Multi-mode application-specific controller dedicated to a visual prosthesis

Visual prostheses: The enabling technology to give sight to the blind

“…There are other concerns in the design of an embedded controller, which include interfacing with other modules of the system through minimum possible interconnects, and also operation with such a fast pace that allows the system to stimulate the natural visual system for real-time, flicker-free video streaming. This is why the research groups developing visual prosthesis systems prefer to design their own special-purpose controller[ 30 31 ] rather than using off-the-shelf commercially available, general purpose controllers.…”

Implantable Biomedical Devices

“…This controller receives three types of data packets carrying a mode packet and the associated data, and is capable of generating a variety of stimulation signals according to the definition of the received data. Figure 19 shows the block diagram of the ICAS controller designed with a hardwired architecture for small silicon area and power consumption, and fast operation [56]. The data exchange block receives the incoming information in the form of serial data packets along with a synchronized clock signal from the wireless interface block.…”

“…As these controllers are designed to be implanted in the body, they need to be realized with small physical dimensions, have a limited power budget mainly to comply with living tissue safety standards and limited amount of power transferred to the implant part, and can utilize a limited bandwidth for data telemetry according to frequency allocation regulations. This is why all of the research groups including ICAS visual prosthesis team involved in the design of visual prostheses prefer to design their own special-purpose controller [54][55][56] rather than an off-the-shelf commercially-available general-purpose controller.…”