MXPA00007537A - Tongue placed tactile output device - Google Patents

Abstract

A mouth stabilized electrode array allows spatially encoded data to be tactily impressed upon the tongue providing an alternative to conventional visual pathways with a more compact size, lower power usage and more convenient apparatus.

Description

TOUCH OUTPUT DEVICE PLACED IN THE LANGUAGE Background of the Invention Vision, tactile substitution (TVSS) systems are used to provide image information to the brain by means of a network of stimulators in contact with the skin in one of the various parts of the body, for example, the abdomen, the back , the thigh or the tip of the fingers. The points of the image are converted into a map for the individual stimulators in the device either as vibrations or as a direct electric excitation. With training, perception judgments normally used for vision such as depth judgment can be applied to these tactile images. A summary of the art in this field is provided in an article by the present inventors, hereby incorporated by reference, entitled: Electrotactile and Vibrotactile Displays for Sensory Substitution Systems, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, Volume 38, No. 1, January of 1991. The delay in perception for devices or touch arrangements is less than for vision. For this reason, TVSS systems are not only promising co or rehabilitation strategies for injured individuals REF .: 122032 of the view but also offer an alternative machine / human interface for individuals with the sense of vision, especially where fast reaction times are required. Unfortunately, common TVSS systems have been limited in their practical application. Mechanical vibrotactile systems in which the stimulators vibrate, are bulky and require considerable energy. Electro-tactile systems in which the stimulators produce a direct electrical stimulus require a relatively high voltage, especially in the areas of the fingertips, because there are protective layers of the skin between the surface of the skin and sensory receptors. of the skin. The TVSS systems which use the fingertips as a reception site, limit the use of the hands for other tasks while the systems that use a site such as the abdomen require devices or large arrangements, are less convenient, and they require a conductive gel for proper operation.

Brief Description of the Invention The present invention provides a human / machine interface system that uses the tongue as a stimulation site. The tongue contains a large number of nerve endings, thus allowing the construction of a small device or arrangement with a higher number of stimulators. Preliminary data by the inventors show that users tend to adapt to the stimulation current over the course of time when this current is applied to the fingertips, requiring the stimulation current or voltage to be increased. In contrast, it now appears that the subjects maintain a constant or even slightly decreasing current level for the stimulation of the tongue. Specifically, the present invention provides a tactile stimulation device for the tongue having a portion of the mouth dimensioned so that it is received and stabilized within the mouth and a device or arrangement of tactile elements placed on a lower surface of the part of the mouth. mouth that will be in contact with the tongue when the part of the mouth is received inside the mouth. The excitation circuits communicate with the touch elements and receive a spatially encoded signal to excite selected ones of the touch elements according to the spatial coding.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved human / machine interface for communicating spatially encoded information, such as but not limited to, image information. to language as an alternative to optical display devices. The touch elements can be electrodes and the excitation circuits can connect the electrodes to a source of electrical power to excite some selections of the touch elements. Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to make use of the improved electrical sensitivity offered by the tongue both because of the location of the sensory receptors of the tongue close to its surface and to the presence of the saliva as a conductor. Experimentation by the present inventors has suggested that the tongue requires only about three percent of the voltage and much less current, for example, that the tip of the finger, to achieve equivalent levels of sensation. The spatially encoded signal may include a plurality of data points having defined sites and magnitudes and the excitation circuit may map the data points relative to the tactile elements having corresponding locations and excite the touch elements with a electric impulse according to a function having the magnitude of the data points as a range and a value selected from the group of: content of the amplitude of the impulse, the duration of the impulse, and the frequency of the impulse. Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to provide a multidimensional visual indicator wherein each point of the stimulation may have a varied or different intensity based on a variety of factors. To the extent that language can distinguish simultaneously between these factors, a multidimensional stimulus can be obtained. The mouth part may include an upwardly concave plate that supports the tactile element on its lower surface and sized to fit under the hard palate. Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to provide a device or arrangement that minimizes interference with the function of the tongue. The language is highly mobile and can be moved against and departing from a language-based device when required. The concave upward plate may be flanked at its side edges by bite bars between the teeth. Alternatively, a dental fastener design can be used with wire brackets that engage or make contact between the teeth. Accordingly it is another object of the invention to allow a device or arrangement to be easily placed inside or easily removed from the mouth and stabilized there and then removed at will. The part of the mouth can be a nozzle sized to be stabilized inside the mouth of a nursing infant. Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to allow the device or arrangement to be adapted for use by the infant as part of a pacifier or the like to provide the necessary stimulation for infants suffering from sight. The device or array may include a receiver that communicates with the excitation circuits in receiving the spatially encoded signal as a radio wave. Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to allow the device to be completely contained within the mouth without obstructing or obstructing the electrical cables. Because electrical stimulation of the tongue requires only about three percent of the voltage that is required by the tip of the finger and much less current, operation with self-contained batteries is possible. The foregoing objects and advantages of the invention and others will be apparent from the following description. In this description, reference is made to the appended drawings which form a part thereof and in which the preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of illustration. However, such an embodiment does not necessarily represent the full scope of the invention, and reference should therefore be made to the claims to interpret the scope of the invention.

