DIGITAL CONTROL FOR PULSE GENERATORS

• US 20140094871A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cirtec Medical Corp.
• Original Assignee: Greatbatch Limited (Greatbatch Incorporated)
• Inventors: Trier, Stephen C., Weisgarber, Jeffrey A., Polefko, Richard J., Howard, David J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,782,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/46
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36071 Pain
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36125 Details of circuitry or electric components
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36128 Control systems

Abstract

A controller for implementing a method, device and/or system for generating arbitrary waveforms of a desired shape that can be used for generating a stimulation pulse for medical purposes such as for spinal cord stimulation therapy, where such arbitrary waveforms can also be used for charge balancing purposes.

Claims

1. A medical device for stimulating a stimulation region of a patient comprising:

a waveform generation circuit for generating an output waveform for providing to the stimulation region of the patient; and

a control device for controlling said waveform generation circuit, wherein

said control device is comprised of a state machine having a plurality of registers, said state machine being configured for directing said waveform generation circuit for generating the output waveform in a reproducible and repeatable manner.

2. The medical device of claim 1, wherein said state machine includes a first plurality of phase registers such that each one of said first plurality of phase registers stores data for directing said waveform generation circuit for generating one of a plurality of different phase portions of the output waveform.

3. The medical device of claim 2, wherein said first plurality of phase registers includes at least one amplitude register for storing an amplitude and a polarity for one phase portion of the output waveform.

4. The medical device of claim 3, wherein said first plurality of phase registers includes at least one delay register for storing a delay value providing a delay time between said one phase portion and a following phase portion of the output waveform.

5. The medical device of claim 4, said state machine further comprising a waveshape register for storing information about a shape of one or more phases of the output waveform.

6. The medical device of claim 4, said state machine further comprising a pair of registers for storing information about a first phase portion and a last phase portion of a pulse train comprising the output waveform.

7. The medical device of claim 2, wherein said first plurality of phase registers includes a plurality of amplitude registers each one for storing a different amplitude and polarity set for generating a corresponding phase portion of the output waveform, and further wherein said first plurality of phase registers includes at least one delay register for storing a delay value for providing a delay time between one phase portion and a following phase portion of the output waveform.

8. The medical device of claim 7, said state machine further comprising a pair of registers for storing information about a first phase portion and a last phase portion of a pulse train comprising the output waveform.

9. The medical device of claim 8, said state machine further comprising a waveshape register for storing information about a shape of one or more phase portions of the output waveform.

10. The medical device of any of claim 7, said state machine further comprising a repetitions register for storing a value representing the number of times that one or more of said phase portions should be repeated in series for the output waveform.

11. The medical device of any of claim 7, said state machine further comprising a pause register for storing a value indicating that the state machine should pause after executing a particular one of said plurality of phase portions.

12. The medical device of claim 7, said state machine further comprising a sync register for storing a value indicating whether a particular one of said phase portions should provide a synchronization signal.

13. The medical device of claim 2, said state machine further comprising a repetitions register for storing a value representing the number of times that one or more of said phase portions should be repeated in series for the output waveform.

14. The medical device of any of claim 2, further comprising a second plurality of phase registers such that each one of said second plurality of phase registers stores data for directing said waveform generation circuit for generating one of a plurality of different phase portions of said output waveform.

15. The medical device of claim 1, wherein said control device further comprises a controller for controlling an operation of said state machine.

16. A medical device for stimulating a stimulation region of a patient comprising:

a waveform generation circuit for generating an output waveform for providing to the stimulation region of the patient;

a state machine comprising a plurality of phase registers including;

a plurality of amplitude registers each configured for storing an amplitude of a respective phase portion of the output waveform,

at least one waveshape register configured for storing information about a shape of one or more phase portions of the output waveform, and

at least one control register configured for storing a control value utilized by said waveform generator for controlling a start, stop, and/or timing of the output waveform; and

a programmable controller for executing a program for controlling the operation of the state machine, wherein

said state machine is configured for directing said waveform generation circuit for generating the output waveform based on the values in the phase registers.

17. The medical device of claim 16, said state machine further comprising at least one delay register configured for storing a delay value used for providing a delay time between at least one phase portion and a following phase portion of the output waveform,

18. The medical device of claim 16, said state machine further comprising a second plurality of amplitude registers each for directing said waveform generation circuit for generating respective different phase portions of the output waveform.

19. A medical device for stimulating a stimulation region of a patient comprising:

a waveform generation circuit for generating an output waveform for providing to the stimulation region of the patient;

a state machine comprising a first plurality of phase registers including;

a plurality of first amplitude registers each configured for storing an amplitude of a respective phase portion of the output waveform,

at least one first waveshape register configured for storing information about a shape of one or more phase portions of the output waveform, and

at least one first control register configured for storing a control value utilized by said waveform generator for controlling a start, stop, and/or timing of the output waveform; and

said state machine also comprising a second plurality of phase registers including;

a plurality of second amplitude registers each configured for storing an amplitude of a respective phase portion of the output waveform,

at least one second waveshape register configured for storing information about a shape of one or more phase portions of the output waveform, and

at least one second control register configured for storing a control value utilized by said waveform generator for controlling a start, stop, and/or timing of the output waveform; and

a programmable controller for executing a program for controlling the operation of the state machine, wherein

said programmable controller is configured for instructing said state machine for directing said waveform generation circuit for generating a first part of the output waveform based on the values stored in the first plurality of phase registers, and said programmable controller is configured for instructing said state machine for directing said waveform generation circuit for generating a second part of the output waveform based on the values stored in the second plurality of phase registers such that said first part of the output waveform transitions to said second part of the output waveform in a continuous manner.

20. A method of controlling a medical device, comprising the steps of:

a controller issuing a first load command to load a first plurality of registers in a state machine;

loading each one of at least a first subset of the first plurality of registers in the state machine with a respective one or more first waveshape generation value(s) adapted for controlling the operation of a waveform generator;

the controller issuing a run command instructing the state machine to control the waveform generator to generate an output waveform based on the first waveshape generation values stored in the first subset of the first plurality of registers, wherein

each one of said first waveshape generation values is utilized by said waveform generator for determining the magnitude, phase, and/or shape of a different portion of the output waveform.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

the controller issuing a second load command to load a second plurality of registers in the state machine;

loading each one of at least a first subset of the second plurality of registers in the state machine with a respective one or more second waveshape generation value(s) adapted for controlling the operation of the waveform generator; and

the controller issuing a transition command instructing the state machine to transition the waveform generator from generating the output waveform using the first waveshape generation values to generating the output waveform using the second waveshape generation values for changing the output waveform in a continuous manner without interruption.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of loading each one of a second subset of the first plurality of registers with a respective delay value, wherein each one of said delay values is utilized by said waveform generator for determining a delay between a different one and another of the different portions of the output waveform.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of loading one or more others of the first plurality of registers with a respective control value, wherein said control values are utilized by said waveform generator for controlling a start, stop, and/or timing of the output waveform.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of loading each one of a second subset of the second plurality of registers with a respective second delay value, wherein each one of said second delay values is utilized by said waveform generator for determining a delay between a different one and another of the different portions of the output waveform after issuance of the transition command.