High-voltage analog circuit pulser and pulse generator discharge circuit
Inventors
Athos, Brian G. • Uecker, Darrin R. • Xiao, Shu
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11723712-B2
Publication Date
2023-08-15
Expiration Date
Abstract
A pulse generator discharge circuit is disclosed. The circuit includes one or more discharge stages, each discharge stage including a plurality of control input terminals. The circuit also includes first and second discharge terminals, and a plurality of serially connected switches electrically connected between the first and second discharge terminals, where a conductive state of each of the switches is controlled by a control signal. The circuit also includes a plurality of inductive elements configured to generate the control signals for the serially connected switches, where each inductive element is configured to generate a control signal for one of the serially connected switches in response to one or more input signals at one or more of the control input terminals, and where each of the serially connected switches is configured to receive a control signal from a respective one of the inductive elements.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to generating high voltage pulses with an nsPEF pulse generator that uses a selectively controllable discharge circuit based on multiple discharge stages. Each pulse generator stage includes a capacitive element that is charged, and output pulses are generated having a higher amplitude than driving signal pulses.
A plurality of switches are connected in series to form a switch stack, and at least one switch driver generates control signal pulses that switch the plurality of switches to discharge the capacitive element. The control signal pulses are generated based on driving signal pulses produced by a driver circuit from input signal pulses.
The switch driver is transformer-coupled to the driver circuit, where an input port of the at least one switch driver is coupled to an output port of the driver circuit through a transformer. The disclosed architecture includes a Marx generator apparatus using multiple pulse generator stages, and the system is described with transformer-coupled MOSFET gate/control generation to generate fast coupling control signals.
The disclosure further describes nsPEF electrotherapy context in which pulse delivery to a patient/test subject is performed through electrodes, including inducing apoptosis in tumor cells. Additional implementations are described to reduce stored energy to safer voltages after pulsing and to provide selectable discharge circuit behavior.
Claims Coverage
Independent claim clm-00001 covers a method of generating high voltage output pulses at a higher amplitude than driving signal pulses by using multiple serially connected pulse generator stages and a transformer-coupled switch-driver control path. The method includes inventive features involving charging capacitive elements in stages, switching a series switch stack with control signal pulses, and coupling the driver circuit to the switch driver through a transformer.
Charging multiple serially connected pulse generator stages
Generating, at a plurality of serially connected pulse generator stages and based on the driving signal pulses, output pulses that have a higher amplitude than the driving signal pulses by charging a capacitive element in a respective pulse generator stage.
Transformer-coupled switch-stack control using control signal pulses
Generating, by at least one switch driver, control signal pulses configured to switch a plurality of switches to discharge the capacitive element, wherein the plurality of switches are connected in series to form a switch stack, wherein an input port of the at least one switch driver is coupled to an output port of the driver circuit, an output port of the at least one switch driver is coupled to a respective switch of the plurality of switches.
Transformer coupling between driver circuit and switch driver
Coupling the input port of the at least one switch driver to the output port of the at least one switch driver through a transformer.
Overall claim coverage centers on amplitude-boosted output pulses generated by charging capacitive elements across serially connected pulse generator stages and discharging them through a serial switch stack controlled by switch driver-generated control signal pulses, with the switch driver input coupled to the driver circuit output through a transformer.
Stated Advantages
Output pulses having a higher amplitude than the driving signal pulses.
Selectively controllable discharge circuit behavior based on the multi-stage discharge architecture.
Documented Applications
nsPEF electrotherapy to induce apoptosis in tumor cells.
Delivering nsPEF pulses to a patient/test subject via electrodes.
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