WO2025214948A1 - Device for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation - Google Patents

Device for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation

Info

Publication number
WO2025214948A1
WO2025214948A1 PCT/EP2025/059448 EP2025059448W WO2025214948A1 WO 2025214948 A1 WO2025214948 A1 WO 2025214948A1 EP 2025059448 W EP2025059448 W EP 2025059448W WO 2025214948 A1 WO2025214948 A1 WO 2025214948A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
magnetic induction
pulse
filtering module
electrostimulation
voltage
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
PCT/EP2025/059448
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Férial Terki
Azzedine Bousseksou
Quang Hung Tran
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS
Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale INSERM
Universite de Montpellier
Original Assignee
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS
Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale INSERM
Universite de Montpellier
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS, Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale INSERM, Universite de Montpellier filed Critical Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS
Publication of WO2025214948A1 publication Critical patent/WO2025214948A1/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61N—ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY
    • A61N2/00—Magnetotherapy
    • A61N2/02—Magnetotherapy using magnetic fields produced by coils, including single turn loops or electromagnets
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61N—ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY
    • A61N2/00—Magnetotherapy
    • A61N2/004—Magnetotherapy specially adapted for a specific therapy
    • A61N2/006—Magnetotherapy specially adapted for a specific therapy for magnetic stimulation of nerve tissue

Definitions

  • the present invention concerns a device for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation configured to generate and adaptive electromagnetic field.
  • the invention is in the field of healthcare using electrostimulation, and more particularly electrostimulation for nervous and/or muscular tissues via electromagnetic fields.
  • the known electrostimulation devices present several drawbacks.
  • One of the drawbacks is that they are bulky, and therefore limit the user’s (e.g. the patient) mobility, and also need specific parameters configuration.
  • the use of such devices is limited to specific medical environments, and imply the presence of a specialist to correctly set the parameters for a given user. They cannot be used easily, on a regular basis, by users who may benefit from regular, daily treatment.
  • a device for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation configured to generate an adaptive electromagnetic field comprising an electronic circuit, said electronic circuit comprising a power generating unit, configured to generate a periodical electric current and a periodical voltage, the electronic circuit further comprising at least one resistor and at least one inductor connected in series and powered by said power generating unit, said at least one inductor generating a magnetic field, measured as a magnetic induction signal comprising a train of periodic magnetic induction pulses, each magnetic pulse having an intensity of less than 10 micro Tesla, a frequency lower than 1000 Hertz and a pulse width lower than 100 milliseconds, each magnetic induction pulse comprising a main peak and a plurality of secondary peaks corresponding to secondary oscillations, the secondary oscillations being positive or negative.
  • the proposed electrostimulation device further comprises a filtering module configured to attenuate or suppress at least part of the secondary oscillations of each magnetic pulse, so as to render the electromagnetic field directed to the muscular and/or nervous parts more efficient.
  • the negative secondary oscillations are attenuated or suppressed.
  • the electrostimulation with the proposed electrostimulation device is higher than the electrostimulation achieved with a conventional electrostimulation device. This is due to the fact that thanks to the filtering, the electrostimulation is more efficient, there is no loss of energy.
  • the device for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation according to the invention comprises one or more of the following features, considered alone or according to all technically possible combinations.
  • the filtering module is configured to attenuate or suppress the negative secondary oscillations of each magnetic induction pulse.
  • the filtering module is configured to attenuate or suppress the positive secondary oscillations of each magnetic induction pulse.
  • the filtering module is a passive or active low-pass filter.
  • the filtering module comprises a high-frequency diode connected in parallel with said inductor or inductors, the diode conducting the positive current and blocking the negative current.
  • the device comprises a control unit configured to control at least one parameter of the device.
  • the filtering module is configured to cooperate with the control unit to compare the magnetic induction pulse signal absolute amplitude to a first threshold value, and to actively trim the magnetic induction pulse signal if the absolute amplitude is above the first threshold value.
  • the control unit is configured to implement a machine learning computational model, trained by machine learning, to trim the magnetic induction signal so as to attenuate or suppress secondary peaks of each magnetic induction pulse.
  • the power generating unit is configured to generate a periodical voltage signal composed of periodic voltage pulses of positive amplitude, a maximal amplitude of each voltage pulse provided at the output of said resistor(s) being comprised between 1mV and 10V.
