WO2018199493A1

WO2018199493A1 - Epiretinal artificial retina device and system mimicking physiological mechanism of retinal cells

Info

Publication number: WO2018199493A1
Application number: PCT/KR2018/003900
Authority: WO
Inventors: 김정석; 김성우; 남동흔
Original assignee: 가천대학교 산학협력단; 고려대학교 산학협력단; (의료)길의료재단
Priority date: 2017-04-28
Filing date: 2018-04-03
Publication date: 2018-11-01
Also published as: KR20180121127A; KR101979994B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an epiretinal artificial retina device for stimulating the optic nerve in response to visual information of an object captured by an external camera, the device comprising: a substrate disposed on the epiretinal layer of the retina; an optical receiver disposed on the front surface of the substrate so as to receive light emitted from the external camera and transmitted through the eye lens; and a plurality of needle electrodes disposed on the back surface of the substrate, inserted into the cell layer of the retina so as to fix the substrate, and stimulating the bipolar cells in response to an optical signal received by the optical receiver, wherein each of the needle electrodes has a conical shape with a sharp point and a predetermined length, and the sharp point can reach up to the bipolar cell layer of the retina so as to directly stimulate the bipolar cells.

Description

Epi-type artificial retinal device and system that simulate the physiological mechanism of retinal cells

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an artificial retinal device and system for restoring eyesight of a user by inducing an electrical stimulation applied to the epiretinal layer of the retina. In particular, the present invention can simulate the physiological mechanism of retinal cells even when applied to the epilayer of the retina. Retinal devices and systems.

The retina is an important neural tissue that converts external images from the cornea and lens into electrical signals and transmits them to the brain. The retina is about 6.25 cm 2 and about 100 million cells are present in the retina. The rod cells, which make up the majority of visual cells, convert images into electrical signals that enter the optic nerve and reach the brain at speeds of about 480 kilometers per hour. The brain interprets minute electric signals to grasp images and judge objects. The retina is one of the tissues with the highest blood supply per unit area. It requires a lot of energy sources and the waste products generated by chemical by-products should be smoothly removed. For any reason, retinal or choroidal blood vessel abnormalities occur in the retina, causing various diseases.

One of the retinal diseases, retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a progressive retinal degenerative disease caused by dysfunction of the photoreceptor in the retina. The retinitis photoreceptor and the retinal pigment epithelium are the main lesions in both eyes. Is characteristic. The prevalence of RP is reported to be one in 5,000 people worldwide. One of the three retinal diseases, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is one of the three major blindness disorders, and the prevalence is increasing due to the rapid aging of the population. Unlike patients with low vision due to RP disease, AMD patients often experience worse vision in a relatively short period of time, and it is reported that the degree of real life impairment and psychological atrophy due to eyes is greater in AMD patients than other diseases.

Recently, various therapies such as gene therapy, stem cells, and drug therapy have been attempted to treat patients with blindness. Most blind patients, however, have already damaged the retinal cell layer and are at the end of their gene or drug treatment. However, in senile diseases such as RP and AMD, only the outer cell layer, which is the outer layer of the retina, is damaged, so if the function of the cell layer is replaced, there is a possibility of vision recovery. Therefore, artificial retinas that restore visual acuity by inducing electrical stimulation to the cell layer of the retina in blind patients are promising as a new treatment.

1 shows an anatomy of the retina for explaining the position where the epi-type retinal device and the sub-type retinal device are described. Referring to FIG. 1, the artificial retina may be classified into an epi-retinal and a sub-retinal according to the installed location. Epi-type retinas are located in front of the retina and sub-type retinas are located in the cell layer behind the retina. In FIG. 1, the location of the epi-type retina is labeled B, and the location of the sub-type retina is labeled C. In FIG.

Epi-type retinas stimulate the ganglion cell layer of the retinal cells, and sub-type retinas stimulate the bipolar cell layer in the rear. Epi-retinal retinas have nerve cell stimulators located in front of the retina, so intermediate signal processing of nerve cells in the retina's inner layer does not proceed. Therefore, the epi artificial retina is provided with an external camera separately. The external camera is provided attached to the glasses, and the image information obtained from the camera reaches the micro-electrode array in the eye through the induction coil wirelessly, and the retinal ganglion cells directly without intermediate signal processing of nerve cells in the inner layer of the retina. Stimulated retinal ganglion.

