| CPC A61F 2/50 (2013.01) [A61B 5/377 (2021.01); A61B 5/6811 (2013.01); A61F 2/72 (2013.01); A61N 1/3606 (2013.01); A61F 2002/608 (2013.01); A61F 2/68 (2013.01); A61F 2/70 (2013.01)] | 13 Claims |
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1. A system for modulating nerve activation in a residual limb of an amputee, comprising a liner that comprises an array of electrodes and a cover that comprises an array of sensors, wherein:
the liner is configured to receive the residual limb such that each electrode of the array of electrodes is in electrical communication with the residual limb;
each electrode of the array of electrodes is a paired electrode that is paired with at least two other electrodes of the array of electrodes such that, when the array of electrodes is in electrical communication with the residual limb, then each paired electrode can (1) transmit electrical current through the residual limb both to a first negative electrode with which the paired electrode is paired and, independently, to a second negative electrode with which the paired electrode is paired and/or (2) receive electrical current through the residual limb from both a first positive electrode with which the paired electrode is paired and, independently, from a second positive electrode with which the paired electrode is paired;
the array of electrodes is configured such that transmitting and receiving electrical current through the residual limb stimulates nerve fibers in the residual limb;
the cover is configured to overlay an outer surface of a prosthesis;
the array of electrodes is in communication with the array of sensors such that two or more electrodes are activated in response to sensing by one or more sensors;
the system is configured such that when (1) the two or more electrodes are activated and (2) the two or more electrodes are in electrical communication with the residual limb, then one activated electrode of the activated two or more electrodes transmits electrical current though the residual limb and another activated electrode of the activated two or more electrodes receives the electrical current that is transmitted through the residual limb;
each sensor of the array of sensors is configured to sense one or both of force and pressure;
each electrode of the array of electrodes is a stimulating electrode that is configured to transmit and/or receive electrical current that stimulates Aβ nerve fibers in the residual limb when the stimulating electrode is in electrical communication with the residual limb;
each sensor of the array of sensors is a corresponding sensor that corresponds to at least two reciprocal electrodes of the array of electrodes, and each electrode of the array of electrodes is a corresponding electrode that corresponds to at least one reciprocal sensor of the array of sensors;
each corresponding sensor corresponds to a reciprocal electrode of the at least two reciprocal electrodes when the corresponding sensor is in communication with the reciprocal electrode such that the reciprocal electrode will transmit or receive electrical current to or from the residual limb when both the corresponding sensor senses force or pressure and the reciprocal electrode is in electrical communication with the residual limb;
each corresponding electrode corresponds to a reciprocal sensor of the at least one reciprocal sensor when the reciprocal sensor is in communication with the corresponding electrode such that the corresponding electrode will transmit or receive electrical current to or from the residual limb when both the reciprocal sensor senses force or pressure and the corresponding electrode is in electrical communication with the residual limb;
the array of sensors has a sensor three-dimensional configuration relative to the cover;
the array of electrodes has an electrode three-dimensional configuration relative to the liner;
each sensor of the array of sensors has a sensor relative position in the sensor three-dimensional configuration relative to every other sensor of the array of sensors;
each electrode of the array of electrodes has an electrode relative position in the electrode three-dimensional configuration relative to every other electrode of the array of electrodes;
the system comprises sensor-electrode pairs that each consist of a paired one or more sensors of the array of sensors and a paired two or more electrodes of the array of electrodes such that each sensor of the paired one or more sensors corresponds to each electrode of the paired two or more electrodes;
the sensor relative position of each sensor of a sensor-electrode pair within the sensor three-dimensional configuration correlates with the electrode relative position of each electrode of the same sensor-electrode pair within the electrode three-dimensional configuration;
each sensor of the array of sensors is a linked sensor in communication with a linked two or more electrodes of the array of electrodes such that the linked two or more electrodes are configured to transmit and receive electrical current through the residual limb when each of (1) the linked sensor senses force or pressure; (2) the linked two or more electrodes are in electrical communication with the residual limb; and (3) the prosthesis is detached from the residual limb;
the system comprises a secondary controller in wireless communication with the array of electrodes such that the secondary controller can bypass the array of sensors to cause each electrode of the array of electrodes to transmit or receive electrical current to or from the residual limb when the array of electrodes is in electrical communication with the residual limb;
the electrical current is pulsed electrical current;
the pulsed electrical current has a pulse frequency at least 20 and up to 180 pulses per second, a pulse width of up to 100 microseconds, and an amplitude of up to 100 milliamps;
the cover is configured to attach to outer surfaces of different prostheses that have a variety of different shapes, and the cover is configured to adapt to the variety of different shapes such that each sensor relative position remains constant for the variety of different shapes;
the sensors of the array of sensors comprise three, four, five, six, seven, or eight of an anterior-proximal sensor, an anterior-distal sensor, a lateral-proximal sensor, a lateral-distal sensor, a posterior-proximal sensor, a posterior-distal sensor, a medial-proximal sensor, and a medial-distal sensor;
the electrodes of the array of electrodes comprise three, four, five, six, seven, or eight of an anterior-proximal electrode, an anterior-distal electrode, a lateral-proximal electrode, a lateral-distal electrode, a posterior-proximal electrode, a posterior-distal electrode, a medial-proximal electrode, and a medial-distal electrode;
the sensor-electrode pairs comprise three, four, five, six, seven, or eight of an anterior-proximal pair that comprises the anterior-proximal sensor and the anterior-proximal electrode, an anterior-distal pair that comprises the anterior-distal sensor and the anterior-distal electrode, a lateral-proximal pair that comprises the lateral-proximal sensor and the lateral-proximal electrode, a lateral-distal pair that comprises the lateral-distal sensor and the lateral-distal electrode, a posterior-proximal pair that comprises the posterior-proximal sensor and the posterior-proximal electrode, a posterior-distal pair that comprises the posterior-distal sensor and the posterior-distal electrode, a medial-proximal pair that comprises the medial-proximal sensor and the medial-proximal electrode, and a medial-distal pair that comprises the medial-distal sensor and the medial-distal electrode;
the array of electrodes comprises at least one ring of electrodes, wherein a ring of electrodes consists of four or more electrodes of the array of electrodes that are each paired with exactly two other electrodes of the ring of electrodes;
the system comprises an electrode controller in electrical communication with each electrode of the array of electrodes;
the electrode controller is configured to control whether each electrode of the array of electrodes that can transmit electrical current transmits the electrical current through the residual limb to one or both of a first paired negative electrode and a second paired negative electrode; and
the electrode controller is configured to control whether each electrode of the array of electrodes that can receive electrical current receives the electrical current from one or both of a first paired positive electrode and a second paired positive electrode.
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