KR102512499B1 - Wireless Earphone with Vagus Nerve Stimulation Function - Google Patents

Abstract

A wireless earphone having a vagus nerve stimulation function according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an earphone unit inserted into an ear hole of a user; an electrode unit protruding from one side of the earphone unit and contacting an inner part of the user's auricle (cymba conchae); and a controller that controls nerve stimulation applied to the user by the electrode unit, wherein the controller performs at least one of initial settings for nerve stimulation, adjustment of nerve stimulation, and feedback according to the user's state check.

Description

Wireless Earphone with Vagus Nerve Stimulation Function {Wireless Earphone with Vagus Nerve Stimulation Function}

The present application relates to wireless earphones having a vagus nerve stimulation function.

The vagus nerve, one of the 12 cranial nerves, is a complex peripheral nerve that starts in the brain and extends from the brain through the neck and chest to the abdomen. It regulates body functions such as heart rhythm, body temperature, and blood pressure.

The vagus nerve stimulator can be used to maintain the homeostasis of the human body through the activation of the parasympathetic nerve, and can be used, for example, to treat conditions such as epilepsy, seizure, migraine, and stroke.

However, existing vagus nerve stimulators are mainly implemented as invasive stimulators requiring surgery, and their use is limited due to patients' reluctance.

Meanwhile, a device for non-invasively stimulating the vagus nerve to activate the parasympathetic nerve has also been developed. For example, non-invasive stimulators such as gammaCore that stimulates the vagus nerve by placing it on the neck and NEMOS that stimulates the vagus nerve by wired connection and fixation to the ear are typical examples.

However, these devices have disadvantages in that they are inconvenient to use because they must be held by the user at all times or require a wired terminal.

Therefore, a new type of device capable of stimulating the vagus nerve more conveniently and non-invasively is required in the art.

In order to solve the above problems, one embodiment of the present invention provides a wireless earphone having a vagus nerve stimulation function.

The wireless earphone having the vagus nerve stimulation function includes an earphone unit inserted into the user's ear hole; an electrode unit protruding from one side of the earphone unit and contacting an inner part of the user's auricle (cymba conchae); and a controller that controls nerve stimulation applied to the user by the electrode unit, wherein the controller performs at least one of initial settings for nerve stimulation, adjustment of nerve stimulation, and feedback according to the user's state check.

In addition, the solution to the above problem does not enumerate all the features of the present invention. Various features of the present invention and the advantages and effects thereof will be understood in more detail with reference to specific embodiments below.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the vagus nerve can be stimulated more conveniently and non-invasively by wearing a stimulator implemented in the form of a wireless earphone.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a device for stimulating the vagus nerve wirelessly according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a wireless earphone having a vagus nerve stimulation function according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a view illustrating examples of viewing the wireless earphone shown in FIG. 2 from various angles.
4 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a wireless earphone having a vagus nerve stimulation function according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a view showing examples of the wireless earphone shown in FIG. 4 viewed from various angles.
6 is a block diagram of a wireless earphone having a vagus nerve stimulation function according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating the wireless earphone shown in FIG. 6 .

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily practice the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, in describing a preferred embodiment of the present invention in detail, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. In addition, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings for parts having similar functions and actions.

In addition, throughout the specification, when a part is said to be 'connected' to another part, this is not only the case where it is 'directly connected', but also the case where it is 'indirectly connected' with another element in between. include In addition, 'including' a certain component means that other components may be further included, rather than excluding other components unless otherwise stated.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a device for stimulating the vagus nerve wirelessly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a smart device (eg, a portable terminal, etc.) 110 possessed by a user may be connected to a stimulator 140 through wireless communication 120, and through this, parameters for vagus nerve stimulation may be set. adjustment or stimulation-related data (eg, stimulation history data, etc.) may be transmitted (130). Here, the main parameters for stimulation include stimulation intensity (Amplitude), pulse width (width), and frequency (rate), and electrical signals are generated according to these values, so that stimulation suitable for the desired purpose can be applied to the human body. . In addition, a dedicated application for interworking with the stimulator 140 may be installed in the smart device 110, and the operation of the stimulator 140 may be controlled through the dedicated application.

In addition, the wireless communication 120 may be implemented with a low-power short-range communication technology such as, for example, Bluetooth Low Energy, and through this, control of the stimulator 140, data communication, and streaming functions may be performed. there is.

