Chair pad charging and communication system for a battery-powered microstimulator

• US 20040098068A1
• Filed: 06/27/2003
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Carbunaru, Rafael, McGiboney, Kenneth A., Ozawa, Robert D.
• Application Number:
  US10/609,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20040098068A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36007 of urogenital or gastrointestinal organs, e.g. for incontinence control
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37205 Microstimulators, e.g. implantable through a cannula
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37217 characterised by the communication link, e.g. acoustic or tactile
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37223 Circuits for electromagnetic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37229 Shape or location of the implanted or external antenna
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37235 Aspects of the external programmer
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3727 characterised by the modulation technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37276 characterised by means for reducing power consumption during telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/375 Constructional arrangements, e.g. casings
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37512 Pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45144 Gold (Au) as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45147 Copper (Cu) as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48465 the other connecting portion not on the bonding area being a wedge bond, i.e. ball-to-wedge, regular stitch
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49175 Parallel arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00011 Not relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01005 Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1461 : MEMS
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19105 : in a side-by-side arrangement on a common die mounting substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19107 : off-chip wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 : Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30111 : matching
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/23 : The load being a medical device, a medical implant, or a life supporting device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 : using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 : using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0037 : for power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0081 : with antenna coils loop aerials H01Q7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 : using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 : for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/02 : Amplitude-modulated carrier systems, e.g. using on-off keying; Single sideband or vestigial sideband modulation H04L27/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/10 : Frequency-modulated carrier systems, i.e. using frequency-shift keying H04L27/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4902 : Electromagnet, transformer or inductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49071 : by winding or coiling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49073 : by assembling coil and core
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49128 : Assembling formed circuit to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 : Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 : Manufacturing circuit on or in base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49169 : Assembling electrical component directly to terminal or elongated conductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 : Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49945 : by driven force fit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49968 : Metal fusion joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12264 : having outward flange, gripping means or interlocking feature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12271 : having discrete fastener, marginal fastening, taper, or end structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12347 : Plural layers discontinuously bonded [e.g., spot-weld, mechanical fastener, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12375 : having member which crosses the plane of another member [e.g., T or X cross section, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12396 : Discontinuous surface component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12535 : with additional, spatially distinct nonmetal component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12806 : Refractory [Group IVB, VB, or VIB] metal-base component

Abstract

A system and method are provided for both recharging and communicating with a stimulator having a rechargeable battery, which stimulator is implanted deeply in the body, in particular where the stimulator is a microstimulator, the system includes a base station and an external device, for instance a chair pad. The chair pad may contain an antenna/charging coil and a booster coil. The antenna/charging coil can be used for charging the rechargeable battery and also for communicating with the stimulator using frequency shift keying and on-off keying. The booster coil can be used to recharge a battery depleted to zero volts. The base station connected to the chair pad may be used to power the antenna/charging coil and the booster coil.

Claims

5-1. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a printed circuit board (PCB) contained in the chair pad; and

a sensing circuitry for sensing temperature included on the PCB.

24. A system for communicating and recharging an implantable stimulator comprising:

an external interface device;

an antenna/charging coil; and

a booster coil, wherein the antenna/charging coil and the booster coil are contained within the external device;

wherein the antenna/charging coil is configured to facilitate radio-frequency telemetry communication with the implanted stimulator; and

wherein the booster coil is configured for use in zero-volt recovery operation for reviving a completely depleted rechargeable battery in the stimulator.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the external interface device is selected from group consisting of a pillow, a cushion for resting the back against, and a chair pad for sitting on.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the stimulator is a BPB microstimulator.

27. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

circuitry for accomplishing forward and backward frequency shift keying (FSK) telemetry with the implanted stimulator,

wherein the antenna/charging coil is configured and dimensioned to enable FSK telemetry.

28. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

circuitry for accomplishing forward on-off keying (OOK) telemetry with the implanted stimulator with the antenna/charging coil.

29. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a current measuring circuitry for determining power consumption in the antenna/charging coil; and

an automatic power shut-off circuitry for automatically shutting off power to the antenna/charging coil when the power consumption through the antenna/charging coil exceeds a predetermined power level.

30. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a printed circuit board (PCB) contained in the external interface device;

a sensing circuitry included on the PCB for sensing temperature; and

an automatic power shut-off circuitry for automatically shutting off power to the antenna/charging coil when the sensed temperature exceeds a predetermined level.

31. The system of claim 24, wherein the booster coil is made from multi-stranded Litz wire, wrapped around a coil spool.

32. The system of claim 24, wherein the antenna/charging coil is made from multi-stranded Litz wire.

33. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a coil shield which is grounded and which shield is placed as part of a coil assembly to substantially cover the antenna/charger coil and the booster coil,

wherein the booster coil that is placed in the coil assembly with the antenna/charger coil, wherein the booster coil and antenna coil are wound over a coil spool in a configuration to present at least one substantially flat side; and

wherein the coil assembly is fully encapsulated in a polyurethane housing, which housing is contained within the external interface device.

34. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a base station;

a connection extension cable that connects the external interface device to the base station; and

detection circuitry for automatically detecting disconnection of the extension cable from the external interface device.

35. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

first and second impedance matching networks,

wherein a first amplifier power supply to the antenna/charging coil is impedance matched with the first impedance matching network; and

wherein a second amplifier power supply to the booster coil is impedance matched with the second impedance matching network.

36. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a sensor for detecting power levels in the antenna/charging coil; and

a variable output power supply that automatically adjusts downwards when the power levels detected by the sensor detects a power level that exceeds a predetermined level,

wherein the variable output power supply is contained within the base station.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the variable output power supply used by the antenna/charging coil ranges from between about +7 to +25 VDC.

38. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

circuit means, located in the base station, for reducing all voltages and currents inside the external interface device to below about 4.5 Amperes and below about 25 VDC.

39. The system of claim 24, wherein the tuning frequency for inductive battery charging is 127 KHz.

40. A system for communicating and recharging an implantable stimulator having a rechargeable battery, the system comprising:

an external interface device;

an antenna/charging coil contained in the external interface device, which antenna/charging coil is used for radio-frequency communication with the stimulator; and

a charging circuit for inductively recharging the rechargeable battery, wherein the charging circuit is capable of recharging the battery in the stimulator which is implanted in a patient'"'"'s body up to an implant depth of about 15 centimeters.

41. The system of claim 40, further comprising:

a booster coil for implementing zero volt recovery (ZVR) for the rechargeable battery in the stimulator,

wherein the rechargeable battery is of a type that can be revived even after the battery has been depleted down to zero volts.

42. The system of claim 40, further comprising:

a base station; and

circuit means for converting supply voltages and currents in the base station to levels of voltages and currents in the external interface device that are about or below 0.5 amperes and 25 VDC.

43. A method of communicating with and recharging an implantable stimulator having a rechargeable battery, the method comprising:

(a) providing an antenna/charging coil;

(b) providing a booster coil;

(c) positioning the antenna/charge coil and the booster coil near a patient'"'"'s skin over the implanted stimulator; and

(d) determining whether the rechargeable battery is in the following condition (1) completely depleted to zero volts or (2) needs recharging, but is not at zero volts,

wherein if case (1) applies, performing the steps;

(e) applying a 1.2 MHz through the booster coil in order to reset the stimulator recharging circuitry to accept 127 KHz;

(f) turning off the power to the booster coil; and

(g) applying power to the antenna/charge coil to commence trickle charging of the rechargeable battery,

wherein if case is (2) applies, performing step (g) directly, without performing steps (e) and (f).