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US 8,275,459 B2Granted
Wireless feedthrough for medical implants
AssigneeBiotronik CRM Patent AG
InventorsIngo Weiss, Stefan Knorr
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An implantable arrangement including an implantable electromedical device having an exterior wall and an implantable sensor and/or actuator outside of the exterior wall. The sensor and/or actuator are in signal connection with the implantable device via an electric stage and a mechanical stage arranged in series, wherein the mechanical stage sends and/or receives mechanical vibration signals through the closed exterior wall, and the electrical stage sends and/or receives the same signals in electrical form.
Claims20
An implantable electromedical arrangement including:
- a. an implantable first device having an exterior wall, and
- b. an implantable second device including a sensor and/or an actuator:
- (1) situated outside of, and spaced from, the exterior wall of the first device, and
- (2) being in communication with the first device via:
- (a) a mechanical stage sending and/or receiving mechanical vibration through the exterior wall of the first device, the mechanical stage having a first transducer and a second transducer on opposing sides of the exterior wall of the first device, and
- (b) an electrical stage conveying electrical signals between the mechanical stage and the sensor and/or the actuator, the electrical signals being converted from and/or to the mechanical vibration within the mechanical stage.
3 more elements
An implantable electromedical arrangement including:
- a. an implantable first device having an exterior wall, and
- b. an implantable second device including a sensor and/or an actuator:
- (1) situated outside of, and spaced from, the exterior wall of the first device, and
- (2) being in communication with the first device via:
- (a) a mechanical stage sending and/or receiving mechanical vibration through the exterior wall of the first device, the mechanical stage including:
- (i) a first group of piezoelectric transducers on the exterior wall of the first device, these transducers having different resonant frequencies;
- and
- (ii) a second piezoelectric transducer on the opposite side of the exterior wall from the first group of piezoelectric transducers, wherein the second piezoelectric transducer is tunable to the resonant frequency of two or more of the transducers within the first group of piezoelectric transducers, and
- (b) an electrical stage conveying electrical signals between the mechanical stage and the sensor and/or the actuator, the electrical signals being converted from and/or to the mechanical vibration within the mechanical stage.
6 more elements
An implantable electromedical arrangement including:
- a. an implantable first device having an exterior wall, and
- b. an implantable second device including a sensor and/or an actuator:
- (1) situated outside of, and spaced from, the exterior wall of the first device, and
- (2) being in communication with the first device via:
- (a) a mechanical stage sending and/or receiving mechanical vibration through the exterior wall of the first device, the mechanical stage including:
- (i) a first group of piezoelectric transducers on the exterior wall of the first device, these transducers having different resonant frequencies;
- and
- (ii) a second group of piezoelectric transducers on the exterior wall of the first device, these transducers:
- 1) being on the opposite side of the exterior wall from the first group of piezoelectric transducers, and
- 2) each having a resonant frequency which is at least substantially similar to a resonant frequency of a corresponding one of the piezoelectric transducers from the first group of piezoelectric transducers, and
- (b) an electrical stage conveying electrical signals between the mechanical stage and the sensor and/or the actuator, the electrical signals being converted from and/or to the mechanical vibration within the mechanical stage.
8 more elements
An implantable electromedical arrangement including:
- a. an implantable first device having an exterior wall, and
- b. an implantable second device including a sensor and/or an actuator:
- (1) situated outside of, and spaced from, the exterior wall of the first device, and
- (2) being in communication with the first device via:
- (a) a mechanical stage sending and/or receiving mechanical vibration through the exterior wall of the first device, the mechanical stage including:
- (i) a first group of piezoelectric transducers on the exterior wall of the first device, these transducers having different resonant frequencies;
- and
- (ii) one or more second piezoelectric transducers on the opposite side of the exterior wall from the first group of piezoelectric transducers, wherein the second piezoelectric transducers are each at least substantially directly opposite one or more of the piezoelectric transducers in the first group of piezoelectric transducers, and
- (b) an electrical stage conveying electrical signals between the mechanical stage and the sensor and/or the actuator, the electrical signals being converted from and/or to the mechanical vibration within the mechanical stage.
6 more elements
An implantable electromedical arrangement including:
- a. an implantable first device having an exterior wall, the implantable first device including a cochlear implant, and
- b. an implantable second device including an actuator configured to deliver cochlear nerve stimulation signals, the actuator:
- (1) situated outside of, and spaced from, the exterior wall of the first device, and
- (2) being in communication with the first device via:
- (a) a mechanical stage sending and/or receiving mechanical vibration through the exterior wall of the first device, and
- (b) an electrical stage conveying electrical signals between the mechanical stage and the sensor and/or the actuator, the electrical signals being converted from and/or to the mechanical vibration within the mechanical stage.
3 more elements
An implantable electromedical arrangement:
- a. the arrangement including:
- (1) an implantable first device having an exterior wall, and
- (2) an implantable second device including a sensor and/or an actuator:
- (a) situated outside of, and spaced from, the exterior wall of the first device, and
- (b) being in communication with the first device via:
- (i) a mechanical stage sending and/or receiving mechanical vibration through the exterior wall of the first device, and
- (ii) an electrical stage conveying electrical signals between the mechanical stage and the sensor and/or the actuator, the electrical signals being converted from and/or to the mechanical vibration within the mechanical stage;
- b. wherein:
- (1) the implantable first device includes an orthopedic implant, and
- (2) the implantable second device includes a sensor configured to measure at least one of:
- (a) temperature,
- (b) force, and
- (c) electrical signals.
10 more elements
An implantable electromedical arrangement including:
- a. an implantable first device having an exterior wall,
- b. an implantable second device including one or more of:
- (1) a sensor, and
- (2) an actuator,
- situated outside of the exterior wall of the first device,
- c. a vibrating element on one side of the exterior wall, the vibrating element emitting vibrations encoding signals:
- (1) for delivery to, or
- (2) received from,
- the implantable second device;
- d. a vibration transducer on the opposite side of the exterior wall, the vibration transducer receiving the encoded vibrations through the exterior wall and converting them to electrical signals.
7 more elements
An implantable electromedical arrangement including:
- a. an implantable heart stimulator having:
- (1) an exterior wall, and
- (2) a first piezoelectric transducer adjacent the exterior wall;
- b. a second piezoelectric transducer adjacent to, and on the opposite side of the exterior wall from, the first piezoelectric transducer;
- c. at least one of:
- (1) a heart sensor providing the second piezoelectric transducer with electrical signals representing the status of the heart, and
- (2) a heart actuator providing the heart with heart stimulation pulses, the heart stimulation pulses being delivered in accordance with signals received by the heart actuator from the second piezoelectric transducer.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.