# US 2018/0026680 A1 · Electromagnetic sensing and detection of ingestible event markers

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- Number: US 2018/0026680 A1
- Document ID: US20180026680A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/657,608
- Filed: 2017-07-24
- Published: 2018-01-25
- Earliest claimed: 2016-07-22
- Assignees: Proteus Digital Health, Inc.
- Applicants: Proteus Digital Health, Inc.
- Inventors: Alireza Shirvani; Mark Zdeblick; Jonathan Wirthrington
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180026680A1

## CPC

- H04B 5/24: Inductive coupling
- A61B 5/073: {Intestinal transmitters}
- A61B 5/4833: {Assessment of subject's compliance to treatment}
- A61B 5/4848: {Monitoring or testing the effects of treatment, e.g. of medication}
- A61B 5/6861: {Capsules, e.g. for swallowing or implanting}
- A61B 5/7282: {Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition (cough events A61B5/0823; seizures A61B5/4094; sleep apnoea A61B5/4818)}
- H01Q 1/27: Adaptation for use in or on movable bodies (H01Q1/08, H01Q1/12, H01Q1/18 take precedence)
- H01Q 1/273: {Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals}
- H01Q 7/00: Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
- H04B 1/16: Circuits
- A61B 5/4238: {stomach}
- A61B 5/7203: {for noise prevention, reduction or removal}
- A61B 2560/0214: of power generation or supply
- A61B 2562/08: Sensors provided with means for identification, e.g. barcodes or memory chips
- H03K 3/02: Generators characterised by the type of circuit or by the means used for producing pulses (H03K3/64 - H03K3/84 take precedence)
- Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks
- H04B: TRANSMISSION
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72)
- H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M)
- 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

Provided is an electronic device having a control device, a driver circuit coupled to the control device. The driver circuit is configured to alter conductance. A partial power source is coupled to the control device and is configured to provide a voltage potential difference to the control device and the driver circuit as a result of the partial power source being in contact with a conductive fluid. The partial power source includes a first material electrically coupled to the control device and a second material electrically coupled to the control device and electrically isolated from the first material. An inductor is coupled to the driver circuit. The driver circuit is configured to develop a current through the inductor. The magnitude of the current developed through the inductor is varied to produce an encoded signal that is remotely detectable by a receiver. Receivers to receive and decode also are disclosed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic device comprising:
a control device;
a driver circuit coupled to the control device, the driver circuit configured to alter conductance;
a partial power source coupled to the control device, the partial power source is configured to provide a voltage potential difference to the control device and the driver circuit as a result of the partial power source being in contact with a conductive fluid, the partial power source comprising:
a first material electrically coupled to the control device; and
a second material electrically coupled to the control device and electrically isolated from the first material;
an inductor coupled to the driver circuit, wherein the driver circuit is configured to develop a current through the inductor, and wherein a magnitude of the current developed through the inductor is varied to produce an encoded signal that is remotely detectable by a receiver.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the driver circuit comprises a single ended driver circuit.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the driver circuit comprises a push-pull H-bridge driver circuit.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the driver circuit comprises:
cross-coupled transistors; and
a capacitor coupled between drains of the cross-coupled transistors;
wherein the inductor is coupled between the drains of the cross-coupled transistors.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
a battery voltage doubler circuit;
a pulse generator circuit coupled to the battery voltage doubler circuit; and
an inductor discharge circuit coupled to the pulse generator circuit.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the battery voltage doubler circuit comprises:
a switched capacitor stage comprising first and second switched capacitors, wherein the switched capacitor stage receives an input voltage and outputs an output voltage having a magnitude of twice the input voltage; and
a clock stage;
wherein the clock stage receives a pulse train and produces clock pulses of opposite phases, wherein the clock pulses of opposite phases cause the first and second capacitors to alternately charge to a voltage equal to twice the input voltage.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The electronic circuit of claim 5, wherein the pulse generator circuit comprises:
first and second trigger circuits;
an RC timing circuit comprising a resistor R and a capacitor C to set a time constant delay τ at the input of the second delayed trigger circuit;
an inverter coupled to the output of the first undelayed trigger circuit; and
a logic gate having a first input coupled to an output of the inverter, a second input coupled to an output of the second trigger circuit, and an output coupled to the inductor trigger circuit;
a first oscillator coupled to the input of the first trigger circuit and coupled to the RC timing circuit; and
a second oscillator coupled to the inductor trigger circuit.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The electronic circuit of claim 5, wherein the inductor discharge circuit comprises:
a capacitor charging circuit;
a coupling circuit; and
charging and discharging circuits for charging and discharging the inductor.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The electronic circuit of claim 1, wherein the driver circuit is configured to implement an impulse communication protocol.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first and second materials are selected to provide the voltage potential difference as a result of the first and second materials being in contact with the conductive fluid.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, comprising an electronic switch, wherein the electronic switch comprises first and second terminals and a control terminal, and wherein the control terminal is operatively coupled to the driver circuit, the first terminal is coupled to the inductor, and the second terminal is coupled to the second material, and wherein the inductor is coupled between the first material and the first terminal of the electronic switch, wherein the driver circuit is configured to alter the conductance of the electronic switch between the first and second materials such that the current is developed through the inductor.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the inductor comprises at least two inductive elements formed on separate insulating substructures of a semiconductor integrated circuit.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the at least two inductive elements are coupled through a via formed between the separate insulating substructures.