Brief Description of the Various Views of the Drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first modality of the mouth-based machine / human interface system of the present invention, viewed from below according to its orientation within the mouth of a user; Figure 2 is a view with interrupted lines of the head of a person showing the placement of the device or arrangement inside the mouth and showing the reception path by means of electromagnetic waves of the free space of the image data from a camera fixed to the frame of a pair of lenses; Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the circuit elements of the embodiments of Figures 1 and 2 that include a switch device that eliminates the need for a continuous ground connection plane; Figure 4 is a plan view of the bottom of a second embodiment of the human / machine interface system of the present invention in which the device or arrangement is incorporated into a pacifier for infant use; Figure 5 is a timing diagram showing the provision of electrical stimulation to three elements of the device or arrangement of Figures 1 or 4 to produce various intensities of multidimensional stimulation; Figure 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 1 showing the placement of the electrodes for stimulation in wells or cavities within an insulating plate against which the tongue can be placed; Figure 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along lines 6-6 of Figure 1 showing an alternative embodiment of the electrode design without the wells or cavities using a flexible printed circuit element; Figure 8 is a fragmentary plan view of the alternative embodiment of Figure 7 showing a construction of an alternative ground plane; Figure 9 is a perspective view of the printed circuit element of Figure 7 removed from the support structure; and Figure 10 is a block diagram of an alternative modality of the human-machine interface, based on the mouth, of the present invention, which provides bidirectional communication to provide an integrated control device.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Modality Referring now to Figure 1, a first embodiment of the touch-sensitive unit or arrangement 10 placed in the mouth of the present invention includes a horseshoe-shaped bite rod 12 sized to be held between the teeth of a typical adult user. An upwardly concave plate 14 extends along the distance between the opposite legs of the bite rod 12 to fit between the hard palate of a user when the bite rod is held between the teeth. In an alternative embodiment, not shown in Figure 1, the bite rod can be removed and the concave plate 14 used only in the manner of a dental holder or retainer, shown in Figure 10, as is well understood in the art. . In any case, exposed to a lower surface of the plate 14 to receive the upper surface of the user's tongue, there is a device or array 16 of electrodes 18 generally distributed in parallel rows and columns. However, it will be understood that a regular spacing of the electrodes 18 need not be fixed but that a variation of the spacing may be present for example to provide a higher spatial resolution for certain portions of the tongue than others. In this regard, several peripheral electrodes 20 can be placed on the edges of the plate 14 to make contact with the sides of the tongue. Referring to Figure 6 in a first embodiment, each electrode 18 may be surrounded by a matrix of insulating material 22 and placed inside a cavity 24 that opens towards the tongue 26 when the unit of the touch device 10 is in place within the mouth. The electrodes 18 can be stainless steel bolts or screws with flat top. The individual cavities 24 are spaced along the bottom surface of the plate 14 by intercavity regions of insulating material 22 to strengthen the electrical stimulation of the tongue 26 instead of the direct current flow between the electrodes 18. The cavities remove the electrodes 18 of the direct contact with the tongue 26 but allow the electrical conduction through the saliva 28 which is refreshed by the action of the salivary glands in the mouth., Referring now to Figures 7, 8 