Optical communication of neurostimulation-system information

• US 7,076,292 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2002
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Forsberg, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sykes, Angela D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aguel, Fernando
• Application Number:
  US10/132,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20030204220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 607/1, 607/2, 607/9, 607 36- 38
• US Class Current: 607/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes

Abstract

A neurostimulation lead includes fiber optic cable. A human-implantable neurostimulator and neurostimulation lead each include an opto-electric transducer. The opto-electric transducers can be an optical transmitter, an optical receiver, or an optical transducer, that converts: electrical energy to optical energy; optical energy to electrical energy; or both electrical energy to optical energy and optical energy to electrical energy. Neurostimulation-lead electrodes can be activated, and/or lead-status information can be transmitted, over the fiber optic cable, between the neurostimulator and the neurostimulation lead. A neurostimulation-lead power converter may be coupled to a pulse generator of the neurostimulator such that the power converter derives and stores power for the lead from stimulation pulses received from the stimulation-pulse generator.

Claims

1. A neurostimulation system comprising:

a neurostimulator including a processor, a stimulation-pulse generator, and a neurostimulator-opto-electric transducer, the neurostimulator-opto-electric transducer providing coded control information;

a neurostimulation lead including a fiber-optic cable and at least two conductors, a lead-opto-electric transducer, an electrode-switching module, and a plurality of electrodes;

wherein the lead-opto-electric transducer is coupled via the fiber-optic cable to the neurostimulator-opto-electric transducer and receives the coded control information from the neurostimulator-opto-electric transducer via the fiber optic cable; and

wherein the electrode-switching module is coupled to the stimulation-pulse generator and to the lead-opto-electric transducer such that stimulation pulses received from the stimulation-pulse generator over the at least two conductors are directed to at least one of the electrodes based on the coded control information transmitted over the fiber-optic cable.

2. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the neurostimulation lead includes a power converter and the neurostimulator includes a power source that provides power to the power converter of the neurostimulation lead.

3. The neurostimnulation system of claim 2, wherein the power converter is electrically coupled to the power source.

4. The neurostimulation system of claim 2, wherein the power converter derives power from stimulation-pulses received from the stimulation-pulse generator.

5. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, further comprising an optical connector that couples the neurostimulator-opto-electric transducer to the fiber optic cable.

6. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, further comprising an electrical connector that couples the stimulation-pulse generator to the electrode-switching module.

7. The neurostuimlation system of claim 1, wherein the neurostimulator-opto-electric transducer is an opto-electric transmitter.

8. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the neurostimulator-opto-electric transducer is an opto-electric receiver.

9. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the neurostimulator-opto-electric transducer is an opto-electric transceiver.

10. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the lead-opto-electric transducer is an opto-electric transmitter.

11. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the lead-opto-electric transducer is an opto-electric receiver.

12. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the lead-opto-electric transducer is an opto-electric transceiver.