High-voltage analog circuit pulser with feedback control

• US 10,548,665 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2016
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pulse Biosciences, Inc
• Original Assignee: Pulse Biosciences, Inc
• Inventors: Xiao, Shu, Athos, Brian G., Kreis, Mark P., Danitz, David J., Uecker, Darrin R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Della, Jaymi E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Collins, Sean W
• Application Number:
  US15/148,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20170245928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 307108, 323251, 331 6, 315 539, 315 545
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1206 Generators therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/18 by applying electromagnetic radiation, e.g. microwaves radiation therapy A61N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00291 using suction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00642 with feedback, i.e. closed loop control
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00714 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00791 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00827 Current
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00875 Resistance or impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00892 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/143 multiple needles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1467 using more than two electrodes on a single probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2217/005 with suction drainage system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/05 Surgical care
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/32 alternating or intermittent currents applying electric fields by inductive or capacitive coupling A61N1/40; microwave apparatus A61N5/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/40 Applying electric fields by inductive or capacitive coupling microwave apparatus A61N5/00; Applying radio-frequency signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/687 the devices being field-effect transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/017 Adjustment of width or dutycycle of pulses pulse width modulation H03K7/08 ; to maintain energy constant H03K3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/57 the switching device being a semiconductor device

Abstract

A sub-microsecond pulsed electric field generator is disclosed. The field generator includes a controller, which generates a power supply control signal and generates a pulse generator control signal, and a power supply, which receives the power supply control signal and generates one or more power voltages based on the received power supply control signal. The field generator also includes a pulse generator which receives the power voltages and the pulse generator control signal, and generates one or more pulses based on the power voltages and based on the pulse generator control signal. The controller receives feedback signals representing a value of a characteristic of or a result of the pulses and generates at least one of the power supply control signal and the pulse generator control signal based on the received feedback signals.

Claims

1. A sub-microsecond pulsed electric field generator system, comprising:

a controller, configured to generate a power supply control signal and a pulse generator control signal;

a power supply, configured to receive the power supply control signal and generate one or more power voltages based in part on the received power supply control signal; and

a pulse generator configured to receive the one or more power voltages and the pulse generator control signal, and to generate one or more pulses based in part on the one or more power voltages received from the power supply and based in part on the pulse generator control signal received from the controller, wherein the controller is configured to receive one or more feedback signals representing a value of a characteristic of or a result of the one or more pulses and to generate at least one of the power supply control signal, or the pulse generator control signal, or both, based partly on the received one or more feedback signals, and

wherein the pulse generator is a nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) generator comprising a plurality of pulse generator stages connected in series,

wherein each of the plurality of pulse generator stages comprises;

a switch stack including a plurality of switches connected in series;

one or more switch drivers connected to the plurality of switches and configured to generate switch control signal pulses for switching various switches of the plurality of switches; and

a capacitive element coupled to the switch stack,

wherein the one or more switch drivers comprise a lossy transformer.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an interface configured to receive information indicating a desired value for the characteristic of or the result of the one or more pulses, wherein the controller is configured to generate at least one of the power supply control signal, or the pulse generator control signal, or both, based partly on the desired value.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the power supply, the controller, and the pulse generator collectively form a feedback loop which causes the value of the characteristic of or the result of the one or more pulses to be substantially equal to the desired value.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the feedback loop is controlled using at least one or a combination of:

a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) method;

a lookup table to determine a next control signal value;

or

a method including increasing or decreasing a next control signal value by a fixed amount.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the pulse generator is configured to generate at least one of the one or more feedback signals.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the pulse generator comprises a voltage sensor configured to generate a signal representing a measured voltage, and wherein the at least one of the one or more feedback signals represents the measured voltage.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the pulse generator comprises a current sensor configured to generate a signal representing a measured current, and wherein the at least one of the one or more feedback signals represents the measured current.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an electrode configured to apply the one or more pulses to a patient, wherein the electrode is configured to generate at least one of the one or more feedback signals.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the electrode comprises a voltage sensor configured to generate a signal representing a measured voltage, and wherein the at least one of the one or more feedback signals represents the measured voltage.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the electrode comprises a current sensor configured to generate a signal representing a measured current, and wherein the at least one of the one or more feedback signals represents the measured current.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the electrode comprises a temperature sensor configured to generate a signal representing a measured temperature, and wherein the at least one of the one or more feedback signals represents the measured temperature.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising an interface configured to receive information indicating a desired value for the characteristic of or the result of the pulses, wherein the controller is configured to generate at least one of the power supply control signal, or the pulse generator control signal, or both, based partly on the desired value, and wherein the power supply, the controller, and the electrode collectively form a feedback loop which causes the characteristic of or the result of the one or more pulses applied to the patient to have a value substantially equal to the desired value indicated by the information received by the interface.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sensor, wherein the sensor includes at least one or a combination of a thermocouple, a voltage probe, a current probe, a impedance probe, a capacitance probe, a light sensor, a humidity sensor, a tissue monitoring probe, or a chemical analysis probe.

14. A sub-microsecond pulsed electric field generator system, comprising:

a controller, configured to generate a power supply control signal and a pulse generator control signal at a controller output;

a power supply, comprising a power supply input configured to receive the power supply control signal, wherein the power supply is configured to generate one or more power voltages at one or more corresponding power supply outputs, wherein the one or more power voltages is generated based in part on the received power supply control signal; and

a pulse generator, comprising a plurality of pulse generator inputs configured to receive the one or more power voltages and the pulse generator control signal, wherein the pulse generator is configured to generate one or more pulses based in part on the one or more power voltages received from the power supply and based in part on the pulse generator control signal received from the controller,

wherein the controller comprises a feedback input configured to receive one or more feedback signals representing a value of a characteristic of or a result of the one or more pulses, and wherein the controller is configured to generate at least one of the power supply control signal, or the pulse generator control signal, or both, based partly on the received one or more feedback signals,

wherein the pulse generator is a nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) generator comprising a plurality of pulse generator stages connected in series,

wherein each of the plurality of pulse generator stages comprises;

a switch stack including a plurality of switches connected in series;

one or more switch drivers connected to the plurality of switches and configured to generate switch control signal pulses for switching various switches of the plurality of switches; and

a capacitive element coupled to the switch stack,

wherein the one or more switch drivers comprise a lossy transformer.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising an interface configured to receive information indicating a desired value for the characteristic of or the result of the one or more pulses, wherein the controller is configured to generate at least one of the power supply control signal, or the pulse generator control signal, or both, based partly on the desired value.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the power supply, the controller, and the pulse generator collectively form a feedback loop which causes the value of the characteristic of or the result of the one or more pulses to be substantially equal to the desired value indicated by the information received by the interface.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the pulse generator is configured to generate at least one of the one or more feedback signals, wherein the pulse generator comprises a voltage sensor configured to generate a signal representing a measured voltage, and wherein the at least one of the one or more feedback signal represents the measured voltage.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the pulse generator is configured to generate at least one of the one or more feedback signals, wherein the pulse generator comprises a current sensor configured to generate a signal representing a measured current, and wherein the at least one of the one or more feedback signal represents the measured current.

19. The system of claim 14, further comprising an electrode configured to apply the one or more pulses to a patient, wherein the electrode is configured to generate at least one of the one or more feedback signals.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the electrode comprises a voltage sensor configured to generate a signal representing a measured voltage, and wherein the at least one of the one or more feedback signals represents the measured voltage.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the electrode comprises a current sensor configured to generate a signal representing a measured current, and wherein the at least one of the one or more feedback signals represents the measured current.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the electrode comprises a temperature sensor configured to generate a signal representing a measured temperature, and wherein the at least one of the one or more feedback signals represents the measured temperature.