On the other hand, thresholds that respond to electrical stimulation differ from patient to patient, and the magnitude of electrical stimulation to be applied also varies according to retinal cell damage sites. Epi-retinal retinas control the electrodes independently from the external image processor. Therefore, there is an advantage that the size of the electrical pulse can be freely changed according to the patient or the damage site.

As a conventional art of epitaxial retina, Second sight Argus II II product sold in the US can control 64 electrodes independently, and the size of electric stimulation generated from each electrode can also be controlled. However, in the conventional epi artificial retina, since the retina is very thin and fragile, there is a disadvantage in that the electrode is difficult to fix. In addition, it may be located inside the retina and exposed to the vitreous cavity, surrounded by fibrous tissue, and possibly not capable of transmitting electrical stimulation. In addition, when electrical stimulation is applied on the upper surface of the retina, the retinal nerve fiber layer is stimulated to spread the signal, or cells of several layers of the retina are stimulated at the same time, so it is difficult to improve the spatial resolution. Epi-retinal retina does not utilize the signal processing in the retina, so the shape of the stimulating electrode grating and the shape of the patient may be different, so customized image processing is required for each patient. Therefore, there are disadvantages in that various components and signal transmission units connecting them are required than the sub-type retinas.

On the other hand, the sub-type retina is located in the photoreceptive cell layer in which the photodiode array is below the retinal cell layer. Subtype retinas are designed to simply replace the function of photoreceptors and target bipolar cells as the primary electrical stimulator. To this end, the sub-type retina is designed to integrate light-sensing photodiode and stimulation electrode, and the current from the photodiode flows directly to the electrode to stimulate retinal nerve cells. Photodiode arrays perform similar functions as CMOS image sensors. The intensity of light varies in the amount of dark current generated in each photodiode cell, which is converted into a biphasic current pulse that acts as an active potential through the conversion circuit. The advantage of sub-type retinas is that they allow for a natural feel in the recognition of objects by using existing visual transmission pathways through bipolar cells and information processing in the inner layer of the retina. In addition, the microelectrode array is inserted into the eye to allow natural eye movement, compared to the fact that in a system with a small camera mounted on glasses, the head must be turned, not the eye, in the direction of the object to see and recognize the object. This can be said to have advantages in physiological and natural aspects. In addition, since the number of pixels produced by the subretinal stimulation method is the largest among the artificial retinas made so far, the possibility of achieving high resolution has been suggested.

As a conventional technique of sub-type retinas, the Alpha IMS model, which has been commercialized by Retina Implant, Germany, has 1500 photodiode arrays and matching biphasic current generation arrays, but clinical trials show that the actual resolution is 63 channel epi. It is reported to be less than the resolution of the type retina.

On the other hand, since epidermal retinas stimulate ganglion cells, electrical signals are transmitted to bipolar cells, and then the action potential voltage is changed to return to ganglion cells and transmitted to the brain through the optic nerve. Thus, conventional epi-retinal retinas that stimulate ganglia require high currents to be applied to the electrodes. In this case, since the impedance of the electrode is increased in the highly integrated electrode array, when a high current passes through the electrode, a high voltage is generated at the electrode, which hinders generation of a stimulation current pulse. In order to overcome the above limitations, sub-type retinas have been developed. The sub-type retina detects a signal of light with a photodiode and converts it into an electrical signal, thereby stimulating bipolar cells, which has advantages similar to the physiological mechanism of stimulating eye cells. However, the sub-type retina has a disadvantage in that surgery is difficult, and long cables must be connected to the back of the ear for wireless power and data transmission. In addition, it is difficult to accurately control contrast sensitivity with a photodiode. That is, the edge detection ability of the object is reduced compared to the epi-type retina using the camera.

