CN115154902A - A kind of artificial retina and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of visual restoration, in particular to an artificial retina and a manufacturing method thereof, in particular to an artificial retina arranged in the eye, using ultrasonic emission and reception to determine the orientation of obstacles, and simultaneously using an infrared detection method to detect the position of obstacles. Determine the orientation and distance of obstacles, and perform imaging, and finally convert the received ultrasonic and infrared signals into electrical signals and transmit them to ganglion cells, thereby reconstructing vision in the brain. The present invention uses artificial retinas for patients with visual dysfunction. It provides the convenience of visual restoration and has a good application prospect.

Description

A kind of artificial retina and its manufacturing method

technical field

The invention relates to the technical field of visual restoration, in particular to an artificial retina and a manufacturing method thereof for judging the orientation of obstacles by using ultrasonic emission and reception, and simultaneously using infrared detection to image objects.

Background technique

At present, a major cause of visual impairment is that the photoreceptor cells in the retina of the eye are damaged due to lesions, while the electrical signal transmission channel of the optic nerve is not damaged. A device that allows the brain to receive signals and think that the eyes are still working normally, so that the visually impaired can generate equivalent vision based on the received electrical signals, thereby allowing the visually impaired to restore part of their vision and generate electrical signals. Often referred to as an artificial retina.

Artificial retinas are roughly divided into two categories, one is based on external image acquisition devices for image acquisition, and then the acquired images are converted into electrical signals for the optic nerve to transmit to the brain; the other is the use of visual acquisition chips. The functionally impaired uses a vision acquisition chip to stimulate the still intact nerves, so that the brain can receive signals and think that the senses are still working normally. The images are converted into electrical signals and transmitted to ganglion cells through electrodes implanted in the body. Recreate vision in the brain. However, the existing chip devices for optic nerve stimulation are too complicated, have low integration, and are difficult to manufacture. Moreover, the resolution of chip stimulation imaging is not high, and the target orientation cannot be accurately determined.

Therefore, there is currently a need for an effective solution for electrical stimulation of the optic nerve to solve the problems in the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides an artificial retina and a manufacturing method thereof. The azimuth and distance determination and imaging of obstacles are realized by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves and detecting infrared rays, and finally the received ultrasonic waves and infrared signals are converted into electrical signals and transmitted to Ganglion cells realize the simultaneous imaging of ultrasound and infrared, which can at least solve the problems of low integration in the existing technology, relatively difficult production, and low resolution of chip stimulation imaging, and it is impossible to accurately determine the target orientation, etc. question.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

An artificial retina, characterized in that the artificial retina includes an ultrasonic array module, an infrared pixel array, a substrate, and a signal processing module, the ultrasonic array module includes a plurality of ultrasonic units, and the infrared pixel array includes a plurality of infrared detection units.

Further, the ultrasonic array module is used for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves.

Further, the ultrasonic unit includes a top electrode, a bottom electrode and an intermediate piezoelectric layer.

Further, an electric field is applied to a part of the ultrasonic unit of the ultrasonic array module, and when an electric field is applied in the polarization direction of the dielectric through the top electrode and the bottom electrode, the piezoelectric layer will undergo mechanical deformation, thereby emitting ultrasonic waves.

Further, when another part of the ultrasonic unit of the ultrasonic array module receives ultrasonic waves, when it is deformed due to the action of force, a polarization phenomenon will be generated inside it, and at the same time, positive and negative opposite charges will appear on its two opposite surfaces, resulting in Electrical signals are transmitted outward.

Further, the infrared detection unit includes an optical system, an infrared detector, an optomechanical scanning mechanism and a spectroscopic detector, the optomechanical scanning mechanism is between the optical system and the infrared detector, and the optomechanical scanning mechanism is located between the optical system and the infrared detector. The mechanism scans the infrared radiation energy of the object to be measured, and focuses it on the spectroscopic detector, and the spectroscopic detector converts the focused infrared radiation energy into electrical signals for outward transmission. The spectroscopic detector can also be replaced by a unit detector.

Further, after receiving the electrical signal, the signal processing module filters, amplifies, transmits, reads and analyzes the electrical signal.

Further, the electrical contacts are connected to the optic nerve through the back end of the substrate, and after being processed by the signal processing module, the electrical signals are transmitted to the ganglion cells in the relevant functional areas of the brain through the optic nerve, so as to reconstruct vision in the brain and perceive the approximate orientation of objects. , and image the object.

