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Patent US6185452 - Battery-powered patient implantable device - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign in<nobr>Advanced Patent Search</nobr>PatentsA device configured for implanting beneath a patient's skin for the purpose of tissue, e.g., nerve or muscle, stimulation and/or parameter monitoring and/or data communication. Devices in accordance with the invention are comprised of a sealed housing, typically having an axial dimension of less than...http://www.google.com/patents/US6185452?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6185452 - Battery-powered patient implantable deviceAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6185452 B1Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 09/030,106Publication dateFeb 6, 2001Filing dateFeb 25, 1998Priority dateFeb 26, 1997Fee statusPaidAlso published asCA2281880A1, CA2281880C, DE69832713D1, DE69832713T2, EP1011792A1, EP1011792A4, EP1011792B1, EP1647300A2, EP1647300A3, EP1666087A2, EP1666087A3, WO1998037926A1Publication number030106, 09030106, US 6185452 B1, US 6185452B1, US-B1-6185452, US6185452 B1, US6185452B1InventorsJoseph H. Schulman, Robert Dan Dell, John C. GordOriginal AssigneeJoseph H. Schulman, Robert Dan Dell, John C. GordExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (19), Referenced by (352), Classifications (30), Legal Events (4) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetBattery-powered patient implantable deviceUS 6185452 B1Abstract A device configured for implanting beneath a patient's skin for the purpose of tissue, e.g., nerve or muscle, stimulation and/or parameter monitoring and/or data communication. Devices in accordance with the invention are comprised of a sealed housing, typically having an axial dimension of less than 60 mm and a lateral dimension of less than 6 mm, containing a power source for powering electronic circuitry within including a controller, an address storage means, a data signal receiver and an input/output transducer. When used as a stimulator, such a device is useful in a wide variety of applications to stimulate nerves and associated neural pathways, e.g., to decrease or relieve pain, stimulate specific muscles or organs to better carry out a body function (e.g., to exercise weak or unconditioned muscles or to control urinary incontinence), and the like. Alternatively, devices of the present invention are configurable to monitor a biological parameter or to operate as a transponder to retransmit received command messages.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to devices configured for implanting beneath a patient's skin and more particularly to such devices incorporating a battery for powering electronic circuitry for various purposes including tissue, e.g., nerve or muscle, stimulation and/or parameter monitoring and/or data communication.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a device configured for implanting beneath a patient's skin for the purpose of tissue, e.g., nerve or muscle, stimulation and/or parameter monitoring and/or data communication. Devices in accordance with the invention are comprised of a sealed housing, preferably having an axial dimension of less than 60 mm and a lateral dimension of less than 6 mm, containing a self-contained power source capable of supplying at least 1 microwatt-hour to power consuming circuitry for actuating an input/output transducer. The circuitry in each device is preferably remotely addressable and includes a data signal receiver and a device controller.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a microstimulator as known in the prior art;
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention is directed to a device configured for implanting beneath a patient's skin for the purpose of tissue, e.g., nerve or muscle, stimulation and/or parameter monitoring and/or data communication. Devices in accordance with the invention are comprised of a sealed housing, preferably having an axial dimension of less than 60 mm and a lateral dimension of less than 6 mm, containing a power source and power consuming circuitry including a controller, an address storage means, a data signal receiver and an input/output transducer. When used as a stimulator, such a device is useful in a wide variety of applications to stimulate nerves and associated neural pathways, e.g., to decrease or relieve pain, stimulate specific muscles or organs to better carry out a body function (e.g., to exercise weak or unconditioned muscles or to control urinary incontinence), and the like. Preferably microstimulators of the present invention are individually addressable for control purposes via a magnetic, RF or ultrasonic signal.
In contrast, FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an electrically-powered implantable device 100 of the present invention (configured as a microstimulator) that can stimulate tissue (e.g., a neural pathway or nerve) for a prolonged period of time, i.e., in excess of one hour, without requiring the continuous use of an external power source. Consequently, in an exemplary application, a preferred microstimulator 100 can be used to block pain in a selected nerve for a prolonged period of time, long after the external power source has been removed. The microstimulator 100 of the present invention is comprised of a sealed housing 206 (see FIG. 5) for enclosing a power source 102, e.g., a rechargeable battery 104, and power consuming electronic circuitry including (1) controller circuitry 106 powered by the power source 102 and having address storage circuitry 108 with an identification address (ID) stored within, (2) stimulation circuitry 110 powered by the power source 102 and operating under control of the controller circuitry 106 for providing drive pulses to one or more electrodes (i.e., transducers) 112, and (3) receiver means 114 for providing command and address identification information to the controller circuitry 106.