Accordingly, the present inventors have devised an epitaxial artificial retina having a new structure that is easy to operate, the stimulation method is similar to the natural physiological mechanism, and can improve the contrast sensitivity. Since the retina is very thin and fragile, it is difficult to fix the electrode during surgery, and there is no prior patent that proposes a stimulation method similar to the natural physiological mechanism, and there is a related patent No. 10-1275215. .

The present invention provides an epitaxial artificial retinal device and a system in which an epithelial cell has a stimulation mechanism similar to that of a sub-type retinal with a bipolar cell as a primary electrical stimulation object, and a stimulation method that simulates a natural physiological mechanism can be achieved. To provide.

In addition, the present invention improves the shortcomings of the epitaxial retina, which is difficult to fix the electrode and difficult to operate because the retina is very thin and fragile, and the epitaxial retinal device can be stably secured by the easy and stable electrode fixing. And to provide a system.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an epitaxial retinal device that stimulates the optic nerve in response to visual information of an object captured by an external camera, comprising: a substrate provided in an epitaxial layer of the retina; An optical receiver positioned in front of the substrate and receiving light emitted from the external camera and passing through the lens; And a plurality of needle electrodes positioned on a rear surface of the substrate and fixed to the substrate as inserted into a cell layer of the retina, and stimulating bipolar cells in response to an optical signal received by the photoreceptor. The conical shape is sharp at the end and has a predetermined length, and the end can reach the bipolar cell layer of the retina to directly stimulate the bipolar cell.

Preferably, the artificial retinal apparatus according to the present invention is located on the back of the substrate, and further demodulator for restoring the data of the external camera received by the optical receiver and distributing the restored information to the plurality of needle electrodes arrayed It may include.

Preferably, the artificial retina device according to the present invention further comprises a cable for electrically connecting the optical receiver located on the front of the substrate and the demodulator located on the back of the substrate, wherein the cable does not penetrate the substrate. The optical receiver and the demodulator may be connected along a surface of the substrate.

Preferably, the artificial retina device according to the present invention may further include a package guard coupled to surround the side of the substrate to protect the cable passing through the outer periphery of the substrate.

Preferably, the artificial retina device according to the present invention comprises: a power coil wound around the outer periphery of the substrate to generate AC power; And a rectifier positioned in front of the substrate and converting AC power generated by the power coil into direct current.

Preferably, the artificial retina device according to the present invention may further include a voltage regulator positioned at the rear side of the substrate and distributing the power output from the rectifier to each end of the plurality of needle electrodes arrayed.

Preferably, the needle electrode has a length of 160㎛ to 240㎛ can be inserted up to the bipolar cell layer before the cell layer.

Preferably, the optical receiver may receive external visual information as infrared light.

In addition, the present invention provides an epi-retinal system, comprising: a camera module for capturing visual information in front of a user and outputting an optical signal corresponding to the visual information; And a photoreceptor provided in an epiretinal layer of the retina, a photoreceiver positioned in front of the substrate and receiving light emitted from the camera module and passing through the lens, and located at a rear surface of the substrate and in a cell layer of the retina. And an artificial retinal device having a plurality of needle electrodes to fix the substrate as inserted and to stimulate bipolar cells in response to an optical signal received by the optical receiver, wherein the needle electrode has a sharp end and It is a conical shape having a length, the end of which reaches to the bipolar cell layer of the retina is characterized in that it can directly stimulate bipolar cells.

Preferably, the camera module may digitally process the captured visual information to enhance the edge of the object, and output the signal processed visual information as infrared light to be incident on the lens of the user.

Conventional epi-artificial retinas require a procedure of fixing using bio glue and tack to attach electrodes around the retina. This is a disadvantage that the electrode is likely to be separated by an external impact.

On the other hand, the present invention is a structure in which the optical receiver is disposed on the front surface of the substrate, compared with the structure of the conventional epi artificial retina in which the optical receiver and the electrode are disposed on the rear surface of the substrate. In the present invention, a needle electrode structure having a length of about 200 μm is formed on the rear surface of the substrate such that the synapse of the bipolar cell is the primary electrical stimulation target. This needle electrode structure invades the cell layer of the fragile retina so that it stably fixes the substrate without bioglue or tack, and makes the operation extremely easy, and the end of the needle can apply electrical stimulation directly to the synaptic layer of the bipolar cell. do.