Meanwhile, the stimulator 140 may be implemented in a form wearable on the user's ear, such as a wireless earphone, and may non-invasively stimulate the vagus nerve by contacting the cymba conchae 10 to which the vagus nerve is connected. . As such, the stimulator 140 may be held by the user or fixed to the user's ear without a separate terminal connected by wire to stimulate the vagus nerve.

In addition, the stimulator 140 may be connected to the smart device 110 through wireless communication 120 to support an audio streaming function.

In addition, the stimulator 140 may additionally include a function of measuring a biosignal such as a user's heart rate, and the measurement data may be transmitted to the smart device 110 through wireless communication 120 .

2 is a view showing an implementation example of a wireless earphone having a vagus nerve stimulation function according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a view showing examples of the wireless earphone shown in FIG. 2 viewed from various angles. am.

Since the contact between the skin and the electrode is very important in order to apply electrical stimulation through the skin surface, it is necessary to firmly fix and maintain the stimulation point when wearing the wireless earphone.

Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, an optimized structure is proposed so that the electrodes provided in the stimulator can be firmly attached to the cymba conchae, which is a stimulation point, so that electrical stimulation can be performed smoothly.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the wireless earphone 200 having a vagus nerve stimulation function according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an earphone unit 210 inserted into the user's ear canal and the earphone unit 210 It may include an electrode unit 230 that comes into contact with the cymba conchae of the user when worn, and an electrode support unit 220 that supports the electrode unit 230.

Here, since the earphone unit 210 may be implemented in the form of a commonly used earphone, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The electrode support part 220 protrudes from one side of the earphone part 210, and is inserted into the cymba conchae of the user's auricle to be formed in the form of an ear-hook so that it can be contacted and firmly fixed. can

In addition, the electrode support 220 may be made of an elastic material such as silicon or elastomer so as to be deformable according to various ear shapes for each person.

The electrode part 230 may be formed at one point of the electrode support part 220, that is, at a position corresponding to the stimulation point of the inner part of the auricle (cymba conchae).

In addition, the electrode unit 230 may be made of a conductive metal and may be formed to protrude beyond the surface of the elastic material constituting the electrode support unit 220 . Through this, regardless of the shape and size of the user's ear, the electrode unit 230 can be tightly adhered to the stimulation point of the inner part of the auricle (cymba conchae).

4 is a view showing an implementation example of a wireless earphone having a vagus nerve stimulation function according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a view showing examples of the wireless earphone shown in FIG. 4 viewed from various angles. am.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 , a wireless earphone 300 having a vagus nerve stimulation function according to another embodiment of the present invention includes an earphone unit 310 inserted into a user's ear hole, and the earphone unit 310 It may be configured to include an electrode unit 320 formed to protrude from one side and contact the inner part of the user's auricle (cymba conchae).

In other words, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the electrode support portion and the electrode portion are not formed separately, but the electrode portion 320 may be formed of a conductive flexible electrode made of an elastic material. When the earphone unit 310 is inserted into the user's ear hole, the electrode unit 320 may come into contact with the cymba conchae of the user's auricle.

6 is a block diagram of a wireless earphone having a vagus nerve stimulation function according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the wireless earphone 410 having a vagus nerve stimulation function according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a nerve stimulation module 411, a speaker 412, a battery 413, and a DC power supply unit 414. , a controller 415, a heart rate sensor 416, and an antenna 417.

Here, the wireless earphone 410 may be implemented as described above with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 or 4 and 5 , and each component of the wireless earphone 410 is the wireless earphone shown in FIG. 2 or 4 . It can be contained within the housing of the earphone.

The nerve stimulation module 411 is for applying nerve stimulation under the control of the controller 415, and an electrode for applying the stimulation (corresponding to the electrode part shown in FIG. 2 or 4) and a signal for generating a stimulation signal It may be configured to include a generating unit and the like.

The speaker 412 is for outputting an audio signal streamed from the external terminal 418 .

The battery 413 is for charging power supplied from the cradle 421 and providing power for the operation of the wireless earphone 410 .

The DC power supply unit 414 is to receive DC power for operation from the cradle 421 .

The controller 415 is for controlling the entire operation of the wireless earphone 410, for example, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 7, initial settings for nerve stimulation, adjustment of nerve stimulation, and feedback according to the user's status check. At least one of these may be performed.

The heart rate sensor 416 is for measuring the user's heart rate, and may be placed in contact with the user's ear canal to enable energy-efficient heart rate sensing.

The antenna 417 is for performing communication with an external terminal 418 .

