Ultracapacitor powered implantable pulse generator with dedicated power supply
First Claim
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1. A stimulator comprising:
- an implantable pulse generator comprising circuit elements for producing stimulation pulses, wherein the circuit elements comprise digital-to-analog converters for producing the stimulation pulses in accordance with digital signals defining at least the amplitude of the stimulation pulses;
a first power source comprising an ultracapacitor that provides operating power for the circuit elements; and
a volatile memory associated with the pulse generator for storing programming data; and
a second power source that has higher voltage retention than the ultracapacitor, wherein the second power source is dedicated to the volatile memory and provides operating power for the volatile memory.
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Abstract
A stimulator includes an implantable pulse generator comprising circuit elements, a first power source, such as an ultracapacitor, that provides operating power for the circuit elements of the pulse generator. The pulse generator can also have a memory associated therewith, such as a volatile memory for storing programming data. A second power source that has higher voltage retention than the first power source can also be included. The second power source can be dedicated to the volatile memory and can provide operating power for the volatile memory.
167 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A stimulator comprising:
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an implantable pulse generator comprising circuit elements for producing stimulation pulses, wherein the circuit elements comprise digital-to-analog converters for producing the stimulation pulses in accordance with digital signals defining at least the amplitude of the stimulation pulses; a first power source comprising an ultracapacitor that provides operating power for the circuit elements; and a volatile memory associated with the pulse generator for storing programming data; and a second power source that has higher voltage retention than the ultracapacitor, wherein the second power source is dedicated to the volatile memory and provides operating power for the volatile memory. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for stimulating tissue comprising:
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an implantable stimulator comprising; pulse generator circuitry for producing stimulation pulses, wherein the pulse generator circuitry comprises at least one digital-to-analog converter for producing the stimulation pulses in accordance with digital signals defining at least the amplitude of the stimulation pulses; a first power source comprising an ultracapacitor that provides operating power for said pulse generator circuitry; a volatile memory for storing programming data and providing said programming data to the pulse generator circuitry; and a second power source that has higher voltage retention than the first power source, wherein the second power source is dedicated to the volatile memory and provides operating power for the volatile memory; and a remote programmer unit that transmits programming information to the implantable stimulator, wherein the programming information is stored in the volatile memory. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. An implantable stimulator, comprising:
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pulse generation circuitry for producing stimulation pulses, wherein the pulse generation circuitry comprises at least one digital-to-analog converter for producing the stimulation pulses in accordance with digital signals defining at least the amplitude of the stimulation pulses; a volatile memory for storing data and for providing the data to the pulse generation circuitry; a capacitor for providing operating power to the pulse generation circuitry; and a battery for providing power only to the volatile memory. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification