Implantable medical device having power supply for generating a regulated power supply

• US 9,295,851 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2015
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Gordon, Charles R, Liang, Weizheng, Reinke, James D, Hossain, Shohan T, Sarkinen, Gregg T
• Primary Examiner(s): Gedeon, Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): TEJANI, ANKIT D
• Application Number:
  US14/679,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20150251010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/025 Digital circuitry features of electrotherapy devices, e.g. memory, clocks, processors
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36125 Details of circuitry or electric components
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/378 Electrical supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3782 producing a voltage above the power source level
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3981 High voltage charging circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/07 using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode , e.g. charge pumps

Abstract

A device for generating a plurality of output voltages from a single input energy supply source is described. The device includes a switched capacitor voltage converter that provides each of the output voltages having different supply ratios. The supply ratio is defined as a function of the input voltage provided to the switched capacitor voltage converter by the energy supply source. The switched capacitor voltage converter includes a plurality of capacitors selectively coupled to a plurality of switches that dynamically configure the capacitors into a plurality of stacked configurations. Switching between the plurality of stacked configurations may be controlled based on predetermined criteria.

Claims

1. A regulated power supply to generate multiple output voltages based on an input voltage from a finite supply power source, comprising:

a clock source for generating a clock signal having a plurality of frequencies;

a plurality of capacitors dynamically configurable in a plurality of stacked configurations and operable to generate the multiple output voltages based on the input voltage;

a switch array having a plurality of switches coupled to the plurality of capacitors and operable in a number of different states to configure the capacitors in the plurality of stacked configurations; and

a switch controller operable to issue a control signal to control alternating between at least a first and a second of the plurality of stacked configurations as a function of a first frequency selected from the plurality of frequencies of the generated clock signal, wherein the switch controller issues the control signal to configure the plurality of capacitors in a stacked configuration selected from the plurality of stacked configurations and the alternating between each of the plurality of stacked configurations is synchronized with a clock edge.

2. The regulated power supply of claim 1, further comprising a monitoring module coupled to the plurality of capacitors and operable to compare the voltage level of the at least one of the plurality of output voltages to a predetermined voltage level and generate a conversion signal to change an operation of the switch controller from the first frequency to a second frequency.

3. The regulated power supply of claim 2, wherein in response to detecting that the output voltage level is less than the predetermined level, the second clock frequency is selected to be faster than the first clock frequency.

4. The regulated power supply of claim 2, wherein the rate of the first clock signal frequency is selected based on a residual amount of the charge stored by the power source.

5. The regulated power supply of claim 4, wherein the rate of alternating the configuration of the coupling plurality of capacitors between the at least first and second stacked configurations is increased in response to a determination that a residual amount of the stored charge is less than a predetermined value.

6. The regulated power supply of claim 2, wherein the rate of alternating between the at least first and second stacked configurations is based on a load coupled to the plurality of capacitors.

7. The regulated power supply of claim 6, wherein the rate of alternating the plurality of capacitors between the at least first and second stacked configurations is increased based on a determination that the load has exceeded a predetermined value.

8. The regulated power supply of claim 1, wherein the stacked configuration of the plurality of capacitors is alternated between the first and the second stacked configurations on successive clock edges.

9. The regulated power supply of claim 1, further comprising alternating from the second stacked configuration to a third of the plurality of stacked configurations prior to alternating back to the first stacked configuration.

10. The regulated power supply of claim 1, wherein the plurality of capacitors are stacked in at least two different stacked configurations during an adjacent first and second successive clock edges.

11. The regulated power supply of claim 10, wherein the first and second successive clock edges correspond to successive rising clock edges.

12. The regulated power supply of claim 1, wherein a rate of alternating between the at least first and second stacked configurations corresponds to the first frequency of the clock signal.

13. The regulated power supply of claim 12, wherein a faster rate of alternating is achieved by selecting a frequency of the clock signal that is faster relative to a preceding frequency of the clock signal.