current generating mode of the driving current generating circuit. Furthermore, a learning circuit is included, which records and controls the operation mode of the inductive switch and the current generating mode of the driving current generating circuit to dynamically adjust the control mode of the most suitable driving current generating circuit. Try a variety of different current stimulation modes, you can dynamically adjust or dynamically learn, just like different people, may listen to different songs will have different feelings, so randomly switch in multiple stimulation modes to avoid offset effect occur.

Further, the electronic device for treating tinnitus further includes a control circuit that turns on the driving current generating device at a predetermined cycle to save power. For example, the user feedback method, like the mechanism of manual anesthesia, provides the driving current with the least amount of effective stimulation to save power. The control circuit enters a sleep state when detecting that the subject enters a sleep state, and enters a sleep state during sleep or a predetermined situation, for example, interacting with a wristband detecting sleep to obtain information. The control circuit collects the tinnitus symptoms of the treated person and downloads the tinnitus symptoms from the network for controlling the control mode of the driving current generating circuit.

Further, the electronic device for treating tinnitus further includes a wireless charging circuit for charging the rechargeable battery, and the current driving to generate circuit power through the rechargeable battery.

Further, the electronic device for treating tinnitus further includes an external current supply device having a wireless inductive current supply circuit for supplying power of the drive current generating circuit through wireless sensing.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method of intelligently learning to adjust a tinnitus therapy electronic device is provided. Collecting information from a plurality of tinnitus therapy electronic devices implanted into the inner ear of a plurality of subjects, the tinnitus therapy electronic device having at least one electrode and a drive current generating device; and a machine The learning method classifies a plurality of subjects, and provides a corresponding control method for controlling the driving current generating means for each class of subjects.

The method for adjusting the tinnitus treatment electronic device according to the learning further includes: tracking a tinnitus state in use of the subject and a control method corresponding to driving the driving current generating circuit; and performing tracking data of the same subject by using a machine learning method. Machine learning to find the best control method for the drive current generating circuit.

Still further, the smart learning method of adjusting a tinnitus therapy electronic device, wherein the machine learning method comprises: deep learning, regression analysis learning, or support vector machine learning.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for treating tinnitus is provided, comprising: incising the epidermis in the ear canal, opening the eardrum after opening, and placing the eardrum treatment device to the outside of the round window 0.01-0.08 And the best distance, then the ear canal and cartilage seams, and if there is a tinnitus condition in the future, the action of energizing, let the current flow to the electrode, to achieve the effect of treating tinnitus.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method of treating tinnitus is provided. This method includes the following steps: First, the ear canal skin is cut, the under-the-ear canal skin 1004 is cut with a surgical instrument, and the cut ear canal skin is rolled up, and since the eardrum is attached to the ear skin, it can be picked up at an angle 1005. At this point, an opening will appear in which the desired electrode can be placed over the back of the eardrum, placed close to the round window for placement 1006. After the electrodes are placed in the desired position, the eardrum can be returned to its original position with a surgical instrument and the eardrum skin 1007 that has just been rolled up is flattened. Appropriate hemostasis, anesthesia can be used for the patient, and after the skin of the ear canal is laid back, the drug is applied to the incision to speed up the recovery of the wound 1008. Furthermore, depending on the design of the device, the entire tinnitus removal device can be placed in the rear of the eardrum, that is, near the predetermined position of the round window. In other designs, the tinnitus removal device may also be provided with a partial component on the other side of the eardrum. For example, the electrodes can be placed at predetermined locations as described above and can be hooked, shrapnel, bumps, or other means such that the electrodes can be placed against the surface of the skin to stimulate the underlying nerves. The electrodes can be connected to other components through wires, such as circuits responsible for generating drive current. Including wires and other circuits, they can be covered with insulating materials. Moreover, these insulating materials may be soft materials, and materials selected to be less sensitive to human body can be selected. Some of the components can be embedded in the bone grooves that cut under the skin of the ear canal. These grooves can be dug out with surgical instruments, and the battery can be placed inside and replaced for a while. Alternatively, you can use a rechargeable battery and charge it with wireless charging technology.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electrodes may also be disposed on the inner side of the round window instead of the outer side described above. The electrode can be placed at an appropriate and optimal distance of 0.05-0.09 on the inner side of the round window, cut the skin of the ear canal, cut the underlying skin of the ear canal with a surgical instrument, and roll up the skin of the cut ear canal, since the eardrum is connected to the skin of the ear, Was picked up at a certain angle. At this point, an opening will appear in which the desired electrode can be placed behind the eardrum and placed close to the inside of the round window. After the thunder pole is placed to the required position, the eardrum can be returned to the original position with the surgical instrument, and the ear canal and the cartilage seam can be fitted together. If there is a tinnitus condition in the future, the electric current is energized to let the current flow to At the electrode, the effect of treating tinnitus is achieved.

