# US 2018/0021583 A1 · Methods and systems for managing synchronous conducted communication for an implantable medical device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0021583 A1 - Document ID: US20180021583A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/215,466 - Filed: 2016-07-20 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2016-07-20 - Assignees: Pacesetter, Inc. - Applicants: Pacesetter, Inc. - Inventors: Timothy Edward Ciciarelli; Benjamin T. Persson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180021583A1 ## CPC - A61N 1/36592: {controlled by the heart rate variability} - A61N 1/368: comprising more than one electrode co-operating with different heart regions {(A61N1/3622, A61N1/3627 take precedence)} - A61N 1/3684: {for stimulating the heart at multiple sites of the ventricle or the atrium} - A61N 1/37205: {Microstimulators, e.g. implantable through a cannula} - A61N 1/37217: {characterised by the communication link, e.g. acoustic or tactile} - A61N 1/3727: {characterised by the modulation technique} - A61N 1/37288: {Communication to several implantable medical devices within one patient} - A61N 1/3756: {Casings with electrodes thereon, e.g. leadless stimulators} - H04W 56/001: {Synchronization between nodes} - A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Methods and systems are described for managing synchronous conducted communication for an implantable medical device (IMD). The IMD further comprises electrodes and sensing circuitry. The sensing circuitry is configured to detect physiologic events. A receiver amplifier is coupled to the electrodes. The receiver amplifier is configured to receive conducted communications signals via the electrodes. A controller is configured to establish synchronous conducted communication with a transmit device. The controller includes a receive window timing (RWT) module configured to manage an on-off cycle of the receiver amplifier based on first and second receive window timing schemes. The RWT module switches between the first and second receive window timing schemes based on a condition of the synchronous conducted communication. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An implantable medical device, comprising: a housing configured to be implanted entirely within a first region of a patient, electrodes; sensing circuitry configured to detect physiologic events occurring in the first region; a receiver amplifier coupled to the electrodes, the receiver amplifier configured to receive conducted communications signals via the electrodes; and a controller configured to establish synchronous conducted communication with a transmit device, the controller including a receive window timing (RWT) module configured to manage an on-off cycle of the receiver amplifier based on first and second receive window timing schemes, the RWT module switching between the first and second receive window timing schemes based on a condition of the synchronous conducted communication. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the RWT module switches between first and second receive window timing schemes that utilize first and second receive windows, respectively, having at least one of different durations or different window-to-window intervals. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein, before the synchronous conducted communication is established, the RWT module is configured to switch to the first receive window timing scheme in which a persistent active receive window is maintained. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein, after the synchronous conducted communication is established, the RWT module is configured to switch to the second receive window timing scheme that comprises a series of successive receive windows separated by in-active intervals. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The device of claim 4, wherein the receive windows have a duration that is substantially less than a duration of the in-active intervals. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to perform a calibration operation that maintains the second receive window timing scheme calibrated with a transmit window timing scheme of the transmit device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The device of claim 6, wherein the controller performs the calibration operation by modifying the second receive window timing scheme by shifting at east one of i) a reference point defining a timing of the receive windows, ii) a duration of the receive windows or iii) a window-to-window interval based on information received from the transmit device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The device of claim 6, wherein the controller performs the calibration operation by shifting a reference point defining a timing of the receive windows based on the timing difference. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, further comprising a pulse generator and a controller configured to analyze the physiologic, events and, based, thereon manage the pulse generator to deliver a therapy in the local tissue of interest. ### Claim 10 A method for providing synchronous conducted communication for an implantable medical device (IMD), the method comprising: providing an IMD having a housing configured to be implanted entirely within a first region of a patient, the IMD including a controller, sensing circuitry, a receiver amplifier coupled to electrodes; utilizing the electrodes to sense conducted communications from a transmitting device; detecting physiologic events occurring in the first region; utilizing a receiver amplifier to receive conducted communications signals via the establishing synchronous conducted communication with a transmit device; managing an on-off cycle of the receiver amplifier based on first and second receive window timing schemes; and switching between the first and second receive window timing schemes based on a condition of the synchronous conducted communication. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising defining the second receive window timing scheme to correspond to a transmit window timing scheme utilized by the transmit device, the second receive window timing scheme and the transmit window timing scheme comprising corresponding series of successive receive and transmit windows, respectively, that are temporarily aligned with one another. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the first receive window timing scheme is utilized before the synchronous conducted communication is established, the first receive window timing scheme maintaining a persistent active receive window. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising switching to the second receive window timing scheme after the synchronous conducted communication is established, the second receive window timing scheme comprises a series of successive receive windows separated by in-active intervals. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising defining the second receive window liming scheme to include receive windows having a duty cycle that represents a percentage of the period in which the receive windows are active. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising performing a calibration operation that maintains the second receive window timing scheme calibrated with a transmit window timing scheme of the transmit device based on at least one of manufacturing information or information received from the transmit device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising modifying the second receive window timing scheme by increasing a duration of the receive window as a function of time relative to establishing the synchronous conducted communication. ### Claim 17 A method, comprising: configuring first and second leadless implantable medical devices (LIMDs) to operate cooperatively in a DDD pacemaker mode; each of which includes a housing, electrodes, receive amplifier, sensing circuitry and a controller, the first and second LIMDs that configured to be implanted entirely within first and second chambers of the heart, respectively; detecting at least one of paced or sensed events at the first LIMD; defining a transmit window timing scheme for the first LIMD and a receive window timing scheme for the second LIMD, the transmit and receive window timing schemes including transmit and receive windows temporarily aligned with one another, the transmit and receive windows spaced apart by a window-to-window interval; when a paced or sensed event is detected at the first LIMD, transmitting, event related information in a next successive transmit window through conducted communication; receiving the event related information at the second LIMD during a receive window overlapping the next successive transmit window; and managing delivery of pacing pulses at the second LIMD based on the event related information received from the first LIMD. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the managing operation comprises initiating an event interval timer at the second LIMD and, when the event interval timer expires, suspending delivering of pacing pulses at the second LIMD until after a next successive receive window following the expiration of the event interval timer. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the first LIMD transmits the event related information after a delay that occurs between detection of the paced or sensed event and the next successive transmit window. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising performing selective transmission at the first LIMD, in which paced or sensed event activity is included only in a subset of the transmit windows.