and 9, the most recent research has suggested that cavities 24 (from Figure 6) that provide a gap between the electrode 18 and the tongue 26 can cause a variation in the perceived stimulation and cause an adverse mechanical sensation during the scan. In addition, because the tongue 26 appears to be effectively cleaning the electrode surface continuously, a completely flat surface may be the best choice for a tongue electrode, because saliva could not accumulate in the tongue. the holes. Consequently, in an alternative embodiment, the cavities are eliminated and the surface of the electrodes 18 is made level and projecting above the insulating material 22. In this last embodiment shown in Figures 7 and 8, the electrodes can be realized as disk-shaped pads 18 'on the lower surface of a flexible printed circuit board 63 manufactured by standard lithographic techniques known in the art. The electrodes 18 'can be copper etched with acid which is then plated with gold for biocompatibility purposes on the surface of an insulating carrier 65 connected to the connector cables 64 etched with acid photographically on the other side of the carrier 65 by means of the 66 through holes of the plate known in the art. The flexible printed circuit board 63 may include an upper insulating layer 68 then sandwiched in the material of the plate 14. A gold-plated copper ground connection plane 70 may be formed around the electrodes 18 'by etching the voids rings 72 around each electrode 18 'so that the electrodes 18' are exposed within the recesses and the area external to the recesses 72 is electrically interconnected. The ground plane 70 is connected to provide a return path for the electric current from the electrodes 18 '. The flexibility of flexible printed circuit board 63 allows for increased flexibility of the holding or retaining structure and the promise of improved comfort. Carrier 65 is preferably a polyester to maintain biocompatibility and provide minimal absorption of water in the oral environment. The electrodes 18 in any embodiment can be stainless steel, titanium, platinum, gold or other biocompatible conductor. An exemplary electrode device manufactured in this manner could include 144 electrodes distributed over a 2.3 mm grid to form a device or array of approximately 3 square cm. The size and number of the electrodes can be easily varied according to the following guidelines. In general, smaller electrodes can produce a stinging sensation while larger electrodes produce a comfortable vibratory perception at the expense of resolution. Currently the 0.6 mm electrodes seem to be an acceptable compromise. Referring now to Figures 1 and 3, the electrodes 18 and 20 communicate with a circuit of blocks 30 which can be fixed to the plate 14 towards its rear to minimize interference with the tongue. A study of the retainers for a cross section of populations suggests that a space of 23 by 15 by 2 mm is available at the back of plate 14 or two spaces of 12 by 9 by 4 mm. These spaces may retain a circuit block 30 in conjunction with a battery power source (not shown) encapsulated in the same insulating material 22 that holds the device 16 and which forms the bite rods 12. As will be described later, the block circuit 30 can communicate with external devices without direct connection with it, by radio waves or the like. However, it will be recognized that in an alternative embodiment, the printed circuit material or a cable connected to the printed circuit material conductors may extend out of the mouth for direct connection to the electronic external processing elements including the block circuit. 30 eliminating the need for electronic processing in the mouth. In yet another modality, the circuit block can be incorporated in the plate but can derive its energy from an external source, for example, a low frequency induction or the like. Each electrode 18 is connected to a switch device 34 within the circuit block 30. The individual cables connecting the electrodes 18 to the switch device or network 34 are interleaved in an insulated array which. can be _ fused or formed around the electronic elements.

