Device communications of an implantable medical device and an external system
First Claim
1. A method of establishing communication between an implantable medical device and an external unit wherein the implantable medical device has a transmit and a receive frequency that are separated by a fixed difference, comprising the steps of:
- sending out one or more signals from the external unit, wherein one signal of the one or more signals has a frequency that is close enough to the receive frequency for the implantable device to receive the one signal;
receiving the one signal at the implantable medical device;
sending out a return signal at a transmit frequency from the implantable medical device in response to receiving the one signal;
receiving the return signal at the external unit;
measuring a difference between the transmit frequency of the return signal and a receive frequency of the external unit; and
altering a transmit frequency and the receive frequency of the external unit by the measured difference.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An implantable medical device, external unit, and method for establishing communication between them are disclosed. The external unit learns the frequencies of transmission and reception for the implant. The transmit frequency of the implant is learned by the external unit measuring a difference between the transmit frequency of the implant and the external unit'"'"'s receive frequency. The receive frequency of the implant is learned by the measured difference between its transmit frequency and the receive frequency of the external unit when the implant has a fixed transmit and receive frequency difference. Otherwise, the receive frequency is learned by the implant measuring the difference between its receive frequency and the transmit frequency of the external unit and by sending an indication of the difference to the external unit through the return signal. The external unit may anticipate a beginning of the implant'"'"'s preset communication period based on its internal clock.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. A method of establishing communication between an implantable medical device and an external unit wherein the implantable medical device has a transmit and a receive frequency that are separated by a fixed difference, comprising the steps of:
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sending out one or more signals from the external unit, wherein one signal of the one or more signals has a frequency that is close enough to the receive frequency for the implantable device to receive the one signal;
receiving the one signal at the implantable medical device;
sending out a return signal at a transmit frequency from the implantable medical device in response to receiving the one signal;
receiving the return signal at the external unit;
measuring a difference between the transmit frequency of the return signal and a receive frequency of the external unit; and
altering a transmit frequency and the receive frequency of the external unit by the measured difference. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 19)
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11. A method of establishing communication between an implantable medical device and an external unit wherein the implantable medical device has a transmit frequency and a receive frequency, comprising the steps of:
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sending one or more signals from the external unit wherein one signal of the one or more signals has a frequency that is close enough to the receive frequency for the implantable device to receive the one signal;
receiving the one signal at the implantable medical device;
measuring a first difference between the frequency of the one signal and the receive frequency;
sending out one or more return signals at the transmit frequency from the implantable medical device, wherein one of the one or more return signals includes an indication of the first difference;
receiving the one or more return signals at the external unit;
detecting the first difference from the indication included in one of the one or more return signals at the external unit;
measuring a second difference between the transmit frequency of the one or more return signals and a receive frequency of the external unit;
altering the transmit frequency of the external unit by the first difference; and
altering the receive frequency of the external unit by the second difference. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20)
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21. A method of periodically establishing communication between an implantable medical device and an external unit wherein the implantable medical device has a clock that triggers a preset communication period, comprising the steps of:
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establishing an initial communication between the external unit and the implantable medical device;
synchronizing a clock in the external unit with the clock of the implantable medical device during the initial communication;
after the initial communication is terminated, detecting a time with the clock of the external unit that is earlier than the preset communication period as measured by the clock of the external unit by a preset amount; and
sending a signal on one or more frequencies from the external unit beginning at the detected time and extending for an amount of time greater than the preset communication period as measured by the clock of the external unit or until a return signal is received from the implantable device. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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25. An external unit for communicating with an implantable medical device, the external unit comprising:
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a transmitter having an adjustable frequency, wherein the transmitter sends a signal at one or more frequencies to the implantable medical device;
a receiver having an adjustable frequency, wherein the receiver receives a return signal at a return frequency from the implantable device;
a frequency discriminator that detects a difference between a receive frequency of the receiver and the return frequency of the return signal received by the receiver; and
a processor configured to alter a transmit frequency of the transmitter and the receive frequency of the receiver according to the frequency difference. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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29. An external unit for communicating with an implantable medical device, the external unit comprising:
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a transmitter having an adjustable frequency, wherein the transmitter sends a signal on one or more frequencies to the implantable medical device;
a receiver having an adjustable frequency, wherein the receiver receives one or more return signals at a return frequency from the implantable medical device;
a frequency discriminator that detects a difference between the return frequency of the one or more return signals and a receive frequency of the receiver; and
a processor configured to control the frequency of the transmitter and receiver, alter the receiver frequency according to the frequency difference, detect a frequency difference indicator encoded in one of the one or more return signals received by the receiver, and alter a transmit frequency of the transmitter according to the frequency difference indicator. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
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32. An implantable medical device for communicating with an external unit, the implantable device comprising:
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a transmitter with a transmit frequency, wherein the transmitter sends a return signal to the external unit at the transmit frequency;
a receiver with a receive frequency that differs in frequency from the transmit frequency, wherein the receiver receives a signal at a frequency transmitted by the external unit;
a frequency discriminator that detects a difference between the frequency of the signal received by the receiver and the receive frequency; and
a processor configured to encode an indication of the difference in the return signal transmitted by the transmitter. - View Dependent Claims (33)
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34. An external unit for communicating with an implantable medical device, the external unit comprising:
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transmit means for sending a signal at one or more frequencies to the implantable medical device;
receive means for receiving a return signal at a return frequency from the implantable device;
discriminator means for detecting a difference between a receive frequency of the receive means and the return frequency of the return signal received by the receive means; and
processing means for altering a transmit frequency of the transmit means and the receive frequency of the receive means according to the frequency difference. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37)
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38. An external unit for communicating with an implantable medical device, the external unit comprising:
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a transmit means for sending a signal on one or more frequencies to the implantable medical device;
a receive means for receiving one or more return signals at a return frequency from the implantable medical device;
discriminator means for detecting a difference between the return frequency of the one or more return signals and a receive frequency of the receive means; and
processing means for controlling the frequency of the transmit means and receive means, altering the receive means frequency according to the frequency difference, detecting a frequency difference indicator encoded in one of the one or more return signals received by the receive means, and altering a transmit frequency of the transmit means according to the frequency difference indicator. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40)
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41. An implantable medical device for communicating with an external unit, the implantable device comprising:
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transmit means for sending a return signal at a transmit frequency to the external unit at a return frequency;
receive means for receiving a signal transmitted by the external unit;
discriminator means for detecting a difference between the frequency of the signal received by the receive means and a receive frequency of the receive means; and
processing means for encoding an indication of the difference in the return signal transmitted by the transmit means. - View Dependent Claims (43)
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42. The implantable medical device of claim 42, further comprising a clock, and wherein the processing means is for enabling the receive means to receive at pre-set communication periods determined from the clock, and wherein the processing means is for testing the signal received by the receive means during the pre-set communication periods for an unlock code.
Specification