| Antenna systems for implantable medical device telemetry -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Antenna systems for implantable medical device telemetryRelated Patent Categories: Surgery: Light, Thermal, And Electrical Application, Light, Thermal, And Electrical Application, Electrical Therapeutic Systems, Telemetry Or Communications CircuitsAntenna systems for implantable medical device telemetry description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060142820, Antenna systems for implantable medical device telemetry. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERNCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/309,337, filed on Dec. 3, 2002, the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] This document relates generally to implantable medical devices and particularly, but not by way of limitation, to such a device including a telemetry system allowing communication with an external device. BACKGROUND [0003] Medical devices are implanted in human bodies for monitoring physiological conditions, diagnosing diseases, treating diseases, or restoring functions of organs or tissues. Examples of such implantable medical devices include cardiac rhythm management systems, neurological stimulators, neuromuscular stimulators, and drug delivery systems. Because such a device may be implanted in a patient for a long time, the size and power consumption of the device are inherently constrained. Consequently, an implantable device may depend on an external system to perform certain functions. Communication between the implantable device and the external system is referred to as telemetry. Examples of specific telemetry functions include programming the implantable device to perform certain monitoring or therapeutic tasks, extracting an operational status of the implantable device, transmitting real-time physiological data acquired by the implantable device, and extracting physiological data acquired by and stored in the implantable device. [0004] One particular example of implantable medical devices is a cardiac rhythm management device implanted in a patient to treat irregular or other abnormal cardiac rhythms by delivering electrical pulses to the patient's heart. Such rhythms result in diminished blood circulation. Implantable cardiac rhythm management devices include, among other things, pacemakers, also referred to as pacers. Pacemakers are often used to treat patients with bradyarrhythmias, that is, hearts that beat too slowly or irregularly. Such pacemakers may coordinate atrial and ventricular contractions to improve the heart's pumping efficiency. Implantable cardiac management devices also include defibrillators that are capable of delivering higher energy electrical stimuli to the heart. Such defibrillators may also include cardioverters, which synchronize the delivery of such stimuli to portions of sensed intrinsic heart activity signals. Defibrillators are often used to treat patients with tachyarrhythmias, that is, hearts that beat too quickly. In addition to pacemakers and defibrillators, implantable cardiac rhythm management systems also include, among other things, pacer/defibrillators that combine the functions of pacemakers and defibrillators, drug delivery devices, and any other implantable systems or devices for diagnosing or treating cardiac arrhythmias. [0005] An implantable cardiac rhythm management device typically communicates with an external device referred to as a programmer via telemetry. One type of such telemetry is based on inductive coupling between two closely-placed coils using the mutual inductance between these coils. This type of telemetry is referred to as inductive telemetry or near-field telemetry because the coils must be closely situated for obtaining inductively coupled communication. One example of such an inductive telemetry is discussed in Brockway et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,841, entitled "PROGRAMMABLE MULTI-MODE CARDIAC PACEMAKER," assigned to Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. [0006] In one example of inductive telemetry, an implantable device includes a first coil and a telemetry circuit, both sealed in a metal housing (referred to as a "can"). The external programmer provides a second coil in a wand that is electrically connected to the programmer. During device implantation, a physician evaluates the patient's condition, such as by using the implanted device to acquire real-time physiological data from the patient and communicating the physiological data in real-time to the external programmer for processing and/or display. The physician may also program the implantable device, including selecting a pacing or defibrillation therapy mode, and parameters required by that mode, based on the patient's condition and needs. The data acquisition and device programming are both performed using the inductive telemetry. If the patient's condition is stable after implantation, he or she needs no attention from the physician or other caregiver until a scheduled routine follow-up. During a routine follow-up, for example, the physician reviews the patient's history with the implantable device, re-evaluates the patient's condition, and re-programs the implantable device if necessary. [0007] One problem with inductive telemetry is its requirement that the two coils are closely placed. This typically requires placing the wand on the body surface over the implantable device. Because the wand is electrically connected to the programmer using a cable, the inductive telemetry limits the patient's mobility. [0008] To improve communication range and patient mobility, a far-field radio-frequency (RF) telemetry may be used, in which an RF transceiver in the implantable device is used to communicate with an RF transceiver in the external programmer. With a far-field RF telemetry, the patient is typically free of any body surface attachment that limits mobility. However, the far-field RF telemetry between the implantable device and the external programmer may operate in an environment where one or more sources of interferences exist. Such sources of interferences include, for example, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, cellular phones, and other devices emitting electromagnetic waves. Such sources of interferences may also include another pair of implantable cardiac rhythm management device and external programmer communicating via far-field RF telemetry operating at the same or similar frequencies. [0009] For these and other reasons, there is a need for ensuring the quality of far-field RF telemetry between an external system and an implanted device when interference is present. SUMMARY [0010] An implantable medical device system includes an implanted device communicating with an external device via telemetry. The implanted device and the external device each have a telemetry module connected to an antenna system to support an RF telemetry link. The antenna system of the external device has a manually or automatically controllable directionality. The controllable directionality is achieved, for example, by using two or more directional antennas, one non-directional antenna and one or more directional antennas, or an electronically steerable phased-array directional antenna. [0011] In one embodiment, a system for communicating with an implantable medical device includes an external device that is coupled to the implantable medical device via RF telemetry. The external device includes a transceiver, an antenna system, an antenna interface circuit, and a directionality controller. The antenna system includes at least two antennas each having a predetermined directionality characteristic. The antenna interface circuit electrically connects the transceiver and the antenna system. The directionality controller connects to the antenna interface circuit and controls a directionality of the antenna system. [0012] In one embodiment, one or more RF signals are received from an implantable medical device using one or more antennas of an antenna system, where the one or more antennas each have a predetermined directionality characteristic. A quality of each of the one or more RF signals is analyzed. A directionality of the antenna system is controlled based on an outcome of the RF signal quality analysis. [0013] This Summary is an overview of some of the teachings of the present application and not intended to be an exclusive or exhaustive treatment of the present subject matter. Further details about the present subject matter are found in the detailed description and appended claims. Other aspects of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description and viewing the drawings that form a part thereof, each of which are not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0014] In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals describe similar components throughout the several views. Like numerals having different letter suffixes represent different instances of similar components. The drawings illustrate generally, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, various embodiments discussed in the present document. [0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of portions of an implantable medical device system and portions of an environment in which it is used. [0016] FIG. 2 is a schematic/block diagram illustrating one embodiment of portions of the implantable medical device system with radio-frequency telemetry. [0017] FIG. 3 is an illustration of a radiation pattern of a non-directional antenna. [0018] FIG. 4 is an illustration of a radiation pattern of a directional antenna. [0019] FIG. 5 is a structural diagram illustrating one embodiment of an external device having multiple directional antennas. Continue reading about Antenna systems for implantable medical device telemetry... Full patent description for Antenna systems for implantable medical device telemetry Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Antenna systems for implantable medical device telemetry patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Antenna systems for implantable medical device telemetry or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Acoustic switch and apparatus and methods for using acoustic switches Next Patent Application: System and method for removing narrowband noise Industry Class: Surgery: light, thermal, and electrical application ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Antenna systems for implantable medical device telemetry patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.17092 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Daimler Chrysler , DirecTV , Exxonmobil Chemical Company , Goodyear , Intel , Kyocera Wireless , 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
