Implant recharger handshaking system and method
AssigneeAlfred E. Mann Foundation for Scientific Research
InventorsBrian M. Shelton, Brian R. Dearden, James H. Wolfe
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Abstract
Systems, methods, and devices for wireless recharging of an implanted device. In response to receiving identification information from an implanted device, a charger can set an electrical field to a first field strength and receive first field strength information from the implanted device. The charger can then set the electrical field to a second field strength and receive second field strength information from the implanted device. This information relating to the first and second field strengths can be used to determine whether to recharge the implanted device.
Claims11
A method of charging an energy storage device of an implantable pulse generator using an external charger, the method comprising:
- wirelessly receiving at the external charger an identifier corresponding to the implantable pulse generator;
- wirelessly receiving at the external charger information from the implantable pulse generator corresponding to a first sensed electrical field strength;
- at the external charger, changing the strength of the electrical field;
- after changing the strength of the electrical field, wirelessly receiving at the external charger information from the implantable pulse generator corresponding to a second sensed electrical field strength;
- in response to the received information corresponding to the first and second sensed electrical fields, determining not to recharge the first implantable pulse generator based on the information corresponding to the first sensed electrical field;
- selecting a second implantable pulse generator based on a first sensed electrical field strength at the second implantable pulse generator and a second sensed electrical field strength at the second implantable pulse generator;
- and
- charging the second implantable pulse generator, wherein charging the second implantable pulse generator comprises changing the strength of the electrical field so that the electrical field is detectable by the second implantable pulse generator and is not detectable by the first implantable pulse generator.
A method of charging an energy storage device of an implantable pulse generator using an external charger, the method comprising:
- wirelessly receiving at the external charger an identifier corresponding to a first implantable pulse generator;
- wirelessly receiving at the external charger information from the first implantable pulse generator corresponding to a first sensed electrical field strength;
- at the external charger, changing the strength of the electrical field;
- after changing the strength of the electrical field, wirelessly receiving at the external charger information from the first implantable pulse generator corresponding to a second sensed electrical field strength;
- and
- in response to the received information corresponding to the first and second sensed electrical fields, determining not to recharge the first implantable pulse generators wherein determining not to recharge the first implantable pulse generator comprises:
- comparing the information corresponding to the second sensed electrical field to a threshold;
- and determining that the sensed electrical field is too weak to recharge the first implantable pulse generator;
- selecting a second implantable pulse generator based on a first sensed electrical field strength at the second implantable pulse generator and a second sensed electrical field strength at the second implantable pulse generator;
- and
- charging the second implantable pulse generator, wherein charging the second implantable pulse generator comprises changing the strength of the electrical field so that the electrical field is detectable by the second implantable pulse generator and is not detectable by the first implantable pulse generator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.