Communication method for implantable medical device
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorsStanley J. Crossett, Richard A. Nazarian, Michael Hamerly
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A medical assembly, such as an artificial heart assembly, adapted to be implanted within a living subject is composed of an implantable data communications interface adapted to receive an encoded data signal from a data communications interface located outside the subject at a position remote from the medical assembly. The encoded data signal is transmitted in a plurality of periodic signal bursts, which are transmitted at a first frequency to represent a first data value and a second frequency to represent a second data value. Each of the bursts comprises a plurality of signal transitions having a third frequency greater than both the first and second frequencies.
Claims21
An artificial heart assembly adapted to be implanted within a living subject, said artificial heart assembly comprising:
- a blood inlet conduit;
- a blood outlet conduit;
- a pumping mechanism for periodically pumping blood from said blood inlet conduit to said blood outlet conduit;
- a DC brushless motor operatively connected to said pumping mechanism;
- a controller operatively coupled to control said pumping mechanism;
- and
- an implantable data communications interface operatively coupled to said controller and adapted to receive an encoded data signal from a data communications interface located outside the subject at a position remote from said artificial heart assembly, said encoded data signal received by said implantable data communications interface being transmitted in a plurality of periodic signal bursts, said periodic bursts being transmitted at a first frequency to represent a first data value and a second frequency to represent a second data value, said second frequency being different than said first frequency, each of said bursts comprising a plurality of signal transitions having a third frequency, said third frequency being greater than said first frequency and greater than said second frequency, said implantable data communications interface comprising:
- a receiver adapted to receive said encoded data signal from said remote data communications interface;
- a generator adapted to generate an envelope signal from said encoded data signal;
- and
- a decoder coupled to receive said envelope signal from said generator, said decoder including a detector adapted to detect which portions of said envelope signal have a frequency substantially equal to said first frequency and which portions of said envelope signal have a frequency substantially equal to said second frequency.
A medical assembly adapted to be implanted within a living subject, said medical assembly comprising:
- a medical apparatus;
- a controller operatively coupled to said medical apparatus;
- and
- an implantable data communications interface operatively coupled to said controller and adapted to receive an encoded data signal from a data communications interface located outside the subject at a position remote from said medical assembly, said encoded data signal received by said implantable data communications interface being transmitted in a plurality of periodic signal bursts, said periodic bursts being transmitted at a first frequency to represent a first data value and a second frequency to represent a second data value, said second frequency being different than said first frequency, each of said bursts comprising a plurality of signal transitions having a third frequency, said third frequency being greater than said first frequency and greater than said second frequency, said implantable data communications interface comprising:
- a receiver that receives said encoded data signal from said remote data communications interface;
- a generator adapted to generate an envelope signal from said encoded data signal;
- a decoder coupled to receive said envelope signal from said generator, said decoder including a detector that detects which portions of said envelope signal have a frequency substantially equal to said first frequency and which portions of said envelope signal have a frequency substantially equal to said second frequency.
A medical assembly adapted to be implanted within a living subject, said medical assembly comprising:
- a medical apparatus;
- a controller operatively coupled to said medical apparatus;
- and
- an implantable data communications interface operatively coupled to said controller and adapted to receive an encoded data signal from a data communications interface located outside the subject at a position remote from said medical assembly, said encoded data signal received by said implantable data communications interface being transmitted in a plurality of periodic signal bursts, said periodic bursts being transmitted at a first frequency to represent a first data value and a second frequency to represent a second data value, said second frequency being different than said first frequency, each of said bursts comprising a plurality of signal transitions having a third frequency, said third frequency being greater than said first frequency and greater than said second frequency, said implantable data communications interface comprising:
- a receiver that receives said encoded data signal from said remote data communications interface;
- and
- a circuit operatively coupled to said receiver that detects which portions of said envelope signal have a frequency substantially equal to said first frequency and which portions of said envelope signal have a frequency substantially equal to said second frequency.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.