Microminiature radiotelemetrically operated sensors for small animal research
First Claim
1. An electronic monitoring device for implantation into a small animal, comprising:
- a capsule arranged for injection into said animal, including means for receiving power by wireless transmission from an external power source;
sensing means for generating signals indicative of a selected physiological function of said animal; and
means to transmit said signals from said capsule;
and means external of said capsule to receive and process said signals from said capsule.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An instrumentation system for monitoring various physiological functions in small animals utilizes injectable electronic devices. These implanted devices receive power and control data from an RF carrier signal by inductive coupling. The RF carrier is generated by an external control unit with a coil that surrounds the animals and simultaneously energizes one or more implanted devices. Digitally encoded commands can be addressed to each uniquely addressed implant. These commands permit the implant to select among analog signals from various sensors and to adjust the gain of amplification before digitizing these signals. These commands instruct each implant in turn to generate a back-telemetry signal during pauses in the externally generated RF carrier. The back-telemetry signal is an amplitude-modulated RF signal that encodes the digitized data from the selected sensor. The back-telemetry signal is detected by the external coil and control unit. An algorithm in the external control unit computes the optimal gain for each sensing function in each implant. This instrumentation system permits large numbers of animals to be monitored more or less continuously with minimal human intervention and without requiring attached wires or harnesses that might interfere with their physiological functions
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An electronic monitoring device for implantation into a small animal, comprising:
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a capsule arranged for injection into said animal, including means for receiving power by wireless transmission from an external power source;
sensing means for generating signals indicative of a selected physiological function of said animal; and
means to transmit said signals from said capsule;
and means external of said capsule to receive and process said signals from said capsule. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A means for measuring the temperatures of more than one small animal comprising:
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an electronic device implanted into each of said animals wherein said electronic device receives power and command signals from an external controller, where said command signals control which of a plurality of said electronic devices operates at a given time;
a sensing element sensitive to ambient temperature of said animal; and
transmitter means within said electronic device whereby information regarding said ambient temperature is encoded and transmitted to said external controller in response to said command signals.
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10. A means for measuring the movement patterns of a small animal, said means comprising:
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an electronic device implanted into said animal wherein said electronic device receives power by wireless transmission from an external electronic means, sensing means associated with said electronic device, said sensing means responsive to movements generated by said small animal, and wireless transmitter means within said electronic device whereby information about said movements detected by said sensing means is encoded and transmitted to said external electronic means. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. A means for measuring cardiac activity of a small animal, said means said means comprising
an electronic device implanted into said animal wherein said electronic device receives power by wireless transmission from an external electronic means, at least two electrodes connected to said electronic device and arranged so as to record electrical activity generated by the cardiac activity of said animal, and wireless transmitter means within said electronic device whereby information regarding said electrical activity is encoded and transmitted to said external electronic means.
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14. Means for measuring at least one physiological function in at least one small animal without interfering with the normal activity of said small animal, said means comprising
an electronic device implanted into each of said animals wherein said electronic device receives power by inductive coupling from an external electronic means, means for sensing said physiological functions operatively connected to said electronic device, wireless transmitter means within said electronic device whereby information from said sensing means is encoded and transmitted to said external electronic means.
Specification