Method and medical system for determining a link quality of a communication link in such a medical system

A medical system comprising:

• an implantable medical device configured for implantation in a subject, said implantable medical device comprising a transmitter;
• an external programmer device configured for extracorporeal communication with said implantable medical device in the subject, said external programmer device comprising a receiver, and said transmitter in said implantable medical device being configured to establish a wireless communication link with said receiver of said external programmer;
• a link quality monitoring circuit in said implantable medical device configured to determine a link quality of said communication link during a communication session between said external programmer and said implantable medical device;
• a link quality parameter calculation unit, located in either said external programmer or said implantable medical device, configured to calculate a link quality parameter that represents a quality of said communication link in said communication session;
• and
• said link quality monitoring circuit being configured to instruct said transmitter of said implantable medical device to reduce a signal power of a signal transmitted to said receiver from an initial signal power level according to a predetermined signal power adjusting protocol, and to obtain said link quality parameter from said link quality parameter calculation unit, and to determine a present link quality using said at least one link quality parameter, and to instruct said transmitter to adjust the reduced signal power level dependent on said present link quality and said signal power adjusting protocol, and to instruct said transmitter to return to said initial signal power level if said link quality parameter satisfies a first set of predetermined conditions.

A method for operating a medical system comprising an implantable medical device configured for implantation in a subject, said implantable medical device comprising a receiver, and an external programmer device configured for extracorporeal communication with said implantable medical device in the subject, said external programmer device comprising a transmitter, said method comprising the steps of:

• establishing a wireless communication link between said transmitter of said external programmer device and with said receiver of said implantable medical device;
• in a link quality monitoring circuit in said external programmer, automatically determining a link quality of said communication link during a communication session between said external programmer device and said implantable medical device;
• in a link quality parameter calculation unit, located in either said external programmer or said implantable medical device, automatically calculating a link quality parameter that represents a quality of said communication link in said communication session;
• and
• from said link quality monitoring circuit, automatically instructing said transmitter of said external programmer device to reduce a signal power of a signal transmitted to said receiver from an initial signal power level according to a predetermined signal power adjusting protocol, and to obtain said link quality parameter from said link quality parameter calculation unit, and to determine a present link quality using said at least one link quality parameter, and to instruct said transmitter to adjust the reduced signal power level dependent on said present link quality and said signal power adjusting protocol, and to instruct said transmitter to return to said initial signal power level if said link quality parameter satisfies a first set of predetermined conditions.

A method for operating a medical system comprising an implantable medical device configured for implantation in a subject, said implantable medical device comprising a transmitter and an external programmer device configured for extracorporeal communication with said implantable medical device in the subject, said external programmer device comprising a receiver, said method comprising the steps of:

• establishing a wireless communication link between said receiver of said external programmer device and said transmitter of said implantable medical device;
• in a link quality monitoring circuit in said implantable medical device, automatically determining a link quality of said communication link during a communication session between said external programmer device and said implantable medical device;
• in a link quality parameter calculation unit, located in either said external programmer or said implantable medical device, automatically calculating a link quality parameter that represents a quality of said communication link in said communication session;
• and
• from said link quality monitoring circuit, instructing said transmitter of said implantable medical device to reduce a signal power of a signal transmitted to said receiver from an initial signal power level according to a predetermined signal power adjusting protocol, and to obtain said link quality parameter from said link quality parameter calculation unit, and to determine a present link quality using said at least one link quality parameter, and to instruct said transmitter to adjust the reduced signal power level dependent on said present link quality and said signal power adjusting protocol, and to instruct said transmitter to return to said initial signal power level if said link quality parameter satisfies a first set of predetermined conditions.