11‧‧‧ semi-regulatory

12‧‧‧ round window

13‧‧‧Anvil

14‧‧‧ cochlea

15‧‧‧ eardrum

16‧‧‧ ear canal

21‧‧‧ Circuitry

22‧‧‧Wire

23‧‧‧Electrode

31‧‧‧Power circuit

32‧‧‧Control circuit

33‧‧‧ Circuitry

34‧‧‧Wire

35‧‧‧Electrode

41‧‧‧ patients

42‧‧‧The whole device

61‧‧‧External infinite power supply and control circuit

62‧‧‧Internal infinite induction current circuit

63‧‧‧Control circuit

64‧‧‧Drive current generation circuit

65‧‧‧Electrode

71‧‧‧Handheld electronic devices

72‧‧‧Smart wearable device

81‧‧‧ outer ear

82‧‧‧ ear canal

83‧‧‧ cochlea

1001‧‧‧Collection of usage information

1002‧‧‧ Machine learning

1003‧‧‧ Provide control signals using machine learning results

1004‧‧‧ Cut the skin of the ear canal and cut the underlying skin of the ear canal with a surgical instrument

1005‧‧‧Roll the cut ear canal skin, connect the eardrum to the ear skin, and pick up a certain angle

1006‧‧‧An opening that places the electrode behind the eardrum, near the round window

1007‧‧‧Surgery returns the eardrum to its original position, flattening the eardrum skin that has just been rolled up

1008‧‧‧ Appropriate hemostasis, anesthesia, application of drugs to the incision, speeding up wound recovery

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the various configurations of the ear

Figure 2 is a schematic view for explaining a device for treating a tinnitus

Figure 3 is a schematic view showing the internal structure of the apparatus of the present invention

Figure 4 is a schematic view for explaining a patient wearing device

Figure 5 is a schematic view for explaining the wearing device

Figure 6 is a schematic view showing the internal structure of the device of the present invention connected to an external smart device

Figure 7 is a schematic view showing the first embodiment of the present invention for explaining the manipulation of a patient wearing an external smart device.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of the ear canal

Figure 9 is a schematic view showing the second embodiment of the present invention for explaining the results of learning using the device machine and controlling signals.

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the device learning and control signals of the device of the present invention.

Figure 11 is a third embodiment of the present invention for explaining a surgical procedure for setting a tinnitus device

The tinnitus treatment device and method of the first embodiment of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

The present invention is an electronic device for treating tinnitus, which is used for treating or slowing down the symptoms of tinnitus in a subject, which may cause dizziness, and the cause of dizziness may be a condition of the vestibular sensory system. The more common cause is Problems with the inner ear, for example: the first type is benign paroxysmal posture dizziness, due to rapid changes in posture, such as going to bed, lying, turning, getting up, bending, raising. The second type is vestibular neuritis, which is inflammation of the vestibular nerve in the inner ear. It often has symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, night sweats, and loss of balance. The third type is Meniere's disease. The main symptoms are dizziness, hearing abnormalities, tinnitus, swelling of the ears, and often nausea, vomiting, and loss of balance. The dizziness caused by the inner ear is usually a burst of time, which may be caused by turning the head, turning over, and changing the posture. The duration may be several minutes to several hours each time. In order to solve various causes such as dizziness caused by tinnitus, the electronic device and method for treating tinnitus have been invented.

