Implantable Medical Device and Charging System Employing Electric Fields

• US 20120004708A1
• Filed: 06/23/2011
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Chen, Joey, Ozawa, Robert, Hyun, Joonho, Dronov, Vasily
• Granted Patent: US 9,265,957 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37223 Circuits for electromagnetic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/42 with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength

Abstract

An implantable medical device and external base station system are disclosed. The external base station can provide a passive electric field to power the implant, or to charge its battery. The base station may also power or charge using magnetic fields under certain circumstances. The Implantable medical device may comprise an implantable neurostimulator having a number of electrode leads extending from its body. One or more of the electrode leads can comprise the antenna for receiving the electric field from the base station, and resonance in that antenna can be rectified to provide the power for recharging the battery. Although the E-field provided by the base station does not provide as much power for recharging as does other traditional charging techniques (such as those using magnetic fields), it can occur passively and over longer distances to allow the patent'"'"'s implant to be recharged when in relative proximity to the base station.

Claims

1. -3. (canceled)

4. An implantable medical device, comprising:

a battery;

an antenna configured to receive an electric field for charging the battery;

a rectifier circuit for converting the electric field received at the antenna to a DC voltage,

wherein the DC voltage is used to charge the battery.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the antenna comprises an electrode lead for providing stimulation to a patient'"'"'s tissue.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the antenna is further configured to receive data for the implantable medical device.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein the antenna comprises a monopole antenna.

8. The device of claim 4, further comprising a case for housing the battery, antenna, and rectifier circuit, wherein the antenna is external to the case.

9. The device of claim 4, wherein the rectifier circuit comprises a half-wave series multiplier.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the half-wave series multiplier comprises a plurality of diode stages.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the diodes in each stage comprise zero threshold diodes or Schottky diodes.

12. The device of claim 4, wherein the antenna comprises a wire having a first end coupled to the rectifier circuitry and a second free end not coupled to rectifier circuit.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the first end of the antenna is coupled to the rectifier circuitry via impedance matching circuitry.

14. An implantable medical device system, comprising:

an implantable medical device, comprising

a battery, and

a first antenna for receiving an electric field for charging the battery; and

an external device, comprising

at least one second antenna for generating the electric field for charging the battery.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the electric field reduces proportional to a square of a distance between the first antenna and the second antenna.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one second antenna comprises a wire having a first end coupled to a transmission circuit in the external device and a second free end not coupled to the transmission circuit.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one second antenna is a serpentine shape.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one second antenna comprises a patch antenna.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the external device comprises two second antennas oriented orthogonally with respect to each other.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one second antenna comprises a dipole antenna.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one second antenna comprises a monopole antenna.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein the first antenna comprises an electrode lead for providing stimulation to a patient'"'"'s tissue.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein the first antenna is further configured to receive data, and wherein the at least one second antenna is further configured to transmit the data.

24. An implantable stimulator device, comprising:

a case;

a battery within the case;

at least one electrode extending from the case via an electrode lead, wherein the at least one electrode provides stimulation to a patient'"'"'s tissue through the lead, and wherein the electrode lead further comprises an antenna for receiving an electric field transmission from a device external to the implantable stimulator device; and

rectifier circuitry coupled to the lead for producing from the received electric field a voltage for charging the battery.

25. The device of claim 24, further comprising charging circuitry between the voltage and the battery for controlling charging of the battery using the voltage.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein rectifier comprises a number of capacitor-diode stages.