  • the power generating unit is configured to generate a periodical voltage signal composed of periodic voltage impulses of triangular-truncated shape, so-called trapezoidal waveform.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates schematically a conventional electrostimulation device, configured to stimulate nervous cells and/or muscular fibers
  • FIG. 2 illustrates schematically the voltage signal profile and the corresponding magnetic field profile generated by an electrostimulation device as described with reference to figure 1;
  • FIG. 3 illustrates schematically a nervous and/or muscular electrostimulation device according to the invention
  • FIG. 4 illustrates schematically a voltage signal profile and a corresponding magnetic field profile generated by the electrostimulation device as described with reference to figure 3;
  • FIG. 5 represents schematically a nervous and/or muscular electrostimulation device according to a first embodiment
  • FIG. 6 represents schematically a nervous and/or muscular electrostimulation device according to a second embodiment
  • FIG. 7 represents schematically a trapezoidal waveform voltage signal and a corresponding magnetic signal profile according to an embodiment
  • FIG. 8 illustrates the effect of the filtering module on the magnetic field profile in an application.
  • Figure 1 illustrates schematically a conventional, prior art device 2 for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation.
  • the electrostimulation device 2 is represented in figure 1 as an electronic circuit, comprising an electric power generating unit 4, configured to generate an electrical signal as a periodic, pulsed, current and voltage, adaptively.
  • the pattern (also called profile) of the electrical signal is configured via a configuration unit (not shown).
  • the electrostimulation device 2 also comprises a resistor 6 and an inductor (e.g. a coil) 8, connected in series and powered by the electric power generating unit 4, of respective resistance R and inductance L.
  • the resistor 6 is used to control the intensity of the electric current circulating in the inductor 8, the inductor 8 generating a magnetic field having magnetic field lines F, depending on the electric current.
  • the values of the resistance R and of the inductance L are chosen so as to control the properties of the electromagnetic field which actually achieves the stimulation of the nerve cell N, situated in spatial proximity of the electrostimulation device 2.
  • the nerve cell N transmits the electromagnetic stimulation to the muscular fibers M.
  • a voltage periodic signal or voltage profile 20, comprising voltage periodic pulses V is represented in figure 2, in function of time, according to an arbitrary time unit.
  • FIG 2 is also represented a profile 22 of the induction magnetic field B-field generated by the inductor 8 when the electric power generating unit 4 generated a voltage signal of the voltage profile 20, the profile 22 being represented as the B-field amplitude in micro-Tesla (pT) in function of the time in seconds (s).
  • the magnetic field profile 22 is measured as a one-dimensional magnetic signal, comprising a plurality of periodic magnetic induction pulses 21 , also called train of pulses.
  • each of the magnetic induction pulses 21 actually comprises a main peak 24, which is the positive peak of highest amplitude, and several secondary peaks, corresponding to secondary oscillations of the magnetic induction signal 22, the oscillations comprising one or several positive secondary peaks 26 and one or several negative peaks 28.
  • FIG 3 represents schematically the functional elements of a device 30 for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation, also called electrostimulation device, according to the invention.
  • the electrostimulation device 30 (also called electromagnetic stimulation device) comprises an electronic circuit 32 configured to generate an electromagnetic field for stimulating nervous cells situated in the proximity of device 30, as already explained.
  • the term proximity indicates that the electrostimulation device 30 may be placed on a user’s skin on a part of the body, such as a leg, an arm etc or at a small distance, for example comprised between 1 cm to 50 cm from the user’s body.
  • the electrostimulation device 30 is for example packaged in a dedicated case (not shown).
  • the dedicated case is associated with a fixing element such as a strap, so as to facilitate it’s positioning on a chosen part of the user’s body, such as a leg or an arm or any located part of the peripheral nerve system.
  • a fixing element such as a strap
  • the electrostimulation device 30 further comprises a control unit 42, for example a microcontroller or a micro-processor, connected to the electronic circuit 32 and configured to control the functioning of electronic circuit 32.
  • the electrostimulation device 30 comprises a human-machine interface 44, which provides the possibility fora user to control some settings of the electrostimulation device or to monitor some features related to the functioning of the electrostimulation device 30, such as the duration of the electrostimulation.
  • the electrostimulation device 30 may also comprise a communication module for wireless communication with a distant device, so as to allow transmitting for example some data related to the usage of the electrostimulation device to the external device, and/or to allow receiving some settings from the external device.
  • the electronic circuit 32 comprises a power generating unit 34, configured to generate a periodical electric current and a periodical voltage, at least one resistor 36 and at least one inductor 38 connected in series and powered by the power generating unit 34.
  • the electronic circuit comprises one inductor 38, such as a coil.
