Methods and systems for acoustic data transmission

• US 20080114224A1
• Filed: 09/06/2007
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innurvation Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Innurvation Incorporated
• Inventors: Bandy, William Robert, Okunev, Yuri, Davenport, Roger Allen
• Granted Patent: US 8,512,241 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/302
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00036 Means for power saving, e.g. sleeping mode
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0028 Body tissue as transmission medium, i.e. transmission systems where the medium is the human body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/073 Intestinal transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/42 Detecting, measuring or recording for evaluating the gastrointestinal, the endocrine or the exocrine systems A61B1/00, A61B5/4857, A61B5/486, A61B5/4866, A61B5/4869 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6861 Capsules, e.g. for swallowing or implanting
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0833 involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4236 characterised by adhesive patches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/56 Details of data transmission or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/565 involving data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA

Abstract

A method of communicating with an ingestible capsule includes detecting the location of the ingestible capsule, focusing a multi-sensor acoustic array on the ingestible capsule, and communicating an acoustic information exchange with the ingestible capsule via the multi-sensor acoustic array. The ingestible capsule includes a sensor that receives a stimulus inside the gastrointestinal tract of an animal, a bidirectional acoustic information communications module that transmits an acoustic information signal containing information from the sensor, and an acoustically transmissive encapsulation that substantially encloses the sensor and communications module, wherein the acoustically transmissive encapsulation is of ingestible size. The multi-sensor array includes a plurality of acoustic transducers that receive an acoustic signal from a movable device, and a plurality of delays, wherein each delay is coupled to a corresponding acoustic transducer. Each delay may be adjusted according to a phase of a signal received by the corresponding acoustic transducer.

Claims

1. A method for communicating with an ingestible capsule, comprising:

selecting one or more carrier frequencies associated with one or more frequency channels based on a hopping pattern; and

encoding data from the ingestible capsule based upon the one or more carrier frequencies; and

acoustically transmitting the encoded data through a body of an animal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of encoding data from the ingestible capsule further comprises:

generating one or more delay intervals based on the data to encode the data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of acoustically transmitting the encoded data further comprises:

transmitting a first carrier frequency associated with a first frequency channel through a body of an animal; and

transmitting a second carrier frequency associated with a second frequency channel through the body of an animal after waiting the one or more delay intervals.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of encoding data from the ingestible capsule further comprises:

embedding one or more phases of the one or more carrier frequencies into the one or more frequency channels to encode the data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein prior to the step of embedding one or more phases of the one or more carrier frequencies:

generating the one or more phases of the one or more carrier frequencies based upon one or more mathematical functions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting one or more carrier frequencies further comprises:

dividing the one or more carrier frequencies into one or more sets of carrier frequencies to produce the hopping pattern.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of encoding data from the ingestible capsule further comprises:

embedding a carrier frequency from the one or more sets of carrier frequencies into one or more frequency channels to encode the data.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of encoding data from the ingestible capsule further comprises:

embedding one or more phases of the one or more carrier frequencies into one or more frequency channels.

embedding a carrier frequency from the one or more sets of carrier frequencies into the one or more frequency channels to encode the data.

9. A method of communicating with an ingestible capsule, comprising:

acoustically receiving encoded data from a body of an animal;

selecting one or more carrier frequencies associated with one or more frequency channels based on a hopping pattern; and

decoding the encoded data based upon the one or more carrier frequencies.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step decoding data from the ingestible capsule further comprises:

measuring one or more delay intervals based on the data to decode the data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of acoustically receiving the encoded data further comprises:

receiving a first carrier frequency associated with a first frequency channel through a body of an animal; and

receiving a second carrier frequency associated with a second frequency channel through the body of an animal after waiting the one or more delay intervals.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of decoding the encoded data further comprises:

detecting one or more phases of the one or more carrier frequencies in one or more frequency channels to decode the data.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of selecting one or more carrier frequencies further comprises:

dividing the one or more carrier frequencies into one or more sets of carrier frequencies to produce the hopping pattern.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of decoding the encoded data further comprises:

detecting a carrier frequency from the one or more sets of carrier frequencies from one or more frequency channels to decode the data.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of decoding the encoded data further comprises:

detecting one or more phases of the one or more carrier frequencies from one or more frequency channels; and

.

detecting a carrier frequency from the one or more sets of carrier frequencies from the one or more frequency channels to decode the data.