Methods and devices that utilize hardware to move blocks of operating parameter data from memory to a register set

• US 10,339,081 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2016
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Hocken, Robert, Santa, Wesley A., Arnett, Christopher M., Shah, Jalpa S., Sivula, Joel E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Vu A
• Application Number:
  US15/572,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20180143925A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 36518519, 607 59, 607 32
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/025 Digital circuitry features of electrotherapy devices, e.g. memory, clocks, processors
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36146 specified by the stimulation parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37235 Aspects of the external programmer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/28 using burst mode transfer, e.g. direct memory access DMA, cycle steal G06F13/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/12 Programming voltage switching circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/64 Generators producing trains of pulses, i.e. finite sequences of pulses

Abstract

A hardware based block moving controller of an active device such as an implantable medical device that provides electrical stimulation reads a parameter data from a block of memory and then writes the parameter data to a designated register set of a component that performs an active function. The block of memory may include data that specifies a size of the block of memory to be moved to the register set. The block of memory may also include data that indicates a number of triggers to skip before moving a next block of memory to the register set. A trigger that causes the block moving controller to move the data from the block of memory to the register set may be generated in various ways such as through operation of the component having the register set or by a separate timer.

Claims

1. A method of controlling parameters of an active device, comprising:

writing a plurality of block navigation data and corresponding parameter data and address value pairs to locations within a memory device of a block moving hardware-based controller, each block navigation datum and corresponding parameter data and address value pairs defining a block;

receiving a trigger at the block moving hardware-based controller;

in response to receiving the trigger, reading the block navigation datum from the memory device for a first block of the memory device and reading a number of parameter data and address value pairs corresponding to the block navigation datum; and

upon reading the number of parameter data and address value pairs, writing the parameter data values that have been read from memory to a set of registers corresponding to the address values.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

writing a plurality of interval counts in sequence with respective block navigation data within the memory device;

receiving additional triggers; and

once the number of triggers that have been received since writing the parameter data values to the set of registers exceeds the interval count of the current block, then reading a next block navigation datum and reading a next number of parameter data and address value pairs corresponding to the next parameter count for a second block that follows the first memory block in the memory device; and

upon reading the next number of parameter data and address value pairs from the second block, writing the next parameter data values that have been read from the second block in memory in response to receiving the trigger to the set of registers corresponding to the address values of the second block.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of registers are a pending set of registers and where the device implements parameters from an operating set of registers, the method further comprising:

reading an update parameter data and address value pair from the first memory block that causes transfer of parameter values from the pending set of registers to the operating set of registers; and

writing the update parameter data and address value pair to the pending set of registers to trigger the active device to transfer the parameter data and address value pairs from the pending set of registers to the operating set of registers at a start of a next interval.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein writing the plurality of block navigation data and corresponding parameter data and address value pairs to locations within the memory device is performed by a firmware-based device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the active device is an implantable medical device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the parameter data values define a stimulation waveform of the implantable medical device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the parameter data values define ramping and cycling for a stimulation waveform.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the parameter data values define a random pulse width for a stimulation waveform.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the parameter data values define a repeating amplitude change for a stimulation waveform.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the parameter data values define a repeating active recharge pulse width and amplitude change for a stimulation waveform.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the parameter data values define a rate change for a stimulation waveform.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the parameter data values define a field steering effect for a set of stimulation waveforms corresponding to a set of stimulation electrodes.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the block navigation datum is a parameter count defining the number of parameter and address data pairs are contained within the memory block containing the parameter count.

14. An active device, comprising:

a block moving hardware based controller comprising a block mover device and a memory device, the block mover having a trigger input;

a set of registers, wherein a plurality of block navigation data and corresponding parameter data and address value pairs are present in locations within the memory device, each block navigation datum and corresponding parameter data and address value pairs defining a block, wherein the block mover receives a trigger, and in response to receiving the trigger, the block mover reads the block navigation datum from the memory device for a first block of the memory device and reads a number of parameter data and address value pairs corresponding to the block navigation datum, and the block mover upon reading the number of parameter data and address value pairs, writes the parameter data values that have been read from memory to the set of registers corresponding to the address values.

15. The active device of claim 14, wherein a plurality of interval counts are in sequence with respective block navigation datum within the memory device, wherein the block moving hardware based controller receives additional triggers and once the number of triggers that have been received since writing the parameter data values to the set of registers exceeds the interval count of the first block, then reading a next block navigation datum and reading a next number of parameter data and address value pairs corresponding to the next block navigation datum for a second block that follows the current memory block in the memory device, and upon reading the next number of parameter data and address value pairs from the second block, the block moving hardware based controller writes the next parameter data values that have been read from the second block in memory in response to receiving the trigger to a set of registers corresponding to the address values of the second block at a start of a next interval.

16. The active device of claim 14, wherein the set of registers are a pending set of registers, the active device further comprising an operating set of registers, wherein the active device implements parameters from the operating set of registers, and wherein the block moving hardware based controller reads an update parameter data and address value pair from the first memory block that causes transfer of parameter values from the pending set of registers to the operating set of registers and writes the update parameter data and address value pair to the pending set of registers to trigger the active device to transfer the parameter data and address value pairs from the pending set of registers to the operating set of registers.

17. The active device of claim 14, further comprising a firmware based device that writes the plurality of block navigation data and corresponding parameter data and address value pairs to sequential locations within the memory device.

18. The active device of claim 14, wherein the active device is an implantable medical device.

19. The active device of claim 18, wherein the parameter data values define a stimulation waveform of the implantable medical device.

20. The active device of claim 19, wherein the parameter data values define ramping and cycling for a stimulation waveform.

21. The active device of claim 19, wherein the parameter data values define a random pulse width for a stimulation waveform.

22. The active device of claim 19, wherein the parameter data values define a repeating amplitude change for a stimulation waveform.

23. The active device of claim 19, wherein the parameter data values define a repeating active recharge pulse width and amplitude change for a stimulation waveform.

24. The active device of claim 19, wherein the parameter data values define a rate change for a stimulation waveform.

25. The active device of claim 19, wherein the parameter data values define a field steering effect for a set of stimulation waveforms corresponding to a set of stimulation electrodes.

26. The active device of claim 14, wherein the block navigation datum is a parameter count defining the number of parameter and address data pairs are contained within the memory block containing the parameter count.