In conventional epi-type retinas, rods & cone cells of the cell layer generate bipolar in ganglion cells and bipolar cells in turn regenerate the optic nerve through bipolar cells. It has a stimulus pathway that is delivered to. Therefore, it is one of the technical issues of the conventional epi-retinal device to stimulate the ganglion cells to inevitably require a high current to generate a high voltage at the electrode end to inhibit the operation of the stimulator.

However, the present invention has a stimulation pathway similar to the subtype artificial retina that is inserted into the cell layer to directly stimulate bipolar cells as action potentials. As described above, the present invention is an epitaxial retinal device that can simulate a natural physiological mechanism even though it is an epitaxial retinal device, and does not require high voltage power generation to directly stimulate the bipolar cell, so that the epitaxial retinal device must be implemented as a conventional expensive CMOS semiconductor. Compared to the above, there is an advantage in that it is possible to guarantee the reliability of the stimulator while significantly reducing the manufacturing cost.

1 shows an anatomy of the retina for explaining the position where the epi-type retinal device and the sub-type retinal device are described.

2 illustrates an artificial retinal system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 shows an artificial retina device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 shows a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the contents described in the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited or limited by the exemplary embodiments. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote members that perform substantially the same function.

The objects and effects of the present invention may be naturally understood or more apparent from the following description, and the objects and effects of the present invention are not limited only by the following description. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

2 shows an artificial retinal system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 shows an artificial retinal device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 and 3, the retinal system may include a camera module 30 worn by a user and an artificial retinal device 10 implanted in the retina.

The eyeball has a structure including the retina (5), nerve tissue (7), choroid, sclera, cornea (1), pupil (3), iris and ciliary body. As described above, the epi-type retinal device is located in front of the retina 5, and the sub-type retinal device is located behind the retina 5. The retina 5 has a multilayer structure of ganglion cells, amacrine cells, bipolar cells, horizontal cells, rod cones, and pigment epithelium. For convenience of description, the retina 5 is largely divided into a retinal neuronal cell layer 51, a bipolar cell layer 53, and a rod cone 55 layer.

The retinal apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment may be divided into epitaxial retinas because the location of the retinal device is an epitaxial layer of the retina. Has a structure. In the conventional epi artificial retina, both the photoreceptor and the electrode unit are disposed on the rear surface of the substrate to stimulate the retinal nerve cell layer 51. The artificial retinal device 10 according to the present embodiment is configured by separating the photoreceptor 103 and the electrode 107 into front and rear surfaces of the substrate, respectively, and apply primary stimulation to the bipolar cell layer 53 instead of the retinal nerve cells. It has the structure of the electrode 107 for applying. Hereinafter, each configuration of the artificial retina device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

The artificial retina device 10 includes a substrate 101, an optical receiver 103, a rectifier 105, a needle electrode 107, a cable 108, a package guard 109, a power coil 110, and a demodulator 111. And a voltage regulator 113.

The substrate 101 may be understood as a main board of the artificial retina device provided in the epi layer of the retina. The substrate 101 includes an optical receiver 103, a rectifier 105, a needle electrode 107, a cable 108, a package guard 109, a power coil 110, a demodulator 111, and a voltage regulator 113. Configurations can be integrated. The substrate 101 may be provided as a material having a predetermined flexibility. In this embodiment, the substrate 101 may be made of a silicon chip through a semiconductor process. The size of the substrate 101 may be manufactured to about 5mm x 5mm in consideration of the area of the retina.

