Flexible antenna for stimulator
An implant includes a housing that houses circuitry that is electrically coupled to one or more electrodes. The implant includes an antenna that is electrically coupled to the circuitry. The antenna has a pre-treatment state in which the antenna is not shaped to receive wireless power for treating a subject, and a treatment state in which the antenna is shaped to receive wireless power and to anchor the implant with respect to a nerve of the subject. Other embodiments are also described.
1. Apparatus comprising an implant, the implant comprising:
one or more electrodes;
circuitry that is electrically coupled to the electrodes;
a housing that houses the circuitry;
an antenna that is electrically coupled to the circuitry, the antenna having:
a pre-treatment state in which the antenna is not shaped to receive wireless power for treating a subject, and
a treatment state in which the antenna is shaped to receive wireless power for treating the subject and to anchor the implant with respect to a nerve of the subject; and
a spring, the spring:
coupled to the antenna,
having a compressed state and an expanded state, and
configured to cause the antenna to transition from the pre-treatment state to the treatment state by expanding from the compressed state to the expanded state,
wherein:
the implant defines a longitudinal axis,
the antenna has:
a fixed end at which the antenna is electrically coupled to the circuitry, and
a sliding end that is slidable along the longitudinal axis, with respect to the housing, and
the spring is configured to cause the antenna to transition from the pre-treatment state to the treatment state by sliding the sliding end of the antenna toward the fixed end of the antenna.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an injector configured to house the implant and to hold the antenna in the pre-treatment state.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the housing is shaped to define a feedthrough by which the antenna is electrically coupled to the circuitry.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the one or more electrodes comprise at least an anode and a cathode,
and
at least a portion of the antenna spans a longitudinal distance along the housing from the anode to the cathode.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the spring and the antenna are configured to act together as a tissue anchor for anchoring the implant to tissue of the subject, the tissue anchor being configured to (i) receive wireless power, and (ii) anchor the implant with respect to the nerve.
6. A method comprising:
implanting an implant adjacent to a nerve of a subject, the implant defining a longitudinal axis, and including:
one or more electrodes,
circuitry that is electrically coupled to the electrodes,
a housing that houses the circuitry, and
an antenna that is electrically coupled to the circuitry, the antenna:
shaped in a pre-treatment state in which the antenna is not shaped to receive wireless power for treating the subject, and
having:
a fixed end at which the antenna is electrically coupled to the circuitry, and
a sliding end; and
causing the antenna to transition from the pre-treatment state into a treatment state in which the antenna is shaped to receive wireless power for treating the subject and to anchor the implant with respect to the nerve by:
expanding the antenna from a non-anchoring state into an anchoring state, and
sliding the sliding end of the antenna along the longitudinal axis.
7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein:
the implant further comprises a spring, the spring:
coupled to the antenna, and
having a compressed state and an expanded state,
the step of expanding comprises expanding the antenna from the non-anchoring state into the anchoring state by causing the spring to expand from the compressed state to the expanded state, and
the step of sliding comprises sliding the end of the antenna along the longitudinal axis by causing the spring to expand from the compressed state to the expanded state.
8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein:
the antenna has:
a fixed end at which the antenna is electrically coupled to the circuitry, and
a sliding end that is slidable along the longitudinal axis, with respect to the housing, and
the step of sliding comprises sliding the end of the antenna along the longitudinal axis by sliding the sliding end of the antenna toward the fixed end of the antenna.
9. A method comprising:
implanting an implant adjacent to a nerve of a subject, the implant defining a longitudinal axis, and including:
one or more electrodes,
circuitry that is electrically coupled to the electrodes,
a housing that houses the circuitry,
an antenna that is electrically coupled to the circuitry, the antenna:
shaped in a pre-treatment state in which the antenna is not shaped to receive wireless power for treating the subject, and
having:
a fixed end at which the antenna is electrically coupled to the circuitry, and
a sliding end that is slidable along the longitudinal axis,
with respect to the housing,
a spring, the spring:
coupled to the antenna, and
having a compressed state and an expanded state; and
causing the antenna to transition from the pre-treatment state into a treatment state in which the antenna is shaped to receive wireless power for treating the subject and to anchor the implant with respect to the nerve, by:
causing the spring to expand from the compressed state to the expanded state; and
sliding the sliding end of the antenna toward the fixed end of the antenna.