Further, the substrate has a Young's modulus closer to the tissue, has good biocompatibility and environmental friendliness, and is used for the bonding of the ultrasonic array module and the infrared pixel array on the surface of the eye tissue. Provides strong support.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

A method for manufacturing an artificial retina, comprising the following steps in turn: processing the ultrasonic array module and the infrared pixel array through a MEMS process, and finally integrating the ultrasonic array module and the infrared pixel array in a substrate structure , and arrange electrical contacts at the back end of the substrate to obtain an artificial retina. This manufacturing method is less difficult to manufacture, easy to produce, and relatively low in manufacturing cost.

The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present application provides an artificial retina based on ultrasonic and infrared detection and a manufacturing method thereof, which utilizes the inverse piezoelectric-piezoelectric effect to realize the emission and reception of ultrasonic waves, and realizes the detection of infrared radiation energy to prevent obstacles. The orientation, distance determination and imaging of the object, and finally convert the received ultrasonic and infrared radiation energy signals into electrical signals and transmit them to the ganglion cells, thereby reconstructing vision in the brain, based on the synchronous imaging of ultrasound and infrared, the orientation of obstacles , distance determination and imaging, which increase the number of pixels for imaging, thereby improving the resolution of imaging, and providing convenience for patients with visual impairment, and based on MEMS technology and artificial retina with a substrate close to the Young's modulus of ocular tissue The manufacturing method greatly reduces the manufacturing difficulty, improves the manufacturing efficiency, and also reduces the manufacturing cost.

Description of drawings

In order to explain the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art more clearly, the following briefly introduces the accompanying drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only These are some embodiments of the present invention, and for those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can also be obtained according to the structures shown in these drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is the schematic diagram of the ultrasonic artificial retina structure of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the ultrasonic unit and the infrared detection unit of the present invention.

Description of reference numbers:

1- Ultrasonic unit, 2- Infrared detection unit, 3- Substrate, 4- Signal processing module.

The realization, functional characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in conjunction with the embodiments.

Detailed ways

The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, but not all of the embodiments.

The components of the embodiments of the invention generally described and illustrated in the drawings herein may be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations. Thus, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

The components of the embodiments of the invention generally described and illustrated in the drawings herein may be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations. Thus, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work fall within the protection scope of the present invention; , down, left, right, front, back...), this directional indication is only used to explain the relative positional relationship, movement, etc. When the specific posture changes, the directional indication also changes accordingly.

In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only used for the purpose of description, and should not be construed as indicating or implying Its relative importance or implicitly indicates the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature delimited with "first", "second" may expressly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but must be based on the realization by those of ordinary skill in the art. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be realized, it should be considered that the combination of such technical solutions does not exist. , is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

Using the visual acquisition chip method, for the visually impaired, the visual acquisition chip current stimulates the nerves that are still intact, so that the brain can receive the signal and think that the senses are still working normally, the image is converted into electrical signals, and the electrodes implanted in the body Send it to ganglion cells, which recreate vision in the brain. However, the existing chip devices for optic nerve stimulation are too complicated, with low integration and difficulty in fabrication. Moreover, the resolution of the chip stimulation imaging is not high, and the target orientation cannot be accurately determined. Therefore, the following implementation is adopted in this application. One of the examples is used to solve the problems existing in the previous visual acquisition chips.

Example 1

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 2 , the present invention provides an artificial retina including an ultrasonic array module, an infrared pixel array, a substrate 3 and a signal processing module 4 , and the ultrasonic array module includes a plurality of ultrasonic units 1 , the infrared pixel array includes a plurality of infrared detection units 2; the ultrasonic array module is used for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves; the ultrasonic unit 1 includes a top electrode, a bottom electrode and a piezoelectric layer in the middle. The inverse piezoelectric-piezoelectric effect is used to realize the emission and reception of sound waves.

The process of transmitting and receiving sound waves is as follows: applying an electric field to a part of the ultrasonic unit of the ultrasonic array module, when the electric field is applied in the polarization direction of the dielectric through the top electrode and the bottom electrode, the piezoelectric layer will undergo mechanical deformation , thereby emitting ultrasonic waves. When another part of the ultrasonic unit of the ultrasonic array module receives ultrasonic waves, when it is deformed due to the force, a polarization phenomenon will be generated inside it, and at the same time, positive and negative opposite charges will appear on its two opposite surfaces, generating electrical signals to outgoing transmission.