The technology of flexible printed circuits, as is well understood in the art, can be used to provide interconnections between the electrodes and the electronic elements in the case where the electrodes are not part of the printed circuits. An insulating cover is placed on the wiring of the printed circuit so that the latter is interposed between the insulating substrate of the printed circuit material and the insulating cover. The switch device or arrangement retains a series of solid state switches 36 activated by lines 38 of the multiplexer from a multiplexer 40. Each solid state switch 36 has a vertical span or projection connected to an electrode 18 and two poles that they allow the vertical span to be connected to either the pulse source 42 or the ground connection 44 depending on the state of a line 38 of the multiplexer. The multiplexer 40 controlling the lines 38 of the multiplexer, and the pulse source 42 receive the data from a receiver 47 comprising the location information 46 and the intensity or information of the multidimensional stimulation 50. When the data is an image, the location information 46 is the location of a pixel value within the image and the intensity information is the intensity of the pixel (when the image is black and white) or the value of the partial or full color of the pixel.

In the operation, the location information 46 is passed to the multiplexer typically based on an implicit ordering of the data points received by the receiver 47. The multiplexer 40 drives selected ones of the lines 38 of the multiplexer to scan through the electrodes 18 activating one electrode 18 at a time by connecting it through the solid state switch 36 to the pulse source 42 and connecting the surrounding electrodes or all other electrodes to ground 44 or to another return by means of their solid state switches 36. The particular electrode 18 that is stimulated is successively changed according to the location information so that all the electrodes 18 are estimated in sequence during a period of the scan. Typically the electrodes 18 will be scanned in a raster configuration that moves through each row and then returns to the first row in the next column until all the electrodes have been scanned. Alternatively the electrodes can be scanned to follow the contour of the object as determined by the morphometric techniques of edge detection, standards. Referring also to Figure 5, the amount of stimulation of a given electrode 18 is in accordance with the intensity information 50. In the simplest mode, the intensity information is binary and each electrode 18 receives either a single phase pulse (CC net zero) or no impulse so that the simplest forms can be detected. For the continuous perception of a "vibration" or "tingling", the electrode is driven or activated for 5-50 μs at a speed of 10-400 pulses per second. The impulses can be either controlled by current (0.4-4.0 ma) or controlled by voltage (5-15 volts). As is understood in the art, current control means that the value of the current is defined and the voltage is adjusted to produce such a current in the tongue, while the control of the voltage means that the voltage is defined and the current is adjusted to produce this voltage on the tongue. In the preferred embodiment, when an electrode 18 is selected by the multiplexer "40, the information of the multidimensional intensity 50 is provided to the pulse source 42 which produces an impulse 52 that can vary in any of six parameters: pulse height (measured as current or voltage or power), the width of the pulse, the interval between the pulses, the number of pulses in a sudden increase, the interval between the sudden increases and the speed of the cycle of recurring pulses (that is, the time between successive scans of a device), as a function of the intensity information 50. These last five parameters generally define the spectral characteristics of the pulses. All six parameters in the form of waves can, at first, be varied independently within certain intervals, and can produce potentially different responses. A pulse source 42 that provides the proper pulses (but sized to be usable only outside the mouth) is commercially available from Unitech Research Inc. of Madison, Wisconsin under the registered name VideoTact. As shown in Figure 5, three successive electrodes 18a, 18b and 18c receive an impulse 52 at different times according to their order within the device or arrangement 16. Each pulse 52 is composed of sub-pulses 51 which allow simple control of the content of pulse frequency and energy 52. When a given electrode (eg, 18a) is being stimulated with an impulse 52, the other electrodes (eg, 18b and 18c) are in the grounding state providing a return path for the electric current. As shown, the pulse 18b has a lower amplitude 