US 4,567,883 A · Data compression of ECG data using delta modulation

Abstract

A data recording arrangement for recording ECG data within the body of a patient, for transmitting the ECG data to a point external to the body of a patient, and for recovering the transmitted ECG data is disclosed. The recording arrangement employs delta modulation circuitry for delta modulating the ECG data to obtain a delta modulated digital pulse train. The digital pulse train may be stored within the body of a patient for subsequent transmission external to the body of a patient. Transmission of the data external to the body of a patient may be by a piezoelectric transducer which transmits the digital data audibly for external detection and delta demodulation. Alternatively, delta demodulation may occur within the patient's body, and the demodulated analog signal may then be transmitted by FM, using the piezoelectric transducer to provide the FM audible signal detectable by an FM demodulator external to the body.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A data recorder for recording ECG input data from within the body of a patient, comprising:

implanted ECG input means for receiving an analog ECG waveform from the heart of the patient;
implanted data conversion means for converting the analog ECG waveform by delta modulation into a digital pulse train which constitutes the ECG input data;
implanted memory means for storing the digital pulse train;
implanted transmission means for selectively transmitting the digital pulse train from the memory means across the skin of the patient to a location externally of the body of the patient, said transmission means including a piezoelectric transducer means for converting said digital pulse train into a variable audible signal for transmission across the skin of the patient to be detected externally of the body, said audible signal being representative of the originally received analog ECG waveform and varying in accordance with the characteristics of the previously stored digital pulse train.

1 more element

A data recorder for recording ECG input data from within the body of a patient, the recorder comprising:

implanted ECG input means for receiving an analog ECG waveform from the heart of the patient;
implanted data compression means for converting the ECG waveform by delta modulation into a digital pulse train which constitutes the ECG input data;
implanted memory means for storing the digital pulse train;
implanted demodulation means for demodulating the digital pulse train stored in said memory means by delta demodulation to form an analog signal which is a reconstruction of the received analog ECG input waveform;
and
implanted transmission means for selectively transmitting the analog signal from the demodulation means across the skin of the patient to a location externally of the body of the patient, said transmission means including a piezoelectric transducer means for converting said demodulated analog signal into an audible signal for transmission across the skin of the patient for detection outside the body of a patient, said audible signal being representative of the originally received analog ECG waveform and varying in accordance with the characteristics of the previously stored digital pulse train.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Data compression of ECG data using delta modulation

Life of this patent

Data compression of ECG data using delta modulation

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24