Powering multiple implantable medical therapy delivery devices using far field radiative powering at multiple frequencies

• US 9,522,282 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2013
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LivaNova USA, Inc. (LivaNova Plc)
• Original Assignee: Cyberonics, Inc
• Inventors: Rowell, Jonathan D., Chow, Eric Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Heller, Tammie K
• Application Number:
  US13/869,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20130261703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0219 of externally powered implanted units
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37223 Circuits for electromagnetic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/40 Applying electric fields by inductive or capacitive coupling microwave apparatus A61N5/00; Applying radio-frequency signals

Abstract

A system includes a first implantable medical device configured to receive a first far field radiative signal at a first frequency from an external transmitter to charge a first charge storage device. The first implantable medical device includes a first therapy delivery unit powered by the first charge storage device. The first therapy delivery unit delivers a first therapy to a first target tissue of a patient. The system also includes a second implantable medical device configured to receive a second far field radiative signal at a second frequency from the external transmitter to charge a second charge storage device. The second implantable medical device includes a second therapy delivery unit powered by the second charge storage device. The second therapy delivery unit delivers a second therapy to a second target tissue of the patient.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first implantable medical device configured to receive a first far field radiative signal at a first frequency from an external transmitter and to charge a first charge storage device using the first far field radiative signal, the first implantable medical device comprising;

a first therapy delivery unit powered by the first charge storage device and configured to deliver a first therapy to a first target tissue of a patient, wherein the first therapy includes delivery of a first electrical stimulation signal to the first target tissue; and

control circuitry configured to encode data by modulating energy backscattered responsive to the first far field radiative signal; and

a second implantable medical device configured to receive a second far field radiative signal at a second frequency different from the first frequency from the external transmitter and to charge a second charge storage device using the second far field radiative signal, the second implantable medical device comprising a second therapy delivery unit powered by the second charge storage device and configured to deliver a second therapy to a second target tissue of the patient, wherein the second therapy includes delivery of a second electrical stimulation signal to the second target tissue.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first target tissue is a first nerve area of a cranial nerve and the second target tissue is a second nerve area of the cranial nerve.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first therapy delivery unit is further configured to modify the first electrical stimulation signal based on a feedback signal and to deliver the modified first electrical stimulation signal to the first target tissue of the patient.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a threshold detector coupled to the first charge storage device, wherein the threshold detector is configured to initiate delivery of the first electrical stimulation signal responsive to detecting that the charge stored at the first charge storage device satisfies a stimulation threshold.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first implantable medical device is configured to receive a stimulation initiation code via the first far field radiative signal and to enable the first therapy delivery unit to deliver the first electrical stimulation signal to the first target tissue of the patient responsive to the stimulation initiation code.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein delivery of the first electrical stimulation signal and delivery of the second electrical stimulation signal is one of a synchronized delivery, substantially simultaneous delivery, staggered delivery, or interleaved delivery.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first implantable medical device is configured to receive a charge initiation code via the first far field radiative signal and to enable charging of the first charge storage device responsive to the charge initiation code.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first far field radiative signal and the second far field radiative signal each have a frequency in a frequency band centered at one of approximately 433 MHz and 900 MHz, respectively, approximately 433 MHz and 2.4 GHz, respectively, approximately 433 MHz and 5.8 GHz, respectively, approximately 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz, respectively, approximately 900 MHz and 5.8 GHz, respectively, or approximately 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz, respectively.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first implantable medical device further comprising an antenna configured to receive the first far field radiative signal.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first implantable medical device further comprising a voltage rectifier configured to rectify the first far field radiative signal received by the antenna to provide a rectified voltage signal.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the voltage rectifier comprises at least one Schottky diode.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the voltage rectifier is a multi-stage rectifier.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the first implantable medical device further comprising a flexible printed circuit board, wherein the voltage rectifier, the first charge storage device, and the first therapy delivery unit are integrated on the flexible printed circuit board.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first implantable medical device further comprising a DC-to-DC converter coupled to the voltage rectifier, wherein the DC-to-DC converter is configured to receive output of a voltage multiplier of the voltage rectifier.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the encoded data is in a third order frequency harmonic component of the energy backscattered by the first implantable medical device using a nonlinear component, and wherein the nonlinear component is at least one of a high-Q frequency resonant circuit, a high-frequency amplifier, a diode or a far field transmitter.

16. A system comprising:

an external transmitter configured to transmit a first far field radiative signal at a first frequency and a second far field radiative signal at a second frequency different from the first frequency;

a first implantable medical device configured to receive the first far field radiative signal from an external transmitter and to charge a first charge storage device using the first far field radiative signal, the first implantable medical device comprising;

a first therapy delivery unit powered by the first charge storage device and configured to deliver a first therapy to a first target tissue of a patient, wherein the first therapy includes delivery of a first electrical stimulation signal to the first target tissue; and

control circuitry configured to encode data by modulating energy backscattered responsive to the first far field radiative signal; and

a second implantable medical device configured to receive a second far field radiative signal from the external transmitter and to charge a second charge storage device using the second far field radiative signal, the second implantable medical device comprising a second therapy delivery unit powered by the second charge storage device and configured to deliver a second therapy to a second target tissue of the patient, wherein the second therapy includes delivery of a second electrical stimulation signal to the second target tissue.

17. The system of claim 16, the external transmitter further comprising a first transmitter configured to transmit the first far field radiative signal and a second transmitter configured to transmit the second far field radiative signal.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the external transmitter is configured to transmit the first far field radiative signal according to a first treatment protocol and to transmit the second far field radiative signal according to a second treatment protocol different from the first treatment protocol.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the first far field radiative signal or the second far field radiative signal is a pulsed signal.

20. An external device comprising:

a first external transmitter configured to transmit a first far field radiative charging signal at a first frequency to a first implantable medical device according to a treatment protocol, the first far field radiative charging signal configured to charge the first implantable medical device to enable the first implantable medical device to deliver a first therapy to a first target tissue of a patient;

an external receiver to receive encoded data from the first implantable medical device, wherein the encoded data is encoded in energy backscattered by the first implantable medical device responsive to the first far field radiative charging signal; and

a second external transmitter configured to transmit a second far field radiative charging signal at a second frequency different from the first frequency to a second implantable medical device according to the treatment protocol to enable the second far field radiative charging signal to charge the second implantable medical device, the second implantable medical device configured to deliver a second therapy to a second target tissue of the patient.

21. The external device of claim 20, wherein the first external transmitter is configured to generate the first far field radiative charging signal as a pulsed signal.

22. The external device of claim 20, wherein the first implantable medical device is further configured to determine when to transmit the first far field radiative charging signal according to the treatment protocol;

and wherein the second implantable medical device is further configured to determine when to transmit the second far field radiative charging signal according to the treatment protocol.

23. The external device of claim 20, wherein transmission of the first far field radiative charging signal and transmission of the second far field radiative charging signal is one of a not synchronized transmission, random transmission, pseudorandom transmission, or transmitted at different time intervals.