Capacitive energy source and circuitry for powering medical apparatus
First Claim
1. An electric power supply for providing electrical energy to an electrically operated medical device comprising:
- capacitor means for accommodating an electric charge;
first means providing a regulated source of unidirectional electrical energy;
second means connecting said first means to said capacitor means for supplying charging current to said capacitor means at a first voltage which increases with charge in the capacitor means;
third means deriving from said first means a comparison second voltage of constant magnitude;
comparator means operative when said first voltage reaches a first value to reduce said first voltage to a second, lower value; and
voltage regulator means connected to said capacitor means and medical device to limit the voltage supplied to the medical device.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electric power supply operates to supply electrical energy to an electronic device implanted within a living body. The electric power supply has a capacitor which is used as the principal power source. A voltage regulator, overvoltage inhibitor, and a diode are cooperatively arranged to couple the capacitor with an induced voltage source used to charge the capacitor. The diode prevents the capacitor from discharging through the charging circuit when capacitor charging is not taking place. A regulator is used to control the electrical energy that flows to the electronic device. In one form of the electric power supply, a make-before-break switch unit is used to alternately connect the electric device with a charged capacitor or a battery power source so as to provide continuous electrical energy to the electronic device.
72 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An electric power supply for providing electrical energy to an electrically operated medical device comprising:
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capacitor means for accommodating an electric charge; first means providing a regulated source of unidirectional electrical energy; second means connecting said first means to said capacitor means for supplying charging current to said capacitor means at a first voltage which increases with charge in the capacitor means; third means deriving from said first means a comparison second voltage of constant magnitude; comparator means operative when said first voltage reaches a first value to reduce said first voltage to a second, lower value; and voltage regulator means connected to said capacitor means and medical device to limit the voltage supplied to the medical device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An electric power supply for providing electrical energy to an electrically operated medical device implanted in a biological body to supply electrical energy at a terminal within the body comprising:
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an electro-chemical battery for providing an electric power source; capacitor means for accommodating an electric charge; first means providing a source of regulated unidirectional electrical energy inductively energizable from outside of the biological body for charging the capacitor means; second means connecting said first means to said capacitor means for supplying charging current to said capacitor means at a first voltage which increases with charge in the capacitor means; third means deriving from said first means a comparison second voltage of constant magnitude; comparator means operative when said first voltage reaches a first value to reduce said first voltage to a second lower value; and switch means movable from a first condition, in which said capacitor means is connected to said terminal providing electrical power thereto, and said battery is disconnected therefrom, to a second condition in which said battery is first connected to said terminal providing electrical power thereto and said capacitor means is then disconnected from said terminal and connected to said first means, said switch means operable to provide said terminal with a continuous supply of electrical power. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. An implantable power supply for a medical device comprising:
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a capacitor; first means providing a source of unidirectional electrical energy including a tuned transformer secondary and a diode; second means including a translator and a Zener diode for charging said capacitor from said first means so that charging voltage supplied to said capacitor rises as the capacitor becomes charged; and overvoltage inhibitor means operatively connected to said first means and capacitor operable to prevent overcharging of the capacitor, said overvoltage inhibitor means includes means responsive to the rise of said charging voltage above a first value for reducing said voltage to a second value and maintaining it at said second value until energization from said first means is interrupted. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification