Abstract
Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a safe, effective, and general approach for treating various neurological disorders. However, in the case of FES usage for implantable applications, charge balancing is a significant challenge due to variations in the fabrication process and electrode tissue interface (ETI) impedance. In general, an active charge balancing approach is being used for this purpose, which has limitations of additional power consumption for residual voltage calibration and undesired neurological responses. To overcome these limitations, this paper presents a reconfigurable calibration circuit to address both ETI variations and charge balancing issues. This reconfigurable calibration circuit works in two modes: An impedance measurement mode (IMM) for treating ETI variations and a hybrid charge balancing mode (HCBM) for handling charge balance issues. The IMM predicts the desired stimulation currents by measuring the ETI. The HCBM is a hybrid combination of electrode shorting, offset regulation, and pulse modulation that takes the best features of each of these techniques and applies them in appropriate situations. From the results, it is proved that the proposed IMM configuration and HCBM configuration have an optimal power consumption of less than 44 W with a power ratio ranging from 1.74 to 5.5 percent when compared to conventional approaches.
Highlights
In the U.S and European countries, facial paralysis is a common problem caused mainly due to the dysfunction of the seventh cranial nerve, which leads to loss of control on essential facial expressions [1,2,3,4]
Modern non-surgical ways to regain the functionality of paralyzed muscles have been introduced, such as magnetic stimulation, electro-chemical stimulation, and functional electrical stimulation (FES)
In comparison to the state of the art, this comparison shows that the hybrid charge balancing circuit with adjustable electrode tissue interface (ETI) impedance can give maximum energy efficiency
Summary
In the U.S and European countries, facial paralysis is a common problem caused mainly due to the dysfunction of the seventh cranial nerve, which leads to loss of control on essential facial expressions (blinking, smiling, etc.) [1,2,3,4]. One of the major consequences of this paralysis is the loss of reflex and voluntary blink control, resulting in permanent corneal injury from ulceration or infection Traditional approaches such as surgical [7,8,9] and mechanical [10,11], are used to address this problem, they have significant drawbacks in terms of visibility, cosmetic appearance, implantation difficulties, patient safety, and inconvenience. Residual voltage is measured and nullified by applying an equal and opposite charge This method produces undesired neurological responses at high residual voltages. The HCBM is capable of achieving charge balancing with optimal power consumption It is a hybrid of electrode shorting, offset regulation, and pulse modulation that uses the best features of each technique and applies them in appropriate situations
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