Implantable Stimulator Device Having Components Embedded in a Circuit Board

• US 20150157861A1
• Filed: 11/10/2014
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Aghassian, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 9,713,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36125 Details of circuitry or electric components
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36142 for improving safety
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3758 Packaging of the components within the casing

Abstract

An improved circuit board for an implantable stimulator device is disclosed having components embedded within the device'"'"'s circuit board, and in particular having embedded components in the electrodes current paths, such as various numbers and/or combinations of DC-blocking capacitors, EMI filtering capacitors, and EMI filtering inductors. By embedding at least some of these components, the improved circuit board can accommodate additional IPG circuitry, or can be made smaller, which is significant given the trend to increase the number of electrodes in such devices. In a preferred embodiment, at least the filtering capacitors are embedded in the circuit board, while the DC-blocking capacitors are traditionally surface mounted, without reducing the number of DC-blocking capacitors compared to the number of electrodes the IPG supports.

Claims

1. An implantable stimulator device, comprising:

a plurality of electrodes configured to contact tissue of a patient;

a circuit board;

current distribution circuitry configured to provide a current to one or more of a plurality of selectable outputs, each output coupled to one of the electrodes via an electrode current path; and

a plurality of first components, each first component coupled to one of the electrode current paths,

wherein the first components are embedded in the circuit board.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first components are embedded above or below at least one area on a surface of the circuit board, and wherein the circuit board comprises other circuitry coupled to the surface within the at least one area.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first components are embedded in at least one cavity within the circuit board.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the first components occupy a thickness within the circuit board, and wherein the circuit board does not contain conductive layers within the thickness.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the first components occupy a thickness within the circuit board, and wherein the circuit board contains at least one conductive layer within the thickness.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first components are embedded below a top and bottom surface of the circuit board.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the first components comprise a packaged component.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein each first component is coupled in series in its electrode current path.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the first components comprise DC-blocking capacitors.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the first components comprise electromagnetic inference filtering inductors.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein each first component is coupled in parallel between its electrode current path and a reference voltage.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the first components comprise electromagnetic inference filtering capacitors.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of second components, each second component coupled to one of the electrode current paths.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the second components are coupled to a surface of the circuit board.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the first components are embedded above or below at least one area on the surface of the circuit board, and wherein the second components are coupled to the surface within the at least one area.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the first and second components comprise capacitors.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the first capacitors couple interference on the electrode current paths to a reference potential, and wherein the second capacitors block the injection of DC currents along the electrode current paths.

18. The device of claim 1, further comprising a case operable as a case electrode, wherein the case electrode comprises one of the plurality of electrodes.

19. The device of claim 1, further comprising a case operable as a case electrode, wherein the case electrode does not comprise one of the plurality of electrodes.

20. An implantable stimulator device, comprising:

a plurality of electrodes configured to contact tissue of a patient;

a circuit board;

current distribution circuitry configured to provide a current to one or more of a plurality of selectable outputs, each output coupled to one of the electrodes via an electrode current path;

a plurality of DC-blocking capacitors, each DC-blocking capacitor coupled in series in one of the electrode current paths; and

a plurality of filtering capacitors, each filtering capacitor coupled in parallel between one of the electrode current paths and a reference potential, wherein the DC-blocking capacitors and filtering capacitors together comprise first components,

wherein one or more of the first components are embedded in the circuit board.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the embedded one or more first components are embedded above or below at least one area on a surface of the circuit board, and wherein the circuit board comprises other circuitry coupled to the surface within the at least one area.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein the embedded one or more first components are embedded in at least one cavity within the circuit board.

23. The device of claim 20, wherein the embedded one or more first components occupy a thickness within the circuit board, and wherein the circuit board does not contain conductive layers within the thickness.

24. The device of claim 20, wherein the embedded one or more first components occupy a thickness within the circuit board, and wherein the circuit board contains at least one conductive layer within the thickness.

25. The device of claim 20, wherein the embedded one or more first components are embedded below a top and bottom surface of the circuit board.

26. The device of claim 20, wherein the embedded one or more first components comprise packaged components.

27. The device of claim 20, further comprising a conductive case, wherein the reference potential does not comprise a voltage of the conductive case.

28. The device of claim 20, wherein the embedded one or more first components comprise either only the DC-blocking capacitors or only the filtering capacitors.

29. The device of claim 28, wherein the other of the first components not embedded in the circuit board are coupled to the surface of the circuit board over the embedded first capacitors.

30. The device of claim 20, further comprising a plurality of inductors, each inductor coupled in series in one of the electrode current paths, wherein the DC-blocking capacitors, the filtering capacitors, and the inductors together comprise the first components.