Implantable medical devices and systems having dual frequency inductive telemetry and recharge

• US 8,909,351 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2011
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Dinsmoor, David A., Anderson, Joel A., Denison, Timothy, Grevious, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): VOORHEES, CATHERINE M
• Application Number:
  US13/019,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20110190852A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 607/30, 607/32, 607/60, 607/61, 128/903
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• 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 1/3787 from an external energy source

Abstract

Implantable devices and related systems utilize coils or coil portions of a coil for inductive telemetry at one frequency and recharge at another frequency. The coils or coil portions are included in one or more tank circuits that share at least one node between the coils or coil portions. The recharge application may be provided with variations for aspects including power management and rectification. The telemetry application may be provided with variations for aspects including receiver connectivity for the downlink and coil driving for the uplink.

Claims

1. An implantable medical device, comprising:

a first tank circuit that is tuned to a first frequency and that comprises a first coil portion and a separate first capacitance electrically connected in a series combination directly with the first coil portion;

a second tank circuit that is tuned to a second frequency that is different than the first frequency and the second tank circuit further comprising a second coil portion and a separate second capacitance electrically connected in a series combination directly with the second coil portion, the series combination of the second coil portion and the second capacitance being directly electrically connected to the series combination of the first coil portion and the first capacitance with a connection point between the first tank circuit and the second tank circuit establishing a first node;

a receiver with at least one input that is electrically connected directly to the second coil portion or the second capacitance and not directly electrically connected to the first coil portion and the first capacitance;

a battery;

a rectifier electrically coupled between the battery and across at least one of the first coil portion and the first capacitance of the first tank circuit;

and

medical circuitry electrically coupled to the battery.

2. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the first coil portion and the second coil portion are geometrically oriented so that current of the first tank circuit sums with current of the second tank circuit at the first node.

3. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the receiver is connected across the second coil portion.

4. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the rectifier is a full-wave rectifier.

5. The implantable medical device of claim 4, wherein the first tank circuit comprises a second node on a side of the first tank circuit opposite the first node, wherein the rectifier comprises a first pair of diodes where a first diode of the first pair is electrically connected between the first node of the first tank circuit and ground and a second diode of the first pair is electrically connected between the second node of the first tank circuit and the battery allowing current flowing through the first tank circuit in a first direction to be directed to the battery and a second pair of diodes where a first diode of the second pair is electrically connected between the second node of the first tank circuit and ground and a second diode of the second pair is electrically connected between the first node of the first tank circuit and the battery allowing current flowing through the first tank circuit in a second direction to be directed to the battery.

6. The implantable medical device of claim 1, further comprising a switch electrically coupled between one side of the rectifier and ground, and a controller setting the switch to an open state to provide full wave rectification and setting the switch to a closed state to provide half wave rectification.

7. The implantable medical device of claim 1, further comprising a recharge limiter in series with the battery.

8. The implantable medical device of claim 7, further comprising a filter capacitor in parallel with the recharge limiter and battery.

9. The implantable medical device of claim 1, further comprising a capacitor low side switch coupled between the second capacitance and ground and an inductor low side switch coupled between the second coil portion and ground.

10. The implantable medical device of claim 9, wherein the second tank circuit comprises a node shared by the capacitor low side switch and the second capacitance and a node shared by the inductor low side switch and the second coil portion, wherein the at least one input of the receiver comprises a first input and a second input, wherein the first input of the receiver is connected to the node shared by the capacitor low side switch and second capacitance or to the node shared by the inductor low side switch and second coil portion and wherein the second input of the receiver is connected to the node of the second tank circuit other than the node connected to the first input.

11. The implantable medical device of claim 1, further comprising:

drive circuitry coupled to opposite sides of the second tank circuit; and

a controller in electrical communication with the drive circuitry, the controller comprising logic to control the drive circuitry to ring the second tank circuit when sending telemetry signals and to not ring the second tank circuit when receiving recharge energy on the first tank circuit.