  • the power generating unit 34 is for example configured to generated a periodic voltage signal having a period comprised between 1ms and 10ms.
  • the inductor or inductors 38 generate(s) a magnetic induction field, measured as a magnetic induction signal comprising a train of periodic magnetic induction pulses, also called magnetic pulses in the following description, having a given repetition period.
  • the resistor or resistors 36 have resistance values chosen so as to apply a voltage signal in the range of 1mV to 10V to the inductor or inductors 38.
  • the electronic components 34, 36, 38 are dimensioned so that each magnetic pulse has an intensity of less than 10 micro Tesla, a frequency lower than 1000 Hertz and a width lower than 100 milliseconds.
  • each pulse of the induced magnetic field also called magnetic induction pulse, comprises a main peak and a plurality of secondary peaks corresponding to secondary oscillations, the secondary oscillations being positive or negative.
  • the electronic circuit 32 further comprises a filtering module 40, connected to the inductor 38, which is configured to attenuate or suppress at least part of the secondary oscillations of each magnetic induction pulse.
  • all negative secondary oscillations are suppressed, so as to generate a magnetic field comprising only positive magnetic induction pulses.
  • the positive magnetic induction pulses stimulate more efficiently the nerves, such as the vagus, tonus and other nerves, at a small amplitude (or intensity) of the magnetic field.
  • the positive and negative secondary oscillations are attenuated or suppressed, so as to obtain a train of positive magnetic induction pulses, similar to a desired profile 45 of magnetic induction pulses shown in figure 4.
  • the voltage profile 20 is shown, corresponding to the periodic voltage signal generated by the power generating unit 34, comprising rectangular voltage pulses.
  • the voltage profile 20 comprises positive (or unipolar) voltage pulses, each voltage pulse raising abruptly, at a given instant f, from a minimal positive value, e.g. 0, to a positive peak value V D , the positive peak value V o of the voltage signal being controlled by the control unit 42, and then falls down abruptly to the minimal positive value, e.g. 0 , at instant t i+1 .
  • the duration (tj +1 -tj) is the duration of the voltage pulse, also called voltage pulse width.
  • the voltage pulse width is controllable with an accuracy of 1 microsecond in the electrostimulation device 30.
  • the filtering module 40 is configured to attenuate or suppress at least part to the secondary oscillations, so as to make the nervous stimulation more efficient, with minimized side effects on the users.
  • the filtering module 40 is a low pass filter, for example a passive low pass filter implemented as a resistorcapacitor filter shown in figure 5.
  • the corresponding values of resistance of the resistor 46 and of capacitance of the capacitor 48 are selected so as to achieve a given cut-off frequency, in order to suppress negative secondary oscillations of the magnitude pulses.
  • an active low-pass circuit may be applied.
  • cut-off frequency may be set, depending on the application envisaged, for example depending on the disease to treat by muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation. Typical examples of values of cut-off frequency are 100 Hz, 35 Hz, 10Hz, 7Hz, 3HZ, 1.3Hz.
  • a low cut-off frequency is desired.
  • the filtering module 40 is implemented by a high-frequency diode 45 connected in parallel with the inductor 38, the diode 45 conducting the positive current and blocking the negative current.
  • the anode of the diode 45 is connected to the resistance 36 and the cathode of the diode 45 is connected to the inductor 38.
  • the diode 45 is a semiconductor diode, which is able to operate at a high frequency, for example higher than 10KHz.
  • the filtering module 40 cooperates with the control unit 42 so as to implement an active filtering.
  • the filtering module 40 is implemented by a microcontroller.
  • the active filtering comprises, according to an embodiment, comparing the magnetic induction signal secondary oscillations within a comparator module, and actively trimming secondary oscillations if the magnetic induction pulse has an amplitude comprised, in absolute value, higher than a first, low, threshold value TH_min for example equal to 5% of B0 (amplitude of the main peak).
  • the active filtering actively trims all secondary oscillations of negative amplitude.
  • the filtering module 40 cooperates with the control unit 42, the control unit implementing a more sophisticated computational model, as for example a machine learning computational model, trained by machine learning, to trim the magnetic induction signal so as to attenuate or suppress secondary peaks of each magnetic induction pulse.
  • a more sophisticated computational model as for example a machine learning computational model, trained by machine learning
  • Such processing is adapted to the magnetic induction signal, and in particular to the amplitude and duration of magnetic induction pulse.
  • the electrostimulation device 30 is configured to generate different shape of voltage pulses, such as trapezoidal impulse as shown schematically in the representation of figure 7.
  • Each impulse 55 of the trapezoidal voltage waveform 54 of figure 7 has corresponding sides of slope chosen adequately, so as to minimize an abrupt change of voltage which induces negative secondary oscillations of the induction pulses of the magnetic field.
  • the slopes are defined by an angle a as shown in figure 7, with a comprised between 95° and 175°.
  • the aim is to obtain more easily a resulting magnetic field has a magnetic induction signal profile 56 as schematically represented in figure 7, comprising magnetic induction pulses 58 which comprise a main peak 57.
  • Figure 8 illustrates the effect of the filtering module on the magnetic field profile in an application.
  • the profile 60 is the profile of the induced magnetic field generated by the inductor before applying the filtering module 40
  • the profile 65 is the profile of the induced magnetic field generated by the inductor after applying the filtering module 40.
  • the profile 60 comprises secondary oscillations with peaks 64 of negative amplitude, higher than 1 pT in absolute value
  • the profile 65 after applying the filtering module comprises secondary oscillations with peaks 66 of negative amplitude lower than 0.5 pT in absolute value. Therefore, a strong attenuation of secondary negative peaks is reached. This strong attenuation can be controlled and minimized thanks to the filtering module 40.
  • the electromagnetic stimulation device 30 may be advantageously configured, via the control unit 42, to generate a periodic magnetic field according to one of the following predefined ranges: from 0,01 nT to 10 pT ; from 10 pT to 100 pT, from 100 to 1000 pT.
  • each of the ranges may be selectable via an external command sent to the control unit 42.
  • the proposed ranges are adapted for different applications, such as different types of stimulations for treating different diseases. Therefore, providing the possibility to select one of the ranges provides the possibility to adapt easily the electromagnetic stimulation device for a given application, without the need for a specialized operator to set the parameters.

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  • Biomedical Technology (AREA)
  • Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy & Molecular Imaging (AREA)
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Abstract

Device for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation This device (30) for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation is configured to generate an adaptive electromagnetic field, comprising an electronic circuit (32) comprising a power generating unit, configured to generate a periodical electric current and a periodical voltage, at least one resistor (36) and at least one inductor (38) connected in series and powered by said power generating unit, the at least one inductor (38) generating a magnetic field, measured as a magnetic induction signal comprising a train of periodic magnetic induction pulses, each magnetic induction pulse having an intensity of less than 10 micro Tesla, a frequency lower than 1000 Hertz and a pulse width lower than 100 milliseconds, and comprising a main peak and a plurality of secondary peaks corresponding to secondary oscillations, the device further comprising a filtering module (40) configured to attenuate or suppress at least part of the secondary oscillations of each magnetic induction pulse.

Description

Device for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a device for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation configured to generate and adaptive electromagnetic field.
The invention is in the field of healthcare using electrostimulation, and more particularly electrostimulation for nervous and/or muscular tissues via electromagnetic fields.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the field of healthcare using electrostimulation, it is known to provide devices for muscular electrostimulation, such devices generating controlled adaptive electrical pulses, which are applied to improve muscular tonus, or treat chronical pains in muscles.
The known electrostimulation devices present several drawbacks. One of the drawbacks is that they are bulky, and therefore limit the user’s (e.g. the patient) mobility, and also need specific parameters configuration. The use of such devices is limited to specific medical environments, and imply the presence of a specialist to correctly set the parameters for a given user. They cannot be used easily, on a regular basis, by users who may benefit from regular, daily treatment.
Furthermore, it is necessary to monitor the use of such electrostimulation devices in order to ensure that the applied electrostimulations are safe for the user.
There is a need for providing electrostimulation devices which are more compact, better adapted for being worn so as to favor user’s mobility, and that can be used safely, without adverse effects on the user, without the intervention of a specialist.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This and other objects are achieved by a device for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation, configured to generate an adaptive electromagnetic field comprising an electronic circuit, said electronic circuit comprising a power generating unit, configured to generate a periodical electric current and a periodical voltage, the electronic circuit further comprising at least one resistor and at least one inductor connected in series and powered by said power generating unit, said at least one inductor generating a magnetic field, measured as a magnetic induction signal comprising a train of periodic magnetic induction pulses, each magnetic pulse having an intensity of less than 10 micro Tesla, a frequency lower than 1000 Hertz and a pulse width lower than 100 milliseconds, each magnetic induction pulse comprising a main peak and a plurality of secondary peaks corresponding to secondary oscillations, the secondary oscillations being positive or negative.