### Claim 14

A receiver circuit, comprising:
a resonant circuit;
a low noise voltage amplifier coupled to the resonant circuit; and
a receiver processor circuit coupled to an output of the low noise voltage amplifier, the receiver processor configured to receive an analog signal representative of an impulse communication signal, convert the analog signal to a digital signal, and decode the digital signal to reproduce data transmitted as the impulse communication signal.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The receiver of claim 14, further comprising a narrow band resonator coupled between the low noise amplifier and the receiver processor circuit.

### Claim 16

A receiver circuit, comprising:
a receiving inductor;
a transimpedance amplifier coupled to the receiving coil;
an amplifier coupled to an output of the transimpedance amplifier; and
a receiver processor circuit coupled to an output of the amplifier, the receiver processor configured to receive an analog signal representative of an impulse communication signal, convert the analog signal to a digital signal, and decode the digital signal to reproduce data transmitted as the impulse communication signal.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The receiver circuit of claim 16, wherein the receiver processor comprises:
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC); and
a digital signal processor coupled to an output of the ADC.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The receiver of claim 16, comprising:
at least three receiving inductors orthogonally spaced relative to each other;
at least three amplifiers coupled to corresponding orthogonally spaced inductors;
a multiplexer to receiver outputs of the at least three amplifiers;
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled to an output of the multiplexer; and
a digital signal processor coupled to an output of the ADC.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The receiver of claim 18, wherein at least one of the three inductors has an overall elongated form factor.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The receiver of claim 18, wherein at least one of the three inductors has an overall flat form factor.

### Claim 21 (depends on 16)

The receiver of claim 16, comprising:
a plurality of band pass filters coupled to the output of the multiplexer, wherein each band pass filter is tuned to a different frequency band;
a plurality of amplifiers coupled to the corresponding plurality of band pass filters;
a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) having inputs coupled to outputs of the band pass filters and having outputs coupled to the digital signal processor.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The receiver of claim 21, further comprising a wireless communication element.

### Claim 23 (depends on 16)

The receiver of claim 16, comprising:
a plurality of receiving inductors;
a plurality of corresponding amplifiers coupled to plurality of inductors;
a multiplexer to receiver outputs of the plurality of amplifiers;
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled to an output of the multiplexer; and
a digital signal processor coupled to an output of the ADC.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The receiver of claim 23, wherein the plurality of receiving inductors is arranged in a circular pattern.