The collection process of infrared radiation energy is as follows: the infrared detection unit 2 includes an optical system, an infrared detector, an optical-mechanical scanning mechanism and a spectroscopic detector, and the optical-mechanical scanning mechanism is between the optical system and the infrared detector. , the optical-mechanical scanning mechanism scans the infrared radiation energy of the measured object, and focuses on the spectroscopic detector, and the spectroscopic detector converts the focused infrared radiation energy into electrical signals for outward transmission.

In order to obtain an electrical signal identifiable by the optic nerve, the signal processing module 4 filters, amplifies, transmits, reads and analyzes the electrical signal after receiving the ultrasonic and infrared electrical signals. In order to make the processed electrical signal closer to the electrical signal produced by the photoreceptor cells.

In order to facilitate the use of visually impaired people, the artificial retina is manufactured in the following manner. The substrate has a Young's modulus closer to the tissue, has good biocompatibility and environmental friendliness, and is used for the ultrasonic array module and The fit of the infrared pixel array on the surface of the eye tissue provides a strong support.

The electrical contact is connected to the optic nerve through the back end of the substrate 3, and the electrical signal is processed by the signal processing module 4 and transmitted to the ganglion cells in the relevant functional areas of the brain through the optic nerve, so as to reconstruct vision in the brain and perceive the approximate orientation of the object, and image the object.

In order to further reduce the manufacturing difficulty and cost of the artificial retina, the manufacturing of the artificial retina sequentially includes the following steps: processing the ultrasonic array module and the infrared image element array through a MEMS process, and finally the ultrasonic array module and the infrared image The element array is integrated on the substrate structure, and electrical contacts are arranged at the back end of the substrate.

Example 2

In this embodiment, the present invention provides an artificial retina including an ultrasonic array module, an infrared pixel array, a substrate 3, and a signal processing module 4. The ultrasonic array module includes a plurality of ultrasonic units 1, and the infrared pixel array includes a plurality of infrared pixels. Detection unit 2; the ultrasonic array module is used for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves; the ultrasonic unit 1 includes a top electrode, a bottom electrode and a piezoelectric layer in the middle. Using the inverse piezoelectric-piezoelectric effect, the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves are realized. The infrared pixel array is used to receive infrared radiation energy from external objects and generate corresponding electrical signals

The process of transmitting and receiving sound waves is as follows: applying an electric field to a part of the ultrasonic unit of the ultrasonic array module, when the electric field is applied in the polarization direction of the dielectric through the top electrode and the bottom electrode, the piezoelectric layer will undergo mechanical deformation , thereby emitting ultrasonic waves. When another part of the ultrasonic unit of the ultrasonic array module receives ultrasonic waves, when it is deformed due to the force, a polarization phenomenon will be generated inside it, and at the same time, positive and negative opposite charges will appear on its two opposite surfaces, generating electrical signals to outgoing transmission.

In order to obtain an electrical signal identifiable by the optic nerve, the signal processing module 4 filters, amplifies, transmits, reads and analyzes the electrical signal after receiving the ultrasonic and infrared electrical signals. In order to make the processed electrical signal closer to the electrical signal produced by the photoreceptor cells. The processed electrical signals are transmitted to the ganglion cells, thereby reconstructing vision in the brain, which is convenient for patients with visual impairment.

The way of electrical signal transmission is as follows: the substrate has a Young's modulus closer to the tissue, has good biocompatibility and environmental friendliness, and is used for the ultrasonic array module and the infrared pixel array in the eye tissue. The fit of the surface provides strong support.

The electrical contact is connected to the optic nerve through the back end of the substrate 3, and the electrical signal is processed by the signal processing module 4 and transmitted to the ganglion cells in the relevant functional areas of the brain through the optic nerve, so as to reconstruct vision in the brain and perceive the approximate orientation of the object, and image the object.

Example 3

In this embodiment, the present invention provides an artificial retina including an ultrasonic array module, an infrared pixel array, a substrate 3, and a signal processing module 4. The ultrasonic array module includes a plurality of ultrasonic units 1, and the infrared pixel array includes a plurality of infrared pixels. Detection unit 2; the ultrasonic array module is used for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves. The collection process of external radiation energy is as follows: the infrared detection unit 2 includes an optical system, an infrared detector, an optical-mechanical scanning mechanism and a spectroscopic detector, and the optical-mechanical scanning mechanism is between the optical system and the infrared detector. , the optical-mechanical scanning mechanism scans the infrared radiation energy of the measured object, and focuses on the spectroscopic detector, and the spectroscopic detector converts the focused infrared radiation energy into electrical signals for outward transmission.

In order to obtain an electrical signal identifiable by the optic nerve, the signal processing module 4 filters, amplifies, transmits, reads and analyzes the electrical signal after receiving the ultrasonic and infrared electrical signals. In order to make the processed electrical signal closer to the electrical signal produced by the photoreceptor cells.

The way of electrical signal transmission is as follows: the substrate has a Young's modulus closer to the tissue, has good biocompatibility and environmental friendliness, and is used for the ultrasonic array module and the infrared pixel array in the eye tissue. The fit of the surface provides strong support.

The electrical contact is connected to the optic nerve through the back end of the substrate 3, and the electrical signal is processed by the signal processing module 4 and transmitted to the ganglion cells in the relevant functional areas of the brain through the optic nerve, so as to reconstruct vision in the brain and perceive the approximate orientation of the object, and image the object.

The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Under the inventive concept of the present invention, the equivalent structural transformation made by the content of the present invention is used, or the direct/indirect application in other related All technical fields are included in the scope of patent protection of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. The artificial retina is characterized by comprising an ultrasonic array module, an infrared pixel array, a substrate (3) and a signal processing module (4), wherein the ultrasonic array module comprises a plurality of ultrasonic units (1), and the infrared pixel array comprises a plurality of infrared detection units (2).

2. The artificial retina of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound array module is configured to transmit and receive ultrasound waves, and the transmission and reception of the ultrasound waves are achieved by using inverse piezoelectric-piezoelectric effect.

3. An artificial retina as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ultrasound unit (1) comprises a top electrode, a bottom electrode and a central piezoelectric layer.

4. An artificial retina as claimed in claim 3, wherein an electric field is applied to a part of the ultrasound elements of the ultrasound array module, and the piezoelectric layer is mechanically deformed to emit ultrasound waves when an electric field is applied in the polarization direction of the dielectric via the top and bottom electrodes.

5. The artificial retina of claim 4, wherein when the ultrasound unit of the ultrasound array module is deformed by the force applied when receiving the ultrasound wave, the polarization phenomenon is generated inside the module, and the opposite positive and negative charges are generated on the two opposite surfaces of the module, so as to generate the electrical signal to transmit outwards.

6. The artificial retina according to claim 1, wherein the infrared detection unit (2) comprises an optical system, an infrared detector, an optical machine scanning mechanism and a light splitting detector, the optical machine scanning mechanism is arranged between the optical system and the infrared detector, the optical machine scanning mechanism scans infrared radiation energy of a detected object and focuses on the light splitting detector, and the light splitting detector converts the focused infrared radiation energy into an electric signal to transmit the electric signal outwards.

7. An artificial retina as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that, after receiving the electrical signal, the signal processing module (4) filters, amplifies, transmits, reads, analyses the electrical signal.

8. An artificial retina as claimed in any one of claims 1-7, wherein the electrical contacts are connected to the optic nerve through the back end of the substrate (3), and the electrical signals are processed by the signal processing module (4) and transmitted through the optic nerve to the ganglion cells of the relevant functional area of the brain, thereby reconstructing vision in the brain, sensing the general orientation of the object, and imaging the object.

9. The artificial retina of claim 8, wherein the substrate has a young's modulus closer to that of the tissue, has good biocompatibility and environmental friendliness, and provides a strong support for the ultrasound array module and the infrared pixel array to adhere to the surface of the eye tissue.

10. The method of manufacturing an artificial retina according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising the following steps in sequence: and processing the ultrasonic array module and the infrared pixel array by an MEMS (micro electro mechanical system) process, finally integrating the ultrasonic array module and the infrared pixel array on a substrate structure, and distributing electrical contacts at the rear end of the substrate (3) to obtain the artificial retina.

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