Advantageously, the proposed electrostimulation device further comprises a filtering module configured to attenuate or suppress at least part of the secondary oscillations of each magnetic pulse, so as to render the electromagnetic field directed to the muscular and/or nervous parts more efficient.
According to an advantageous embodiment, the negative secondary oscillations are attenuated or suppressed.
The inventors found out that thanks to such filtering, it is possible to achieve a same effect of muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation with a magnetic field comprising pulses of lower intensity than using a conventional electrostimulation device. In other words, at the same pulse intensity, the electrostimulation with the proposed electrostimulation device is higher than the electrostimulation achieved with a conventional electrostimulation device. This is due to the fact that thanks to the filtering, the electrostimulation is more efficient, there is no loss of energy.
In embodiments of the invention, the device for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation according to the invention comprises one or more of the following features, considered alone or according to all technically possible combinations.
The filtering module is configured to attenuate or suppress the negative secondary oscillations of each magnetic induction pulse.
The filtering module is configured to attenuate or suppress the positive secondary oscillations of each magnetic induction pulse.
The filtering module is a passive or active low-pass filter.
The filtering module comprises a high-frequency diode connected in parallel with said inductor or inductors, the diode conducting the positive current and blocking the negative current.
The device comprises a control unit configured to control at least one parameter of the device.
The filtering module is configured to cooperate with the control unit to compare the magnetic induction pulse signal absolute amplitude to a first threshold value, and to actively trim the magnetic induction pulse signal if the absolute amplitude is above the first threshold value. The control unit is configured to implement a machine learning computational model, trained by machine learning, to trim the magnetic induction signal so as to attenuate or suppress secondary peaks of each magnetic induction pulse.
The power generating unit is configured to generate a periodical voltage signal composed of periodic voltage pulses of positive amplitude, a maximal amplitude of each voltage pulse provided at the output of said resistor(s) being comprised between 1mV and 10V.
The power generating unit is configured to generate a periodical voltage signal composed of periodic voltage impulses of triangular-truncated shape, so-called trapezoidal waveform.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, provided merely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 illustrates schematically a conventional electrostimulation device, configured to stimulate nervous cells and/or muscular fibers;
- Figure 2 illustrates schematically the voltage signal profile and the corresponding magnetic field profile generated by an electrostimulation device as described with reference to figure 1;
- Figure 3 illustrates schematically a nervous and/or muscular electrostimulation device according to the invention;
- Figure 4 illustrates schematically a voltage signal profile and a corresponding magnetic field profile generated by the electrostimulation device as described with reference to figure 3;
- Figure 5 represents schematically a nervous and/or muscular electrostimulation device according to a first embodiment;
- Figure 6 represents schematically a nervous and/or muscular electrostimulation device according to a second embodiment;
- Figure 7 represents schematically a trapezoidal waveform voltage signal and a corresponding magnetic signal profile according to an embodiment;
- Figure 8 illustrates the effect of the filtering module on the magnetic field profile in an application.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Figure 1 illustrates schematically a conventional, prior art device 2 for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation.
The electrostimulation device 2 is represented in figure 1 as an electronic circuit, comprising an electric power generating unit 4, configured to generate an electrical signal as a periodic, pulsed, current and voltage, adaptively. The pattern (also called profile) of the electrical signal is configured via a configuration unit (not shown). The electrostimulation device 2 also comprises a resistor 6 and an inductor (e.g. a coil) 8, connected in series and powered by the electric power generating unit 4, of respective resistance R and inductance L. The resistor 6 is used to control the intensity of the electric current circulating in the inductor 8, the inductor 8 generating a magnetic field having magnetic field lines F, depending on the electric current. The values of the resistance R and of the inductance L are chosen so as to control the properties of the electromagnetic field which actually achieves the stimulation of the nerve cell N, situated in spatial proximity of the electrostimulation device 2. The nerve cell N transmits the electromagnetic stimulation to the muscular fibers M.
A voltage periodic signal or voltage profile 20, comprising voltage periodic pulses V, is represented in figure 2, in function of time, according to an arbitrary time unit.
In figure 2 is also represented a profile 22 of the induction magnetic field B-field generated by the inductor 8 when the electric power generating unit 4 generated a voltage signal of the voltage profile 20, the profile 22 being represented as the B-field amplitude in micro-Tesla (pT) in function of the time in seconds (s). The magnetic field profile 22 is measured as a one-dimensional magnetic signal, comprising a plurality of periodic magnetic induction pulses 21 , also called train of pulses.
