Charging and communication system for a battery-powered microstimulator

• US 8,543,216 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2012
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Carbunaru, Rafael, Ozawa, Robert D., McGiboney, Kenneth A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes, Rex R
• Application Number:
  US13/442,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20120197352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 607/61
• US Class Current: 607/61
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36007 of urogenital or gastrointestinal organs, e.g. for incontinence control
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37205 Microstimulators, e.g. implantable through a cannula
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37217 characterised by the communication link, e.g. acoustic or tactile
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37223 Circuits for electromagnetic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37229 Shape or location of the implanted or external antenna
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37235 Aspects of the external programmer
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3727 characterised by the modulation technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37276 characterised by means for reducing power consumption during telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/375 Constructional arrangements, e.g. casings
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37512 Pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45144 Gold (Au) as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45147 Copper (Cu) as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48465 the other connecting portion not on the bonding area being a wedge bond, i.e. ball-to-wedge, regular stitch
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49175 Parallel arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00011 Not relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01005 Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1461 : MEMS
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19105 : in a side-by-side arrangement on a common die mounting substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19107 : off-chip wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 : Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30111 : matching
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/23 : The load being a medical device, a medical implant, or a life supporting device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 : using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 : using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 : using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 : for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/02 : Amplitude-modulated carrier systems, e.g. using on-off keying; Single sideband or vestigial sideband modulation H04L27/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/10 : Frequency-modulated carrier systems, i.e. using frequency-shift keying H04L27/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4902 : Electromagnet, transformer or inductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49071 : by winding or coiling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49073 : by assembling coil and core
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49128 : Assembling formed circuit to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 : Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 : Manufacturing circuit on or in base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49169 : Assembling electrical component directly to terminal or elongated conductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 : Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49945 : by driven force fit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49968 : Metal fusion joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12264 : having outward flange, gripping means or interlocking feature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12271 : having discrete fastener, marginal fastening, taper, or end structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12347 : Plural layers discontinuously bonded [e.g., spot-weld, mechanical fastener, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12375 : having member which crosses the plane of another member [e.g., T or X cross section, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12396 : Discontinuous surface component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12535 : with additional, spatially distinct nonmetal component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12806 : Refractory [Group IVB, VB, or VIB] metal-base component

Abstract

A system and method are provided for both recharging and communicating with a stimulator having a rechargeable battery, which stimulator is implanted deeply in the body, in particular where the stimulator is a microstimulator, the system includes a base station and an external device, for instance a chair pad. The chair pad may contain an antenna/charging coil and a booster coil. The antenna/charging coil can be used for charging the rechargeable battery and also for communicating with the stimulator using frequency shift keying and on-off keying. The booster coil can be used to recharge a battery depleted to zero volts. The base station connected to the chair pad may be used to power the antenna/charging coil and the booster coil.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an implantable medical device, comprising a rechargeable battery and charging circuitry configured for charging the rechargeable battery; and

an external device, comprising;

a first coil, wherein the first coil is configured to transmit first magnetic field to inductively charge the rechargeable battery within the implantable medical device;

a second coil, wherein the second coil is configured to temporarily transmit a second magnetic field to recover the implantable medical device when the rechargeable battery is depleted to zero volts; and

wherein when the rechargeable battery is depleted to zero volts, the implantable medical device is configured to use the received second magnetic field to recover the implant by setting the charging circuitry into a regular charging mode during which the charging circuitry can use the first magnetic field to charge the battery.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first coil is also configured to communicate with the implantable medical device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first coil communicates with the implantable medical device using frequency shift keying (FSK) telemetry.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the first coil communicates with the implantable medical device using on-off keying (OOK) telemetry.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the external device further comprises current measuring circuitry for determining power consumption in the first coil.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the external device further comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) coupled to the first coil and to the second coil.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the external device further comprises sensing circuitry on the PCB for sensing temperature.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the external device further comprises tomatic power shut-off circuitry for automatically shutting off power to the first coil when the sensed temperature exceeds a predetermined level.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the external device further comprises automatic power shut-off circuitry for automatically shutting off power to the first coil when the power consumption through the first coil exceeds a predetermined level.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the external device further comprises automatic power shut-off circuitry for automatically shutting off power to the second coil when the power consumption through the second coil exceeds a predetermined level.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the second coil has a plurality of turns of wire in a plurality of layers wrapped around a coil spool.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the external device comprises a chair pad.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the external device is comprised of a compliant material.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising an exterior slipcover that surrounds the external device.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the external device further comprises a coil assembly containing the second coil and the first coil.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a base station coupled to the external device by a cable for controlling the first coil and the second coil.