IMPLANTABLE DEVICE SYSTEM

• US 20100100079A1
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Holdings LLC (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Berkcan, Ertugrul, Andarawis, Emad Andarawis
• Granted Patent: US 9,364,362 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/891.100
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1355 Automated control means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2005/002 for sensing mechanical parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0003 Apparatus for the treatment of obesity; Anti-eating devices surgical instruments or methods for treatment of obesity, devices specially adapted therefor A61B17/00; hollow or tubular parts of organs A61F2/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/003 inflatable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0046 with wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/005 Gastric bands
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0053 remotely adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0059 with wireless means

Abstract

An implantable device system is disclosed. The implantable device system includes, a first energy transceiver system, a second energy transceiver system at least partially implanted within an organic tissue and capable of communication with the first energy transceiver system, and a sensing system capable of communication with the second energy transceiver system. An implantable device system array is also disclosed. A method of monitoring a physical parameter is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An implantable device system comprising:

a first energy transceiver system;

a second energy transceiver system at least partially implanted within an organic tissue and capable of communication with the first energy transceiver system; and

a sensing system capable of communication with the second energy transceiver system.

2. The implantable device system of claim 1, wherein the first energy transceiver system and the second energy transceiver system are separated by a distance of up to about 15 cm.

3. The implantable device system of claim 1, wherein the second energy transceiver system comprises a physical parameter sensing system.

4. The implantable device system of claim 3, further comprising an elastic member, wherein the physical parameter sensing system is capable of sensing a pressure of the elastic member.

5. The implantable device system of claim 4, wherein the elastic member further comprises a sealable port.

6. The implantable device system of claim 4, wherein the elastic member is a hollow tube.

7. The implantable device system of claim 6, wherein the hollow tube is in the form of a loop.

8. The implantable device system of claim 3, wherein the physical parameter sensing system comprises a physical interface member, a sensor, and a data interface module.

9. The implantable device system of claim 8, wherein the physical interface member comprises a membrane, a pressure transfer element such as a diaphragm, a pressure conversion element, a temperature transferring element such as a heat pipe, a permeable membrane, one or more ion-selective electrodes, an electromagnetic antenna, or combinations thereof.

10. The implantable device system of claim 9, wherein the physical interface member is composed of a material selected from the group consisting of silicon, titanium glass, metal, ceramic, polymer, semiconductor, biocompatible materials, and other non-biocompatible materials encapsulated in biocompatible materials, and combinations thereof.

11. The implantable device system of claim 8, wherein the sensor comprises a distributed sensor comprising a capacitive sensor, a piezoelectric sensor, a thermal sensor, an inductive sensor, a resistive sensor, a mechanical sensor, or combinations thereof.

12. The implantable device system of claim 11, wherein the sensor includes at least one MEMS sensor selected from the group consisting of MEMS based pressure sensors, MEMS incorporating circuit elements, and combinations thereof.

13. The implantable device system of claim 8, wherein the sensor is capable of quantitatively detecting a physical quantity selected from the group consisting of pressure, temperature, pH, electromagnetic energy, given chemical species, mechanical parameters, or combinations thereof.

14. The implantable device system of claim 8, wherein the data interface module comprises at least one signal conditioning unit, at least one filtering unit, at least one amplifier, at least one comparator, at least one analog to digital converter, or combinations thereof.

15. The implantable device system of claim 1, wherein the second energy transceiver system comprises:

an energy conversion component;

a processing unit;

a tuning control component; and

a tunable antenna.

16. The implantable device system of claim 15, wherein the energy conversion component comprises an AC-DC converter, a rectifier, a voltage regulator, or combinations thereof.

17. The implantable device system of claim 15, wherein the energy conversion component comprises an energy storage capacitor, a rechargeable battery, supercapacitor, mechanical energy storage system, or combinations thereof.

18. The implantable device system of claim 15, wherein the processing unit comprises a microcontroller, a field programmable gate array, a microprocessor, a programmable logic device, an application specific integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, or combinations thereof.

19. The implantable device system of claim 15, wherein the tunable antenna is capable of assuming a multitude of operational states and wherein the tuning control component is capable of placing the tunable antenna in any of the multitude of operational states.

20. The implantable device system of claim 15, wherein the tunable antenna comprises a fixed component and a tunable tuning component.

21. The implantable device system of claim 20, wherein the fixed component comprises a radiator and wherein the tunable tuning component comprises a tunable electromagnetic excitation source.

22. The implantable device system of claim 21, wherein the fixed component comprises a broadband radiator, an inductive coil, a frequency dependent electromagnetic absorber, a quarter wave antenna, a dipole antenna, a half wave antenna, or combinations thereof.

23. The implantable device system of claim 20, wherein the tunable tuning component is capable of modifying an impedance state of the tunable antenna by between a fraction of a percent and several hundreds of percent.

24. The implantable device system of claim 23, wherein the tunable tuning component comprises a capacitor, an inductor, or combinations thereof.

25. The implantable device system of claim 20, wherein the tunable tuning component is capable of modifying a frequency of operation of the fixed component within a range from about 100 kiloHertz to about 10 megaHertz.

26. The implantable device system of claim 1, wherein the implantable device system is housed in a biocompatible packaging comprising titanium, samarium cobalt, calcium oxide, cobalt oxide, polystyrenes, polyphosphoester, polyphosphazenes, aliphatic polyesters, natural polymers, or combinations thereof.

27. The implantable device system of claim 1, wherein the first energy transceiver system is selected from the group comprising an electromagnetic radiation transceiver, an acoustic energy transceiver, a mechanical energy transceiver, a vibration energy transceiver, and a radiation transceiver.

28. An implantable device system array, comprising:

a plurality of transceiver systems, wherein each of the transceiver systems comprises;

a first energy transceiver system;

a second energy transceiver system at least partially implanted within an organic tissue and capable of communication with the first energy transceiver system; and

a sensing system capable of communication with the second energy transceiver system and capable of performing a measurement operation of a physical parameter; and

wherein each of the plurality of transceiver systems is capable of independently communicating with any or all other transceiver systems of the plurality of transceiver systems.

29. The implantable device system array of claim 28, wherein a medium between the plurality of transceiver systems comprises organic tissue.

30. A method of monitoring a physical parameter, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting energy from a first transceiver system to a second transceiver system;

(b) using the energy within the second transceiver system to perform a physical parameter measurement operation;

(c) transmitting a result of the physical parameter measurement operation from the second transceiver system to the first transceiver system; and

(d) optionally independently repeating steps (a), (b), or (c);

wherein the second transceiver system is at least partially implanted within an organic tissue and is capable of communication with the first transceiver system.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the energy is electromagnetic energy that lies within a frequency range between about 75 kiloHertz to about 15 megaHertz.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the physical parameter measurement operation comprises the steps of:

(i) energizing a processing unit;

(ii) communicating an instruction, from the processing unit to a sensing system, to perform an analog sensing operation;

(iii) performing the analog sensing operation via the sensing system to produce an analog reading;

(iv) communicating the analog reading to the processing unit;

(v) converting, using the processing unit, the analog reading into a digital reading; and

(vi) transmitting, via an antenna, the digital reading to the second transceiver system.