Current Generation Architecture for an Implantable Stimulator Device Having Coarse and Fine Current Control
First Claim
1. An implantable stimulator, comprising:
- a plurality of electrode nodes;
a processor; and
a stimulation generator coupled to the processor and the electrode nodes, the stimulation generator comprising;
a plurality of negative electrical sources that are each directly connected to a different one of the plurality of electrode nodes;
a switching unit that is connected to each of the plurality of electrode nodes; and
at least one positive electrical source connected to the switching unit,wherein the switching unit is configured to connect the at least one positive electrical source to a selected one or more of the plurality of electrode nodes.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed herein is a current generation architecture for an implantable stimulator device such as an Implantable Pulse Generator (IPG). Current source and sink circuitry are both divided into coarse and fine portions, which respectively can provide a coarse and fine current resolution to a specified electrode on the IPG. The coarse portion is distributed across all of the electrodes and so can source or sink current to any of the electrodes. The coarse portion is divided into a plurality of stages, each of which is capable via an associated switch bank of sourcing or sinking a coarse amount of current to or from any one of the electrodes on the device. The fine portion of the current generation circuit preferably includes source and sink circuitry dedicated to each of the electrode on the device, which can comprise digital-to-analog current converters (DACs). The DACs also receives the above-noted reference current, which is amplified by the DACs in fine increments by appropriate selection of fine current control signals. When the coarse and fine current control circuitry are used in tandem, ample current with a fine current resolution can be achieved at any electrode and in a space- and power-efficient manner.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. An implantable stimulator, comprising:
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a plurality of electrode nodes; a processor; and a stimulation generator coupled to the processor and the electrode nodes, the stimulation generator comprising; a plurality of negative electrical sources that are each directly connected to a different one of the plurality of electrode nodes; a switching unit that is connected to each of the plurality of electrode nodes; and at least one positive electrical source connected to the switching unit, wherein the switching unit is configured to connect the at least one positive electrical source to a selected one or more of the plurality of electrode nodes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A stimulation generator, comprising:
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a plurality of negative electrical sources that are each directly connected to a different one of a plurality of electrode nodes that are coupled to the stimulation generator; a switching unit that is connected to each of the plurality of electrode nodes; and at least one positive electrical source connected to the switching unit, wherein the switching unit is configured to connect the at least one positive electrical source to a selected one or more of the plurality of electrode nodes. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method, comprising:
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directly connecting each of a plurality of negative electrical sources in a stimulation generator to a different one of a plurality of electrode nodes; connecting a switching unit in the stimulation generator to each of the plurality of electrode nodes; and connecting at least one positive electrical source in the stimulation generator to the switching unit. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A method, comprising:
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using an electrode node combination for an implantable stimulator that includes a first set of one or more electrode nodes that are each connected to an anode, wherein the electrode node combination further includes a second set of one or more electrode nodes that are each connected to a cathode; configuring a switching unit in a stimulation generator to connect at least one positive electrical source in the stimulation generator to the first set of one or more electrode nodes; activating the at least one positive electrical source; and activating at least one negative electrical source in the stimulation generator, wherein the at least one negative electrical source is directly connected to the second set of one or more electrode nodes. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An apparatus, comprising:
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means for using an electrode node combination for an implantable stimulator that includes a first set of one or more electrode nodes that are each connected to an anode, wherein the electrode node combination further includes a second set of one or more electrode nodes that are each connected to a cathode; means for configuring a switching unit in a stimulation generator to connect at least one positive electrical source in the stimulation generator to the first set of one or more electrode nodes; means for activating the at least one positive electrical source; and means for activating at least one negative electrical source in the stimulation generator, wherein the at least one negative electrical source is connected to the second set of one or more electrode nodes.
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Specification