A current similar treatment method is for treating a person having a snoring dysfunction, providing a sensing electrode configured to detect a voice activity of the subject and generating a first signal; using the processor responsive to receiving the first Generating at least one stimulation parameter, the at least one stimulation parameter being based on the first signal; and activating glottal closure reflection by electrical stimulation, mechanical stimulation, or a combination thereof in response to receiving the at least one stimulation parameter to selectively Activate the vocal cord adductor muscle. Wherein said activating comprises providing a current pulse having a duration of between about 0.01 milliseconds and 20 milliseconds, and an amplitude in the range of about 0.05 mA to 20 mA. And specifically for tinnitus treatment, currently has a cochlear speech processor whose stimulation is a fairly high rate burst ( 250Hz). Peripheral nerve responses such as ECAP (or EABR) will exhibit an adaptive effect and decrease with increasing stimulation rate. However, from a perceptual point of view, the loudness of the stimulus increases as the rate of stimulation increases.

The electronic device of the present invention comprises: at least one electrode for positioning at a predetermined position between the round window of the subject and the entrance of the cochlea. The predetermined position is located at a position of 0.01-0.08 cm between the round window and the entrance of the cochlea; and a driving current generating circuit connected to the electrode to generate a predetermined driving current, the driving current and the subject being The tinnitus characteristic is associated with the driving current passing through the electrode contacting the round window to the 0.01-0.08 cm position between the white and the cochlea, stimulating the associated auditory nerve, producing an effect of neutralizing the tinnitus symptom signal for treatment or Slow down the symptoms of tinnitus in the subject. The electronic device for treating tinnitus, further comprising a wire and a soft coating shell, the wire being covered by the soft coating shell, the wire connecting the electrode and the driving current generating circuit; wherein The at least one electrode does not extend to the inside of the cochlea, and the electronic device for treating tinnitus has no other electrodes that generate substantial current, extending to the inside of the cochlea.

