Power architecture for an implantable medical device having a non-rechargeable battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9352162-B2
Application number	US-201313747898-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2013
Priority date	Feb 10, 2012
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

An improved architecture for an implantable medical device using a primary battery is disclosed which reduces the circumstances in which the voltage of the primary battery is boosted, and hence reduces the power draw in the implant. The architecture includes a boost converter for selectively boosting the voltage of the primary battery and for supplying that boosted voltage to certain of the circuit blocks, including digital circuitry, analog circuitry, and memory. However, the boost converter is only used to boost the battery voltage when its magnitude is below a threshold; if above the threshold, the battery voltage is passed to the circuit blocks without boosting. Additionally, some circuitry capable of operation even at low battery voltages—including the telemetry tank circuitry and the compliance voltage generator—receives the battery voltage directly without boosting, and without regard to the current magnitude of the battery voltage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Circuitry for an implantable medical device, comprising:
a non-rechargeable battery outputting a battery voltage;
boosting circuitry for boosting the battery voltage to a boosted voltage;
a threshold voltage set to a constant value;
comparator circuitry configured to determine if the battery voltage is greater than or equal to the threshold voltage and configured to determine if the battery voltage is less than the threshold voltage;
first circuitry powered by the battery voltage when the comparator circuitry determines that the battery voltage is greater than or equal to the threshold voltage, and by the boosted voltage when the comparator circuitry determines that the battery voltage is less than the threshold voltage;
second circuitry comprising a DC-DC converter, wherein the second circuitry is only powered by the battery voltage; and
at least one Digital-to-Analog converter, wherein the DC-DC converter produces a compliance voltage to power the at least one Digital-to-Analog converter, wherein the Digital-to-Analog converter is configured to provide current to at least one electrode for contacting a patient's tissue.

2. The circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the first circuitry comprises one or more regulators.

3. The circuitry of claim 2 , further comprising circuit elements, wherein each of the one or more regulators supplies a constant voltage to power at least one of the circuit elements.

4. The circuitry of claim 3 , wherein one of the circuit elements is an analog circuit.

5. The circuitry of claim 3 , wherein one of the circuit elements is a digital circuit.

6. The circuitry of claim 3 , wherein one of the circuit elements is a memory.

7. The circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the threshold voltage is a minimum voltage needed for the first circuitry to operate properly.

8. The circuitry of claim 1 , further comprising a switch, wherein the switch is controllable by the comparator circuitry to provide the battery voltage to the first circuitry when the battery voltage is greater than or equal to the threshold voltage, and the switch is controllable to provide the boosted voltage to the first circuitry when the battery voltage is less than the threshold voltage.

9. The circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the second circuitry comprises tank circuitry coupled to a telemetry antenna.

10. The circuitry of claim 1 , further comprising a single integrated circuit, wherein the first and second circuitry are integrated on the single integrated circuit.

11. Circuitry for an implantable medical device, comprising:
a non-rechargeable battery outputting a battery voltage;
boosting circuitry having an input and an output, the boosting circuitry for converting a voltage at the input to a higher voltage at the output;
first circuitry comprising a first input power supply, wherein the first input power supply is connected to the output of the boosting circuitry;
a threshold voltage set to a constant value;
comparator circuitry configured to determine if the battery voltage is greater than or equal to the threshold voltage and configured to determine if the battery voltage is less than the threshold voltage;
a switch, wherein the switch is controllable by the comparator circuitry to route the battery voltage to the first input power supply when the battery voltage is greater than or equal to the threshold voltage, and to route the battery voltage to the input of the boosting circuitry when the battery voltage is less than the threshold voltage; and
second circuitry comprising a second input power supply, wherein the second input power supply is connected to the battery voltage.

12. The circuitry of claim 11 , wherein the first circuitry comprises one or more regulators.

13. The circuitry of claim 12 , further comprising one or more of an analog circuitry, a digital circuitry, or a memory, wherein the one or more regulators supply a constant voltage to power one or more of the analog circuitry, a digital circuitry, or the memory.

14. The circuitry of claim 11 , wherein the second circuitry comprises a DC-DC converter.

15. The circuitry of claim 14 , further comprising at least one Digital-to-Analog converter, wherein the DC-DC converter produces a compliance voltage to power the at least one Digital-to-Analog converter, wherein the Digital-to-Analog converter is configured to provide current to at least one electrode for contacting a patient's tissue.

16. The circuitry of claim 11 , wherein the second circuitry comprises tank circuitry coupled to a telemetry antenna.

17. The circuitry of claim 11 , wherein the threshold voltage is a minimum voltage needed for the first circuitry to operate properly.

18. The circuitry of claim 11 , further comprising a single integrated circuit, wherein the first and second circuitry are integrated on the single integrated circuit.

Assignees

• Boston Scient Neuromodulation

Inventors

• Lamont Robert G
• Parramon Jordi

Classifications

• A61N1/3782

  producing a voltage above the power source level · CPC title

• A61N1/3708 Primary

  for power depletion · CPC title

• A61N1/025

  Digital circuitry features of electrotherapy devices, e.g. memory, clocks, processors · CPC title

• A61N1/04

  Electrodes {(electrosurgical electrodes A61B18/14)} · CPC title

• A61N1/378 Primary

  Electrical supply · CPC title