The substrate 101 receives visual information from an external camera 30 and receives driving power through the power coil 110 wound on the outside of the substrate 101. In the substrate 101, since the optical receiver 103 is disposed on the front surface and the needle electrode 107 for stimulation is disposed on the rear surface, the output signal of the optical receiver 103 generated from the front surface is transferred to the needle electrode 107 on the rear surface. It should be possible. However, since the substrate 101 has a small size and is made of a silicon chip, when the holes are connected to each other, the risk of breakage and manufacturing cost may increase rapidly. In the substrate 101 according to the present embodiment, the cable 108 connects the optical receiver 103 and the needle electrode 107 via the outside of the substrate 101 for this reason. The configuration of the package guard 109 is required on the outer side of the substrate 101.

The optical receiver 103 may be positioned in front of the substrate 101 and receive light transmitted from the external camera 30 and transmitted through the lens 3. The optical receiver 103 may include a plurality of photodiodes in the form of an array and may receive a digital signal processed compressed signal from an external camera 30.

In the present embodiment, the optical receiver 103 may receive external visual information as infrared light. The optical receiver 103 may receive visible light, but has a disadvantage in that it is not good for a user or a third party due to the light continuously lit when the transmission and reception with the external camera 30 is made of visible light. Therefore, it is preferable that the external camera 30 also transmits an optical signal to the infrared region, and the optical receiver 103 is also provided as an IR optical receiver including an infrared sensor to produce a natural aesthetics.

The needle electrode 107 is located at the rear side of the substrate 101, and fixes the substrate 101 as it is inserted into the cell layer of the retina. The needle electrode 107 receives the anode cells 53 in response to the optical signal received by the optical receiver 103. Can be stimulated. Note that the needle electrode 107 has a conical shape having a sharp end and a predetermined length, and the end reaches the bipolar cell layer 53 of the retina to directly stimulate the bipolar cell. The plurality of needle electrodes 107 may be arranged on the rear surface of the substrate to form an array of stimulator regions.

The electrode structure according to the present embodiment is particularly effective in reducing the ease of surgery and the manufacturing cost in epitaxial retina. The conventional epi artificial retina stimulates the retinal nerve cell layer 51, so that a high current is required. In more detail, the conventional epitaxial retina is applied with a high voltage at the output terminal of the stimulator, and a high voltage transistor must be used to withstand the high compliance voltage. This is not only expensive, but also has a high mismatch, which has a disadvantage of degrading performance. The needle electrode 107 according to the present embodiment is thin and long to reach the bipolar cell layer 53 through the retinal nerve cell layer 51 so that a high current is required for the needle electrode 107 to directly stimulate the bipolar cell. And there is no high compliance voltage at the output of the stimulator array. Therefore, a general process transistor may be used for the artificial retina device 10 according to the present embodiment.

Needle electrode 107 is preferably inserted to the point where the synapse of the bipolar cell layer 53 before the cell layer 55 is located. Typically, the retinal nerve cell layer 51 to the end of the bipolar cell layer 53 has a length of about 200㎛ 250㎛. Therefore, the needle electrode 107 according to the present embodiment is formed to have a length of 160 μm to 240 μm so that the needle electrode 107 does not invade the rod cone 55 cell layer and has a length sufficient to stimulate the synapse of the bipolar cell layer 53. It is desirable to have.

3A illustrates a front perspective view of the artificial retina device 10 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3B illustrates a rear perspective view of the artificial retina device 10 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 3B, the elongated shape of the needle electrode 107 is omitted in order to understand the rear layout of the substrate 101. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of needle electrodes 107 are configured on the rear surface of the substrate 101 and receive signals from the optical receiver 103 through the demodulator 111 and through the voltage regulator 113. Receives power for driving.

The demodulator 111 is located at the rear of the substrate 101, restores data of the external camera 30 received by the optical receiver 103, and distributes the restored information to the plurality of needle electrodes 107 arrayed. Can be. The demodulator 111 may include a circuit capable of generating a current based on the restored signal. The demodulator 111 may generate a bi-phasic current having two phases of a cathode and an anode for balancing charges to be transmitted to the nerve. The biphasic current to be discharged at the end of the needle electrode 107 can be balanced so that negative and positive charges are canceled out so that charges of either polarity do not accumulate in the optic nerve 7. The conversion circuit of the demodulator 111 for outputting the active potential in the form of biphasic current may be used in a conventional circuit structure.

