Voltage/current regulator improvements for an implantable medical device

Abstract

Apparatus and method provide flexibility in generating a stimulation waveform to an electrode of an implantable medical device. The stimulation waveform comprises at least one stimulation pulse. The embodiment of the invention supports a generation of a stimulation pulse in which an amplitude and an electrical polarity of the stimulation pulse can be dynamically changed. The embodiment comprises a capacitor arrangement, a regulator and a switching array. The capacitor arrangement can be reconfigured with respect to an electrical reference through the switching array in order for the regulator to deliver the stimulation pulse to a pair of electrodes. In another embodiment, a plurality of stimulation waveforms are generated in which different stimulation waveforms are associated with different electrodes. With the embodiment, a plurality of regulators are connected and reconfigured to the capacitor arrangement in order that the different stimulation waveforms are generated by different regulators.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An apparatus for generating a neurological stimulation waveform with an implantable medical device, comprising in combination: 
 a capacitor arrangement coupled to an electrical reference through a first connection, wherein the capacitor arrangement comprises a plurality of capacitors;    a first regulator module coupled to the capacitor arrangement through a second connection and coupled to a first electrode, wherein the second connection corresponds to a first value of voltage; and    a switching array coupled to the capacitor arrangement in order to reconfigure the capacitor arrangement with respect to the electrical reference, wherein the second connection corresponds to a second value of voltage.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first regulator module comprises a voltage regulator.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first regulator module comprises a current regulator.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the capacitor arrangement comprises at least one capacitor pair.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the capacitor arrangement comprises a collection of capacitors that corresponds to a fraction of a battery voltage.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the second value of voltage is different than the first value of voltage.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the second value of voltage has an opposite polarity of the first value of voltage.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a waveform controller coupled to the switching array in order to control the switching array.    
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the electrical reference is connected to a second electrode of the implantable medical device.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a second regulator module coupled to the capacitor arrangement through a third connection and coupled to a third electrode, wherein the third connection is associated with a third value of voltage.    
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the third value of voltage is different from the first value of voltage.  
     
     
         12 . A method for generating a neurological stimulation waveform with an implantable medical device, the steps comprising the steps of: 
 (a) configuring a capacitor arrangement with respect to an electrical reference, wherein the capacitor arrangement comprises a plurality of capacitors;    (b) connecting a first regulator to the capacitor arrangement in order to obtain a first value of voltage; and    (c) reconfiguring the capacitor arrangement with respect to the electrical reference in order to obtain a second value of voltage, the second value of voltage associated with the first regulator.    
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the first value of voltage has an opposite polarity of the second value of voltage.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising the step of: 
 (d) connecting a second regulator to the capacitor arrangement in order to obtain a third value of voltage.    
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising the step of: 
 (e) reconfiguring the capacitor arrangement with respect to the electrical reference in order to obtain a fourth value of voltage, the fourth value of voltage associated with the second regulator.    
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the third value of voltage is different from the first value of voltage.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the fourth value of voltage is different from the third value of voltage.  
     
     
         18 . A computer-readable medium containing instructions for generating a neurological stimulation waveform with an implantable medical device, comprising instructions that cause the implantable medical device to perform the steps of: 
 (a) configuring a capacitor arrangement with respect to an electrical reference, wherein the capacitor arrangement comprises a plurality of capacitors;    (b) connecting a regulator to the capacitor arrangement in order to obtain a first value of voltage; and    (c) reconfiguring the capacitor arrangement with respect to the electrical reference in order to obtain a second value of voltage, the second value of voltage associated with the regulator.    
     
     
         19 . An implantable medical device, comprising in combination: 
 a telemetry module;    a processor that communicates with a programmer through the telemetry module in order to configure the implantable medical device;    a therapy module connected to at least one electrode in order to provide a neurological stimulation waveform to a patient and connected to the processor in order to receive configuration information and commands about therapeutical treatment, the therapy module comprising: 
 a waveform generator, comprising: 
 a regulator;  
 a capacitor arrangement connected to an input of the regulator; and  
 a switching array coupled to the capacitor arrangement in order to configure the capacitor arrangement, the capacitor arrangement comprising a plurality of capacitors; and  
 
 a waveform controller coupled to the switching array in order to control the switching array, the waveform controller configured to perform the steps of 
 (a) configuring the capacitor arrangement with respect to an electrical reference in order to obtain a first value of voltage; and  
 (b) reconfiguring the capacitor arrangement with respect to the electrical reference in order to obtain a second value of voltage, the second value of voltage having an opposite polarity as the first value of voltage.