Implantable medical system with external power charger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11888325-B2
Application number	US-202017124663-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2020
Priority date	Dec 18, 2019
Publication date	Jan 30, 2024
Grant date	Jan 30, 2024

Abstract

An implantable medical system includes an implantable medical device and a external charger. The implantable medical device includes a rechargeable power source, electronic components coupled to the rechargeable power source to deliver a therapy to or monitor a parameter of a patient, and a recharge system operably coupled to the rechargeable power source including a secondary coil to receive power via an inductive power transfer. The external charger includes a housing forming an internal compartment, recharger electronic components disposed on a printed circuit board assembly in the internal compartment, and a recharge coil assembly disposed within the internal compartment, the recharge coil assembly including a recharge coil to provide power to the secondary coil via the inductive power transfer and a flux guide having a ferrite sheet disposed between the recharge coil and the printed circuit board assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An implantable medical system comprising:
an implantable medical device comprising:
electronic components to deliver a therapy to or monitor a parameter of a patient, the electronic components coupled to a rechargeable power source; and
a recharge system operably coupled to the rechargeable power source, the recharge system including a secondary coil to receive power via an inductive power transfer; and

an external charger comprising:
a housing forming an internal compartment;
recharger electronic components disposed on a printed circuit board assembly in the internal compartment; and
a recharge coil assembly disposed within the internal compartment, the recharge coil assembly including:
a plastic bobbin:
a recharge coil configured to output power to the secondary coil via the inductive power transfer, wherein the recharge coil is planar and wound around the plastic bobbin; and
a planar flux guide having a planar ferrite sheet, the ferrite sheet located between the recharge coil and the printed circuit board assembly and the ferrite sheet is disposed alongside the recharge coil and the plastic bobbin.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the recharge coil assembly includes a telemetry coil, separate from the recharge coil, operably coupled to the recharger electronic components, the telemetry coil configured to communicate with the implantable medical device via inductive telemetry.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the plastic bobbin defines an air core for the recharge coil and the telemetry coil.

4. The system of claim 3 :
wherein the recharge coil and the telemetry coil are both planar, flat, concentric, having a common center, co-axial, having a common axis and coplanar, in the same plane, and
wherein the planar flux guide is configured to cover both the telemetry coil and the recharge coil.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the recharge coil and the telemetry coil are disposed on the plastic bobbin.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the recharge coil and the telemetry coil are generally parallel with a major wall of the housing, wherein the major wall of the housing interfaces with the patient.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the recharge coil assembly is in contact with the major wall of the housing.

8. The system of claim 2 wherein the recharger electronic components include a telemetry capacitor coupled to the telemetry coil to form a telemetry tank circuit.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the telemetry tank circuit includes a resonant frequency of about 175 KHz.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the recharger electronic components include a recharge capacitor coupled to the recharge coil to form a recharge tank circuit.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the recharge tank circuit includes a resonant frequency selected from one of about 8.9 kHz, 40 kHz, and 110 kHz.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the recharger electronic components include relays coupled to the telemetry tank circuit and the recharge tank circuit such that if one of the telemetry tank circuit and the recharge tank circuit is active, the other of the telemetry tank circuit and the recharge tank circuit is inactive and open.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the implantable medical device comprises an implantable neurostimulator.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the implantable neurostimulator is coupled to an implantable medical lead.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the external charger is disposed within a fixation product.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the fixation product comprises one of a fixation belt or a fixation drape.

17. The system of 1 wherein the electronic components include a communication module configured to communicate with a handset programmer included in a mobile computing device.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the external charger includes a rechargeable battery disposed in the internal compartment of the housing, wherein the recharger electronic components include a power management circuit and the rechargeable battery is coupled to a power management circuit.

19. The system of claim 18 including a charging dock operably couplable to the power management circuit via a mechanical connection.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the implantable medical device comprises a rechargeable battery.

21. An external charger for an implantable medical device, the implantable medical device having a secondary coil in a patient, the external charger comprising:
a housing forming an internal compartment;
electronic components disposed on a printed circuit board assembly disposed within the internal compartment; and
a recharge coil assembly disposed within the internal compartment, the recharge coil assembly including:
a recharge coil configured to output power to the secondary coil via inductive power transfer wherein the recharge coil is planar; and
a planar flux guide having a planar flexible ferrite sheet, the ferrite sheet located between the recharge coil and the printed circuit board assembly and the ferrite sheet is disposed alongside the recharge coil.

22. The external charger of claim 21 , wherein the recharge coil assembly includes a telemetry coil, separate from the recharge coil, operably coupled to the electronic components, the telemetry coil configured to communicate with the implantable medical device via inductive telemetry.

23. The external charger of claim 22 wherein the recharge coil and the telemetry coil comprise an air core.

24. The external charger of claim 23
wherein the recharge coil and the telemetry coil are both planar, flat, concentric, having a common center, co-axial, having a common axis and coplanar, in the same plane, and wherein the planar flux guide is configured to cover both the telemetry coil and the recharge coil.

25. The external charger of claim 24 wherein the recharge coil assembly includes an insulative bobbin, and the recharge coil and the telemetry coil are disposed on the insulative bobbin.

26. The external charger of claim 25 wherein the insulative bobbin is a plastic bobbin.

27. The external charger of claim 24 wherein the recharge coil and the telemetry coil are generally parallel with a major wall of the housing, wherein the major wall of the housing interfaces with the patient.

28. The external charger of claim 27 wherein the recharge coil assembly is in contact with the major wall of the housing.

29. The external charger of claim 22 wherein the electronic components include a telemetry capacitor coupled to the telemetry coil to form a telemetry tank circuit.

30. The external charger of claim 29 wherein the telemetry tank circuit includes a resonant frequency of about 175 KHz.

31. The external charger of claim 29 wherein the electronic components include a recharge capacitor coupled to the recharge coil to form a recharge tank circuit.

32. The external charger of claim 31 wherein the recharge tank circuit includes a resonant frequency selected from one of about 8.9 kHz, 40 kHz, or 110 kHz.

33. The external charger of claim 32 wherein the electronic components include relays coupled to the telemetry tank circuit and the recharge tank circuit such that if one of the telemetry tank circuit and the recharge tank circuit is active, the other of

Assignees

• Medtronic Inc

Inventors

• Schulzetenberg Robert M
• Gaddam Venkat R
• Harper Jason H
• Otteson Brett

Classifications

• H02J7/40

  characterised by the exchange of charge or discharge related data · CPC title

• H02J50/12 Primary

  of the resonant type · CPC title

• A61B5/0015

  characterised by features of the telemetry system · CPC title

• A61B5/0031

  Implanted circuitry · CPC title

• A61N1/0551

  Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes · CPC title