In operation, a coil 116 receives power in the form of an alternating magnetic field generated from an external power source 118 (see FIG. 3A) and responsively supplies an AC current to a rectifier 120 which is passed as a rectified DC current to a charging circuit 122. The charging circuit 122 then monitors the voltage V on battery 104 and charges it according to its preferred charging characteristics (current and voltage). As discussed further below, the charging circuit 122 preferably communicates via path 124 with the controller circuitry 106 which in turn periodically communicates with the external power source 118 via a magnetic, ultrasonic, or RF signal.
In a typical application (see FIG. 3A), a plurality of such devices 100, e.g., microstimulators, are implanted under the skin 12 of a patient's body and simultaneously subjected to an alternating magnetic field 154 from the external power source 118. Accordingly, once the charging circuit 122 determines that battery 104 has been sufficiently charged, the charging circuit preferably detunes coil 116, e.g, by shunting out centertap 126 (or adding a capacitor across the coil), and thus minimizes any heat generation in the charging circuit 122 or in the battery 104 from overcharging. Thus, the external power source 118 can continue to provide charging power via an alternating magnetic field indefinitely. However in one preferred embodiment, the external power source periodically polls the implanted devices for status information and continues to provide charging power until it has received status information from each of the implanted devices 100 that its battery 104 is charged.
Both the controller circuitry 106 (via power input terminal 127 a) and stimulation circuitry 110 (via power input terminal 127 b) receive power from the battery 104 power output terminal 128. The power dissipation of circuitry within the implanted device 100 is minimized by the use of CMOS and other lower power logic. Accordingly, the required capacity of the battery 104 is minimized.
The controller circuitry 106 controls the operation of the stimulation circuitry 110 using a controller 130 (preferably a state machine or microprocessor) according to configuration data within a configuration data storage 132 coupled to controller 130. The configuration data specifies various programmable parameters (discussed further below) that effect the characteristics of the drive pulses generated by stimulation circuitry 110 as controlled by the controller 130. Preferably, each implanted device 100, e.g., microstimulator, can be actuated (enabled/disabled) or have its characteristics altered via communications with one or more devices external to itself. Accordingly, each implanted device 100 uses its address storage 108, e.g., an EEPROM, PROM, or other nonvolatile storage device programmed during manufacture, to identify itself (e.g., using an ID code stored within of 8 or more bits). Alternatively, the address storage 108 can be comprised of a portion of an integrated circuit that is mask programmed to form all or a portion of the ID and/or the use of a laser trimming process to designate all or the remaining portion of the ID. In a further alternative implementation, the ID can be designated by a selection of jumpers, e.g., wire bonds, used individually or in combination with the use of a laser trimming process. In operation, an external device (e.g., charger 118) transmits a modulated magnetic, ultrasonic, or RF command signal containing command information that includes an address field. When the implanted device 100 receives and demodulates this command signal to receive the command information within, it first determines whether there is a match to its address within its address storage 108 before processing the rest of its data. Otherwise, the command information is ignored.
In a first embodiment, alternating magnetic field 154 is amplitude modulated with this command signal. Receiver circuitry 114 a detects and demodulates this command signal by monitoring the signal generated across coil 116 (preferably the same coil used for charging the rechargeable battery 104). The demodulated data is provided to a controller data input 134 via path 136 where its applicability to a particular implanted device 100 is determined. Alternatively, the command signal can modulate an RF signal which can be detected in a similar manner by receiver 114 a (configured to demodulate an RF signal) using coil 116 as an antenna or using a separate antenna.
In a next embodiment, an ultrasonic signal can be used to deliver this command signal to each implanted device 100. In this embodiment, an ultrasonic transducer 138 located within the device 100 generates a signal 140 which is demodulated by ultrasonic demodulator 114 b. This demodulated signal is then provided to an ultrasonic data input 142 via path 144 and processed in a manner similar to that described in reference to a magnetic signal. The ultrasonic implementation provides significant advantages in that a patient's body is primarily comprised of fluid and tissue that is conducive to passing an ultrasonic signal. Consequently, a control device located anywhere inside (or external but in contact with) the patient's body can communicate with each device 100 implanted within.
In a preferred embodiment, the implanted device 100 includes means for transmitting status and data to external devices. In an exemplary charging mode, it is preferable that each device 100 can individually communicate with charger 118 so that charger 118 can determine when all of the implanted devices 100 have been fully charged. Preferably, device 100 includes transmitter means to emit a magnetic signal modulated with this data. This transmitter means comprises modulator circuitry 146 which amplitude modulates an AC voltage and delivers this modulated signal to coil 116 which emits a modulated magnetic signal. While this modulated signal can use a different carrier frequency from that of the AC signal used by the charger 118, it is preferable that the communication channel, i.e., the magnetic field 154 between the devices, be time-shared as shown in FIG. 3B. In FIG. 3B, the charger 118 emits an alternating magnetic field for a first time period 148. At the end of the first time period 148, this alternating magnetic field is modulated (e.g., amplitude modulated) with a series of bits corresponding to polling data corresponding to a selected microstimulator 100 (i.e., including an address for one implanted device). The charger 118 then goes into a receive mode for a second time period 150 during which time the selected device 100 emits a magnetic signal modulated with a series of bits corresponding to its battery status. This charging/polling cycle preferably repeats for all of the implanted devices within the operational range of the charger 118. Once the charger 118 determines that all of the devices 100 have been charged, the cycle is terminated and the patient or clinician is preferably notified, e.g., using a visual or audio annunciator 152.