As noted by the inventors, each of the magnetic induction pulses 21 actually comprises a main peak 24, which is the positive peak of highest amplitude, and several secondary peaks, corresponding to secondary oscillations of the magnetic induction signal 22, the oscillations comprising one or several positive secondary peaks 26 and one or several negative peaks 28.
The inventors found out that the secondary oscillations and corresponding secondary peaks, and more particularly the negative secondary peaks, are not desirable and have an adverse effect on the efficiency of the electrostimulation device 2.
Figure 3 represents schematically the functional elements of a device 30 for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation, also called electrostimulation device, according to the invention. The electrostimulation device 30 (also called electromagnetic stimulation device) comprises an electronic circuit 32 configured to generate an electromagnetic field for stimulating nervous cells situated in the proximity of device 30, as already explained.
The term proximity indicates that the electrostimulation device 30 may be placed on a user’s skin on a part of the body, such as a leg, an arm etc or at a small distance, for example comprised between 1 cm to 50 cm from the user’s body.
The electrostimulation device 30 is for example packaged in a dedicated case (not shown).
According to an advantageous embodiment, the dedicated case is associated with a fixing element such as a strap, so as to facilitate it’s positioning on a chosen part of the user’s body, such as a leg or an arm or any located part of the peripheral nerve system.
The electrostimulation device 30 further comprises a control unit 42, for example a microcontroller or a micro-processor, connected to the electronic circuit 32 and configured to control the functioning of electronic circuit 32. Optionally, the electrostimulation device 30 comprises a human-machine interface 44, which provides the possibility fora user to control some settings of the electrostimulation device or to monitor some features related to the functioning of the electrostimulation device 30, such as the duration of the electrostimulation.
According to variants non represented, the electrostimulation device 30 may also comprise a communication module for wireless communication with a distant device, so as to allow transmitting for example some data related to the usage of the electrostimulation device to the external device, and/or to allow receiving some settings from the external device.
The electronic circuit 32 comprises a power generating unit 34, configured to generate a periodical electric current and a periodical voltage, at least one resistor 36 and at least one inductor 38 connected in series and powered by the power generating unit 34.
According to an embodiment, the electronic circuit comprises one inductor 38, such as a coil.
The power generating unit 34 is for example configured to generated a periodic voltage signal having a period comprised between 1ms and 10ms.
The inductor or inductors 38 generate(s) a magnetic induction field, measured as a magnetic induction signal comprising a train of periodic magnetic induction pulses, also called magnetic pulses in the following description, having a given repetition period. Advantageously, each inductor 38 has a flux concentrator so that B = /I0(H + M), where B is the magnetic induction, H is the magnetic excitation field and p0 is the vacuum magnetic permeability.
The resistor or resistors 36 have resistance values chosen so as to apply a voltage signal in the range of 1mV to 10V to the inductor or inductors 38.
The electronic components 34, 36, 38 are dimensioned so that each magnetic pulse has an intensity of less than 10 micro Tesla, a frequency lower than 1000 Hertz and a width lower than 100 milliseconds.
As shown in figure 2, for a given voltage profile of the periodic voltage signal provided by the power generating unit 34, the voltage profile comprising periodic rectangular pulses, each pulse of the induced magnetic field, also called magnetic induction pulse, comprises a main peak and a plurality of secondary peaks corresponding to secondary oscillations, the secondary oscillations being positive or negative.
The main peak is the peak of highest positive amplitude of the magnetic induction pulse. The secondary peaks have either positive or negative amplitude, of absolute value smaller than the amplitude of the main peak.
Advantageously, the electronic circuit 32 further comprises a filtering module 40, connected to the inductor 38, which is configured to attenuate or suppress at least part of the secondary oscillations of each magnetic induction pulse.
According to an embodiment, all negative secondary oscillations are suppressed, so as to generate a magnetic field comprising only positive magnetic induction pulses. Advantageously, the positive magnetic induction pulses stimulate more efficiently the nerves, such as the vagus, tonus and other nerves, at a small amplitude (or intensity) of the magnetic field.
According to an embodiment, the positive and negative secondary oscillations are attenuated or suppressed, so as to obtain a train of positive magnetic induction pulses, similar to a desired profile 45 of magnetic induction pulses shown in figure 4.