The rectifier 105 may be positioned in front of the substrate 101, and may convert AC power generated by the power coil 110 into direct current. The rectifier 105 may include a direct current conversion element such as a schottky diode and a capacitor, and is preferably implemented using a discrete element in consideration of a difficulty in on-chiping a semiconductor process. The rectifier 105 is positioned in front of the substrate 101 that is not inserted into the cell layer of the retina to perform stable signal processing. Power output from the rectifier 105 may be delivered through the cable 108 to the back of the substrate 101.

The power coil 110 may be wound around the outer circumference of the substrate 101 to generate AC power. The wound position may be wound on the substrate 101 inside the eyeball, but may be performed to be wound outward of the eyeball in consideration of the convenience of surgery. The power coil 110 may be an RF coil. The power coil 110 may receive external wireless power flowing from the outside. The larger the diameter of the power coil 110 can receive a large amount of flux (flux), the efficiency is improved and is particularly suitable as a power supply means of the artificial retina device (10).

The voltage regulator 113 is located at the rear of the substrate 101, and may distribute the power output from the rectifier 105 to each end of the array of the plurality of needle electrodes 107. In this embodiment, the distribution voltage of the voltage regulator 113 may be significantly lower than the conventional compliance voltage, because the reason is that it is due to the structure of the needle electrode 107 that directly stimulates the anode cell layer 53. same.

The cable 108 may electrically connect the optical receiver 103 positioned at the front of the substrate 101 and the demodulator 111 positioned at the rear of the substrate 101. The cable 108 may connect the optical receiver 103 and the demodulator 111 along the surface of the substrate 101 without passing through the substrate 101.

In addition, the cable 108 may electrically connect the rectifier 105 positioned at the front of the substrate 101 and the voltage regulator 113 positioned at the rear of the substrate 101. The cable 108 may in this case also connect the rectifier 105 and the voltage regulator 113 along the surface of the substrate 101 without penetrating the substrate 101.

For convenience of explanation, the cable 108 connecting the optical receiver 103 and the demodulator 111 is called a first cable 108 (a), and a cable connecting the rectifier 105 and the voltage regulator 113 ( 108 is referred to as a second cable 108 (b).

As shown in (a) and (b) of FIG. 3, both the first and second cables 108 are connected to the demodulator 111 and the voltage regulator 113 on the rear side by half-winding the substrate 101. . This may be understood in consideration of the manufacturing cost of the substrate 101 is difficult to perforate. That is, in the artificial retina device 10 according to the present embodiment, the essential components are separated into the front and rear surfaces of the substrate 101 in consideration of the characteristics of the deeply inserted electrode structure. It is preferable that the lower surface cable 108 does not penetrate the substrate 101 and connects the front and rear configurations by circumferentially surrounding the side surfaces of the substrate 101. In addition, due to the arrangement of the cable 108, the cable exposed to the side of the substrate 101 needs to be fixed and packaged at the same time, the retinal device 10 according to the present embodiment is a side of the package guard 109 The bracket configuration performs the above function.

The package guard 109 may be coupled to surround the side of the substrate 101 to protect the cable 108 via the outer perimeter of the substrate 101. The package guard 109 may be provided of the same silicon material as the substrate 101, and fixes and protects the cable 108 while more stably insulating the substrate 101.

4 shows a camera module 30 according to an embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the camera module 30 may capture visual information in front of the user and output an optical signal corresponding to the visual information. The camera module 30 may include a camera 301 for capturing an image, a signal processor 303, and an optical transmitter 305.

The camera 301 captures an external image signal and may be a CCD camera or a CMOS camera. The camera 301 may be modularized and built on a device that is easy for a user to wear, such as glasses.

The signal processor 303 may digitally process the visual information captured by the camera 301 to reinforce the edge of the object, and transmit the signal processed visual information to the optical transmitter 305. The signal processor 303 may convert image information captured by the camera 301 into image information. The signal processor 303 may perform an additional signal processing process of the converted image information and, as an example, may emphasize the edge of an object in the image.

