Implantable medical device with rechargeable thin-film microbattery power source

• US 20040220643A1
• Filed: 05/27/2004
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Craig
• Application Number:
  US10/855,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20040220643A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/378 Electrical supply

Abstract

The present invention is an implantable medical device comprising an outer housing, electronics within the outer housing, the electronics located in on a substrate circuit board, and a rechargeable thin-film microbattery within the outer housing. The rechargeable thin-film microbattery of the present invention is a solid-state battery that is devoid of liquids or other volatile materials from which the electronics must be protected. In one embodiment, the rechargeable thin-film microbattery has a straight first side that is adjacent to the substrate circuit board, and a curved second side that is adjacent to the outer housing. In one embodiment, the rechargeable thin-film microbattery lies in a plane that is parallel to the substrate circuit board containing the electronics. In one embodiment, the electronics are on a first face of the substrate circuit board, and the rechargeable thin-film microbattery is positioned adjacent a second face of the substrate circuit board, the second face being on the side of the substrate circuit board opposite to the first face. In one embodiment, the rechargeable thin-film microbattery is deposited on the bottom face of the substrate circuit board. In one embodiment, the may be two or more microbatteries that are stacked in series or in parallel.

Claims

1. An implantable medical device comprising an outer housing, the outer housing comprising at least one curved portion, electronics within the outer housing, the electronics located on a substrate circuit board, and a rechargeable thin-film microbattery within the outer housing, the rechargeable thin-film microbattery having a solid-state electrolyte, wherein the rechargeable thin-film microbattery is devoid of liquids or other volatile materials from which the electronics must be protected, wherein the rechargeable thin-film microbattery has a substantially straight first side that is adjacent to the substrate circuit board, and a substantially curved second side that is adjacent to the at least one curved portion of the outer housing to reduce wasted space between the rechargeable thin-film microbattery and the at least one curved portion of the outer housing.

2. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the rechargeable thin-film microbattery lies in a plane that is parallel to the substrate circuit board containing the electronics.

3. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the device includes a back-up battery adjacent to the circuit board and the rechargeable thin-film microbattery.

4. The implantable medical device of claim 3, wherein a first group of the electronics is located on a first face of the substrate circuit board, and a second group of the electronics is located on the second face of the substrate circuit board, and the rechargeable thin-film microbattery is located underneath or over the back-up battery, and both batteries are located adjacent to the substrate circuit board.

5. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the electronics are located on at least a first face of the substrate circuit board and the rechargeable thin-film microbattery is positioned adjacent a second face of the substrate circuit board and is adjacent to at least a portion of a back-up battery that is adjacent to the substrate circuit board.

6. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein there are two or more microbatteries that are stacked in series or in parallel.

7. The implantable medical device of claim 6, wherein the microbatteries are dynamically reconfigureable via programming of the device to provide a series connection, a parallel connection, or a combination of series and parallel connections.

8. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the electronics are on a first face of the substrate circuit board, and the rechargeable thin-film microbattery is positioned underneath a second face of the substrate circuit board, the second face being on the side of the substrate circuit board opposite the first face.

9. The implantable medical device of claim 8, further comprising a back-up battery adjacent to the circuit board and the rechargeable thin-film microbattery.

10. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the electronics are located on at least a first face of the substrate circuit board and the rechargeable thin-film microbattery is positioned underneath a second face of the substrate circuit board and is adjacent to at least a portion of a back-up battery that is adjacent to the substrate circuit board.

11. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the electronics are located on at least a first face of the substrate circuit board and the rechargeable thin-film microbattery is positioned underneath a second face of the substrate circuit board and underneath a back-up battery that is adjacent to the substrate circuit board.

12. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein electronics are located on at least a first face of the substrate circuit board and the rechargeable thin-film microbattery is positioned adjacent a second face of the substrate circuit board and at least a portion of a back-up battery that is adjacent to the substrate circuit board.

13. The implantable medical device of claim 4, wherein the rechargeable thin-film microbattery is positioned underneath the second group of electronics and is located underneath or over the back-up battery.

14. The implantable medical device of claim 3, wherein a first group of the electronics is located on a first face of the substrate circuit board, and a second group of the electronics is located on the second face of the substrate circuit board.

15. The implantable medical device of claim 9, wherein a first group of the electronics is located on a first face of the substrate circuit board, and a second group of the electronics is located on the second face of the substrate circuit board.

16. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein a first group of the electronics is located on a first face of the substrate circuit board, and a second group of the electronics is located on the second face of the substrate circuit board.