Housing for an implantable medical device

• US 9,259,591 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cyberonics, Inc
• Original Assignee: Cyberonics, Inc
• Inventors: Brown, David, Genau, Christopher, Leyde, Kent W., Gaw, Shan, Stewart, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): VOORHEES, CATHERINE M
• Application Number:
  US12/343,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20090171420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,611 Days
• Field of Search: 607/2, 607/36, 607/48, 607 60- 61, 607/65, 607115-119
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37223 Circuits for electromagnetic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/375 Constructional arrangements, e.g. casings
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3758 Packaging of the components within the casing
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source

Abstract

An implantable medical device having a concave ceramic housing component; a concave metal housing component attached to the ceramic housing component to form a hermetically sealed enclosure; and an electronic trans-housing magnetic flux component disposed within the enclosure. Another aspect of the invention provides an implantable medical device having a ceramic housing component; a metal housing component; a circumferential sealing member attached to a periphery of the ceramic housing component and to a periphery of the metal housing component to form a hermetically sealed enclosure; and an electronic trans-housing magnetic flux component disposed within the enclosure. Still another aspect of the invention provides an implantable medical device with a first metal housing component; a second metal housing component, the second metal housing component forming an opening; a ceramic housing component disposed in the opening, the first metal housing component, the second metal housing component and the ceramic housing component cooperating to form a hermetically sealed enclosure; and an electronic trans-housing magnetic flux component disposed within the enclosure.

Claims

1. An implantable medical device comprising:

a housing comprising a front side and an opposing back side defining an interior chamber disposed between the front and back sides, wherein the front side comprises a substantially-planar metal portion and an opening passing through the front side to communicate with the interior chamber;

a ceramic window disposed in the opening;

a printed circuit board disposed in the interior chamber and comprising electronic components positioned between the substantially-planar metal portion and the back side; and

an electronic trans-housing magnetic flux component disposed within the interior chamber between the ceramic window and the back side, said magnetic flux component being configured to be magnetically coupled to an external flux component via a magnetic field passing through the ceramic window.

2. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the electronic trans-housing magnetic flux component comprises a conductive trace formed on a printed circuit board.

3. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the electronic trans-housing magnetic flux component further comprises a conductive wire winding.

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

a rechargeable battery disposed in the interior chamber and operatively coupled to the electronic trans-housing magnetic flux component.

5. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the ceramic window is brazed to the opening of the front side.

6. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the ceramic window includes a ceramic planar surface that is co-planar with the substantially-planar metal portion.

7. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the front side is welded to the back side to define a peripheral side of the housing having a peripheral side surface that is orthogonal to the substantially-planar metal portion of the front side.

8. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the back side comprises a substantially-planar metal portion disposed in a parallel orientation relative to the substantially-planar metal portion of the front side.

9. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the magnetic flux component is disposed adjacent to the ceramic window.

10. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the ceramic window comprises zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, or boron nitride.

11. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the ceramic window is formed from zirconium oxide and has a wall thickness between about 0.06 inches and about 0.30 inches.

12. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the metal portion of the front side comprises platinum, niobium, titanium, tantalum, or an alloy of two or more of platinum, niobium, titanium, and tantalum.

13. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the electronic components comprise a telemetry unit configured to receive inductive telemetry signals via the electronic trans-housing magnetic flux component.

14. The implantable medical device of claim 1, further comprising electronics disposed within the interior chamber adapted to control stimulation therapy.

15. An implantable medical device configured to receive energy from a primary coil disposed at a position external to the medical device, the device comprising:

a metal housing component defining an interior chamber and having a metal opening edge defining an opening communicating with the interior chamber;

a secondary coil; and

a printed circuit board supporting the secondary coil disposed within the interior chamber to position the secondary coil adjacent to the opening to receive energy from the primary coil when the primary coil is disposed at the position external to the medical device,

wherein a portion of the printed circuit board supporting the secondary coil fully occludes the opening as viewed from the position external to the medical device.

16. The implantable medical device of claim 15, further comprising:

a ceramic housing component having a ceramic peripheral edge disposed to engage the metal opening edge, the metal housing component and the ceramic housing component together defining the interior chamber.

17. The implantable medical device of claim 15, wherein the secondary coil comprises a conductive trace formed on the printed circuit board.

18. The implantable medical device of claim 15, further comprising electronics disposed within the interior chamber adapted to control stimulation therapy.

19. An implantable medical device configured to receive energy from a primary coil, the device comprising:

a secondary coil configured to receive energy from the primary coil;

a housing defining an interior chamber, the housing having a first side and an opposing second side, the first side configured to face the primary coil when the primary coil and the secondary coil are in an aligned orientation suitable for the transmission of the energy from the primary coil to the secondary coil, the first side including a first metal portion and a second ceramic portion;

a printed circuit board disposed in the interior chamber directly adjacent to the first metal portion; and

the secondary coil disposed in the interior chamber directly adjacent to the second ceramic portion.

20. The implantable medical device of claim 19, further comprising:

electronics disposed within the interior chamber adapted to control stimulation therapy.

21. The implantable medical device of claim 19, wherein the secondary coil is mounted on the printed circuit board.

22. The implantable medical device of claim 19, wherein the first metal portion defines an opening within the first metal portion, and wherein the second ceramic portion is disposed within the opening of the first metal portion.

23. The implantable medical device of claim 22, wherein the secondary coil is mounted on the printed circuit board and configured to be magnetically coupled to the primary coil via a magnetic field passing through the second ceramic portion.