Alternatively, ultrasonic means can be used to communicate status or other data from the implanted device 100 to an external device. In such an embodiment, an ultrasonic transmitter 168 under control of the controller 130 generates a modulated signal on line 170 that is emitted by ultrasonic transducer 138. As previously discussed, an ultrasonic signal efficiently passes through the body fluids and tissues and as such is a preferred communication means for communication between devices implanted within the patient's body, e.g., other microstimulators 100, and suitable for communication with external devices in contact with the patient's skin.
The use of magnetic or ultrasonic communication, i.e., transmitter and receiver, means are not mutually exclusive and in fact a preferred implanted device includes both. For example as shown in FIG. 3A, a clinician's programmer 172 (a device for primarily programming the operation of the implanted devices 100), can communicate with a microstimulator 100 a using a modulated magnetic signal from magnetic emitter 190 and periodically receive a modulated magnetic signal from microstimulator 100 a reflecting its battery status. While this magnetic means of communication is preferable during a charging mode, a patient control unit 174 (e.g., a device in direct contact with the skin, typically in the form of a �wrist watch�, primarily used for monitoring the status of the embedded devices 100) will preferably communicate using ultrasonic means. Additionally, communication between implanted microstimulators 100 is also desirable, e.g., in a master-slave or transponder-slave configuration. For these modes, ultrasonic means are preferable since ultrasonic signals efficiently pass through the body fluids.
The battery-powered device 100 of the present invention is preferably configurable to operate in a plurality of operation modes, e.g., via a communicated command signal. Alternatively, preconfigured, battery-powered, implanted devices are also considered to be within the scope of the present invention. In a first operation mode, device 100 (sized so that it can be implanted using a hypodermic needle type insertion tool 176) is configured to be a stimulator, hence such a device is referred to as a microstimulator (e.g., 100 a and 100 b). In this embodiment, the controller 130 commands stimulation circuitry 110 to generate a sequence of drive pulses through electrodes 112 to stimulate tissue, e.g., a nerve, proximate to the implanted location of the microstimulator 100 a or 100 b. In operation, a programmable pulse generator 178 and voltage multiplier 180 are configured with parameters (see Table I) corresponding to a desired pulse sequence and specifying how much to multiply the battery voltage (e.g., by summing charged capacitors or similarly charged battery portions) to generate a desired compliance voltage Vc. A first FET 182 is periodically energized to store charge into capacitor 183 (in a first direction at a low current flow rate through the body tissue) and a second FET 184 is periodically energized to discharge capacitor 183 in an opposing direction at a higher current flow rate which stimulates a nearby nerve. Alternatively, as disclosed in the previously incorporated references, electrodes can be selected that will form an equivalent capacitor within the body tissue.
While the desirability of being able to stimulate tissue for a prolonged period of time has been described, failure modes can also be envisioned. Therefore, a magnet sensor 186 (preferably a semiconductor, e.g., Hall-effect, sensor) is preferably coupled to the controller 130 which can be used to modify the function, e.g., discontinue operation, of the microstimulator 100 when exposed to a static magnetic field. Such a magnet sensor 186 can be activated by placing a safety magnet 187 (to generate the static magnetic field) proximate to the microstimulator 100 at the patient's skin 12. Additionally, it is desirable that a microstimulator 100 cease operation when its battery voltage reaches a lower limit (or exceeds a maximum temperature) as determined by the charging circuitry 122 and communicated to the controller circuitry 106. This ensures reliable operation as well as prolonging the useful life of the rechargeable battery 104. When this low voltage condition is detected, a preferred device periodically emits a corresponding status signal (preferably in response to remotely generated interrogation/polling signal) to request that the battery be recharged.
In a next operation mode, the battery-powered implantable device 100 can be configured to operate as a sensor, i.e., a microsensor 100 c, that can sense one or more physiological or biological parameters in the implanted environment of the device. In a preferred mode of operation, a system controller, e.g., an externally located device or an implanted device, periodically request the sensed data from each microsensor 100 c using its ID stored in address storage 108, and responsively sends command signals to microstimulators, e.g., 100 a and 100 b, adjusted accordingly to the sensed data. For example, a sensor 188 can be coupled to the electrodes 112 to sense or otherwise used to measure a biological parameter, e.g., temperature, glucose level, or O2 content. Additionally, the ultrasonic transducer 138 or the coil 116 can be used to respectively measure the magnetic or ultrasonic signal magnitudes (or transit durations) of signals transmitted between a pair of implanted devices and thus determine the relative locations of these devices. This information can be used to determine the amount of body movement, e.g., the amount that an elbow or finger is bent, and thus form a portion of a closed loop motion control system.
