Neural stimulator system
First Claim
1. A method for modulating excitable tissue in a patient comprising:
- positioning a controller module in proximity to the patient'"'"'s body, wherein a neural stimulator without an on-board battery is implanted within the patient'"'"'s body such that one or more electrodes of the neural stimulator are positioned to apply electrical pulses to neural tissue, the neural stimulator being separate from the controller module and including a first antenna configured to receive an input signal containing electrical energy, wherein the first antenna is a dipole antenna and the controller module includes a second antenna; and
operating the controller module such that the controller module;
generates the input signal;
sends, from the second antenna, the input signal containing electrical energy to the first antenna through electrical radiative coupling, wherein the neural stimulator is configured to create one or more electrical pulses suitable for stimulation of the neural tissue solely using the electrical energy contained in the input signal, to apply the one or more electrical pulses to the neural tissue, to measure one or more parameters of the one or more electrical pulses as applied to the neural tissue, to store energy from the electrical energy in the input signal on the battery-less neural stimulator, and to transmit, solely by using the stored energy, (i) stimulus feedback signal indicating the measured parameters, and (ii) a limit feedback signal indicating that a characteristic of the one or more electrical pulses had been limited such that a charge per phase resulting from the one or more electrical pulses applied at the electrodes would not have exceeded a threshold level;
receives, at the second antenna, one or more signals from the first antenna;
extracts the stimulus feedback signal from the one or more signals received at the second antenna from the first antenna;
adjusts parameters of the input signal based on the stimulus feedback signal; and
in response to the limit feedback signal being received, attenuates the input signal so that a charge per phase resulting from the one or more electrical pulses remain below the threshold level.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An implantable neural stimulator method for modulating excitable tissue in a patient including: implanting a neural stimulator within the body of the patient such that one or more electrodes of the neural stimulator are positioned at a target site adjacent to or near excitable tissue; generating an input signal with a controller module located outside of, and spaced away from, the patient'"'"'s body; transmitting the input signal to the neural stimulator through electrical radiative coupling; converting the input signal to electrical pulses within the neural stimulator; and applying the electrical pulses to the excitable tissue sufficient to modulate said excitable tissue.
238 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for modulating excitable tissue in a patient comprising:
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positioning a controller module in proximity to the patient'"'"'s body, wherein a neural stimulator without an on-board battery is implanted within the patient'"'"'s body such that one or more electrodes of the neural stimulator are positioned to apply electrical pulses to neural tissue, the neural stimulator being separate from the controller module and including a first antenna configured to receive an input signal containing electrical energy, wherein the first antenna is a dipole antenna and the controller module includes a second antenna; and operating the controller module such that the controller module; generates the input signal; sends, from the second antenna, the input signal containing electrical energy to the first antenna through electrical radiative coupling, wherein the neural stimulator is configured to create one or more electrical pulses suitable for stimulation of the neural tissue solely using the electrical energy contained in the input signal, to apply the one or more electrical pulses to the neural tissue, to measure one or more parameters of the one or more electrical pulses as applied to the neural tissue, to store energy from the electrical energy in the input signal on the battery-less neural stimulator, and to transmit, solely by using the stored energy, (i) stimulus feedback signal indicating the measured parameters, and (ii) a limit feedback signal indicating that a characteristic of the one or more electrical pulses had been limited such that a charge per phase resulting from the one or more electrical pulses applied at the electrodes would not have exceeded a threshold level; receives, at the second antenna, one or more signals from the first antenna; extracts the stimulus feedback signal from the one or more signals received at the second antenna from the first antenna; adjusts parameters of the input signal based on the stimulus feedback signal; and in response to the limit feedback signal being received, attenuates the input signal so that a charge per phase resulting from the one or more electrical pulses remain below the threshold level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification