Neuro-stimulation
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A distributed implantable neuro-stimulation system, comprising:
- an implant controller including two feed-throughs to provide electrical pathways for a first bus signal and a second bus signal, the implant controller further including control logic to transmit a first time-varying power signal and a second time-varying power signal, the first time-varying power signal and the second time-varying power signal varying between two levels, the first time-varying power signal varying in opposite phase to the second time-varying power signal, the first time-varying power signal forming the first bus signal, the second time-varying power signal forming the second bus signal, and to modulate a command signal onto the first time-varying power signal and the second time-varying power signal;
two or more electrode cells, each electrode cell having two feed-throughs to provide electrical pathways for the first bus signal and the second bus signal;
control logic to extract charge from at least one of the first bus signal and the second bus signal and recover commands from the first bus signal or the second bus signal; and
a two-wire bus having a first wire and a second wire extending from the two feed-throughs of the implant controller to the two feed-throughs of each of the two or more electrode cells interconnecting the implant controller and the two or more electrode cells in parallel to carry on the first wire the first bus signal formed by the first time-varying power signal with the command signal modulated thereon, and to carry on the second wire the second bus signal formed by the second time-varying power signal and the command signal modulated therein.
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Abstract
The invention is a distributed implantable neuro-stimulation system, comprising an implant controller including control logic to transmit two time-varying power signals, varying between two levels and out of phase with the other, and a command signal modulated onto at least one of the power signals. One or more electrode cells, each having control logic to extract charge from the power signals and recover commands from the command signal. A two-wire bus interconnecting the implant controller and all the electrode cells, to carry one of the time varying signals in each of the two wires, and to carry the command signal.
42 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A distributed implantable neuro-stimulation system, comprising:
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an implant controller including two feed-throughs to provide electrical pathways for a first bus signal and a second bus signal, the implant controller further including control logic to transmit a first time-varying power signal and a second time-varying power signal, the first time-varying power signal and the second time-varying power signal varying between two levels, the first time-varying power signal varying in opposite phase to the second time-varying power signal, the first time-varying power signal forming the first bus signal, the second time-varying power signal forming the second bus signal, and to modulate a command signal onto the first time-varying power signal and the second time-varying power signal; two or more electrode cells, each electrode cell having two feed-throughs to provide electrical pathways for the first bus signal and the second bus signal; control logic to extract charge from at least one of the first bus signal and the second bus signal and recover commands from the first bus signal or the second bus signal; and a two-wire bus having a first wire and a second wire extending from the two feed-throughs of the implant controller to the two feed-throughs of each of the two or more electrode cells interconnecting the implant controller and the two or more electrode cells in parallel to carry on the first wire the first bus signal formed by the first time-varying power signal with the command signal modulated thereon, and to carry on the second wire the second bus signal formed by the second time-varying power signal and the command signal modulated therein. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An implantable implant controller for delivering neuro-stimulation, including:
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two feed-throughs to provide electrical pathways for a first bus signal and a second bus signal; and control logic to transmit a first time-varying power signal and a second time-varying power signal, the first time-varying power signal and the second time-varying power signal varying between two levels, the first time-varying power signal varying in opposite phase to the second time-varying power signal, the first time-varying power signal forming the first bus signal, the second time-varying power signal forming the second bus signal, and to modulate a command signal onto the first power signal and the second power signal; wherein, in operation, the implant controller is connectable to plural electrode cells by a two-wire bus having a first wire and a second wire, the first wire operable to carry the first bus signal formed by the first time-varying power signal with the command signal modulated thereon, the second wire operable to carry the second bus signal formed by the second time-varying power signal with the command signal modulated therein, each electrode cell having two feed-throughs to provide electrical pathways for the first bus signal and the second bus signal, each electrode cell having control logic to extract charge from at least one of the first bus signal and the second bus signal and recover commands from the first bus signal or the second bus signal, and the two-wire bus extends from the two feed-throughs of the implant controller to the two feed-throughs of each of the two or more electrode cells. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. An implantable electrode cell for delivering neuro-stimulation, including:
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two feed-throughs to provide electrical pathways for a first bus signal formed by a first time-varying power signal and a second bus signal formed by a second time-varying power signal, the first time-varying power signal and the second time-varying power signal, varying between two levels, the first time-varying power signal being in opposite phase to the second time-varying power signal, and a command signal modulated onto the first time-varying power signal and the second time-varying power signal; at least one electrode; and control logic to extract charge from at least one of the first bus signal and the second bus signal to recover commands from the first bus signal or the second bus signal, and to deliver extracted charge to the electrode; wherein the electrode cell is connectable to an implant controller and at least one other electrode cell by a two-wire bus having a first wire and a second wire, the implant controller having two feed-throughs to provide electrical pathways for the first bus signal and the second bus signal and control logic to form the first bus signal and the second bus signal, the two wire bus operable to carry on the first wire the first bus signal formed by the first time-varying power signal with the command signal modulated therein, to carry on the second wire the second bus signal formed by the second time-varying power signal with the command signal modulated thereon, and extend from the two feed-throughs of the implant controller to the two feed-throughs of the electrode cells. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of operating an implantable electrode cell for delivering neuro-stimulation, comprising the steps of:
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receiving a first bus signal formed by a first time-varying power signal, and a second bus signal formed by a second time-varying power signal, the first time-varying power signal and the second time-varying power signal varying between two levels, the first time-varying power signal being in opposite phase to the second time-varying power signal, and a command signal modulated onto the first time-varying power signal and the second time-varying power signal; determining whether the first bus signal is addressed to the electrode cell; if the electrode cell has more than one electrode, determining which electrode is selected; directing electrical charge from at least one of the first bus signal and the second bus signal to an on-board current source; recovering commands from the first bus signal or the second bus signal; setting the current of the current source to the value defined by the recovered commands, connecting the electrode to the on-board current source at a first time prescribed by the recovered commands; and disconnecting the electrode from the current source at a second time prescribed by the recovered commands. - View Dependent Claims (28)
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27. A pair of signals for transmission between an implant controller and an electrode cell, comprising:
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a first time-varying power signal, a second time-varying power signal, the first time-varying power signal and the second time-varying power signal varying between two levels the first time-varying power signal being in opposite phase to the second time-varying power signal; wherein the first time-varying power signal and second time-varying power signal are modulated to represent a command, the command selecting an electrode of at least one of the electrode cells to deliver a stimulus, and control logic within the selected cell that uses the command modulated onto the first time-varying power signal or the second time-varying power signal to control the selected electrode to deliver charge extracted from at least one of the first time-varying power signal and second time-varying power signal, in cooperation with at least one other electrode.
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Specification