In another operation mode, the battery-powered implantable device 100 can be configured to operate as a transponder, i.e., a microtransponder 100 d. In this operation mode, the microtransponder receives (via the aforementioned receiver means, e.g., magnetic or ultrasonic) a first command signal from a system controller and retransmits this signal (preferably after reformatting) to other implanted devices (e.g., microstimulators, microsensors, and/or microtransponders) using the aforementioned transmitter means (e.g., magnetic or ultrasonic). While a microtransponder may receive one mode of command signal, e.g., magnetic, it may retransmit the signal in another mode, e.g., ultrasonic. For example, clinician's programmer 172 may emit a modulated magnetic signal using a magnetic emitter 190 to program/command the implanted devices. However, the magnitude of the emitted signal may not be sufficient to be successfully received by all of the implanted devices. As such, a microtransponder 100 d may receive the modulated magnetic signal and retransmit it (preferably after reformatting) as a modulated ultrasonic signal which can pass through the body with fewer restrictions. In another exemplary use, the patient control unit 174 may need to monitor a microsensor 100 c in a patient's foot. Despite the efficiency of ultrasonic communication in a patient's body, an signal could still be insufficient to pass from a patient's foot to a patient's wrist (the typical location of the patient control unit 174). As such, a microtransponder 100 d could be implanted in the patient's torso to improve the communication link.
In still another operation mode, a battery-powered device can be configured to operate as a master system controller that can alter the operation of the other implanted devices, i.e., microstimulators and microsensors, in a closed loop mode of control.
FIG. 4 shows the basic format of an exemplary message for communicating with the aforementioned battery-powered devices 100, all of which are preconfigured with an address (ID), preferably unique to that device, in their identification storage 108 to operate in one or more of the following modes (1) for nerve stimulation, i.e., as a microstimulator, (2) for biological parameter monitoring, i.e., as a microsensor, and/or (3) for retransmitting received signals after reformatting to other implanted devices, i.e., as a microtransponder. The command message 192 is primarily comprised of a (1) start portion 194 (one or more bits to signify the start of the message and to synchronize the bit timing between transmitters and receivers, (2) a mode portion 196 (designating the operating mode, e.g., stimulator, sensor, transponder, or group mode), (3) an address (ID) portion 198 (corresponding to either the identification address 108 or a programmed group ID), (4) a data field portion 200 (containing command data for the prescribed operation), (5) an error checking portion 202 (for ensuring the validity of the message 192, e.g., by use of a parity bit), and (6) a stop portion 204 (for designating the end of the message 192). The basic definition of these fields are shown below in Table II. Using these definitions, each device can be separately configured, controlled and/or sensed as part of a system controlling one or more neural pathways within a patient's body.
02 = STransponder
03 = SGroup
select operating inode
FIG. 5A shows a side view of a microstimulator 100 made in accordance with the present invention which includes battery 104 for powering the circuitry within. The battery 104 conveniently fits within a sealed elongate housing 206 (preferably hermetically sealed) which encases the microstimulator 100. In a preferred device 100, the axial dimension 208 is less than 60 mm and the lateral dimension 207 is less than 6 mm.
For the embodiment shown in FIG. 5A, the battery 104 is preferably housed within its own battery case 209, with the battery terminals comprising an integral part of its case 209 (much like a conventional AA battery). Thus, the sides and left end of the battery 104 (as oriented in FIG. 5A) may comprise one battery terminal 210, e.g., the negative battery terminal, and the right end of the battery 104 may comprise the other battery terminal, e.g., the positive battery terminal used as the output terminal 128. Advantageously, because such a battery case 209 is conductive, it may serve as an electrical conductor for connecting an appropriate circuit node for the circuitry within the microstimulator 100 from one side of the battery to the other. More particularly, for the configuration shown in FIG. 5A, the battery terminal 210 may serve as a ground point or node for all of the circuitry housed within the device housing 206. Hence, stem 212 from the electrode 112 a on the left end of the microstimulator 100, which from an electrical circuit point of view is simply connected to circuit ground, may simply contact the left end of the battery 104. Then, this same circuit ground connection is made available near or on the rim of the battery 104 on its right side, near one or more IC chips 216 (preferably implementing the device's power consuming circuitry, e.g., the controller 106 and stimulation circuitry 110) on the right side of battery 104 within the right end of the housing 206. By using the conductive case 209 of the battery 104 in this manner, there is no need to try to pass or fit a separate wire or other conductor around the battery 104 to electrically connect the circuitry on the right of the device 100 with the electrode 112 a on the left side of the device 100.
