Intra-Body Communication (IBC) Device And A Method Of Implementing The IBC Device

• US 20090240131A1
• Filed: 09/24/2008
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Taiwan University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Original Assignee: National Taiwan University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Inventors: Chen, Chun-Hao, Yeh, Kai-Wen, LU, Shey-Shi, Lin, Yu-Tso
• Granted Patent: US 8,131,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/372
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0215 Silver or silver chloride containing
• 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 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/909 Medical use or attached to human body

Abstract

The present invention relates to an intra-body communication (IBC) device and a method of implementing the IBC device. The IBC device is fabricated as a system-on-a-chip (SOC) and comprises a first electrode, a second electrode, an IBC module and a biomedical chip. The first electrode is connected to a patient'"'"'s skin. The second electrode is connected to the patient'"'"'s skin. The IBC module is connected to the first electrode and comprises a wireless communication device. The biomedical chip is connected to the second electrode and communicates with the IBC module through the patient'"'"'s skin to receive external commands and transmit sensed biomedical parameters to a faraway location.

Claims

1. An intra-body communication (IBC) device being designed and fabricated as a system-on-a-chip (SOC) to monitor a patient'"'"'s biomedical parameters and comprising:

a first electrode having

an inner end; and

an outer end connecting detachably to a patient'"'"'s skin;

a second electrode having

an inner end; and

an outer end connecting detachably to a patient'"'"'s skin;

an IBC module being connected to the inner end of the first electrode, receiving an external command, transmitting the external command, receiving the patient'"'"'s biomedical parameters, transmitting the patient'"'"'s biomedical parameters and comprising

a command transmitter being connected to the inner end of the first electrode and transmitting the external command to the second electrode through the first electrode and the patient'"'"'s skin;

a data receiver being connected to the inner end of the first electrode and receiving patient biomedical parameters from the second electrode through the patient'"'"'s skin and the first electrode;

a wireless communication device being connected to the command transmitter and data receiver, being a wireless transceiver, receiving commands from external sources, sending commands to the command transmitter and receiving, modulating and transmitting patient biomedical parameters to an external recipient; and

a biomedical chip being connected to the inner end of the second electrode and a biomedical parameter sensor, receiving activation commands from the IBC module, sampling patient biomedical parameters sensed by the biomedical parameter sensor, amplifying, converting, modulating and transmitting the patient biomedical parameters to the IBC module through the second electrode, a patient'"'"'s skin and the first electrode and comprising

a command receiver being connected to the inner end of the second electrode and receiving commands from the IBC module;

a micro-control unit (MCU) being connected to the command receiver, processing commands from the IBC module, controlling operation of the biomedical chip, being a Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART) that receives an external signal and controlling data transmission;

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) being connected to the MCU, being enabled by a signal from the MCU and for converting analog biomedical patient biomedical parameter signals from the biomedical parameter sensor to digital patient biomedical parameter signals;

a data transmitter being connected to and enabled by the MCU, connecting to the inner end of the second electrode, modulating and transmitting digital patient biomedical parameter signals to the data receiver of the IBC module and being an on/off shift keying circuit; and

a biomedical parameter amplifier (BPA) being connected to the ADC and a biomedical parameter sensor and amplifying signals received from the biomedical parameter sensor.

2. The IBC device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first electrode is silver (Ag).

3. The IBC device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first electrode is silver chloride (AgCl).

4. The IBC device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second electrode is silver (Ag).

5. The IBC device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second electrode is silver chloride (AgCl).

6. The IBC device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is a dedicated transceiver.

7. The IBC device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is a cellular phone.

8. The IBC device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is a personal watch.

9. The IBC device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is a personal digital assistant.

10. The IBC device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is a pager.

11. The IBC device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the command receiver is a self-mixing receiver.

12. The IBC device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the commands from external sources are received via internet;

and

patient biomedical parameters are transmitted via internet.

13. The IBC device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the commands from external sources are received via a cellular phone network;

and

patient biomedical parameters are transmitted via a cellular phone network.

14. The IBC device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the biomedical chip is implemented in a CMOS, SiGe or GaAs technology.

15. The IBC device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the command receiver is an on/off shift keying circuit.

16. The IBC device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the MCU comprises

a receiver having a signal input terminal, being connected to the command receiver at the signal input terminal and receiving signals from the command receiver;

an ID register holding authorized commands;

a command register being connected to the receiver and the ID register, holding coded commands corresponding to the authorized commands in the ID register, comparing signals received from the command receiver with authorized commands in the ID register and transmitting the coded command when the signal corresponds to an authorized command in the ID register;

a command decoder being connected to the command register and further decoding coded commands received from the command register;

a data converter and transmitter being connected to and enabled by the command decoder and having a data output terminal and a data input terminal;

a data converter control unit being connected to the instruction encoder and having an output terminal; and

the ADC is connected to the output terminal of the data converter control unit.

17. The IBC device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data transmitter of the biomedical chip comprises

a ring-oscillator being operated to produce signals;

a buffer; and

a class-C power amplifier (PA).

18. The IBC device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the command receiver of the biomedical chip comprises

a low voltage amplifier (LVA) amplifies a received signal;

a cascaded gain amplifier is connected to the LVA and further amplifies the signal amplified by the LVA to form two amplified signals;

low voltage multiplier (LVM) is connected to the cascaded gain amplifier and multiplies the two amplified signals to form a multiplied signal;

a low pass filter (LPF) is connected to the LVM and filters the multiplied signal to form a DC signal;

a comparator is connected to the LPF and converts the DC signal output from the LPF to a digital signal; and

a buffer is connected to the comparator and holds the digital signal output from the comparator.

19. The IBC device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the data converter and transmitter converts parallel data to serial data.

20. A method of using an IBC device comprising acts of

receiving wireless commands from an external source comprising receiving activation and mode commands by a wireless communication device;

initiating sampling of a biomedical parameter sensor comprising enabling an ADC and data transmitter so biomedical parameters sensed by a biomedical parameter sensor attached to a patient can be converted and forwarded to the wireless communication device through a patient'"'"'s skin for further transmission to a faraway location;

amplifying, converting and transmitting sensed biomedical parameters comprising amplifying analog biomedical parameters sensed by a biomedical parameter sensor attached to a patient, converting the analog biomedical parameters to digital signals and transmitting modulated digital signals through the patient'"'"'s skin to the wireless communication device; and

transmitting the sensed biomedical parameters via wireless means comprising transmitting sensed biomedical parameter to the faraway location by a wireless device.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the wireless communication device is a cellular phone.

22. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the wireless communication device is a wireless computer.

23. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the wireless communication device is a personal digital assistant (PDA).