54 and a different frequency content than the pulse 18a and the pulse 18c has a different pulse width 55. To the extent that a trained user can simultaneously distinguish between a multitude of these characteristics of amplitude, width and frequency, the pulses 52 can convey multidimensional information in an almost identical manner that the eye perceives the color from independent stimulation of different color receivers. Although as shown, each pulse 52 is supplemented prior to the next electrode 18 being selected by the multiplexer 40, it will be understood that this is not necessarily the case but that the sub-pulses 51 of the pulses 52 can be interleaved with the sub-pulses 51 of other pulses 52 to allow faster scanning and lower frequency content pulses 52. Accordingly, for example, each sub-pulse 51 may be of the order of 25 microseconds but separated by five milliseconds from the following with the scanning period for a device or electrode network that is less than 5 milliseconds so that the first sub-pulse 51 for each electrode 18 can occur before the second sub-pulse 51. As will be understood in the art, the pulses can be either controlled by voltage or current and therefore the height shown in Figure 5 can be a voltage or a current, the two are related by to intrinsic resistance of the interconnection of the tongue electrode. Generally both current and voltage limits are imposed on the impulses 52. It will be understood that other techniques for the stimulation of the electrodes 18 of the device 16 can be used including those which consider only the information of the intensity 50 of the points of individual data but the information of the intensity 50 of the adjacent data points to provide the improvement of the edges and the like. In addition to the coordinate assignment of the location information data points 46 and the particular electrodes 18 can be changed to provide a fast approach effect in which the image is "enlarged" on the device or array 16. The amount of the fast approach could be controlled by an external controller (not shown) or by detection electrodes in the mouth itself. Particularly with regard to the rapid approach of the camera, the peripheral electrodes 20 can be used to provide an indication of a composite intensity information 50 of the groups of the data points outside the device or array 16 with respect to, for example, the simulated peripheral vision in which the presence of A decentering of the object can be detected even if it is not completely resolved. Referring now to Figure 2 in a first embodiment, the visual data received by the receiver can be image data from a miniature camera 56, using for example, a detector of the device type coupled to a load or solid state CCD . To eliminate the need for wires that conduct the image data from the camera 56 to the touch device unit 10, these data can be transmitted by the radio waves by means of the transmit and receive antennas 45 according to the techniques well known in art. For example, the FM modulated radio frequency signals can be used, or given the close proximity of the camera 56 to the touch device unit 10, directly modulated low frequency magnetic fields are employed. When used here, radio waves should be assumed to encompass electromagnetic waves of any frequency. In this case, the wire clips or fasteners of the retainer structure could serve as an antenna. The camera 56 can be mounted on glass mounts 58 and the necessary electronic transmission elements supported on a pin 61 of the glass mounts that are to be close to and stably positioned with respect to the circuit block 30 that retain the receiver 47. electronic proximity sensing elements can be incorporated to conserve battery power for the touch device unit 10 when they have been removed from the mouth of a user. In a second embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 4, the device or array 16 may have its electrodes 18 exposed from the lower surface of a nipple 60 forming a part of a pacifier 62 having an external shape similar to common pacifiers well known in the art. In infants, suction control of the mouth is present at the earliest age and so the nipple 60 could be retained and stabilized inside the mouth by such suction action. The chamber 56 is positioned on the portion of the pacifier 62 that extends out of the baby's mouth normally reserved for a pivoting ring or the like and optically aligned with the longitudinal axis of the nipple 60 so that the child's face is directed towards the source of the image in a natural way. The circuit block 30 in this case retained within the body of the pacifier is itself a portion which remains outside the infant's mouth. A direct connection between the camera 56 and the electronic elements could have eliminated the need for a radio link.

