Second Sight Medical Products, Inc.

Cortigent, Inc.

Other

Doheny Eye Institute

Second Sight Products, Inc.

Neil Hamilton Talbot

Robert Jay Greenberg

Jordan M Neysmith

James Singleton Little

Jerry Ok

Brian V Mech

Kelly Hobart McClure

David Daomin Zhou

Dao Min Zhou

Alfred E Mann

Da-Yu Chang

Rongqing Dai

Dau Min Zhou

Mark Salman Humayun

Qingfang Yao

Kevin Wilkin

Dustin Tobey

Boozarjomehr Faraji

Kevin Jun Ha

Matthew J McMahon

Jack W Judy

Dilek Guven

Andy Hung

Proyag Datta

Gaillard R Nolan

Karl-Heinz Ihrig

DaoMin Zhou

Avraham I Caspi

Jessy D Dorn

Honggang Jiang

Francesco Merlini

Fatima Anaflous

Gregoire Cosendai

Eugene De Juan, Jr

Satinderpall Singh Pannu

James Courtney Davidson

Lucien D Laude

Phillipe John Tabada

Jordan Matthew Nevsmith

Andrew Sha

Kevin Wilkins

Boon-Khai Ng

Brianna Thielen

Mohamed Khaldi

Deborah Sigel

Jianing Wei

Richard Agustin Castro

Rajat N Agrawal

Anne Marie Ripley

Melody Tabada, Legal Representative

Robert J Greenburg

Thomas Lauritzen

Anne-Marie De Merlier Ripley

Gailland R Nolan

Jessy Dorn

The present invention is a cortical visual prosthesis. The cortical visual prosthesis includes an implanted portion and an external portion. The implanted portion includes an implanted coil, electronics package, and a plurality of electrodes adapted to stimulate neural tissue. The implanted coil transfers power and data to the electronics package and the electronics package drives the electrodes. The external portion includes a video processor and a pair of glasses adapted to be supported by a user's nose and ears. The glasses include a support adapted to hold an external coil in close proximity to the implanted coil when implanted; the external coil supplies power and data to the implanted coil.

Visual cortical prosthesis

A method for manufacturing a flexible circuit electrode array, comprising: A layer of polymer is laid down. A layer of metal is applied to the polymer and patterned to create electrodes and leads for those electrodes. A second layer of polymer is applied over the metal layer and patterned to leave openings for the electrodes, or openings are created later by means such as laser ablation. Hence the array and its supply cable are formed of a single body. Alternatively, multiple alternating layers of metal and polymer may be applied to obtain more metal traces within a given width. The method provides an excellent adhesion between the polymer base layer and the polymer top layer and insulation of the trace metals and electrodes.

Flexible circuit electrode array and method of manufacturing the same

A peripheral nerve stimulator configured as a flexible circuit to stimulate or block the operation of a nerve or nerve bundle, including electrode array, cable and bond pad portions connected to an electronics package. The electrode array is configured for peripheral nerve modulation and may be curved cylindrically to encompass a nerve. A cylindrical curve can be imparted through thermoforming or by applying a stretchable polymer. The stretchable polymer places the electrode array portion into a cylinder when the electrode array portion is in a relaxed position. The electronics package includes low profile, stacked thin chip electronic components that are tunable in-situ, requiring less vertical and lateral space than stacked passives. The thin chip components may be high density trench capacitors, metal-on-semiconductor capacitors positioned on an integrated circuit chip. The thin chip components may include metal-insulator-metal capacitors having a tunable capacitance value and/or may be a binary capacitor array.

Flexible circuit peripheral nerve stimulator with low profile hybrid assembly

The present invention is a system for detecting, tracking and recognizing human faces in a visual prosthesis. In a visual prosthesis, the input camera is always higher resolution than the electrode array providing percepts to the subject. It is advantageous to detect, track and recognize human faces. This information can be provided to the subject by highlighting the face in the visual scene, providing auditor or vibratory notice that a human face is in the visual scene, looking up the face in a database to identify and annunciate the name of the person in the visual scene, or otherwise communicate the identity of the person, like providing a custom vibratory pattern corresponding to known individuals (like custom ring tones associated with caller ID) or automatically zooming in on a face to aid the subject in identifying the face.

Face detection tracking and recognition for a visual prosthesis

Electrode arrays for biological implants are disclosed. The present disclosure provides array designs for improving apposition (reducing the space between the array and neural tissue). The present disclosure also provides electrode array designs that can be made approximately spherical to increase the field of view of a visual prosthesis while still maintaining good apposition to neural tissue.