Meanwhile, the wireless earphone 410 may be mounted on the cradle 421 for storage and charging. The cradle 421 receives power from an external power source 425 and charges the wireless earphones 410 mounted on the cradle 421 by the wired charging unit 423 or the wireless charging unit 424, or the cradle battery 422. can be charged.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating the wireless earphone shown in FIG. 6 .

Referring to FIG. 7, first, in the step of starting to use wireless earphones (S510), the wireless earphones are removed from the cradle and worn on the user's ears, and a dedicated application installed on the user's smart device is executed, and then the application and the wireless earphones communicate wirelessly. It can be connected via

Thereafter, in the initial setting step (S520), a switch provided in the wireless earphone may be touched or clicked, or an ON button may be clicked through an application installed in the smart device.

According to one embodiment, in the case of first use of the wireless earphone, stimulation parameters such as stimulation intensity, pulse width, and frequency may be set to preset default values (eg, minimum values). In addition, when there is a previous use history of the wireless earphone, the stimulation parameter may be set to a value set at the time of previous use or a value previously set by the user. A nerve stimulation signal may be applied according to the stimulation parameters set as described above.

According to another embodiment, when the wireless earphone is used for the first time, a pre-stored tutorial mode may be performed to obtain basic values for nerve stimulation control. In the tutorial mode, a nerve stimulation signal may be applied while changing the stimulation intensity for a predetermined period of time (eg, several minutes), and the magnitude of the stimulation voltage may be measured. Through this, it is possible to check the wearing state of the stimulator, calculate the impedance during stimulation, and store the average value of the calculated impedance. In addition, while automatically or manually changing the stimulus intensity every preset time (eg, several seconds), an input regarding the degree of the user's perception of the stimulus may be received. For example, when the stimulus intensity is automatically increased by one step starting from the minimum stimulus intensity or gradually increased according to the user's input, when the user recognizes the stimulus for the first time and the stimulus intensity gradually increases Accordingly, an input may be received from each user at a point in time when pain is felt. Accordingly, the minimum value of the stimulation intensity may be set to the stimulation intensity at the time of first recognizing the stimulation, and the maximum value of the stimulation intensity may be set to the stimulation intensity at the time of feeling pain. If necessary, the above-described tutorial mode may proceed even when the wireless earphone is not used for the first time, that is, when reused after the initial setting has already been completed. In this case, the tutorial mode is constant for a preset time (eg, several minutes). While applying a nerve stimulation signal of stimulation intensity and frequency, the magnitude of the stimulation voltage can be measured. Through this, it is possible to check the wearing state of the stimulator and calculate the impedance during stimulation. The calculated average impedance value is compared with the pre-stored average impedance value, and if it is greater than the pre-stored average impedance value, the minimum and maximum values of the stimulus intensity set during the initial setting are reset by increasing by a predetermined step, and if it is smaller than the pre-stored average impedance value, the initial The minimum and maximum values of the stimulus intensity set during setup are reset by lowering them by a predetermined level, and the changed average impedance value can be stored.

Thereafter, in the nerve stimulation control step (S530), one or more of stimulation parameters such as stimulation intensity, pulse width, and frequency may be adjusted through an application installed on the smart device, and a nerve stimulation signal may be applied according to the adjusted stimulation parameters.

According to one embodiment, the application may provide a plurality of pre-stored neurostimulation modes. In this case, the stimulation parameter for each mode is preset to a preset value, and the user can adjust the stimulation parameter by selecting one of a plurality of nerve stimulation modes.

According to another embodiment, the application may provide a user with a questionnaire about a current state and a target state, and automatically determine an appropriate neurostimulation mode according to the user's input. For example, as shown in Table 1, the user selects one of a plurality of previously provided items for each of the user's current state and target state, and according to the selected item, the most appropriate neurostimulation mode among a plurality of pre-stored neurostimulation modes. can be automatically determined. Here, the first mode may be a relaxation mode inducing relaxation, the second mode may be a ready-to-sleep mode inducing sleep, and the third mode may be acupuncture mode inducing arousal. Accordingly, stimulation parameters are preset to appropriate values. has been

Current Status target state neurostimulation mode anxiety/throbbing rest 1st mode (strong) irritability/irritability rest 1st mode (medium) Drowsiness/decreased motivation rest Mode 1 (Weak) anxiety/throbbing Sleep 2nd mode (strong) irritability/irritability Sleep 2nd Mode (Medium) Drowsiness/decreased motivation Sleep 2nd mode (weak) anxiety/throbbing arousal/exercise 3rd mode (strong) irritability/irritability arousal/exercise 3rd mode (medium) Drowsiness/decreased motivation arousal/exercise 3rd mode (weak)

Thereafter, in the user state check and feedback step (S540), the user can check the user's state through the application installed on the smart device and adjust the nerve stimulation accordingly.