FIG. 5B shows a battery powered microstimulator 100′ that is substantially the same as the device 100 shown in FIG. 5A except that the microstimulator 100′ includes internal coupling capacitor 183 (used to prevent DC current flow through the body tissue). The internal coupling capacitor 183 is used for the embodiment shown in FIG. 5B because both of the microstimulator electrodes 112 a and 112 b used by the microstimulator 100′ are made from the same material, iridium. In contrast, the electrodes 112 a and 112 b for the microstimulator 100 shown in FIG. 5A are made from different materials, and in particular from iridium (electrode 112 b) and tantalum (electrode 112 a), and such materials inherently provide a substantial capacitance between them, thereby preventing DC current flow. See, e.g., col. 11, lines 26-33, of U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,316.
FIGS. 5C and 5D show two side cutaway views of the presently preferred construction of the sealed housing 206, the battery 104, the capacitor 183 and the circuitry (implemented on one or more IC chips 216) contained within. In this presently preferred construction, the housing 206 is comprised of an insulating ceramic tube 260 brazed onto a first end cap forming electrode 112 a via a braze 262. At the other end of the ceramic tube 260 is a metal ring 264 that is also brazed onto the ceramic tube 260. The circuitry within, i.e., the capacitor 183, battery 104, IC chips 216, and a spring 266 is attached to an opposing second end cap forming electrode 112 b. A drop of conductive epoxy is used to glue the capacitor 183 to the end cap 112 a and is held in position by spring 266 as the glue takes hold. Preferably, the IC chips 216 are mounted on a circuit board 268 over which half circular longitudinal ferrite plates 270 are attached. The coil 116 is wrapped around the ferrite plates 270 and attached to IC chips 216. A getter 272, mounted surrounding the spring 266, is preferably used to increase the hermeticity of the device 100 by absorbing water introduced therein. An exemplary getter 272 absorbs 70 times its volume in water. While holding the circuitry and the end cap 112 b together, one can laser weld the end cap 112 b to the ring 264. Additionally, a platinum, iridium, or platinum-iridium disk or plate 274 is preferably welded to the end caps of the device 100 to minimize the impedance of the connection to the body tissue.
The battery 104 is described more fully below in connection with the description of FIGS. 6-8. Preferably, the battery 104 is made from appropriate materials so as to provide a power capacity of at least 1 microwatt-hour, preferably constructed from a battery having an energy density of about 240 mW-Hr/cm3. A Li�I battery advantageously provides such an energy density. Alternatively, an Li�I�Sn battery provides an energy density up to 360 mW-Hr/cm3. Any of these batteries, or other batteries providing a power capacity of at least 1 microwatt-hour may be used with the present invention.
Turning next to FIGS. 6-9, additional details concerning the battery 104 used within the implantable device 100 are presented. Basically, the battery 104 may take many forms, any of which may be used so long as the battery can be made to fit within the small volume available. As previously discussed, the battery 104 may be either a primary battery or a rechargeable battery. A primary battery offers the advantage of a longer life for a given energy output but presents the disadvantage of not being rechargeable (which means once its energy has been used up, the device 100 no longer functions). However, for many applications, such as one-time-only muscle rehabilitation regimens applied to damaged or weakened muscle tissue, the device 100, e.g., a microstimulator, need only be used for a short time (after which it can be explanted and discarded, or simply left implanted as a benign medical device). For other applications, a rechargeable battery is clearly the preferred type of energy choice, as the tissue stimulation provided by the microstimulator is of a recurring nature.
One of the more difficult hurdles facing the use of a battery 104 with the device 100 of the present invention relates to the relatively small size or volume inside the housing 206 within which the battery must be inserted. A typical device 100 made in accordance with the present invention will preferably be no larger than about 60 mm long and 6 mm in diameter and includes even smaller embodiments, e.g., 15 mm long with an O.D. of 2.2 mm (resulting in an I.D. of about 2 mm). When one considers that only about � to � of the available volume within the device housing 206 is available for the battery, one begins to appreciate more fully how little volume, and thus how little battery storage capacity, is available for the device 100.
The device 100, e.g., a microstimulator, of the present invention is designed to generally consume only small amounts of power. The principal power drain for power consuming circuitry of the microstimulator 100 is the stimulating current that is applied to the tissue in contact with the electrodes 112. A typical stimulating current is shown in FIG. 10 which exhibits a very low duty cycle. For example, an exemplary waveform for providing an essentially continuous stimulation of a nerve may have 0.2 msec pulses (T2) that occur every 50 msec (T1), i.e., at a 20 Hz rate.
If such current pulses have a peak value of 5 ma (Ip), and are delivered at a potential of 3.6 volts (V), then the peak output power (P), in units of watts (W), delivered by the device is
P=IV=(5 ma)(3.6 v)=18 mW and the average output power, which is a function of the duty cycle, is
P(ave)=18 mW�0.2/50=0.072 mW=72 μW. If a nominal sized microstimulator is employed, having a length L of 15 mm and an I.D. of 2 mm (so the radius, r, is 1 mm), and assuming that ⅓ of the available length, or 5 mm, is available for the battery (LB), the battery would have a volume of
VolBAT=πr2LB=π(1 mm)2(5 mm)(1 cm3/1000 mm3)=0.0157 cm3. Assuming the battery is fabricated from materials that exhibit an energy density of 240 mW-Hr/cm3, it is thus seen that a fully charged battery can support a nominal load of 72 μW (0.072 mW) for a time period of:
(240 mW-Hr/cm3)(0.0157 cm3)/(0.072 mW)=52.3 Hrs which is approximately 2.2 days. If a safety factor of at least two is employed, the battery should thus be recharged each day.
