Method and apparatus for an implantable pulse generator with a stacked battery and capacitor

Abstract

The present subject matter includes one embodiment of an apparatus, comprising: a battery including a plurality of flat battery layers disposed in a battery case, the battery case having a planar battery surface which has a battery perimeter; and a capacitor including a plurality of flat capacitor layers disposed in a capacitor case, the capacitor case having a planar capacitor surface which has a capacitor perimeter, the capacitor stacked with the battery such that the planar battery surface and the planar capacitor surface are adjacent, with the capacitor perimeter and the battery perimeter substantially coextensive; a hermetically sealed implantable housing having a first shell and a lid mated to the first shell at a first opening, the first opening sized for passage of the battery, the capacitor, and the programmable electronics, wherein the battery and the capacitor are disposed in the hermetically sealed implantable housing.

1 . A method, comprising: 
 stacking flat battery layers into a battery stack;    positioning the battery stack in a battery case having a battery thickness measured away from a planar battery surface, the planar battery surface having a battery perimeter;    stacking flat capacitor layers into a capacitor stack;    positioning the capacitor stack in a capacitor case having a capacitor thickness measured away from a planar capacitor surface, the planar capacitor surface having a capacitor perimeter;    disposing the flat battery case and the flat electrolytic capacitor case in stacked alignment in a housing such that the battery perimeter and the capacitor perimeter are substantially coextensive; and    hermetically sealing the housing.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising delivering from the flat battery and the flat electrolytic capacitor from about 1.25 Joules per Amp hour of battery capacity to about 50 Joules per amp hour of battery capacity.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the flat battery includes a battery capacity density of from about 0.23 amp hours per cubic centimeter of flat battery to about 0.25 amp hours per cubic centimeter of flat battery.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the flat electrolytic capacitor includes an energy density of from about 4.65 joules per cubic centimeter of flat electrolytic capacitor to 6.5 joules per cubic centimeter of flat electrolytic capacitor.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting the ratio between the battery thickness and the capacitor thickness.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising stacking the flat battery layers parallel the planar battery surface.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising stacking the flat capacitor layers parallel the planar capacitor surface.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the battery case includes a battery face parallel the planar battery surface, with a battery sidewall extending between the battery face and the planar battery surface; and the capacitor case includes a capacitor face parallel the planar capacitor surface, with a capacitor sidewall extending between the capacitor face and the planar capacitor surface, with the battery sidewall and the capacitor sidewall defining a substantially continuous surface.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the substantially continuous surface is planar.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 stacking a plurality of flat battery layers into the battery stack using a stacking process; and    stacking a plurality of flat capacitor layers into the capacitor stack using the stacking process.    
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the stacking process includes a first pick-and-place machine.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting the flat battery from a plurality of batteries, with each of the batteries having a respective planar battery surface sized to be substantially coextensive to the planar capacitor surface, with each battery having a respective battery capacity corresponding to a respective battery thickness measured away from the respective planar battery surface.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting the flat capacitor from a plurality of capacitors, with each of the capacitors having a respective planar capacitor surface sized to be substantially coextensive to the planar battery surface, with each capacitor having a respective capacitor capacity corresponding to a respective capacitor thickness measured away from the respective planar capacitor surface.  
     
     
         14 . An apparatus, comprising: 
 a battery including a plurality of flat battery layers disposed in a battery case, the battery case having a planar battery surface which has a battery perimeter; and    a capacitor including a plurality of flat capacitor layers disposed in a capacitor case, the capacitor case having a planar capacitor surface which has a capacitor perimeter; and    a hermetically sealed implantable housing having a first shell and a lid mated to the first shell at a first opening, the first opening sized for passage of the battery and the capacitor,    wherein the battery and the capacitor are disposed in the hermetically sealed implantable housing, and the capacitor is stacked with the battery such that the planar battery surface and the planar capacitor surface are adjacent, with the capacitor perimeter and the battery perimeter substantially coextensive    
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the battery and the capacitor and are adapted to deliver from about 1.25 Joules per Amp hour of battery capacity to about 50 Joules per amp hour of battery capacity.  
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the flat battery includes a battery capacity density of from about 0.23 amp hours per cubic centimeter to about 0.25 amp hours per cubic centimeter.  
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the flat electrolytic capacitor includes an energy density of from about 4.65 joules per cubic centimeter to 6.5 joules per cubic centimeter.  
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , further comprising: 
 a battery face of the battery extending parallel the planar battery surface, with a battery sidewall extending between the battery face and the planar battery surface; and    a capacitor face of the flat electrolytic capacitor, with a capacitor sidewall extending between the capacitor face and the planar capacitor interface,    wherein the battery sidewall and the capacitor sidewall define a continuous surface.    
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of flat battery layers are disposed parallel the planar battery surface of the battery case.  
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the plurality of flat capacitor layers are disposed parallel the planar capacitor surface of the capacitor case.  
     
     
         21 . An apparatus, comprising: 
 a hermetically sealed implantable device housing having a lid mated to an opening;    programmable pulse generation electronics disposed in the hermetically sealed implantable device housing, the programmable pulse generation electronics sized for passage through the opening;    battery means for powering the programmable pulse generation electronics, the battery means sized for passage through the opening; and    capacitor means electrically interconnected to the battery means, the capacitor means for powering the programmable pulse generation electronics and sized for passage through the opening.    
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the capacitor means is for providing a capacitor means form factor substantially continuous with a battery means form factor.  
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein the capacitor means has a capacitor sidewall which is coplanar a battery sidewall of the battery means.