According to an embodiment, the user may check the heart rate measured by the wireless earphone through an application installed on the smart device. For example, when a user is wearing wireless earphones on both ears, a nerve stimulation signal may be applied through the wireless earphone worn on the left ear, and the user's heart rate may be monitored through the wireless earphone worn on the right ear. Alternatively, heart rate data measured by a measuring device (eg, smart watch) possessed by the user may be provided separately from the wireless earphone. In this case, the application or controller calculates an index for checking the stress state of the user based on heart rate data measured for a predetermined minimum time (eg, 1 minute) or more, and compares the calculated index with a predetermined reference value to stimulate stimulation. intensity can be adjusted. For example, a standard deviation of the NN interval (SDNN) value is calculated based on heart rate data, the SDNN interval is divided into a plurality of intervals, and the stimulation intensity is increased or decreased by a predetermined step depending on which interval the SDNN value belongs to. can give In this case, the lower the SDNN value, the higher the stimulation intensity, and the higher the SDNN value, the lower the stimulation intensity.

User status check and feedback as described above may be performed before nerve stimulation is performed (eg, in a tutorial mode) or while nerve stimulation is performed.

Thereafter, in the step of terminating use of the wireless earphone (S550), use may be terminated by touching or clicking a switch provided in the wireless earphone or clicking the OFF button through an application installed on the smart device. Alternatively, use of the wireless earphone may be terminated by mounting the wireless earphone on the cradle.

The present invention is not limited by the foregoing embodiments and accompanying drawings. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the components according to the present invention can be substituted, modified, and changed without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

410: wireless earphone
411: neurostimulation module
412: speaker
413: battery
414: DC power supply
415: controller
416: heart rate sensor
417: antenna
418: external terminal
421: cradle
422: cradle battery
423: wired charging unit
424: wireless charging unit
425 external power supply

Claims (7)

An earphone unit inserted into the user's ear canal;
an electrode unit protruding from one side of the earphone unit and contacting an inner portion of the user's auricle (cymba conchae); and
And a controller for controlling the nerve stimulation applied to the user by the electrode unit,
The controller performs at least one of initial settings for nerve stimulation, control of nerve stimulation, and feedback according to user's state confirmation,
The controller proceeds with a pre-stored tutorial mode to obtain a basic value for nerve stimulation control, and measures the magnitude of stimulation voltage while applying a nerve stimulation signal while changing the stimulation intensity for a preset time in the tutorial mode to obtain a wireless earphone. A wireless earphone having a vagus nerve stimulation function that checks the wearing state, calculates the impedance at the time of stimulation, and stores the calculated average impedance value. delete delete According to claim 1,
The controller applies a nerve stimulation signal while automatically or manually changing the stimulation intensity at predetermined time intervals in the tutorial mode, and when the user first recognizes the stimulation and when pain is felt as the stimulation intensity gradually increases, the controller receives information from the user. A wireless earphone having a vagus nerve stimulation function that receives an input and sets the minimum and maximum values of stimulation intensity. According to claim 4,
After the initial setting is completed, the controller proceeds with the tutorial mode, measures the magnitude of the stimulation voltage while applying a nerve stimulation signal of a constant stimulation intensity and frequency for a predetermined time period, checks the wearing state of the wireless earphone, and checks the wearing state of the wireless earphone. Calculate the impedance again,
The calculated average impedance value is compared with the pre-stored average impedance value, and if it is greater than the pre-stored average impedance value, the preset minimum and maximum values of stimulation intensity are reset by increasing by a predetermined step, and if it is smaller than the pre-stored average impedance value, the preset minimum value of stimulation intensity A wireless earphone having a vagus nerve stimulation function that resets the maximum value of and the maximum value by a predetermined step and stores the changed average impedance value. According to claim 1,
The wireless earphone having a vagus nerve stimulation function in which the controller automatically determines one of a plurality of pre-stored nerve stimulation modes according to a user's input of a questionnaire about a current state and a target state. According to claim 1,
Further comprising a heart rate sensor for measuring the user's heart rate,
The controller has a wireless vagus nerve stimulation function that calculates an index for checking the stress state of the user based on heart rate data measured for a predetermined minimum time or more and compares the calculated index with a predetermined reference value to adjust the stimulation intensity. earphone.

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