However, other applications may require a significantly smaller drive currents (e.g., 1 μa) albeit at a higher duty cycle, e.g., bone growth stimulation, or possibly larger drive currents (e.g., 40 ma) at a smaller duty cycle, e.g., bladder stimulation or other applications that may only require nerve stimulation for minutes per day. A value of 1 microwatt-hour has been chosen as a minimum specification for a battery used in embodiments of the present invention. However, as shown above, embodiments of the present invention can include batteries with significantly higher capacities and thus such embodiments can encompass a larger range of applications.
Turning next to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the manner in which the battery plates or electrodes may be connected in parallel or in series is illustrated. A parallel connection of interleaved or stacked positive electrodes 218 with negative electrodes 220 is illustrated in FIG. 6A. A series connection of such interleaved electrodes is shown in FIG. 6B. In general, the resistance associated with the parallel connection is lower than the resistance associated with the series connection, which means that the time constant of the battery, i.e., the time it takes to discharge or charge the battery at a given current level, will be higher or longer for the series connection than it is for the parallel connection. While the discharge time constant is generally not of concern for purposes of the present invention (because so little current is drained from the battery when in use), the charge time constant may be important (because that determines, at least in part, how long it takes to recharge the battery).
FIG. 7A depicts a typical cylindrical shape for the battery 104. In general, such shape has a lateral dimension or diameter D and an axial dimension or length LB. However, it is recognized that other shapes are possible and potentially advantageous. For example, a rectangular or prismatic shaped battery can also be used, including ones that may extend the full length of the housing 206, with the power consuming circuitry, e.g., the controller 106 the stimulation circuitry 110, mounted in the surrounding interior areas of the housing 206.
The electrodes used within the battery 104 are arranged in pairs, and have a general relationship as shown in FIG. 7B where the electrodes or plates are mounted in an opposed spaced relationship with an electrolyte disposed therebetween. A first electrode 222 is made from a first material, e.g., copper (Cu). A second electrode 224 is made from a second material, e.g., aluminum (Al). A polypropylene separator 226 separates the two electrodes. The separator 226 physically separates and prevents the electrodes from touching each other, thereby preventing electron current flow between the electrodes, but has pores therein that allows ions to pass therethrough, allowing ionic current flow between the electrodes. A suitable electrolytic paste 228 surrounds the electrode 222. Another suitable electrolytic paste 230 surrounds the electrode 224. Suitable materials from which such electrolytic pastes may be made are described in the literature. Typically, the thickness of the electrode pair, X, including separator and electrolytic paste, is on the order to 0.010 or 0.024 inches, where the Cu and Al electrodes are each about 0.001 inches thick, the separator 226 is about 0.001 inches thick or less, and the electrolytic paste on each side of the electrode is about 0.002 to 0.008 inches thick. The combination of the two electrodes 222 and 224, with separators 226, and electrolytic pastes 228 and 230 forms an electrode layer 232. A battery is formed by efficiently placing the electrode layer 232 in the available battery volume, and attaching suitable current collectors (conductors) to the positive electrode 222 and negative electrode 224 so that electrical contact may be made therewith.
FIG. 8D shows a parallel-connected interleaved vertical stack of rectangular electrode strips, of varying width. The negative electrodes 224 are each connected to the lid 239. The positive electrodes 222 are each connected to the container 234. The container 234 and the lid 239 thus serve as the battery terminals.
FIG. 8E shows a parallel-connected concentric electrode configuration where the electrodes 222 and 224 comprise concentric tubes of different diameters that fit inside of each other.
FIG. 8F shows a wire electrode embodiment where the electrodes 222 and 224 are realized from a length of wire (approximately LB) made from the appropriate material, e.g., Cu or Al, are positioned in an array such that the negative electrodes 224 are adjacent positive electrodes 222. Separator sleeves 226′ are placed over the electrode wires, e.g., the negative electrode wires. The appropriate electrolytic paste fills the voids around each of the respective electrodes. As required, the separator 226′ keeps the appropriate electrolytic paste around the appropriate electrode, and prevents the other electrolytic paste from coming near such area. The negative wires 224 are attached to the bottom of the container 234, and the positive wire electrodes 222 are attached to the lid 239.
