MULTI-ELECTRODE IMPLANTABLE STIMULATOR DEVICE WITH A SINGLE CURRENT PATH DECOUPLING CAPACITOR

摘要

Disclosed herein are circuits and methods for a multi-electrode implantab le stimulator device incorporating one decoupling capacitor in the current p ath established via at least one cathode electrode and at least one anode el ectrode. The decoupling capacitor may be hard-wired to a dedicated anode on the device. The cathodes are selectively activatable via stimulation switche s. In another embodiment, any of the electrodes on the devices can be select ively activatable as an anode or cathode. In this embodiment, the decoupling capacitor is placed into the current path via selectable anode and cathode stimulation switches. Regardless of the implementation, the techniques allow for the benefits of capacitive decoupling without the need to associate dec oupling capacitors with every electrode on the multi-electrode device, which saves space in the body of the device. Although of particular benefit when applied to microstimulators, the disclosed technique can be used with space- saving benefits in any stimulator device.