Ultracapacitor powered implantable pulse generator with dedicated power supply

• US 20070055308A1
• Filed: 09/06/2005
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Feldman, Emanuel, Parramon, Jordi, Haller, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 8,175,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37258 Alerting the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37264 Changing the program; Upgrading firmware
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source

Abstract

A stimulator includes an implantable pulse generator comprising circuit elements, a first power source, such as an ultracapacitor, that provides operating power for the circuit elements of the pulse generator. The pulse generator can also have a memory associated therewith, such as a volatile memory for storing programming data. A second power source that has higher voltage retention than the first power source can also be included. The second power source can be dedicated to the volatile memory and can provide operating power for the volatile memory.

Claims

1. A stimulator comprising:

an implantable pulse generator comprising circuit elements;

a first power source comprising an ultracapacitor that provides operating power for the circuit elements of the pulse generator;

a volatile memory associated with the pulse generator for storing programming data; and

a second power source that has higher voltage retention than the ultracapacitor, wherein the second power source is dedicated to the volatile memory and provides operating power for the volatile memory.

2. The stimulator of claim 1, wherein the ultracapacitor has a capacitive rating of greater than 0.1 farad, and the second power source has higher voltage retention than the ultracapacitor.

3. The stimulator of claim 1 wherein the circuit elements comprise charging circuitry that includes an inductor coil, one or more protection diodes in electrical communication with the inductor coil, and a rectifier circuit in electrical communication with the one or more protection diodes, wherein said charging circuitry receives power from an external source through the coil, protects the circuit elements from an overvoltage condition with the one or more protection diodes, rectifies the received power with the rectifier circuit, and directs said rectified power to the ultracapacitor for the purpose of recharging the ultracapacitor.

4. The stimulator of claim 1, wherein the first power source is recharged with RF waves received from an external recharge transmitter unit.

5. The stimulator of claim 1, wherein the second power source is recharged with RF waves received from an external recharge transmitter unit.

6. The stimulator of claim 1, wherein the volatile memory comprises SRAM or DRAM.

7. The stimulator of claim 1, further comprising a recharge coil in electrical communication with the ultracapacitor, wherein the recharge coil is enclosed within a magnetically transparent material.

8. The stimulator of claim 7, further comprising one or more protection diodes in electrical communication with the recharge coil and the first power source, wherein the protection diodes prevent output voltage from exceeding a threshold value.

9. The stimulator of claim 8, wherein the threshold value is about 5V.

10. The stimulator of claim 1, further comprising a housing made of a magnetically transparent material.

11. The stimulator of claim 1, wherein the second power source comprises a battery.

12. The stimulator of claim 1, further comprising a nonvolatile memory and an operating memory, and wherein the ultracapacitor provides operating power for the nonvolatile memory and the operating memory.

13. A system for stimulating tissue comprising:

an implantable stimulator comprising;

a pulse generator comprising electronic circuitry that performs a desired circuit function;

a first power source comprising an ultracapacitor that provides operating power for said electronic circuitry;

a memory associated with the pulse generator comprising a volatile memory for storing programming data; and

a second power source that has higher voltage retention than the first power source, wherein the second power source is dedicated to the volatile memory and provides operating power for the volatile memory;

a remote programmer unit that transmits programming information to the implantable stimulator, wherein the programming information is stored in the volatile memory; and

a remote recharge transmitter that transmits one or more sets of RF signals to the stimulator.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the recharge transmitter transmits a first set of RF signals to the stimulator, wherein the first set of RF signals recharges the ultracapacitor.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the recharge transmitter transmits a second set of RF signals to the stimulator, wherein the second set of RF signals recharges the second power source.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising a recharge coil electrically coupled to the ultracapacitor, wherein the recharge coil is enclosed within a magnetically transparent material.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising one or more protection diodes in electrical communication with the recharge coil and the first power source, wherein the protection diodes prevent output voltage from exceeding a threshold value.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the threshold value is about 5V.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the implantable stimulator is housed in a magnetically transparent material

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the memory of the implantable stimulator further comprises a nonvolatile memory and an operating memory, and wherein the ultracapacitor provides operating power for the nonvolatile memory and the operating memory.

21. The system of claim 13, the volatile memory comprises SRAM or DRAM.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the second power source comprises a battery.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the ultracapacitor has a capacitive rating of greater than 0.1 farad, and the second power source has higher voltage retention than the ultracapacitor.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein the electronic circuitry further comprises charging circuitry that includes an inductor coil, one or more protection diodes in electrical communication with the inductor coil, and a rectifier circuit in electrical communication with the one or more protection diodes, wherein said charging circuitry receives power from an external source through the coil, protects the electronic circuitry from an overvoltage condition with the one or more protection diodes, rectifies the received power with the rectifier circuit, and directs said rectified power to the ultracapacitor for the purpose of recharging the ultracapacitor.