Referring to FIG. 1, the configuration of the ear includes a three-circle gauge tube 11, a round window 12, an anvil 13, a cochlea 14, an eardrum 15, and an ear canal 16. The inner ear includes two parts, an auditory organ and a sensory organ, wherein the auditory organ refers to the cochlea 14 and the sensory organ is composed of the vestibule and the triad tube 11. The complete auditory message is converted from the inner ear's nerve cells, and the inner ear's cochlea 14 nerves transmit these messages to the central nervous system. Hearing is the sound wave caused by the vibration of the sound source. It is transmitted to the inner ear through the sound system composed of the outer ear and the middle ear. The circular energy of the inner ear transforms the mechanical energy of the sound wave into the nerve impulse on the auditory nerve, and the nerve on the auditory nerve. Subjective sensation produced by impulsive transmission to the auditory center of the cerebral cortex. The sound waves are generated by the rhythmic changes of the surrounding air pressure. When the object is vibrating, the surrounding air is also affected. The closer the object is, the more the air particles will be compressed; the farther the object is, the air particles will be pulled apart. The overall auditory system consists of the auditory organs at all levels of the auditory organs and their connected networks. The auditory organ is commonly referred to as the ear, and the structure has specially differentiated cells that can sense the mechanical vibration of the sound wave and convert the sound energy into a nerve impulse called a somatosensory receptor. Further, the ears of higher animals can be divided into outer ear, middle ear and inner ear. The outer ear includes the auricle and the external auditory canal, which mainly plays the role of sound collection; some animals' auricles can rotate freely to capture sound. The middle ear includes a structure such as a tympanic membrane, a ossicular chain, a tympanic cavity, a middle ear muscle, an eustachian tube, and the like, and mainly functions as a sound transmission. The tympanic membrane is a thin film structure that closes the inner end of the external auditory canal. The sound waves enter from the external auditory canal and act on the tympanic membrane, which in turn produces the desired vibration. For different kinds of organisms, they also have different structures. In mammals, for example, the ossicular chain is a lever system consisting of three small bones (hammer, anvil, and tibia), one end of which is a hammer stem, attached to The inner surface of the tympanic membrane and the other end of the humerus floor cover the oval window membrane of the inner ear. The vibration of the tympanic membrane can be effectively transmitted to the inner ear through the lever system. The tympanic membrane is the tympanic cavity, the ossicular chain and the middle ear muscles. In it. The middle ear muscle, also known as the inner ear muscle, has two pieces: the contraction of the tympanic membrane muscle causes the tympanic membrane to be tensioned by pulling the hammer bone, and the contraction of the tibialis muscle fixes the tibia, and its function is to limit the conduction of sound to the inner ear. . The eustachian tube (Eustachian tube) is passed from the tympanic cavity to the pharynx. It is normally closed, swallowed and opened during certain mouth movements, so that the air pressure in the drum chamber is often balanced with atmospheric pressure. Part of the inner ear, the division is balanced, called the vestibular organ, and the other part can feel the sound stimulation called the cochlea. The cochlea is a tubular structure surrounded by a bone outer shell, and the coils are snail-like in a few turns. The tubular structure is thicker at one end near the bottom plate of the humerus, called the base, and the other end is thin, called the volute. There are three parallel ducts separated by a membrane structure in the cochlear bone shell, extending from the base to the volute, called the vestibular, tympanic and cochlear (or intermediate). The vestibular and tympanic steps each have a window at the base, called the oval window (vestibular window) and the round window, both of which have membranes. The outside of the round window is a tympanic cavity, and the oval window is covered by a bottom plate of the humerus. The vestibular and tympanic steps are connected at the top of the volute (the snail), and the two stages are filled with lymph, called the perilymph. The cochlear tube is sandwiched between the vestibular stage and the tympanic stage, and is also filled with lymph, called the endolymph. The membrane-like structure separating the scroll and the drum is called the basement membrane. A sound sensing device consisting of sensory cells (sound receptors), nerve endings and other structures is arranged on the basement membrane, called a screw or a Corti. If the crimped cochlea is straightened, the basement membrane, the auger and the adjacent structure are seen from its cross-section. The sound-sensing cells are three rows of outer hair cells and one row of inner hair cells, which are supported by the supporting cells and placed on the basement membrane. There are many fine cilia on the upper end of the hair cells, and the hair tips are connected to the cover film above the screw. The nerves that innervate the hair cells are emitted by a spiral ganglion located at the longitudinal axis (the volute) of the cochlea. The other axon of the nerve cells of the spiral ganglion constitutes the auditory nerve, which goes out along the volute and passes through the skull into the brainstem. The conduction pathway between the hearing centers at various levels is quite complicated. The mammalian level 1 auditory center is the cochlear nucleus of the medulla oblongata, which receives the ipsilateral auditory nerve fibers. Most of the nerve fibers emanating from the cochlear nucleus cross to the opposite side, a small part is on the same side, and the upper olive nucleus changes the neurons or directly upwards to form the lateral humerus, reaching the inferior colliculus of the midbrain quadrant, from the inferior colliculus The ascending fibers and a small portion of the fibers directly from the upper olive nucleus terminate in the medial geniculate body of the thalamus. The fiber bundle from the medial geniculate body is scattered upwards into a radial shape, called the line of sight, ending in the auditory cortex of the brain, and is the most advanced center of hearing. Hearing is important to animals, and animals use hearing to escape enemies and capture food. Human language and music are based to some extent on hearing. When the frequency and intensity of the sound wave reach a certain range of values, the animal's hearing can be caused. The vibration frequency that the human ear can feel is about 20-20000 Hz. As the age increases, the upper limit of hearing decreases, with an intensity ranging from 0.0002 to 1000 dyn/cm ² .

