PYRO/PIEZO SENSOR AND STIMULATOR HYBRID CIRCUIT

• US 20100076252A1
• Filed: 09/18/2009
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dymedix Corporation
• Original Assignee: Dymedix Corporation
• Inventors: Henke, Reinhold, Stasz, Peter
• Application Number:
  US12/562,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20100076252A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/28
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/08 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4806 Sleep evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence; devices for inducing sleep A61M21/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4812 Detecting sleep stages or cycles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4818 Sleep apnoea
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/56 Devices for preventing snoring by influencing the respiratory system by gas treatment A61M16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/802 Drive or control circuitry or methods for piezoelectric or electrostrictive devices not otherwise provided for

Abstract

This document discusses, among other things, an apparatus and method for receiving respiration information of a patient and for providing a stimulation to the patient using a hybrid circuit. The hybrid circuit includes a control input for receiving a control signal having a first and second state. A sense switch of the hybrid circuit can provide respiration information from a pyro/piezoelectric film sleep sensor and stimulator to a closed loop neuromodulator in response to the first state. A stimulation switch of the hybrid circuit can provide stimulation energy from the closed loop neuromodulator to the pyro/piezoelectric film sensor and stimulator in response to the second state. The hybrid circuit can couple to the pyro/piezoelectric film sensor and stimulator using a single wire pair.

Claims

1. A hybrid circuit for receiving respiration information of a patient and for providing a stimulation to the patient, the hybrid circuit comprising:

a control input configured to receive a control signal from a closed loop neuromodulator, the control signal having a first state and a second state;

a sense switch configured to provide the respiration information from a pyro/piezoelectric film sensor and stimulator to the closed loop neuromodulator in response to the first state of the received control signal;

a stimulation switch configured to provide the stimulation energy from the closed loop neuromodulator to the pyro/piezoelectric film sensor and stimulator in response to the second state of the received control signal; and

wherein the hybrid circuit is configured to couple to the pyro/piezoelectric film sensor and stimulator using a single wire pair.

2. The hybrid circuit of claim 1, including a sensing load impedance, coupled to the sensing switch, configured to suppress false sensing signals generated when the control signal switches the sensing switch.

3. The hybrid circuit of claim 2, wherein the sensing load impedance includes a 1 mega ohm resister connected in parallel with a 10 microfarad capacitor.

4. The hybrid circuit of claim 1, including a stimulation load impedance, coupled to the stimulation switch, configured to suppress transmission of false stimulation signals to the pyro/piezoelectric film sensor and stimulator when the control signal switches the stimulation switch.

5. The hybrid circuit of claim 4, wherein the stimulation load impedance includes a 1 kilo ohm resistor connected in parallel with a 0.01 microfarad capacitor.

6. A system for treating a patient with a sleep disorder, the system comprising:

a pyro/piezoelectric film sensor and stimulator configured to detect respiration information of the patient and to provide stimulation to the patient;

a closed loop neuromodulator configured to provide a control signal to a hybrid circuit, to receive the respiration information from the hybrid circuit, and to provide the stimulation energy to the hybrid circuit, the hybrid circuit including;

a control input configured to receive the control signal from a closed loop neuromodulator, the control signal having a first state and a second state;

a sense switch configured to provide the respiration information from the pyro/piezoelectric film sensor and stimulator to the closed loop neuromodulator in response to the first state of the received control signal; and

a stimulation switch configured to provide the stimulation energy from the closed loop neuromodulator to the pyro/piezoelectric film sensor and stimulator in response to the second state of the received control signal;

wherein the hybrid circuit is configured to couple to the pyro/piezoelectric film sensor and stimulator using a single wire pair; and

wherein the stimulation is provided to the patient using the stimulation energy.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the hybrid circuit is configured to switch a coupling of the single wire pair between a sensing output of the hybrid circuit and a stimulation input of the hybrid circuit.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the hybrid circuit includes a sensing switch coupled to the sensing output, the sensing switch configured to couple the single wire pair to the sensing output in response to the first state of the control signal.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the hybrid circuit includes a sensing load impedance, coupled to the sensing switch, configured to suppress false sensing signals generated when the hybrid circuit switches the single wire pair.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the sensing load impedance includes a 1 mega ohm resister connected in parallel with a 10 microfarad capacitor.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the hybrid circuit includes a stimulation switch coupled to the simulation input, the stimulation switch configured to couple the single wire pair to the stimulation input in response to the second state of the control signal.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the hybrid circuit includes a stimulation load impedance, coupled to the stimulation switch, configured to suppress transmission of false stimulation signals to the pyro/piezoelectric sleep film sensor and stimulator when the hybrid circuit switches the single wire pair.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the stimulation load impedance includes a 1 kilo ohm resistor connected in parallel with a 0.01 microfarad capacitor.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein the pyro/piezoelectric film sensor and stimulator is configured to provide tactile stimulation to the patient.

15. The system of claim 6, wherein the pyro/piezoelectric film sensor and stimulator is configured to provide acoustical stimulation to the patient.

16. A method comprising:

receiving a control signal at a hybrid circuit, the control signal having a first state and a second state;

providing respiration information from a pyro/piezoelectric film sensor and stimulator to a closed loop neuromodulator in response to the first state of the control signal;

providing stimulation energy from the closed loop neuromodulator to the pyro/piezoelectric film sensor and stimulator in response to the second state of the control signal; and

wherein the providing the respiration information and the providing the stimulation energy includes using a single wire pair coupling the pyro/piezoelectric film sensor and stimulator to the hybrid circuit.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the providing the respiration information includes switching a sense relay to couple the single wire pair to a respiration input of the closed loop neuromodulator in response to the first state of the control signal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the switching the sense relay includes attenuating signal noise using a stimulation load impedance coupled to the sense relay.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the providing the stimulation energy includes switching a stimulation relay to couple the single wire pair to a stimulation energy output of the closed loop neuromodulator in response to the second state of the control signal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the switching the stimulation relay includes attenuating signal noise using a sense load impedance coupled to the stimulation relay.