An Energy-Efficient Implantable-Neural-Stimulator System with Wireless Charging and Dynamic Voltage Output

Neural stimulators have become more and more widely used as an effective tool in neural therapies. To address power supply and consumption issues in this application, an energy-efficient Implantable-Neural-Stimulator system composed of a pulse generator and a wireless charger is proposed and implemented in 0.8μm 40V Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (BCD) process. By adopting a Single Ended Primary Inductor Converter (SEPIC) and optimizing the switching frequency and the gate width of its power MOSFET, the stimulating output voltage range can cover 0~12V with a maximum output ripple of 0.31%. The proposed charger can charge the implantable battery wirelessly by an inductively coupled resonance circuit. In addition, it can adjust the charging voltage to keep it constantly only a little higher than the battery voltage, which reduces the charging headroom voltage and greatly improves the charging efficiency. The measured maximum power efficiencies of these two modules reach as high as 78.04% and 70.67%, respectively.