Referring to FIG. 2, a device for treating tinnitus is composed of a circuit 21, a wire 22, and an electrode 23. The current is a flow of electric charge. The magnitude of the current is called the current intensity. It refers to the charge passing through a section of the wire per unit time. The amount of charge per second through a coil is called 1 amp. There are many types of carriers that carry charge, such as electrons that can move in an electrical conductor, ions in an electrolyte, electrons and ions in a plasma, and quarks in a hadron. The movement of these carriers creates a current. When a current flows through a conductor, it is actually because the material of the free charge in the conductor is different, and the free charge drifts in a different way: the free charge in the metal is electrons, and the free charge in the solution is yin, Yang caused by drift. In superconductors, electrons can move very quickly without being disturbed by the nucleus; and the movement of electrons in a conductor is limited by the energy level of the electron sea caused by the material. In semiconductors, electrons can move because of electron-hole effects; while insulators are electrons limited by the covalent bonds formed by molecules, making it difficult to get electrons out of the atom. Therefore, there is no absolute insulation insulator, as long as there is enough energy to allow electrons to pass through an insulator. However, the electrode mentioned generally refers to a position where a redox reaction occurs with an electrolyte solution. The electrode has positive and negative points, the positive electrode refers to the end with the higher potential (potential), and the negative electrode refers to the lower end. Generally, the positive electrode is a cathode, electrons are obtained, a reduction reaction occurs, and the negative electrode is an anode, and an electron undergoes an oxidation reaction. The electrode may be a metal or a non-metal, and as long as it can exchange electrons with the electrolyte solution, it becomes an electrode. A conductor is a material that allows current to pass through, and can be subdivided into superconductors, conductors, semiconductors, and insulators depending on its conductivity. Ohm is often used in science and engineering to define the conductivity of a material. They make electricity pass them easily. Therefore, the treatment of the tinnitus device is to connect the circuit 21 and the electrode 23 together by the wire 22. The circuit 21 includes a power supply circuit 31 and a control circuit 32 for supplying power, and then passing a current through the wires to the electrodes for generating current.

Referring to FIG. 3, the internal structure of the apparatus includes a power supply circuit 31, a control circuit 32, a drive current generating circuit 33, a wire 34, and an electrode 35. It is a schematic diagram for the treatment of tinnitus devices. Tinnitus refers to a subjective auditory sensation produced without a corresponding external sound source. This sound is not generated by sound waves, but is abnormal or damaged by nerve signals. To. Severe tinnitus can interfere with normal hearing. Tinnitus and various hearing disorders (such as sensorineural deafness) are often accompanied. At present, tinnitus is often classified into two types: his conscious tinnitus and conscious tinnitus. The sensation of tinnitus refers to the fact that in addition to the patient's own hearing, others can use the instrument to even hear the tinnitus of the patient's complaint, especially in this type. The common cause of his stimuli is tinnitus caused by vascular diseases such as pulsating tinnitus and muscle disease (muscle near the ear). There are many patients with the subjective tinnitus, and the tinnitus sound is only heard by the patient, and can not be heard by others, causing many reasons for this type. As long as abnormality occurs anywhere in the auditory conduction path, such tinnitus can be generated, including the outer ear disease, Middle ear disease, inner ear disease, auditory nerve and auditory nerve conduction path diseases (such as acoustic neuroma, brain stem hardening, etc.), cerebral cortical diseases. The neural mechanism of tinnitus is not fully understood and is generally thought to be related to abnormal changes in a certain part of the auditory pathway. At present, doctors and physiologists are looking for nerve changes that may cause tinnitus in different parts of the cochlea, auditory brainstem, and auditory cortex. The only thing that can be determined to date is that tinnitus associated with hearing loss does not occur in the cochlea or auditory nerve, because performing auditory nerve ablation in many of these patients does not alleviate tinnitus, which may aggravate the condition.

Referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 5, in the embodiment, the patient 41 will wear the treatment tinnitus wearing device when the tinnitus is felt, and the whole device 42 will wrap around the ear and be fastened under the back of the head. Current is passed through the power line 31 and the control circuit 32 through the wire 34 and thus to the electrode 35, generating a current to solve the problem of the tinnitus. The subject can drive the current generating circuit when the tinnitus symptoms appear. The application records at least one control parameter and at least one environmental parameter, wherein the control parameter refers to one or more control parameters for controlling the drive current generating circuit. The at least one environmental parameter refers to a related parameter of the use process, and the application program performs machine learning on the control parameter and the environmental parameter by itself or in cooperation with an external server to find a suitable control signal.

