Patent ID: 8060215

Claim:
An implantable microstimulator arrangement, comprising: a plurality of implantable microstimulator units, each of the plurality of microstimulator units individually comprising a first housing, at least one electrode disposed on, or as part of, the first housing, and an electronic subassembly disposed in the first implantable housing and coupled to the at least one electrode, the electronic subassembly configured and arranged to generate electrical pulses at the at least one electrode to stimulate tissue adjacent to the microstimulator unit when implanted, the electronic subassembly comprising a processor configured and arranged to control timing and electrical characteristics of the generated electrical pulses; an implantable battery unit comprising a second housing, and a power source disposed in the second housing, wherein the power source is configured and arranged to provide power for operation of the processor in each of the plurality of implantable microstimulator units and to provide power for the electrical pulses generated at the at least one electrode of each of the plurality of microstimulator units, wherein the implantable battery unit is separate from the plurality of implantable microstimulator units; a plurality of leads coupling the plurality of microstimulator units to the battery unit to provide the power from the power source in the battery unit to each of the microstimulator units: and at least one lead connector, separate from the implantable battery unit and the plurality of microstimulator units, disposed between the implantable battery unit and at least one of the implantable microstimulator units and configured and arranged to receive and electrically couple at least two of the plurality of leads to allow electrical signals from one lead to be to be transmitted to another lead.