Analysis of Power Losses and the Efficacy of Power Minimization Strategies in Multichannel Electrical Stimulation Systems

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Varkevisser, Francesc, Serdijn, Wouter A., Costa, Tiago L.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866915281661591552
author Varkevisser, Francesc
Serdijn, Wouter A.
Costa, Tiago L.
author_facet Varkevisser, Francesc
Serdijn, Wouter A.
Costa, Tiago L.
contents Neuroprosthetic devices require multichannel stimulator systems with an increasing number of channels. However, there are inherent power losses in typical multichannel stimulation circuits caused by a mismatch between the power supply voltage and the voltage required at each electrode to successfully stimulate tissue. This imposes a bottleneck towards high-channel-count devices, which is particularly severe in wirelessly-powered devices. Hence, advances in the power efficiency of stimulation systems are critical. To support these advances, this paper presents a methodology to identify and quantify power losses associated with different power supply scaling strategies in multichannel stimulation systems. The proposed methodology utilizes distributions of stimulation amplitudes and electrode impedances to calculate power losses in multichannel systems. Experimental data from previously published studies spanning various stimulation applications were analyzed to evaluate the performance of fixed, global, and stepped supply scaling methods, focusing on their impact on power dissipation and efficiency. Variability in output conditions results in low power efficiency in multichannel stimulation systems across all applications. Stepped voltage scaling demonstrated substantial efficiency improvements, achieving an increase of 67 % to 146 %, particularly in high-channel-count applications with significant variability in tissue impedance. Global scaling, by contrast, was more advantageous for systems with fewer channels. The findings highlight the importance of tailoring power management strategies to specific applications to optimize efficiency while minimizing system complexity. The proposed methodology offers a framework for evaluating efficiency-complexity trade-offs, advancing the design of scalable neurostimulation systems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_08025
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Analysis of Power Losses and the Efficacy of Power Minimization Strategies in Multichannel Electrical Stimulation Systems
Varkevisser, Francesc
Serdijn, Wouter A.
Costa, Tiago L.
Systems and Control
Neuroprosthetic devices require multichannel stimulator systems with an increasing number of channels. However, there are inherent power losses in typical multichannel stimulation circuits caused by a mismatch between the power supply voltage and the voltage required at each electrode to successfully stimulate tissue. This imposes a bottleneck towards high-channel-count devices, which is particularly severe in wirelessly-powered devices. Hence, advances in the power efficiency of stimulation systems are critical. To support these advances, this paper presents a methodology to identify and quantify power losses associated with different power supply scaling strategies in multichannel stimulation systems. The proposed methodology utilizes distributions of stimulation amplitudes and electrode impedances to calculate power losses in multichannel systems. Experimental data from previously published studies spanning various stimulation applications were analyzed to evaluate the performance of fixed, global, and stepped supply scaling methods, focusing on their impact on power dissipation and efficiency. Variability in output conditions results in low power efficiency in multichannel stimulation systems across all applications. Stepped voltage scaling demonstrated substantial efficiency improvements, achieving an increase of 67 % to 146 %, particularly in high-channel-count applications with significant variability in tissue impedance. Global scaling, by contrast, was more advantageous for systems with fewer channels. The findings highlight the importance of tailoring power management strategies to specific applications to optimize efficiency while minimizing system complexity. The proposed methodology offers a framework for evaluating efficiency-complexity trade-offs, advancing the design of scalable neurostimulation systems.
title Analysis of Power Losses and the Efficacy of Power Minimization Strategies in Multichannel Electrical Stimulation Systems
topic Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.08025