The optical transmitter 305 may transmit light at an intensity corresponding to the pixel of the image information transmitted from the signal processor 303. The light output from the optical transmitter 305 may pass through the lens 3 of the user and enter the optical receiver 103 of the artificial retina device 10.

In the present embodiment, the optical transmitter 305 may output visual information received by the signal processor 303 as infrared light and enter the lens 3 of the user. As described in the embodiment of the optical receiver 103, when the light emitted by the optical transmitter 305 is visible light, the user or a third party recognizes the light that is continuously turned on in the camera module 30 of the glasses worn by the user. Done. This is not aesthetically disadvantageous, the optical transmitter 305 transmits an optical signal to the infrared region, the optical receiver 103 is also provided with an IR optical receiver including an infrared sensor is preferably implemented to produce a natural aesthetics. Do.

Although the present invention has been described in detail through the representative embodiments above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention with respect to the above-described embodiments. will be. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the embodiments described, but should be defined by all changes or modifications derived from the claims and the equivalent concepts as well as the following claims.

Claims

An epi-retinal device for stimulating the optic nerve in response to visual information of an object captured by an external camera,

A substrate provided in an epitaxial layer of the retina;

An optical receiver positioned in front of the substrate and receiving light emitted from the external camera and passing through the lens; And

And a plurality of electrodes positioned on a rear surface of the substrate to fix the substrate as inserted into a cell layer of the retina and to stimulate bipolar cells in response to an optical signal received by the optical receiver.
The method of claim 1,

Located on the back of the substrate, the artificial retina device further comprises a demodulator for restoring data of the external camera received by the optical receiver and distributing the restored information to the plurality of arrayed electrodes.
The method of claim 2,

Further comprising a cable for electrically connecting the optical receiver located on the front of the substrate and the demodulator located on the back of the substrate,

The cable,

And the optical receiver and the demodulator are connected along the surface of the substrate without penetrating the substrate.
The method of claim 2,

And a package guard coupled to surround a side of the substrate to protect the cable passing through an outer perimeter of the substrate.
The method of claim 1,

A power coil wound around an outer circumference of the substrate to generate AC power; And

Located in the front of the substrate, the artificial retina device characterized in that it comprises a rectifier for converting the AC power generated in the power coil to direct current.
The method of claim 5, wherein

Located on the back of the substrate, the artificial retina device further comprises a voltage regulator for distributing the power output from the rectifier to each end of the plurality of arrayed electrodes.
The method of claim 1,

The electrode,

With needle electrode,

An artificial retinal device, characterized in that the end is sharp and conical shape having a predetermined length, the end can reach the bipolar cell layer of the retina to directly stimulate the bipolar cell.
The method of claim 7, wherein

The needle electrode,

It is formed with a length of 160㎛ to 240㎛ artificial retina device characterized in that inserted into the bipolar cell layer before the cell layer.
The method of claim 1,

The optical receiver,

Artificial retina device characterized in that for receiving the external visual information by infrared light.
In epi type retinal system,

A camera module for capturing visual information in front of a user and outputting an optical signal corresponding to the visual information; And

A substrate provided in an epitaxial layer of the retina,

An optical receiver positioned in front of the substrate and receiving light emitted from the camera module and passing through the lens;

An artificial retina comprising a plurality of electrodes positioned on a rear surface of the substrate and fixed to the substrate as inserted into a cell layer of the retina, and having a plurality of electrodes for stimulating bipolar cells in response to an optical signal received by the photoreceiver. system.
The method of claim 9,

The camera module,

Digital signal processing of the captured visual information to enhance the edge of the object, the artificial retina system characterized in that to output the signal processed visual information to the lens of the user to enter the lens of the user.
The method of claim 10,

The electrode,

With needle electrode,

An artificial retinal system, characterized by a sharp end and a conical shape having a predetermined length, capable of stimulating bipolar cells directly by reaching the bipolar cell layer of the retina.
The method of claim 12,

The artificial retina device,

The needle electrode has a length of 160㎛ to 240㎛ artificial retinal system, characterized in that inserted into the bipolar cell layer before the cell layer.