Non-Invasive Nerve Activator with Adaptive Circuit

Abstract

A topical nerve activation patch includes a flexible substrate, a dermis conforming bottom surface of the substrate comprising adhesive and adapted to contact a dermis of a user, a flexible top outer surface of the substrate approximately parallel to the bottom surface, a plurality of electrodes positioned on the patch proximal to the bottom surface and located beneath the top outer surface and coupled to the flexible substrate, a power source, and electronic circuitry that generates an output voltage applied to the electrodes. The electronic circuitry includes a controller, a voltage monitoring circuit coupled to the controller, a current monitoring circuit coupled to the controller, a switch coupled to the controller and a boosted voltage circuit coupled to the switch and the power source.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A topical nerve activation patch comprising:
 a flexible substrate;   a dermis conforming bottom surface of the substrate comprising adhesive and adapted to contact a dermis of a user;   a flexible top outer surface of the substrate;   a plurality of electrodes positioned on the patch and located beneath the top outer surface and coupled to the flexible substrate, the plurality of electrodes configured to apply a stimulation waveform to the user for a nerve activation treatment;   a processor;   a power source; and   electronic circuitry embedded in the patch and located beneath the top outer surface and coupled to the flexible substrate, the electronic circuitry comprising a charge measurement circuit coupled to the controller and configured to measure a level of charge delivered to the user when the stimulation waveform is applied by the electrodes.   
     
     
         2 . The topical nerve activation patch of  claim 1 , the plurality of electrodes configured to apply the stimulation waveform to the user in response to an output voltage being applied to the electrodes, the controller configured to adjust an amount of the output voltage based on the measured level of charge. 
     
     
         3 . The topical nerve activation patch of  claim 2 , the nerve activation treatment comprising a sequence of periodic pulses, each pulse comprising treatment parameters. 
     
     
         4 . The topical nerve activation patch of  claim 3 , the treatment parameters comprising one or more of strength, duration or frequency. 
     
     
         5 . The topical nerve activation patch of  claim 4 , the adjusting the amount of the output voltage based on the measured level of charge comprises an acquisition phase when the nerve activation treatment is started or the treatment parameters are changed, and a reproduction phase. 
     
     
         6 . The topical nerve activation patch of  claim 2 , the processor and the electronic circuitry configured to, during the nerve activation treatment:
 determine a target charge level;   output a series of pulses from the electrodes;   for each pulse outputted, measure a charge value of the pulse and compare the charge value to the target charge level;   if the charge value is greater than the target charge level, reduce a strength level of a subsequent outputted pulse; and   if the charge value is less than the target charge level, increase the strength level of a subsequent outputted pulse.   
     
     
         7 . The topical nerve activation patch of  claim 6 , in which determining the target charge level Q target    comprises generating an acquisition series of pulses and   
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   Q 
                   target 
                 
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                       T 
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                        
                       f 
                     
                   
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                       Q 
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               , 
             
           
         
         where T is a duration of the acquisition series of pulses, f is a frequency of the acquisition series of pulses and Q pulse (i) is a measured charge of each of the acquisition series of pulses. 
       
     
     
         8 . The topical nerve activation patch of  claim 1 , the charge measurement circuit comprising a differential integrator, the measured level of charge based on an output of the differential integrator. 
     
     
         9 . The topical nerve activation patch of  claim 2 , electronic circuitry further comprising a voltage monitoring circuit and the processor further configured to control a level of the output voltage based on a measurement of voltage from a voltage monitoring circuit. 
     
     
         10 . The topical nerve activation patch of  claim 9 , the level of the output voltage controlled by setting a one or more pulses of a pulse width modulation generated by a switch, the setting controlling a ramp rate of the output voltage. 
     
     
         11 . A method of activating a nerve of a user for a nerve activation treatment, the method comprising:
 attaching to the user a topical nerve activation patch, the patch comprising:
 a flexible substrate; 
 a dermis conforming bottom surface of the substrate comprising adhesive and adapted to contact a dermis of a user; 
 a flexible top outer surface of the substrate; 
 a plurality of electrodes positioned on the patch and located beneath the top outer surface and coupled to the flexible substrate; 
 a processor; 
 a power source; and 
 electronic circuitry embedded in the patch and located beneath the top outer surface and coupled to the flexible substrate, the electronic circuitry comprising a charge measurement circuit coupled to the controller; 
   generating, via the plurality of electrodes, a stimulation waveform that is applied to the user for a nerve activation treatment; and   measuring a level of charge delivered to the user when the stimulation waveform is applied by the electrodes.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , the plurality of electrodes configured to apply the stimulation waveform to the user in response to an output voltage being applied to the electrodes, further comprising adjusting an amount of the output voltage based on the measured level of charge. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , the nerve activation treatment comprising a sequence of periodic pulses, each pulse comprising treatment parameters. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , the treatment parameters comprising one or more of strength, duration or frequency. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , the adjusting the amount of the output voltage based on the measured level of charge comprises an acquisition phase when the nerve activation treatment is started or the treatment parameters are changed, and a reproduction phase. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 determining a target charge level;   outputting a series of pulses from the electrodes;   for each pulse outputted, measuring a charge value of the pulse and compare the charge value to the target charge level;   if the charge value is greater than the target charge level, reducing a strength level of a subsequent outputted pulse; and   if the charge value is less than the target charge level, increasing the strength level of a subsequent outputted pulse.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , the determining the target charge level Q target  comprises generating an acquisition series of pulses and 
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   Q 
                   target 
                 
                 = 
                 
                   
                     ∑ 
                     
                       i 
                       = 
                       1 
                     
                     
                       T 
                        
                       
                           
                       
                       * 
                       
                           
                       
                        
                       f 
                     
                   
                    
                   
                       
                   
                    
                   
                     
                       Q 
                       pulse 
                     
                      
                     
                       ( 
                       i 
                       ) 
                     
                   
                 
               
               , 
             
           
         
         where T is a duration of the acquisition series of pulses, f is a frequency of the acquisition series of pulses and Q pulse  (i) is a measured charge of each of the acquisition series of pulses. 
       
     
     
         18 . A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to activate a nerve of a user for a nerve activation treatment via a topical nerve activation patch, the patch comprising a flexible substrate, a dermis conforming bottom surface of the substrate comprising adhesive and adapted to contact a dermis of a user, a flexible top outer surface of the substrate, a plurality of electrodes positioned on the patch and located beneath the top outer surface and coupled to the flexible substrate, a processor, a power source, and electronic circuitry embedded in the patch and located beneath the top outer surface and coupled to the flexible substrate, the electronic circuitry comprising a charge measurement circuit coupled to the controller, the nerve activation treatment comprising:
 generating, via the plurality of electrodes, a stimulation waveform that is applied to the user for a nerve activation treatment; and   measuring a level of charge delivered to the user when the stimulation waveform is applied by the electrodes.   
     
     
         19 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 18 , the plurality of electrodes configured to apply the stimulation waveform to the user in response to an output voltage being applied to the electrodes, further comprising adjusting an amount of the output voltage based on the measured level of charge. 
     
     
         20 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 18 , the nerve activation treatment comprising a sequence of periodic pulses, each pulse comprising treatment parameters, the treatment parameters comprising one or more of strength, duration or frequency, and the adjusting the amount of the output voltage based on the measured level of charge comprises an acquisition phase when the nerve activation treatment is started or the treatment parameters are changed, and a reproduction phase.