In figure 4, the voltage profile 20 is shown, corresponding to the periodic voltage signal generated by the power generating unit 34, comprising rectangular voltage pulses. The voltage profile 20 comprises positive (or unipolar) voltage pulses, each voltage pulse raising abruptly, at a given instant f, from a minimal positive value, e.g. 0, to a positive peak value VD, the positive peak value Vo of the voltage signal being controlled by the control unit 42, and then falls down abruptly to the minimal positive value, e.g. 0 , at instant ti+1. The duration (tj+1-tj) is the duration of the voltage pulse, also called voltage pulse width. Preferably, the voltage pulse width is controllable with an accuracy of 1 microsecond in the electrostimulation device 30. Similarly, the magnetic field profile 45 comprises magnetic induction pulses which are positive (or unipolar), of amplitude Bo during a duration Wo=t’i+i-t’i.
Advantageously, the filtering module 40 is configured to attenuate or suppress at least part to the secondary oscillations, so as to make the nervous stimulation more efficient, with minimized side effects on the users.
According to a first embodiment described in reference to figure 5, the filtering module 40 is a low pass filter, for example a passive low pass filter implemented as a resistorcapacitor filter shown in figure 5.
The corresponding values of resistance of the resistor 46 and of capacitance of the capacitor 48 are selected so as to achieve a given cut-off frequency, in order to suppress negative secondary oscillations of the magnitude pulses.
According to a variant, an active low-pass circuit may be applied.
Several values of cut-off frequency may be set, depending on the application envisaged, for example depending on the disease to treat by muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation. Typical examples of values of cut-off frequency are 100 Hz, 35 Hz, 10Hz, 7Hz, 3HZ, 1.3Hz.
For example, in the case the electrostimulation is applied during sleep of a user, a low cut-off frequency is desired.
According to a second embodiment as described in reference to figure 6, the filtering module 40 is implemented by a high-frequency diode 45 connected in parallel with the inductor 38, the diode 45 conducting the positive current and blocking the negative current. For example, the anode of the diode 45 is connected to the resistance 36 and the cathode of the diode 45 is connected to the inductor 38.
For example, the diode 45 is a semiconductor diode, which is able to operate at a high frequency, for example higher than 10KHz.
The first and second embodiments, described in reference to figures 5 and 6, may be combined so as to maximize the filtering efficiency.
According to other embodiments, the filtering module 40 cooperates with the control unit 42 so as to implement an active filtering.
According to variants, the filtering module 40 is implemented by a microcontroller.
The active filtering comprises, according to an embodiment, comparing the magnetic induction signal secondary oscillations within a comparator module, and actively trimming secondary oscillations if the magnetic induction pulse has an amplitude comprised, in absolute value, higher than a first, low, threshold value TH_min for example equal to 5% of B0 (amplitude of the main peak). According to a variant, the active filtering actively trims all secondary oscillations of negative amplitude.
According yet to other embodiments, the filtering module 40 cooperates with the control unit 42, the control unit implementing a more sophisticated computational model, as for example a machine learning computational model, trained by machine learning, to trim the magnetic induction signal so as to attenuate or suppress secondary peaks of each magnetic induction pulse. Such processing is adapted to the magnetic induction signal, and in particular to the amplitude and duration of magnetic induction pulse.
According to yet another embodiment, the electrostimulation device 30 is configured to generate different shape of voltage pulses, such as trapezoidal impulse as shown schematically in the representation of figure 7. Each impulse 55 of the trapezoidal voltage waveform 54 of figure 7 has corresponding sides of slope chosen adequately, so as to minimize an abrupt change of voltage which induces negative secondary oscillations of the induction pulses of the magnetic field. For example, the slopes are defined by an angle a as shown in figure 7, with a comprised between 95° and 175°.
The aim is to obtain more easily a resulting magnetic field has a magnetic induction signal profile 56 as schematically represented in figure 7, comprising magnetic induction pulses 58 which comprise a main peak 57.
In practice, the generated trapezoidal induction pulses of the magnetic field may still comprise some secondary oscillations. Therefore, any of the embodiments of the filtering module 40 previously described may be applied in combination with the generation of triangular truncated voltage pulses to improve the efficiency of the electromagnetic stimulation device 30.
Figure 8 illustrates the effect of the filtering module on the magnetic field profile in an application. The profile 60 is the profile of the induced magnetic field generated by the inductor before applying the filtering module 40, and the profile 65 is the profile of the induced magnetic field generated by the inductor after applying the filtering module 40. As it is apparent from the example of figure 8, the profile 60 comprises secondary oscillations with peaks 64 of negative amplitude, higher than 1 pT in absolute value, whereas the profile 65 after applying the filtering module comprises secondary oscillations with peaks 66 of negative amplitude lower than 0.5 pT in absolute value. Therefore, a strong attenuation of secondary negative peaks is reached. This strong attenuation can be controlled and minimized thanks to the filtering module 40.
