RAPID PULSE ELECTROHYDRAULIC (EH) SHOCKWAVE GENERATOR APPARATUS WITH IMPROVED ELECTRODE LIFETIME

摘要

Apparatuses, capacitor arrays, and methods for generating therapeutic compressed acoustic waves (e.g., shock waves). In the apparatuses and at least some of the methods, a plurality of electrodes can disposed in a chamber that is defined by a housing and configured to be filled with liquid, and a plurality of capacitors can be electrically connected to the electrodes and can be carried by (e.g., physically coupled to) the housing. Voltage pulses can be applied simultaneously to the plurality of electrodes (e.g., to begin to vaporize and ionize portions of the liquid to provide at least one inter-electrode conductive path between the plurality of electrodes) and to the capacitors to charge the plurality of capacitors). The plurality of capacitors can be configured to, upon reaching a threshold charge, discharge to the plurality of electrodes (e.g., to generate one or more arcs along the one or more inter-electrode conductive paths to vaporize additional portions of the liquid and generate one or more acoustic shock waves). In the capacitor arrays, a plurality of capacitors can be coupled to the one or more circuit boards with a first portion of the capacitors arranged in a first pattern defined by a plurality of capacitor sets, a second portion of the plurality of capacitors can be arranged in a second pattern defined by a plurality of capacitor sets, with the sets defining the first pattern connected in parallel, the sets defining the second pattern connected in parallel, and the circuit board(s) can be configured to be coupled to an electrode such that the electrode is in electrical communication with the capacitors and is fixed in at least two degrees of freedom relative to the one or more circuit boards.