Referring to FIG. 6, the electronic device for treating tinnitus includes a communication circuit for receiving an external command for controlling the driving circuit generating device. The external infinite power supply and control circuit 61 is further coupled to the control circuit 63 via the internal infinite induced current circuit 62 to drive the current generating circuit 64 to the end of the electrode 65 to generate a current to solve the problem of the tinnitus.

Referring to FIG. 7, the hand-held electronic device is further combined with the therapeutic tinnitus device to form a smart wearable device 72, which is remotely controlled by the handheld electronic device 71, compared to the general treatment of the tinnitus device. Through the external remote controller, the subject can manually control the driving current generating device through the remote controller when a tinnitus symptom occurs. Furthermore, an application corresponding to the communication circuit is further included for mounting a handheld electronic device used by a subject, and the application provides an interface for the user through the handheld electronic device. The therapist can communicate with the communication circuit through the handheld electronic device when the tinnitus symptom occurs to manually control the driving current generating circuit. The application records at least one control parameter and at least one environmental parameter, wherein the control parameter refers to one or more control parameters for controlling the drive current generating circuit. The at least one environmental parameter refers to a related parameter of the use process, and the application program performs machine learning for the control parameter and the environmental parameter by itself or in cooperation with an external server to find a suitable control signal.

Further, the electronic device for treating tinnitus further includes an inductive switch for sensing a hand operation of the subject, and setting a current generating mode of the driving current generating circuit. Furthermore, a learning circuit is included, which records and controls the operation mode of the inductive switch and the current generating mode of the driving current generating circuit to dynamically adjust the control mode of the most suitable driving current generating circuit. Try a variety of different current stimulation modes, you can dynamically adjust or dynamically learn, just like different people, may listen to different songs will have different feelings, so randomly switch in multiple stimulation modes to avoid offset effect occur.

Further, the electronic device for treating tinnitus further includes a control circuit that turns on the driving current generating device at a predetermined cycle to save power. For example, the user feedback method, like the mechanism of manual anesthesia, provides the driving current with the least amount of effective stimulation to save power. The control circuit enters a sleep state when detecting that the subject enters a sleep state, and enters a sleep state during sleep or a predetermined situation, for example, interacting with a wristband detecting sleep to obtain information. The control circuit collects the tinnitus symptoms of the subject, and downloads the tinnitus symptoms from the network to control the control mode of the driving current generating circuit.

Further, the electronic device for treating tinnitus further includes a wireless charging circuit for charging the rechargeable battery, and the current driving to generate circuit power through the rechargeable battery.

Further, the electronic device for treating tinnitus further includes an external current supply device having a wireless inductive current supply circuit for supplying power of the drive current generating circuit through wireless sensing.

In one embodiment, based on the results of a comprehensive comparison of actual clinical trials, for example, patient A first measures the 20th electrode at a distance of 0.01-0.08 cm between the round window and the entrance of the cochlea, and the older one may be most comfortable. The intensity begins to stimulate, and the younger one can start with the intensity of 210 cl, then weaken 5 cl each time, and continue to stimulate until the identifiable waveform of the whole nerve activity potential no longer appears. If the intensity of the initial stimulation does not produce a waveform of the whole nerve activity potential, the stimulation intensity is increased by 5 cl each time, and stimulation is continued until an identifiable waveform of the whole nerve activity potential is generated, and the minimum electrical stimulation intensity of the waveform of the whole nerve activity potential can be induced. That is, the threshold value of the electrical activity potential induced by electrical stimulation. The 15th, 10th and 5th electrodes were then measured sequentially and the measurement method was identical. The pulse width, pulse rate, amplifier gain, or measurement delay time of the electrical stimulation can be changed depending on the situation to measure the electrical stimulation-induced whole nerve activity potential. In the method described, in a continuous or intermittent mode, after several ten minutes of experimentation, tinnitus disappeared.

Referring to Fig. 8, the cochlea 83 and the external ear 81 are connected through the ear canal 82 to form an auditory pathway, and the device for treating tinnitus is more effective. The cochlea is an anatomical structure of the inner ear that together with the vestibular labyrinth constitutes the inner ear bone labyrinth. The name of the cochlea is derived from the similarity of its shape to the snail shell, which is part of the peripheral auditory system. The core part is the Curti device, which is the auditory conduction organ. It is responsible for converting the sound signal from the middle ear into the corresponding nerve electrical signal, and the central auditory system of the brain is further processed to finally realize the auditory perception. Lesions in the cochlea are closely related to multiple hearing disorders. The Curti device is the auditory transduction link. The relationship between the distance from the oval window and the resonance frequency on the basement membrane is called the frequency topology. The frequency topology of the basement membrane creates a frequency topology in the hair cell array and the auditory nerve array, and is also the fundamental origin of the frequency topology of the entire auditory pathway up to the auditory cortex of the brain. Since the auditory system has frequency topological properties, its working principle is similar to Fourier analysis in signal processing or some form of wavelet analysis. In an embodiment, the auditory pathway, referred to as the auditory pathway, refers to a series of anatomical structures associated with auditory production. The portion of the auditory pathway outside the central nervous system (brain) is called the auditory periphery, and the portion within the central nervous system is called the auditory center or the central auditory system. The auditory information, that is, the processing of sound information in the auditory system is basically a process of rising from the periphery to the center, from the low level to the high level.

Referring to FIG. 9, a method for intelligently learning to adjust a tinnitus treatment electronic device is provided. Information is collected from a plurality of tinnitus therapy electronic devices implanted into the inner ear of a plurality of subjects, the tinnitus therapy electronics having at least one electrode and a drive current generating device.

Referring to FIG. 10, the patient can use the device for treating tinnitus in common, with device assistance, collect usage information 1001 and perform machine learning 1002 through the auxiliary device, and then provide control signal 1003 using machine learning results. The plurality of subjects are classified by the machine learning 1002 method, and a corresponding control method for controlling the driving current generating means is provided for each type of subject. The method of adjusting the tinnitus treatment electronic device according to the learning further includes tracking the tinnitus state in use of the subject and the control method corresponding to driving the drive current generating circuit. Further, the machine learning method is used to perform machine learning on the tracking data of the same subject to find the optimal control mode of the driving current generating circuit. Still further, the smart learning method of adjusting a tinnitus therapy electronic device, wherein the machine learning method comprises deep learning, regression analysis learning, or support vector machine learning.

Referring to FIG. 11, according to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for treating tinnitus is provided, comprising: incising the epidermis in the ear canal, rolling up the eardrum after opening, and placing the eardrum treatment device to the outside of the round window. The side is 0.01-0.08 with an appropriate and optimal distance, and the ear canal is attached to the cartilage seam. If there is a tinnitus condition in the future, the action of energization is performed, and the current is passed to the electrode to achieve the effect of treating tinnitus. A method of treating tinnitus is provided. This method includes the following steps: First, the ear canal skin is cut, the under-the-ear canal skin 1004 is cut with a surgical instrument, and the cut ear canal skin is rolled up, and since the eardrum is attached to the ear skin, it can be picked up at an angle 1005. At this point, an opening will appear in which the desired electrode can be placed behind the eardrum and placed adjacent to the round window for placement 1006. After the electrodes are placed in the desired position, the eardrum can be returned to its original position with a surgical instrument and the eardrum skin 1007 that has just been rolled up is flattened. Appropriate hemostasis, anesthesia can be used for the patient, and after the skin of the ear canal is laid back, the drug is applied to the incision to speed up the recovery of the wound 1008. Furthermore, depending on the design of the device, the entire tinnitus removal device can be placed in the rear of the eardrum, that is, near the predetermined position of the round window. In other designs, the tinnitus removal device may also be provided with a partial component on the other side of the eardrum. For example, the electrodes can be placed at predetermined locations as described above and can be hooked, shrapnel, bumps, or other means such that the electrodes can be placed against the surface of the skin to stimulate the underlying nerves. The electrodes can be connected to other components through wires, such as circuits responsible for generating drive current. Including wires and other circuits, they can be covered with insulating materials. Moreover, these insulating materials may be soft materials, and materials selected to be less sensitive to human body can be selected. Some of the components can be embedded in the bone grooves that cut under the skin of the ear canal. These grooves can be dug out with surgical instruments, and the battery can be placed inside and replaced for a while. Alternatively, you can use a rechargeable battery and charge it with wireless charging technology.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electrodes may also be disposed on the inner side of the round window instead of the outer side described above. The electrode can be placed at an appropriate and optimal distance of 0.05-0.09 on the inner side of the round window, cut the skin of the ear canal, cut the underlying skin of the ear canal with a surgical instrument, and roll up the skin of the cut ear canal, since the eardrum is connected to the skin of the ear, Was picked up at a certain angle. At this point, an opening will appear in which the desired electrode can be placed behind the eardrum and placed close to the inside of the round window. After the electrode is placed to the desired position, the eardrum can be returned to the original position with the surgical instrument, and then the ear canal is attached to the cartilage seam. If there is a tinnitus condition in the future, the electric current is energized to allow the current to pass to the electrode. At the same time, the effect of treating tinnitus is achieved.

The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., which are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, should be included in the scope of the present invention. .

Claims (10)

 An electronic device for treating tinnitus for treating or slowing a tinnitus symptom of a subject, the electronic device comprising: at least one electrode for positioning at a predetermined position near a cochlear entrance of the subject, a predetermined position between the round window and the cochlear inlet; and a drive current generating circuit coupled to the electrode to generate a predetermined drive current, the drive current being associated with a tinnitus characteristic of the subject, A drive current is passed between the round window and the entrance of the cochlea through the electrode to stimulate the associated auditory nerve to produce an effect of neutralizing the signal of the tinnitus symptom to treat or slow down the tinnitus symptoms of the subject.    The electronic device for treating tinnitus according to claim 1, further comprising a wire and a soft coating shell, the wire being covered by the soft coating shell, the wire connecting the electrode and The drive current is generated; the electrode is predetermined to be located at a distance of 0.01-0.08 cm from the entrance to the cochlea.    The electronic device for treating tinnitus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one electrode does not extend to the inner side of the cochlea, and the electronic device for treating tinnitus has no other electrode that generates a substantial current, and the extension To the inside of the cochlea.    An electronic device for treating tinnitus according to claim 1, further comprising a communication circuit for receiving an external command for controlling the drive circuit generating device.    An electronic device for treating tinnitus according to claim 4, further comprising an external remote controller through which the subject can pass through the remote controller when a tinnitus symptom occurs The drive current generating device is manually controlled.    An electronic device for treating tinnitus according to claim 4, further comprising an application corresponding to the communication circuit for mounting a handheld electronic device used by a subject, the application being through the handheld The electronic device provides an interface for the user to communicate with the communication circuit through the handheld electronic device when the tinnitus symptom occurs, to manually control the driving current generating circuit.    An electronic device for treating tinnitus according to claim 6 of the patent application, further comprising an inductive switch for sensing a hand operation of the subject, and setting a current generating mode of the driving current generating circuit.    The electronic device for treating tinnitus according to claim 1, further comprising a control circuit that turns on the driving current generating device at a predetermined cycle to save power.    An electronic device for treating tinnitus according to claim 8, wherein the control circuit collects a tinnitus symptom of the subject, and downloads the corresponding tinnitus symptom from the network for controlling the driving current generating circuit. Control method.    The electronic device for treating tinnitus according to claim 1, further comprising an external current supply device having a wireless inductive current supply circuit for supplying power of the drive current generating circuit through wireless sensing.