Systems and methods for implantable stimulator

Inventors

Lebaron, Richard • Perryman, Laura Tyler

Assignees

Curonix LLC

Abstract

A passive implantable relay module includes a first coupler arm configured to wirelessly receive electromagnetic energy radiated through electric radiative coupling from a transmitting antenna located outside a subject's body; a second coupler arm; and a connector portion comprising a first metal core and a first dielectric coating surrounding the first metal core, the connector portion configured to connect the first coupler arm to the second coupler arm such that when the passive implantable relay module is implanted inside the subject's body and the transmitting antenna initiates wireless energy transfer to the first coupler arm via non-inductive coupling, electromagnetic waves carrying the electromagnetic energy received at the first coupler arm propagate along the first metal core to arrive at the second coupler arm, where the electromagnetic energy arriving is wirelessly transferred, again via non-inductive coupling, to a receiving antenna on a passive wireless neural stimulator device.

Core Innovation

The wireless stimulation system provides an implantable wireless neural stimulator device implanted inside a subject. The neural stimulator device includes a receiving antenna and one or more electrodes for delivering electric pulses to excitable tissue. Outside the subject, an external radio frequency pulse generator module is positioned with a transmitting antenna to transmit electromagnetic energy wirelessly and through non-inductive coupling.

A passive implantable relay module is arranged to wirelessly receive the electromagnetic energy from the transmitting antenna through non-inductive coupling. The relay includes a first coupler arm along a longitudinal axis to receive the energy, and a connector portion positioned between the first and second coupler arms. The connector portion connects the first coupler arm to the second coupler arm and transports the received electromagnetic energy from the first coupler arm to the second coupler arm.

The second coupler arm is further configured to wirelessly transfer the received electromagnetic energy through non-inductive coupling to the receiving antenna of the implantable wireless neural stimulator device. The relay is implemented so that electromagnetic coupling is achieved using electric radiative coupling with electromagnetic waves propagating along the metal core and then being wirelessly transferred to the receiving antenna.

To address magnetic resonance scan heating, connector heating is mitigated by using connector structures that reduce heating from electrical charges accumulated along the connector portion in a magnetic resonance scan in a magnetic field. The disclosed configuration uses parallel overlap of metal cores arranged not to contact each other, including parallel overlap running approximately a half wavelength of electromagnetic waves carrying the electromagnetic energy.

Claims Coverage

The document includes two independent claims: a system claim and a passive relay module claim. Across these independent claims, the inventive features are the arrangement of a passive implantable relay module with first and second coupler arms and a connector portion that transports electromagnetic energy, and the use of non-inductive coupling, including electric radiative coupling, to transfer the energy to the receiving antenna of an implanted wireless neural stimulator device.

The independent claims define a passive implantable relay module with first and second coupler arms and a connector portion that transports electromagnetic energy received through non-inductive coupling and wirelessly transfers it through non-inductive coupling to the receiving antenna of an implanted wireless neural stimulator device.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications