An Automatic Testing System for Implantable Pulse Generator (IPG)

The quality of implantable pulse generator (IPG)-the primary component of most implantable medical devices (IMDs)-is of vital importance. Hence, it is imperative to have accurate tests for IPG to ensure its high reliability and safety. This paper presents the design and application of an automatic testing system capable of running automatic tests for the hardware and software of IPG by way of calibrating pulse output, calculating power consumption, checking wireless communication function, examining electric neutrality and testing transaction between different IPG states. Structure of the system is introduced firstly, followed by the test strategy which is divided into two steps: testing all parameters in a fixed state and testing all transaction paths between different states. Subsequently, dozens of IPG tests are taken to evaluate the performance and stability of the testing system. In contrast to manual testing, results show that the system enhances the quality and efficiency remarkably and is able to pick out both IPG hardware malfunctions and software bugs.