It is believed that the stimulation provided to damaged infants of the eye could help develop neuronal pathways used in the processing of images. It will be understood that the configuration of the pacifier can also be used for adults and that the signal that provides the quick approach or other control of the tactile image or for other purposes of exit, can be provided by the user biting the switches or switches placed between teeth. The cameras described above can employ image circuits of the CMOS type to create so-called "active pixel" devices in which the image processing can be performed on the same matrix as that which retains or holds the detection device. the light. Such processing may include but is not limited to improvement of compression, edge or contrast, detection of movement and even generation of the configuration or route of the stimuli to be used by the electrode device. A camera suitable for use with the present invention is commercially available from Austrian Micro Systems of Austria and characterizes a matrix of 64 by 64 pixels in a 2 by 2 mm square using a double metal, double metal poly process of 1.3. μm and providing a logarithmic compression on a microcircuit with different time constants and gains for static and dynamic illumination to mimic the human retina. This camera has demonstrated a dynamic range of approximately eight orders of magnitude in the incident light intensity and a slope ratio of approximately 30: 1 between the static and dynamic cases. The digitalization of the signals is carried out on a microcircuit or chip. Referring now to Figure 19, the data received by the touch device unit 10 need not be visual data but for example that can provide touch data for example from a sensor 80, for people with a prosthesis of a member or astronauts to use heavy gloves or operators of remote control manipulators. The tactile data may include information about the shape, the shear forces, the pressure and the slope or inclination. A promising touch sensor employs an elastomeric membrane shaped elliptically filled with a clear fluid, the inner surface of the membrane is printed with a configuration so that the deformation of the membrane by the touch of an object deformed the configuration of a 'detectable way by a camera directed to the inner surface of the membranes. Gloves for leprosy patients with insensitive hands or insoles for diabetic patients with insensitive feet can be used with the present invention where the tactile data is transported to the mouth. The present invention can accept tactile data from a penis sheath or sheath for damaged patients of the spinal cord who have lost sexual sensation. The touch data may be received by the electronic processing elements 82, for example, a microprocessor that processes the camera system image described above, and then transmitted by the transceiver 84 to the touch device unit 10. To provide a controller Based on the mouth, integrated, the touch array unit 10 may include one or more mouth-based sensors 79, which may be activated by the tongue 26 (not shown). In its simplest form, the sensors 79 are conventional mechanical switches such as membrane switches incorporated in the material of the plate 14 but can also be electronic sensors that detect the placement of the tongue using conventional impedance detection techniques. The output of the signal from the sensors 80 of the touch device unit 10 can be received by the transceiver 84 and transported through the electronic processing elements 82 to an actuator 86 such, like a robotic hand. Such a system could provide, for example, the control of a robotic hand for people with quadriplegia wherein the sensor 80 is one or more touch sensors and the actuator is one or more motors of the robot axis. The mouth-based sensors 79, in an alternative embodiment, can detect the chemistry of the mouth using techniques well known in the art, and can be combined with the touch device unit 10 of the present invention to provide the user with an indication of similar blood levels of Nitrogen or C02, such as those that may be useful for various purposes. When a camera is the input sensor to the unit of the touch device 10, it is necessary that it is not limited to a range of visible light but can be a night vision camera or an infrared vision camera (for example, for pilots or conductors) where deriving the retina in favor of the tongue eliminates the retinal delay. The image data or image data may be used to increase the visual information received by the individuals with the sense of sight, for example in regions of infrared rays, ultrasonic or radar images for airplanes and the like. They should not be the entry of inputs of the conventional sensory type such as vision or touch or sound but may be fundamental data, for example, such as the direction and orientation of navigation for various helmets or scuba diving and similar, prone to become disoriented. For military purposes, the mouth-based HMI of the present invention relieves the overdependence of the visual routes and may have as an entry the "immediate action take", such as those of the systems to avoid aircraft collisions, or may provide an expanded "peripheral vision" about enemy planes or missiles approaching from one side or from behind. The general communication functions could be provided through such HMI for secret communications. A number of other applications are possible for the present invention including helpers for drivers in the fog or for racecar drivers who need faster response times. At a lower level, the touch device unit can be used to increase the output or performance of a video game or provide communication in very noisy environments or where sound is not allowed and for the operation of the machinery where extensive use of hands is required, such as crane operators or those who handle contaminated nuclear materials.