Turning next to FIG. 9A, one manner in which inexpensive electrodes may be formed for a series-connected electrode stack, such as that depicted in FIG. 8C, is illustrated. One set of electrodes 250 may be stamped and cut, e.g., from a 0.002 inch thick sheet, in a suitable pattern, such as that shown. A complementary set of electrodes 252 may likewise be stamped and cut as shown. Each set of electrodes includes the basic circular shaped electrode connected by a suitable tab 254. The tabs 254 are offset from one electrode to the next. The electrode sets are then folded and interleaved, so that the offset tabs 254 do not interfere with each other, as depicted in FIG. 9B. Each of the electrode sets 250, 252 is then inserted into the container 234, with a separator sleeve being inserted over one of the electrode sets, with an appropriate electrical connection being made between each electrode set and corresponding battery terminals.
While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims. For example, while primarily magnetic and ultrasonic means of communication have been discussed, other communication means are possible. In an alternative embodiment, implantable devices 100 can communicate via conduction, i.e., modulated sub-stimulation-threshold current pulses (pulses which do not stimulate the muscles or nerves) emitted through the electrodes, infrared, or when an implanted device is implanted just under the skin, translucent optical means can be used. Additionally, other means can be used to charge the battery within the implanted device including optical (e.g., solar cells) and mechanical devices or, alternatively, a nuclear energy implementation can be used to form a suitable primary battery.
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Mann Foundation For Scientific ResearchOptimal narrowband interference removal for signals separated in timeWO2011082236A1 *Dec 29, 2010Jul 7, 2011Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc.Implantable device including eddy current reducing battery* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification604/20, 607/60International ClassificationA61B5/07, A61N1/378, A61B5/053, A61N1/372, A61B5/00, A61F2/70, A61F2/50, A61F2/72, H02J17/00, A61N1/05Cooperative ClassificationA61B2560/063, A61B5/14532, A61B5/4519, A61F2002/705, A61B2560/0219, A61B2562/08, A61B5/07, A61F2/72, A61B5/145, A61B5/0031, A61N1/3787, A61B5/053, A61N1/37205, A61F2002/5058, A61F2002/704European ClassificationA61B5/00B9, A61B5/07, A61N1/378CLegal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionJun 18, 2012FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 12May 27, 2008FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 8May 7, 2004FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Feb 25, 1998ASAssignmentOwner name: ALFRED E. MANN FOUNDATION FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH,Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:SCHULMAN, JOSEPH H.;DELL, ROBERT DAN;GORD, JOHN;REEL/FRAME:009016/0164;SIGNING DATES FROM 19980224 TO 19980225RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google


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Words containing dytidae | Words that contain dytidae
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Told to Eat Its Vegetables, America Orders Fries - The New York Times
Money & Policy|Told to Eat Its Vegetables, America Orders Fries
Money & Policy Told to Eat Its Vegetables, America Orders Fries
By KIM SEVERSONSEPT. 24, 2010
Haythem Zahidi, left, and Said Shukri, both 15, consider the carrot machine in Manlius, N.Y.
Heather Ainsworth for The New York Times It’s been a busy week for vegetables.The baby-carrot industry tried to reposition its product as junk food, starting a $25 million advertising campaign whose defining characteristics include heavy metal music, a phone app and a young man in a grocery cart dodging baby-carrot bullets fired by a woman in tight jeans.On the East Side of Manhattan, crates of heirloom vegetables with names like Lady Godiva squash were auctioned for $1,000 each at Sotheby’s, where the wealthy are more accustomed to bidding on Warhols and Picassos than turnips and tomatoes.Both efforts, high and low, are aimed at the same thing: getting America to eat its vegetables.Good luck. Despite two decades of public health initiatives, stricter government dietary guidelines, record growth of farmers’ markets and the ease of products like salad in a bag, Americans still aren’t eating enough vegetables.This month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a comprehensive nationwide behavioral study of fruit and vegetable consumption. Only 26 percent of the nation’s adults eat vegetables three or more times a day, it concluded. (And no, that does not include French fries.) Continue reading the main story
These results fell far short of health objectives set by the federal government a decade ago. The amount of vegetables Americans eat is less than half of what public health officials had hoped. Worse, it has barely budged since 2000.
“It is disappointing,” said Dr. Jennifer Foltz, a pediatrician who helped compile the report. She, like other public health officials dedicated to improving the American diet, concedes that perhaps simply telling people to eat more vegetables isn’t working.“There is nothing you can say that will get people to eat more veggies,” said Harry Balzer, the chief industry analyst for the NPD Group, a market research company.This week, the company released the 25th edition of its annual report, “Eating Patterns in America.” The news there wasn’t good, either. For example, only 23 percent of meals include a vegetable, Mr. Balzer said. (Again, fries don’t count, but lettuce on a hamburger does.) The number of dinners prepared at home that included a salad was 17 percent; in 1994, it was 22 percent.At restaurants, salads ordered as a main course at either lunch or dinner dropped by half since 1989, to a mere 5 percent, he said.The nation has long had a complicated relationship with vegetables. People know that vegetables can improve health. But they’re a lot of work. In refrigerators all over the country, produce often dies a slow, limp death because life becomes too busy.