The electromagnetic stimulation device 30 may be advantageously configured, via the control unit 42, to generate a periodic magnetic field according to one of the following predefined ranges: from 0,01 nT to 10 pT ; from 10 pT to 100 pT, from 100 to 1000 pT. For example, each of the ranges may be selectable via an external command sent to the control unit 42.
The proposed ranges are adapted for different applications, such as different types of stimulations for treating different diseases. Therefore, providing the possibility to select one of the ranges provides the possibility to adapt easily the electromagnetic stimulation device for a given application, without the need for a specialized operator to set the parameters.

Claims

1 Device (30) for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation, configured to generate an adaptive electromagnetic field, comprising an electronic circuit (32), said electronic circuit (32) comprising a power generating unit (34), configured to generate a periodical electric current and a periodical voltage, the electronic circuit (32) further comprising at least one resistor (36) and at least one inductor (38) connected in series and powered by said power generating unit (34), said at least one inductor (38) generating a magnetic field, measured as a magnetic induction signal comprising a train of periodic magnetic induction pulses, each magnetic pulse having an intensity of less than 10 micro Tesla, a frequency lower than 1000 Hertz and a pulse width lower than 100 milliseconds, each magnetic induction pulse comprising a main peak (24) and a plurality of secondary peaks (26, 28) corresponding to secondary oscillations, the secondary oscillations being positive or negative, the device (30) being characterized in that it further comprises a filtering module (40) configured to attenuate or suppress at least part of the secondary oscillations of each magnetic induction pulse.
2. Device according to claim 1 , wherein the filtering module (40) is configured to attenuate or suppress the negative secondary oscillations of each magnetic induction pulse.
3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the filtering module (40) is configured to attenuate or suppress the positive secondary oscillations of each magnetic induction pulse.
4. Device according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the filtering module (40) is a passive or active low-pass filter.
5. Device according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the filtering module (40) comprises a high-frequency diode (45) connected in parallel with said inductor or inductors (38), the diode (45) conducting the positive current and blocking the negative current.
6. Device according to any of claims 1 to 3, comprising a control unit (42) configured to control at least one parameter of the device.
7. Device according to claim 6, wherein the filtering module (40) is configured to cooperate with the control unit (42) to compare the magnetic induction pulse signal absolute amplitude to a first threshold value, and to actively trim the magnetic induction pulse signal if the absolute amplitude is above the first threshold value.
8. Device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit (42) is configured to implement a machine learning computational model, trained by machine learning, to trim the magnetic induction signal so as to attenuate or suppress secondary peaks of each magnetic induction pulse.
9. Device according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the power generating unit (34) is configured to generate a periodical voltage signal composed of periodic voltage pulses of positive amplitude, a maximal amplitude of each voltage pulse provided at the output of said resistor(s) being comprised between 1 mV and 10V.
10. Device according to claim 9, wherein the power generating unit (34) is configured to generate a periodical voltage signal composed of periodic voltage impulses (55) of triangular-truncated shape, so-called trapezoidal waveform.
PCT/EP2025/059448 2024-04-08 2025-04-07 Device for muscular and/or nervous electrostimulation Pending WO2025214948A1 (en)

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Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3925878A1 (en) * 1989-08-04 1991-02-07 Kastl Electronic Gmbh & Co Kg Pulsed magnetic field therapy system - reduces magnetic field as attenuated oscillation at frequency corresp. to physiological harmonic or contg. it
US20060187607A1 (en) * 2003-03-31 2006-08-24 Seung-Kee Mo Apparatus and method for creating pulse magnetic stimulation having modulation function
WO2008127011A2 (en) * 2007-04-12 2008-10-23 Seung Young Lee A low frequency magnetic physical treatment device using shumann resonance frequency, water molecule resonance frequency and brain waves as the important treatment information

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3925878A1 (en) * 1989-08-04 1991-02-07 Kastl Electronic Gmbh & Co Kg Pulsed magnetic field therapy system - reduces magnetic field as attenuated oscillation at frequency corresp. to physiological harmonic or contg. it
US20060187607A1 (en) * 2003-03-31 2006-08-24 Seung-Kee Mo Apparatus and method for creating pulse magnetic stimulation having modulation function
WO2008127011A2 (en) * 2007-04-12 2008-10-23 Seung Young Lee A low frequency magnetic physical treatment device using shumann resonance frequency, water molecule resonance frequency and brain waves as the important treatment information

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