Method and apparatus for a burst operation pressure sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11330981-B2
Application number	US-201816226921-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2018
Priority date	Dec 20, 2018
Publication date	May 17, 2022
Grant date	May 17, 2022

Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate to an implantable device that include an inductor coil, a storage capacitor, active circuitry, and a sensor, but doesn't include an electrochemical cell, and methods for use therewith. During first periods of time, the storage capacitor accumulates and stores energy received via the inductor coil from a non-implanted device. During second periods of time, interleaved with the first periods of time, and during which energy is not received from the non-implanted device, the active circuitry of the implantable device is powered by the energy stored on the storage capacitor and is used to perform at least one of a plurality of predetermined operations of the implantable device, including, e.g., obtaining a sensor measurement from the sensor of the implantable device, transmitting a communication signal including a sensor measurement to the non-implanted device, and/or receiving a communication signal from the non-implanted device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for use by an implantable device that includes an inductor coil, a storage capacitor, active circuitry, and a sensor, but does not include an electrochemical cell for powering the active circuitry, the method comprising:
during first periods of time, using the storage capacitor to accumulate and store energy received from a non-implanted device via the inductor coil; and
during second periods of time that are interleaved with the first periods of time and during which energy is not received from the non-implanted device, using the active circuitry of the implantable device, which is powered by the energy stored on the storage capacitor, to perform at least one of a plurality of predetermined operations of the implantable device;
wherein the plurality of predetermined operations comprises obtaining a sensor measurement from the sensor of the implantable device, transmitting a communication signal including the sensor measurement to the non-implanted device, and receiving a communication signal from the non-implanted device;
wherein during the first periods of time the inductor coil of the implantable device receives AC power signals from the non-implanted device, and the implantable device converts the AC power signals to DC signals that are used to charge the storage capacitor of the implantable device;
wherein during at least some of the second periods of time, the active circuitry of the implantable device is used to obtain sensor measurements from the sensor of the implantable device; and
wherein during the second periods of time the inductor coil of the implantable device does not receive AC power signals from the non-implanted device, and thus, communications signals transmitted between the implantable device and the non-implanted device are subject to less noise compared to if the communications signals were transmitted at the same times that the inductor coil of the implantable device receives AC power signals from the non-implanted device, and sensor measurements obtained from the sensor of the implantable device are subject to less noise compared to if the sensor measurements were obtained from the sensor of the implantable device at the same times that the inductor coil of the implantable device receives AC power signals from the non-implanted device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the implantable device also includes memory configured to store one or more sensor measurements therein, and wherein the sensor measurement that is transmitted to the non-implanted device in a communication signal is stored in the memory prior to being transmitted to the non-implanted device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the same inductor coil of the implantable device, which is used to receive energy from the non-implanted device during the first periods of time, is also used for the transmitting and the receiving of the communications signals to and from the non-implanted device during at least some instances of the second periods of time.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a passive capacitive pressure sensor whose capacitance changes with changes in pressure and is thereby indicative of pressure, and the method further comprises:
using the active circuitry to obtain sensor measurements from the passive capacitive pressure sensor and convert the sensor measurements from analog measurements to digital measurements that are stored in memory and/or transmitted in one or more communication signals from the implantable device to the non-implanted device.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the implantable device includes one or more reference capacitors, and the method further comprises:
using the active circuitry to obtain reference capacitance measurements of at least one of the one or more reference capacitors and convert the reference capacitance measurements from analog measurements to digital measurements that are stored in memory and/or transmitted in one or more communication signals from the implantable device to the non-implanted device;
wherein changes over time in the reference capacitance measurements are indicative of drift in the active circuitry; and
wherein the reference capacitance measurements are used by the implantable device, or the non-implanted device, to compensate for the drift in the active circuitry.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the implantable device is configured to be implanted in a pulmonary artery, and wherein the sensor measurements obtained using the sensor are indicative of pulmonary artery pressure (PAP).

7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
the implantable device detecting a transition from an instance of the first period of time to an instance of the second period of time, and in response thereto, triggering use of the active circuitry configured to obtain a sensor measurement from the passive capacitive pressure sensor and convert the sensor measurement from an analog measurement to a digital measurement.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the implantable device includes non-volatile memory, and wherein the method further comprises storing device specific information in the non-volatile memory, the device specific information including:
a patient identifier indicative a patient in which the implantable device is implanted;
sensor linearity calibration data that is used to compensate for a non-linearity of the sensor of the implantable device; and
sensor offset calibration data that is used to compensate for an offset in pressure sensor measurements obtained using the sensor of the implantable device.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein:
during one or more instances of the second periods of time, the active circuitry causes transmitting of one or more communication signals including the device specific information from the implantable device to the non-implanted device.

10. A method for use by a system including an implantable device and a non-implanted device, wherein the implantable device includes an inductor coil, a storage capacitor, active circuitry, memory, and a sensor, but does not include an electrochemical cell for powering the active circuitry, the method comprising:
during first periods of time, the non-implanted device transmitting energy to the implantable device, and the implantable device using the storage capacitor thereof to accumulate and store energy received from the non-implanted device via the inductor coil of the implantable device; and
during second periods of time that are interleaved with the first periods of time, the non-implanted device not transmitting power signals to the implantable device, and the active circuitry of the implantable device, which is powered by the energy stored on the storage capacitor, performing at least one of a plurality of predetermined operations of the implantable device;
wherein the predetermined operations that the active circuitry of the implantable device performs during one or more instances of the second periods of time include:
receiving one or more communication signals from the non-implanted device;
obtaining one or more sensor measurements using the sensor of the implantable device; and
transmitting one or more communication signals including one or more of the sensor measurements from the implantable device to the non-implanted device;

wherein during at least some of the second periods of time, the active circuitry of the implantable device is used to obtain sensor measurements from the sensor of the implantable device; and
wherein during the second periods of time, energy is not transmitted from the non-implanted device to the implantable device, and thus, sensor measurements obtained from the sensor of the implantable dev

Assignees

• Pacesetter Inc

Inventors

• Andersen Dean
• Barrett William Douglas
• Park Jin-Woo
• Fitzsimons Philip M
• Opris Ion
• Shirai Eiji

Classifications

• A61B5/01

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

• A61B5/02156

  Calibration means · CPC title

• A61B2562/085

  combined with means for recording calibration data · CPC title

• A61B5/686

  Permanently implanted devices, e.g. pacemakers, other stimulators, biochips (A61B5/6861 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B5/0031 Primary

  Implanted circuitry · CPC title