Claims
- 1. A hybrid battery power source for implantable medical use, comprising:
a primary battery; a secondary battery connected to receive power from said primary battery; said secondary battery being adapted to power to an implantable medical device designed for high energy electrical stimulation of body tissue for therapeutic purposes; and a charge control circuit powered by said primary battery and adapted to charge said secondary battery while limiting charge/discharge excursions thereof in a manner that optimizes its output for high energy medical device use.
- 2. A hybrid battery power source in accordance with claim 1, further including a voltage boost circuit that facilitates charging of said secondary battery at a voltage that is higher than a voltage output of said primary battery.
- 3. A hybrid battery power source in accordance with claim 1 wherein said charge control circuit is a pulse circuit adapted for variable pulse width or duty cycle control, thereby allowing it to operate over a range of voltages output by said primary battery.
- 4. A hybrid battery power source in accordance with claim 1, wherein said charge control circuit includes a voltage comparator adapted to initiate charging when said secondary battery falls below a minimum reference voltage.
- 5. A hybrid battery power source in accordance with claim 1 wherein said charge control circuit is adapted to charge said secondary battery over a charge/discharge excursion range that is below a maximum state-of-charge of said secondary battery and which is selected to control discharge capacity fade and internal resistance increase during service of said secondary battery.
- 6. A hybrid battery power source in accordance with claim 5 wherein said charge control circuit includes a window voltage comparator adapted to initiate charging when said secondary battery falls below a minimum reference voltage and to terminate charging when said secondary battery is charged to a maximum reference voltage that is larger than said minimum reference voltage.
- 7. A hybrid battery power source in accordance with claim 1, wherein said primary battery is selected from the group consisting of lithium-carbon mono fluoride batteries and lithium-silver vanadium oxide batteries, and wherein said secondary battery is selected from the group consisting of lithium-ion batteries.
- 8. A hybrid battery power source in accordance with claim 1, wherein said primary battery and said secondary battery are interconnected in parallel via said charge control circuit.
- 9. A hybrid battery power source in accordance with claim 2, wherein said voltage boost circuit comprises an inductive element.
- 10. A hybrid battery power source in accordance with claim 2, wherein said voltage boost circuit comprises a flyback transformer.
- 11. An implantable medical device for high energy electrical stimulation of body tissue for therapeutic purposes, comprising:
a pair of electrical contacts adapted to provide electrical stimulation to body tissue; energy storage means adapted to provide electrical energy to said electrical contacts; switching means adapted to periodically interconnect said energy storage means to said electrical contacts; and a hybrid battery power source adapted to provide power to said energy storage means and including: a primary battery; a secondary battery connected to receive power from said primary battery and to provide power to said energy storage means; and a charge control circuit powered by said primary battery and adapted to charge said secondary battery while limiting charge/discharge excursions thereof in a manner that optimizes its output for high energy medical device use.
- 12. An implantable medical device in accordance with claim 11, further including a voltage boost circuit that facilitates charging of said secondary battery at a voltage that is higher than a voltage output of said primary battery.
- 13. An implantable medical device in accordance with claim 11, said charge control circuit is a pulse circuit adapted for variable pulse width or duty cycle control, thereby allowing it to operate over a range of voltages output by said primary battery.
- 14. An implantable medical device in accordance with claim 11, wherein said charge control circuit includes a voltage comparator adapted to initiate charging when said secondary battery falls below a minimum reference voltage.
- 15. An implantable medical device in accordance with claim 11, wherein said charge control circuit is adapted to charge said secondary battery over a charge/discharge excursion range that is below a maximum state-of-charge of said secondary battery and which is selected to control discharge capacity fade and internal resistance increase during service of said secondary battery.
- 16. An implantable medical device in accordance with claim 11, wherein said charge control circuit includes a window voltage comparator adapted to initiate charging when said secondary battery falls below a minimum reference voltage and to terminate charging when said secondary battery is charged to a maximum reference voltage that is larger than said minimum reference voltage.
- 17. An implantable medical device in accordance with claim 11, wherein said primary battery is selected from the group consisting of lithium-carbon monofluoride batteries and lithium-silver vanadium oxide batteries, and wherein said secondary battery is selected from the group consisting of lithium-ion batteries.
- 18. An implantable medical device in accordance with claim 11, wherein said primary battery and said secondary battery are interconnected in parallel via said charge control circuit.
- 19. An implantable medical device in accordance with claim 12, wherein said voltage boost circuit comprises an inductive element.
- 20. An implantable medical device in accordance with claim 12, wherein said voltage boost circuit comprises a flyback transformer.
- 21. A method for powering an implantable medical device designed for high energy electrical stimulation of body tissue for therapeutic purposes, comprising:
providing a primary power source; providing a secondary power source and connecting it to receive power from said primary power source; connecting said secondary power source to power said implantable medical device; and periodically charging said secondary battery by way of said primary battery while limiting charge/discharge excursions of said secondary battery in a manner that optimizes its output for high energy medical device use.
- 22. A method in accordance with claim 21, wherein secondary battery is charged at a voltage that is higher than a voltage output of said primary battery.
- 23. A method in accordance with claim 21, wherein said secondary battery is charged via pulse charging using variable pulse width or duty cycle control, thereby allowing said secondary battery to be charged over a range of voltages output by said primary battery.
- 24. A method in accordance with claim 21, wherein charging of said secondary battery is initiated when said secondary battery falls below a minimum reference voltage.
- 25. A method in accordance with claim 21, wherein said secondary battery is charged over a charge/discharge excursion range that is below a maximum state-of-charge of said secondary battery and which is selected to minimize discharge capacity fade and internal resistance increase during service of said secondary battery.
- 26. A method in accordance with claim 21, wherein said charging of said secondary battery is initiated when said secondary battery falls below a minimum reference voltage and terminated when said secondary battery is charged to a maximum reference voltage that is larger than said minimum reference voltage.
- 27. A method in accordance with claim 21, wherein said primary battery is selected from the group consisting of lithium-carbon monofluoride batteries and lithium-silver vanadium oxide batteries, and wherein said secondary battery is selected from the group consisting of lithium-ion batteries.
- 28. A method in accordance with claim 21, wherein said primary battery and said secondary battery are interconnected in parallel via a voltage boost/charge control circuit that performs said periodic charging of said secondary battery.
- 29. A method in accordance with claim 28, wherein said voltage boost/charge control circuit comprises a pulse control circuit and an inductive element.
- 30. A method in accordance with claim 28, wherein said voltage boost/charge control circuit comprises a pulse control circuit and a flyback transformer.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/350,921, filed on Jan. 24, 2003 and entitled “Hybrid Battery Power Source For Implantable Medical Use.”
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10350921 |
Jan 2003 |
US |
Child |
10407916 |
Apr 2003 |
US |