Ingestible medical device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10172598-B2
Application number	US-201414460893-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2014
Priority date	Feb 17, 2012
Publication date	Jan 8, 2019
Grant date	Jan 8, 2019

Abstract

Various embodiments are described herein for a device and method for an ingestible medical device with a rotatable element. In some described embodiments, the ingestible medical device includes a storage sub-unit with multiple chambers each having an opening for collecting or dispensing substances from the GI tract. The device further comprises a chamber enclosure with an access port. One of the chamber enclosure and the storage sub-unit are rotatable to allow for aligning the access port with a chamber opening. The ingestible medical device includes a sensor for positioning the access port of the chamber enclosure or the storage sub-unit as one of these elements rotates.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ingestible medical device, comprising:
a housing comprising a chamber which comprises a chamber opening configured to collect a sample and/or distribute a substance; and
a member covering the housing, the member comprising a solid region and a member opening;
an encoder sub-unit configured to generate a position signal based on a distance between the chamber opening and the member opening;
a motor configured to provide relative movement between the housing and the member; and
a microcontroller coupled to the motor and the encoder sub-unit so that, based on the position signal, the microcontroller causes the motor to generate relative movement between the housing and the member based on the position signal.

2. The ingestible medical device of claim 1 , wherein the member is rotatable, and the housing is stationary.

3. The ingestible medical device of claim 2 , wherein the encoder sub-unit comprises:
an encoder coupled to the member; and
a sensor coupled to the housing and configured to generate the position signal.

4. The ingestible medical device of claim 2 , wherein the encoder sub-unit comprises:
a marker supported by the member; and
a sensor coupled to the housing, the sensor being configured to generate the position signal.

5. The ingestible medical device of claim 1 , wherein the chamber comprises multiple compartments.

6. The ingestible medical device of claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises a second chamber.

7. The ingestible medical device of claim 6 , wherein the chambers are separated from each other.

8. The ingestible medical device of claim 1 , wherein the ingestible medical device further comprises a communication sub-unit that is configured to receive operating instructions and operating parameters from an external base station.

9. The ingestible medical device of claim 1 , further comprising an environmental sensor printed circuit board with an auxiliary sensor connector and at least one environmental sensor.

10. The ingestible medical device of claim 9 , further comprising a main microcontroller configured to initialize operation of the ingestible medical device based on sensor data received from the at least one environmental sensor.

11. The ingestible medical device of claim 10 , wherein the main microcontroller is further configured to:
receive the sensor data from the at least one environmental sensor;
store and update a stored operational count value; and
determine, using the received sensor data, if one or more operational thresholds is exceeded in order to determine a location of the ingestible medical device in use, the one or more operational thresholds comprise at least one of a minimum temperature change threshold, a minimum transit time threshold, a minimum operational count threshold and a periodicity threshold.

12. The ingestible medical device of claim 11 , wherein the main microcontroller is further configured to:
determine if the sensor data received from the environmental sensor exceeds the minimum temperature change threshold; and
reset the operational count if the sensor data received from the environmental sensor exceeds the minimum temperature change threshold.

13. The ingestible medical device of claim 11 , wherein the main microcontroller is further configured to:
determine if a transit time exceeds the minimum transit time threshold; and
increase the operational count if the transit time exceeds the minimum transit time threshold, but otherwise continue to receive the sensor data.

14. The ingestible medical device of claim 11 , wherein the main microcontroller is further configured to continue to receive the sensor data if the operational count value is determined to not exceed a minimum operational count threshold.

15. The ingestible medical device of claim 1 , wherein the ingestible medical device comprises a modular design with a first portion comprising electrical components and a second portion comprising components for at least one of sample collection and substance delivery, or a first portion for providing an enclosure for the ingestible medical device and a second portion comprising electrical components and components for at least one of sample collection and substance delivery.

16. The ingestible medical device of claim 15 , wherein the electrical components are located on a flexible printed circuit board, and the flexible printed circuit board is conformed to fit within the member and align with a rotational axis of a rotatable element of the ingestible medical device.

17. A system, comprising:
an ingestible medical device according to claim 1 ; and
a base station comprising a programming component for programming the ingestible medical device.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the programming component comprises a transmitter configured to transmit at least one member selected from the group consisting of programming instructions and operating parameters to the ingestible medical device.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the transmitter is an infrared transmitter.

20. The ingestible medical device of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor usable to determine a location of the ingestible device within the GI tract of a subject.

21. The ingestible medical device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a pH sensor, a temperature sensor, an optical sensor, an impedance sensor and a capacitance sensor.

22. The ingestible medical device of claim 1 , further comprising at least two different sensors selected from the group consisting of a pH sensor, a temperature sensor, an optical sensor, an impedance sensor and a capacitance sensor.

23. The ingestible medical device of claim 1 , further comprising an optical sensor usable to determine a location of the ingestible device within the GI tract of a subject.

24. The ingestible medical device of claim 23 , wherein the optical sensor is configured to provide information indicating whether the ingestible device is in the stomach of the subject, the pyloric sphincter of the subject or the small intestine of the subject.

25. The ingestible medical device of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor comprising an LED emitter and receiver.

26. The ingestible medical device of claim 25 , wherein the sensor is configured to provide information indicating whether the ingestible device is in the stomach of the subject, the pyloric sphincter of the subject or the small intestine of the subject.

27. The ingestible medical device of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor comprising an LED emitter and a receiver.

28. The ingestible medical device of claim 27 , wherein the sensor is configured to provide information indicating whether the ingestible device is in the stomach of the subject, the pyloric sphincter of the subject or the small intestine of the subject.

29. The ingestible medical device of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor comprising a plurality of LED emitters and receivers evenly distributed around the ingestible medical device.

30. The ingestible medical device of claim 29 , wherein the sensor is configured to provide information indicating whether the ingestible device is in the stomach of the subject, the pyloric sphincter of the subject or the small intestine of the subject.

31

Assignees

• Progenity Inc

Inventors

• Amoako-Tuffour Yaw
• Jones Mitchell
• Prakash Satya

Classifications

• A61B5/073

  Intestinal transmitters · CPC title

• A61B2562/162

  Capsule shaped sensor housings, e.g. for swallowing or implantation · CPC title

• A61B5/01

  Measuring temperature of body parts {; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue} (clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20) · CPC title

• A61B5/0059

  using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence (photoacoustic A61B5/0093; optical measurement of heart rate A61B5/02416; optical measurement of blood flow A61B5/0261; optical measurement of analytes A61B5/1455) · CPC title

• A61B5/065

  Determining position of the probe employing exclusively positioning means located on or in the probe, e.g. using position sensors arranged on the probe · CPC title