Second Sight Medical Products, Inc.

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Geoffrey M Boynton

Ione Fine

Robert Jay Greenberg

Alan Matthew Horsager

Mark Salman Humayun

Matthew J McMahon

Scott Greenwald

The present invention is a visual prosthesis for stimulating visual neurons to create the perception of light. The visual prosthesis electrically stimulating the retina with implanted electrodes exhibits interaction between electrodes stimulated closely together in both space and time. The visual prosthesis of the present invention includes means for determining a minimum distance at which spatiotemporal interactions occur, determining a minimum time at which spatiotemporal interactions occur, and avoiding stimulation of electrodes within the minimum distance during the minimum time. The minimum are ideally established for each individual patient. Alternatively, approximate minimums have been established by the applicants at 2 mm and 1.8 milliseconds.

Multi-electrode integration in a visual prosthesis

The present invention is a method of stimulating visual neurons to create the perception of light. A visual prosthesis electrically stimulating the retina with implanted electrodes exhibits interaction between electrodes stimulated closely together in both space and time. The method of the present invention includes determining a minimum distance at which spatiotemporal interactions occur, determining a minimum time at which spatiotemporal interactions occur, and avoiding stimulation of electrodes within the minimum distance during the minimum time. The minimum are ideally established for each individual patient. Alternatively, approximate minimums have been established by the applicants at 2 mm and 1.8 &#x3bc;sec.

An apparatus and method for retinal stimulation are shown. The method comprises varied parameters, including frequency, pulse width, and pattern of pulse trains to determine a stimulation pattern and neural perception threshold, and creating a model based on the neural perception thresholds to optimize patterns of neural stimulation.

Apparatus and method for electrical stimulation of human neurons

An apparatus and method for retinal stimulation are shown. The method comprises varied parameters, including frequency, pulse width, and pattern of pulse trains to determine a stimulation pattern and visual perception threshold.

Apparatus and method for electrical stimulation of human retina

A method for determining if a first pixel and a second pixel belong to a same surface includes: determining a spatial-difference value for the first pixel and the second pixel; determining one or more vision-difference values for the first pixel and the second pixel; determining, from the spatial-difference value, an initial same-surface probability value for if the first pixel and the second pixel belong to the same surface; determining, from the one or more vision-difference values, a first vision-difference probability value for if the first pixel and the second pixel belong to the same surface; determining, from the spatial-difference value and the one or more vision-difference values, a second vision-difference probability value; determining, from the initial same-surface probability value, the first vision-difference probability value and the second vision-difference probability value, an improved same-surface probability value for if the first pixel and the second pixel belong to the same surface.

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Geoffrey M Boynton