Electrode array

Polymer materials are useful as electrode array bodies for neural stimulation. They are particularly useful for retinal stimulation to create artificial vision, cochlear stimulation to create artificial hearing, or cortical stimulation many purposes. The pressure applied against the retina, or other neural tissue, by an electrode array is critical. Too little pressure causes increased electrical resistance, along with electric field dispersion. Too much pressure may block blood flow. Common flexible circuit fabrication techniques generally require that a flexible circuit electrode array be made flat. Since neural tissue is almost never flat, a flat array will necessarily apply uneven pressure. Further, the edges of a flexible circuit polymer array may be sharp and cut the delicate neural tissue. By applying the right amount of heat to a completed array, a curve can be induced. With a thermoplastic polymer it may be further advantageous to repeatedly heat the flexible circuit in multiple molds, each with a decreasing radius. Further, it is advantageous to add material along the edges. It is further advantageous to provide a fold or twist in the flexible circuit array. Additional material may be added inside and outside the fold to promote a good seal with tissue.

Flexible circuit electrode array

An implantable device having a biocompatible hermetic package made from a biocompatible electrically non-conductive substrate and a cover bonded to the substrate. In integrated circuit and passive circuits all bonded directly to the substrate.

Package for an implantable neural stimulation device

The present invention is a system for detecting, tracking and recognizing human faces in a visual prosthesis. In a visual prosthesis, the input camera is always higher resolution than the electrode array providing percepts to the subject. It is advantageous to detect, track and recognize human faces. Then information can be provided to the subject by highlighting the face in the visual scene, providing auditor or vibratory notice that a human face is in the visual scene, looking up the face in a database to state the name of the person in the visual scene, otherwise communication id like providing a custom vibratory pattern corresponding to known individuals (like custom ring tones associated with caller ID) or automatically zooming in on a face to aid the subject in identifying the face.

The present invention is a flexible circuit electrode array for neural stimulation including a polymer base layer, a metal trace layer on the polymer base layer, and a polymer top layer on the metal traces layer, where the metal trace layer forms at least one electrode made of multiple smaller common electrodes connected by electrical traces.

Aggregate electrode for neural stimulation

Electrode arrays for biological implants are disclosed, particularly for stimulating a retina. The present disclosure provides array for improving apposition (reducing the space between the array and the retina. The present disclosure also provides electrode array designs that can be made approximately spherical to increase the field of view of a visual prosthesis while still maintaining good apposition.

Electrode arrays for a visual prosthesis

A method for manufacturing a flexible circuit electrode array adapted to electrically communicate with organic tissue including the following steps:

A flexible circuit electrode array with more than one layer of metal traces comprising: a polymer base layer; more than one layer of metal traces, separated by polymer layers, deposited on the polymer base layer, including electrodes suitable to stimulate neural tissue; and a polymer top layer deposited on the polymer base layer and the metal traces. Polymer materials are useful as electrode array bodies for neural stimulation. They are particularly useful for retinal stimulation to create artificial vision, cochlear stimulation to create artificial hearing, or cortical stimulation many purposes. The pressure applied against the retina, or other neural tissue, by an electrode array is critical. Too little pressure causes increased electrical resistance, along with electric field dispersion. Too much pressure may block blood flow.

The disclosure relates to a flexible circuit electrode array comprising: a polymer base layer; metal traces deposited on said polymer base layer, including electrodes suitable to stimulate neural tissue; a polymer top layer deposited on said polymer base layer and said metal traces; and at least one support embedded in said array. The disclosure further relates to a flexible circuit electrode array comprising: a polymer base layer; metal traces deposited on said polymer base layer, including electrodes suitable to stimulate neural tissue; a polymer top layer deposited on said polymer base layer and said metal traces; and a folded flexible circuit cable connecting the electrode array with an interconnection pad. The disclosure further relates to a method of making a flexible circuit electrode array comprising: depositing a polymer base layer; depositing metal on said polymer base layer; patterning said metal to form metal traces; depositing a polymer top layer on said polymer base layer and said metal traces; heating said flexible circuit electrode array in a mold to form a three dimensional shape in said flexible circuit electrode array, embedding a support at least in the base layer, top layer or between the base and top layer, and/or folding a flexible circuit cable at least once connecting the electrode array with an interconnection pad on the array.

Flexible circuit electrode array with wire or film support

The present invention is a flexible circuit electrode array with a polymer base layer, metal traces deposited on the polymer base layer, including electrodes suitable to stimulate neural tissue, a polymer top layer deposited on the polymer base layer and the metal traces, and a soft polymer filling a void through both the polymer base layer and polymer top layer, the soft polymer forming drum stress relief around an attachment point.

Flexible circuit electrode array with a drum stress relief

The invention is directed to a method of bonding a hermetically sealed electronics package to an electrode or a flexible circuit and the resulting electronics package that is suitable for implantation in living tissue, for a retinal or cortical electrode array to enable restoration of sight to certain non-sighted individuals. The hermetically sealed electronics package is directly bonded to the flex circuit or electrode by electroplating a biocompatible material, such as platinum or gold, effectively forming a plated rivet-shaped connection, which bonds the flex circuit to the electronics package. The resulting electronic device is biocompatible and is suitable for long-term implantation in living tissue.

Biocompatible bonding method and electronics package suitable for implantation

Growing community of inventors

La Crescenta, CA, United States of America

Neil Hamilton Talbot