Annie Loh, 14, passing a new vending machine that sells baby carrots at Fayetteville-Manlius High School in Manlius, N.Y.
Heather Ainsworth for The New York Times “The moment you have something fresh you have to schedule your life around using it,” Mr. Balzer said.In the wrong hands, vegetables can taste terrible. And compared with a lot of food at the supermarket, they’re a relatively expensive way to fill a belly.“Before we want health, we want taste, we want convenience and we want low cost,” Mr. Balzer said.
Melissa MacBride, a busy Manhattan resident who works for a pharmaceuticals company, would eat more vegetables if they weren’t, in her words, “a pain.”“An apple you can just grab,” she said. “But what am I going to do, put a piece of kale in my purse?”No one really wants to admit that they don’t eat vegetables. A nurse who works at the Hospital for Special Surgery on the Upper East Side openly acknowledges that vegetables make her gag. Still, she begged to not be publicly identified because she is in the health care field and knows that she should set a better example.David Bernstein, who lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, is sheepish about the lack of vegetables in his diet. He waits tables at the hip M. Wells restaurant in Long Island City, Queens, and knows his way around the Union Square Greenmarket. But his diet consists largely of bacon, yogurt and frozen stuffed chicken breasts.
“It’s just like any other bad habit,” he said. “Part of it is just that vegetables are a little intimidating. I’m not afraid of zucchinis, but I just don’t know how to cook them.”The food industry has tried to make eating vegetables easier. Sales of convenience vegetables, like packages of cut broccoli designed to go right into the microwave, are growing. Washed, ready-to-eat bagged salads are a $3-billion-a-year business.But that doesn’t necessarily mean people are eating more vegetables. It just means they are shifting their vegetable budget from one place to another, Mr. Balzer said. An organic cucumber might replace a conventionally grown one. A bag of lettuce replaces a head.To be sure, vegetables are making strides in certain circles. Women, as well as people who are older and more educated and have higher incomes, tend to eat more vegetables, said Dr. Foltz, the pediatrician who worked on the C.D.C. report.
Jamie Niven auctioned off crates of heirloom vegetables on Thursday at Sotheby’s in Manhattan.
Christopher Smith for The New York Times The vegetable, especially when grown from heirloom seeds on small farms, is held in such high esteem that knowing the farmer who grows the food is a form of valuable social currency. Vegetables are becoming high art. At Sotheby’s on Thursday night, the vegetable auction was part of a daylong event called “The Art of Farming,” raising nearly $250,000 to help hunger organizations, immigrant farmers and children without access to vegetables.
But vegetables are also becoming important on the other end of the economic equation. An increasing number of the nation’s 6,000 farmers’ markets allow shoppers to buy produce with food stamps. Urban gardens are springing up in vacant lots and on rooftops. Nearly every state now has programs that send fresh vegetables into poorer neighborhoods and school cafeterias.The vegetable even has the first lady, Michelle Obama, on its side. She planted an organic garden on the White House lawn and talks up vegetables as part of her “Let’s Move” campaign against childhood obesity.The government keeps trying, too, to get its message across. It now recommends four and a half cups of fruits and vegetables (that’s nine servings) for people who eat 2,000 calories a day. Some public health advocates have argued that when the guidelines are updated later this year, they should be made even clearer. One proposal is to make Americans think about it visually, filling half the plate or bowl with vegetables.But clear guidance probably isn’t enough. Health officials now concede that convincing a nation that shuns vegetables means making vegetables more affordable and more available.“We have to make the healthy choice the easy choice,” Dr. Foltz said. And the choices need to become ingrained.For another study whose results were announced this week, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, spent three years examining the difference between children who participated in the Berkeley Unified School District’s “edible schoolyard” program, in which gardening and cooking are woven into the school day, and children who didn’t.The students who gardened ate one and half servings more of fruits and vegetables a day than those who weren’t in the program.For students who don’t have access to a school garden, perhaps the full-court press by the baby-carrot producers will have some effect. The iPhone application, for example, is a video game called Xtreme Xrunch Kart that starts when a player crunches a carrot (or makes a crunchlike sound) into the phone’s microphone.
But as in past attempts to revive the vegetable, none of this will necessarily be enough to change a clear aversion to eating vegetables.
“Eating vegetables is a lot less fun than eating flavor-blasted Doritos,” said Marcia Mogelonsly, a senior analyst for Mintel, a global marketing firm. “You will always have to fight that.”
A version of this article appears in print on September 25, 2010, on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: Told to Eat Its Vegetables, America Orders Fries. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
Promoting Healthy Eating, With 31 Other First Ladies

value: This website is an American daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership. Founded in 1851, the Times has since won 132 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any newspaper, and has long been regarded within the industry as a national "newspaper of record".