The above description has been that of a preferred embodiment of the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the scanning approach of the electrodes can be replaced with a simultaneous excitation of the electrodes 18 when the continuous ground connection plane is used. Similarly, although electronic stimulation is preferred, other forms of stimulation may be appropriate for use on the tongue, miniaturization technology such as stimulators of the vibration type must be allowed. For the appreciation by the public of several modalities that may be within the scope of the invention the following claims are made.

It is noted that in relation to this date the best method known by the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Having described the invention as above, property is claimed as contained in the following

Claims (20)

1. A tactile stimulation device for the tongue, characterized in that it comprises: a part for the mouth dimensioned to be received and stabilized inside the mouth; a device for electrodes of conductors placed on an area of the device of a lower surface of the part of the mouth that is going to be in contact with the tongue when the part of the mouth is received inside the mouth; an input that receives a spatially encoded signal; excitation circuits communicating with the input and leads of the electrode device for energization with a stimulating electrical signal referred to a ground connection of at least one conductor of the electrode device as a stimulating conductor in accordance with the spatial coding of the spatially encoded signal and to connect at least one other conductor of the electrode device as a ground conductor to establish ground contact, to provide a ground plane extending substantially over the entire device area outside the stimulating conductor.

2. The tactile stimulation device for the tongue according to claim 1, characterized in that the conductors include a conductive sheet having openings through which the second conductors are exposed and wherein the excitation circuit connects the conductive sheet to ground as the conductor for the ground connection and connects at least one of the second conductors to the stimulating electrical signal as the stimulation electrode.

3. The tactile stimulation device for the tongue according to claim 1, characterized in that the conductors include a network of conductive elements and wherein the excitation circuit connects at least one of the conductive elements to the stimulating electrical signal as the stimulation electrode and connect the remaining conductive elements to ground as the ground plane.

4. The touch stimulation device for the tongue according to claim 1, characterized in that the excitation circuit includes a plurality of solid-state switches that connect a pole alternatively to the stimulating electrical signal or to ground and where each stimulating electrode is connected to a different solid state switch.

5. The tactile stimulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the stimulating electrical signal is of a predetermined current value.

6. The tactile stimulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the stimulating electrical signal is of a predetermined voltage value.

7. The tactile stimulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the stimulating electrical signal is a pulsating electrical signal having variable characteristics selected from the group consisting of: the height of the pulse, the width of the pulse, the interval between the pulses, the number of impulses in a sudden increase, the interval between sudden increases.

8. The tactile stimulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the spatially encoded signal includes a plurality of data points having a defined magnitude and locations and wherein the excitation circuit provides energy to stimulate the electrodes having corresponding locations with a stimulating electrical signal according to a function having the magnitude of the data point as a range and a value selected from the group consisting of: content of the amplitude of the pulse, the duration of the pulse and the frequency of the impulse.

9. The tactile stimulation device according to claim 8, characterized in that the spatially encoded signal is a signal of the image comprised of pixels having locations in the image and magnitudes corresponding to the pixel intensities.

10. The tactile stimulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mouth part includes an upward concave plate that supports on its lower surface the device of tactile elements and sized to fit within the hard palate of a human mouth.

11. The tactile stimulation device according to claim 10, characterized in that the concave plate upwards is flanked on its side edges by bite bars, whereby the mouth part can be stabilized inside the mouth by pressing the bite bars. between the teeth.

12. The tactile stimulation device according to claim 16, characterized in that the upwardly concave plate is flanked on its side edges by element retaining elements that are fixed to the teeth, whereby the mouth part can be stabilized inside. from the mouth against the teeth.

13. The "tactile stimulation" device according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrodes are substantially coplanar with the lower surface of the mouth part.

14. The tactile stimulation device according to claim 13, characterized in that the lower surface of the mouth portion and the electrodes are formed as a flexible printed circuit board.

15. The tactile stimulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the part of the mouth is a nipple sized to be stabilized inside the mouth of a nursing infant.

16. The tactile stimulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device is a substantially rectilinear grid.

17. The tactile stimulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the input is a receiver that communicates with the excitation circuits and receives the spatially encoded signal as a radio wave.

18. The tactile stimulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mouth part includes a chamber that retains or contains the excitation circuits.

19. The tactile stimulation device according to claim 18, characterized in that the excitation circuits are driven by means of batteries and wherein the mouth part includes a chamber that maintains a battery in communication with the excitation circuits.

20. The tactile stimulation device according to claim 5, characterized in that the mouth part includes at least one electrical switch that can be operated with the tongue.