# US 11,115,475 B2 · Software-defined implantable ultrasonic device for use in the internet of medical things

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- Number: US 11,115,475 B2
- Document ID: US11115475B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/679,717
- Filed: 2017-08-17
- Published: 2018-01-25
- Granted: 2021-09-07
- Earliest claimed: 2015-01-26
- Assignees: Northeastern University
- Applicants: Northeastern University
- Inventors: Tommaso Melodia; Giuseppe Enrico Santagati
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11115475B2

## CPC

- H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
- A61B 5/0015: {characterised by features of the telemetry system}
- A61B 5/0022: {Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet}
- A61B 5/0028: {Body tissue as transmission medium, i.e. transmission systems where the medium is the human body}
- A61B 5/0031: {Implanted circuitry}
- G16H 40/67: for remote operation
- H04B 1/385: {Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets}
- H04B 11/00: Transmission systems employing ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
- H04B 13/005: {Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body}
- H04W 4/38: for collecting sensor information
- H04W 4/70: Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
- H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
- A61B 5/0077: {Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens}
- A61B 5/0215: by means inserted into the body
- A61B 5/024: Measuring pulse rate or heart rate
- A61B 5/08: Measuring devices for evaluating the respiratory organs
- A61B 5/14532: {for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement}
- A61B 5/14539: {for measuring pH}
- A61B 5/14542: {for measuring blood gases (A61B5/14551 takes precedence)}
- A61B 5/14546: {for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes}
- A61B 5/4806: {Sleep evaluation (A61B5/4821 takes precedence; devices for inducing sleep A61M21/02)}
- A61B 5/4845: {Toxicology, e.g. by detection of alcohol, drug or toxic products (A61B5/4848 takes precedence)}
- A61B 5/6846: {specially adapted to be brought in contact with an internal body part, i.e. invasive}
- A61B 2562/0219: Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
- H04L 2101/659: Internet protocol version 6 [IPv6] addresses
- H04W 52/0209: {in terminal devices}
- Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
- H04B: TRANSMISSION
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE

## Abstract

Implantable and wearable devices and system for transmitting signals ultrasonically through biological tissue are implemented based on an Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) platform software and hardware architecture. The devices are size-, energy-, and resource-constrained and implement ultrasonic communication protocols and communicate with each other through ultrasound.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of controlling a plurality of networked medical devices, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a system comprising:
an RF/ultrasound communication device;
one or more ultrasound communication devices implantable within a body and capable of ultrasound communication with the RF/ultrasound communication device, each of the ultrasound communication devices comprising:
a communication unit comprising an ultrasonic transceiver to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals, the communication unit configured to transmit and receive the ultrasonic signals through biological tissue to and from communication units of other implanted or wearable medical devices in the network of devices, and
a processing unit in communication with the communication unit, the processing unit including a core unit comprising:
a logic device including a physical layer of a protocol stack, and
a controller unit including upper layers of the protocol stack, the upper layers including at least a link layer and an application layer, the controller unit further including a data processing module at the application layer for communication with a sensor or actuator,
wherein the link layer is connected with the logic device to send parameters to the physical layer for transmission of ultrasonic signals through the biological tissue and with the data processing module to transfer data or parameters to or from the sensor or actuator, and
wherein the processing unit further comprises an energy management module operative to adjust power usage based on operating requirements by automatically sending signals to wake-up, power up, shut down electronic components, to adjust at runtime a core clock frequency according to processing power required, and to select at runtime a low-power mode; and
one or more sensing devices and/or one or more actuating devices, each in communication with one of the ultrasound communication devices of the system;
(b) configuring the protocol stack and logic device of each ultrasound communication device in the system;
(c) acquiring data from the one or more sensing devices and optionally processing the data;
(d) optionally communicating the data using the RF/ultrasound communication device, an access point, and the internet to a physician;
(e) optionally receiving reprogramming instructions using the RF/ultrasound communication device, access point, and internet;
(f) optionally reconfiguring the protocol stack and logic device of one or more selected ultrasound communication devices in the system in response to the reprogramming instructions; and
(g) optionally causing one or more of said actuating devices to change their actuation state.

### Claim 2

An ultrasound communication device for transmitting signals ultrasonically within a network of implanted and/or wearable medical devices, comprising:
a communication unit comprising an ultrasonic transceiver to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals, the communication unit configured to transmit and receive the ultrasonic signals through biological tissue to and from other communication units of other implanted or wearable medical devices in the network of devices; and
a processing unit in communication with the communication unit, the processing unit including a core unit comprising:
a logic device including a physical layer of a protocol stack, and
a controller unit including upper layers of the protocol stack, the upper layers including at least a link layer and an application layer, the controller unit further including a data processing module at the application layer for communication with a sensor or actuator,
wherein the link layer is connected with the logic device to send parameters to the physical layer for transmission of ultrasonic signals through the biological tissue and with the data processing module to transfer data or parameters to or from the sensor or actuator; and
wherein the processing unit further comprises an energy management module operative to adjust power usage based on operating requirements by automatically sending signals to wake-up, power up, shut down electronic components, to adjust at runtime a core clock frequency according to processing power required, and to select at runtime a low-power mode.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the reconfigurable logic device further comprises transmitter chain blocks to output a train of pulses following a predefined time-hopping pattern and receiver chain blocks to decode ultrasonic transmissions received from the communication unit and deliver a stream of binary data to the controller unit.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the reconfigurable logic device includes a register module operative to store configuration parameters received from the controller unit and to route the configuration parameters to one or more modules within the reconfigurable logic device, the configuration parameters including one or more of a spreading code, a spreading code length, a time-hopping frame length, a time-hopping sequence, a packet payload size, or a length of a preamble.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the reconfigurable logic device includes a configurable serial peripheral interface (SPI) module in communication with the controller unit.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The device of claim 5, wherein the SPI module is operative to configure communication settings, including one or more of data rate, clock polarity and clock phase.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The device of claim 5, wherein the SPI module is operative to enable communication with the processor or a peripheral device.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The device of claim 5, wherein the SPI module includes a master module in communication with the processor and a slave module.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The device of claim 5, wherein the SPI module is operative to trigger sampling operations on an analog to digital converter and to read back sampled digital waveforms.

### Claim 10 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the reconfigurable logic device includes a field-programmable gate array, a masked-programmed gate array, an application specific integrated circuit, a small-scale integrated circuit, a programmable logic array, or a programmable logic device.

### Claim 11 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, further comprising a sensing or actuating unit, and wherein the controller unit is operative in real time to trigger a reading from the sensing or actuating unit and to process the reading and is further operative to transmit data processed from the reading to the reconfigurable logic device for transmission as an ultrasonic signal.

### Claim 12 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the core unit is operative to reconfigure one or more of the application layer, the link layer, a media access control layer, and a network transport layer of the protocol stack.

### Claim 13 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, further comprising a sensor interface to enable connection between the processing unit and a sensor device or an actuating device.

### Claim 14 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2 in communication with a sensing device selected from the group consisting of a motion sensor, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a cardiac rhythm monitor, a heart rate monitor, a pulse monitor, a blood pressure monitor, a glucose sensor, a drug pump monitor, a sleep sensor, a REM sleep duration sensor, a still camera, a video camera, a sensor for one or more biomolecules, a sensor for one or more pharmaceutical agents or pharmaceutical formulation ingredients, a sensor for a dissolved gas or ion, a sensor for pH, a sensor for ionic strength, and a sensor for osmolality.

### Claim 15 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2 in communication with an actuating device selected from the group consisting of a drug pump, a heart stimulator, a heart pacemaker, a bone growth stimulator, a deep brain stimulator, a neurostimulator, and a neuromuscular electrical stimulator.

### Claim 16 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the device is implantable within a body or wearable on a skin surface of a body.

### Claim 17 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the communication unit further includes a radio frequency (RF) interface operative to receive and transmit in-air RF transmissions, and wherein the device is wearable on a skin surface of a body.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The device of claim 17, wherein the device is in communication via said RF transmissions with a further device coupled to a communications network.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The device of claim 18, further comprising a wireless controller is operative connect to a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) access point device and/or to a 6LoWPAN device.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The device of claim 18, wherein the wireless controller includes a Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) client module that is operative to read data from the implantable device through the ultrasonic interface, publish sensor readings to an MQTT broker, open a connection with the MQTT broker through an IPv6 address, authenticate an application, and/or publish new content.

### Claim 21 (depends on 2)

A system comprising:
an RF/ultrasound communication device; and
one or more ultrasound communication devices of claim 2 implantable within a body and capable of ultrasound communication with the RF/ultrasound communication device.