12. A medical system, comprising:

an external device comprising;

a telemetry module;

a controller that sends telemetry signals through the telemetry module; and

an implantable medical device comprising;

a first tank circuit that is tuned to a first frequency and that comprises a first coil portion and a separate first capacitance electrically connected in a series combination directly with the first coil portion;

a second tank circuit that is tuned to a second frequency that is different than the first frequency and the second tank circuit further comprising a second coil portion and a separate second capacitance electrically connected in a series combination directly with the second coil portion, the series combination of the second coil portion and the second capacitance being directly electrically connected to the series combination of the first coil portion and the first capacitance with a connection point between the first tank circuit and the second tank circuit establishing a first node;

a receiver with at least one input that is electrically connected directly to the second coil portion or the second capacitance and not directly electrically connected to the first coil portion and the first capacitance;

a battery;

a rectifier electrically coupled between the battery and across at least one of the first coil portion and the first capacitance of the first tank circuit; and

medical circuitry electrically coupled to the battery.

13. The medical system of claim 12, wherein the first coil portion and the second coil portion are geometrically oriented so that current of the first tank circuit sums with current of the second tank circuit at the first node.

14. The medical system of claim 12, wherein the receiver is connected across the second coil portion.

15. The medical system of claim 12, further comprising a switch electrically coupled between one side of the rectifier and ground, and a device controller setting the switch to an open state to provide full wave rectification and setting the switch to a closed state to provide half wave rectification.

16. A method of providing telemetry and recharging for an implantable medical device, comprising:

receiving a first collection of energy at a first frequency via a first tank circuit of an implantable medical device that is tuned to the first frequency by a first coil portion and a separate first capacitance of the first tank circuit that are directly electrically connected in a series combination;

receiving a second collection of energy at a second frequency via a second tank circuit of the implantable medical device that is tuned to the second frequency by a second coil portion and a separate second capacitance of the second tank circuit that are directly electrically connected in a series combination;

obtaining the second collection of energy from the second tank circuit at a receiver of the implantable medical device, the receiver comprising at least one input that is directly connected to the second coil portion or the second capacitance and not directly electrically connected to the first coil portion and the first capacitance

passing the first collection of energy from the first tank circuit through a rectifier of the implantable medical device that is electrically coupled across at least one of the first coil portion and the first capacitance of the first tank circuit to provide a rectified collection of energy to a battery of the implantable medical device, the battery being electrically coupled to the rectifier; and

providing the rectified collection of energy from the battery to medical circuitry of the implantable medical device, the medical circuitry being electrically coupled to the battery.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first coil portion and the second coil portion are geometrically oriented so that current of the first tank circuit sums with current of the second tank circuit at the first node.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the receiver is connected across the second coil portion.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the implantable medical device has a switch electrically coupled between one side of the rectifier and ground, and the method further comprising setting the switch to an open state to provide full wave rectification and setting the switch to a closed state to provide half wave rectification.

20. An implantable medical device, comprising:

a first tank circuit that is tuned to a first frequency and that comprises a first coil portion and a separate first capacitance electrically connected in a series combination with the first coil portion, the series combination of the first coil portion and the first capacitance being electrically connected to a first node;

a second tank circuit that is tuned to a second frequency that is different than the first frequency and the second tank circuit further comprising a second coil portion and a separate second capacitance electrically connected in a series combination with the second coil portion, the series combination of the second coil portion and the second capacitance being electrically connected to the first node;

a receiver with at least one input electrically connected to the second tank circuit;

a battery;

a rectifier electrically coupled between the battery and the first tank circuit; and

medical circuitry electrically coupled to the battery,

wherein the rectifier is a full-wave rectifier, wherein the first tank circuit comprises a second node on a side of the first tank circuit opposite the first node, wherein the rectifier comprises a first pair of diodes where a first diode of the first pair is electrically connected between the first node of the first tank circuit and ground and a second diode of the first pair is electrically connected between the second node of the first tank circuit and the battery allowing current flowing through the first tank circuit in a first direction to be directed to the battery and a second pair of diodes where a first diode of the second pair is electrically connected between the second node of the first tank circuit and ground and a second diode of the second pair is electrically connected between the first node of the first tank circuit and the battery allowing current flowing through the first tank circuit in a second direction to be directed to the battery.