IMPLANT WITH ANTENNA ARRAY

• US 20110087306A1
• Filed: 10/13/2009
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC), Intellectual Ventures Asia Pte Ltd (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Asia Pte Ltd (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Goossen, Keith Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 8,417,340 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3718 Monitoring of or protection against external electromagnetic fields or currents
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37229 Shape or location of the implanted or external antenna

Abstract

An example implant device described herein may be adapted to communicate with other devices via an antenna array. The antenna array may be configured to minimize radiation to surrounding tissue and/or maximize signal power in a direction of device(s) with which the implant device communicates.

Claims

1. An implant device that is implantable inside an organism and adapted to wirelessly communicate with a device external to the implant device, the implant device comprising:

an electronic device configured for wireless communications;

an antenna array communicatively coupled with the electronic device and adapted to wirelessly communicate implant device data associated with the electronic device, the antenna array comprising two or more individual antenna elements configured in a substantially parallel alignment at a fixed distance with respect to one another, wherein the configuration of the two or more individual antenna elements is adapted to promote destructive interference of electromagnetic waves emitted by the individual antenna elements in a first plane, the first plane corresponding to a tissue plane when the implant device is implanted in the organism, and wherein the configuration of the two or more individual antenna elements is adapted to promote constructive interference of the electromagnetic waves in a direction substantially normal to the first plane.

2. The implant device of claim 1, further comprising a reflector configured at a fixed reflecting distance with respect to the antenna array, wherein the configuration of the reflector is adapted to promote constructive interference of reflected electromagnetic waves with the electromagnetic waves emitted by the individual antenna elements in a direction substantially normal to the first plane.

3. The implant device of claim 2, wherein the antenna array and reflector are configured as an image antenna.

4. The implant device of claim 1, further comprising a signal splitter comprising a first port and a second port, wherein the first port and the second port are coupled to a respective one of the two or more individual antenna elements, wherein the signal splitter is configured such that electromagnetic waves associated with the first and second ports are in phase with one another.

5. The implant device of claim 1, the electronic device comprising a component configured to adjust a strongest signal direction of the antenna array by adjusting phase of the individual antenna elements.

6. The implant device of claim 1, wherein the individual antenna elements comprise one or more of a whip-type antenna, a dipole-type antenna, a planar antenna, and/or a microstrip-type antenna.

7. The implant device of claim 1, the electronic device further comprising an antenna element failure detection component and a signal power control component adapted to detect a failure associated with an individual antenna element from the two or more antenna elements, and adjust an antenna signal level for a non-failed antenna element in response to the detected failure of an individual antenna element.

8. The implant device of claim 1, the electronic device further configured to:

evaluate signals received via the antenna array and determine a transmission direction associated with the received signals; and

adjust phase of individual antenna elements to transmit a strongest signal in a direction associated with the received signals.

9. The implant device of claim 1, the electronic device further comprising one or more of a transmit processing component configured to transmit communications with the antenna array, a receive processing component configured to receive communications with the antenna array, and a wake-up receiver component configured to wake up the electronic device in response to a wake up signal received at the antenna array.

10. The implant device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device and antenna array are disposed within a housing adapted to implant in a predefined orientation with respect the first plane.

11. A method performed by an implant device that is implantable inside an organism and adapted to wirelessly communicate via an electronic device and an antenna array with a device external to the implant device, the method comprising:

receiving sensor data by the electronic device;

adapting implant device data for wireless transmission by the electronic device, the implant device data comprising one or more of the sensor data and implant device properties data;

wirelessly transmitting the implant device data with the electronic device via the antenna array, wherein the antenna array is adapted to produce destructive interference of transmitted signals in a plane of a tissue layer, thereby reducing electromagnetic radiation in the tissue layer relative to electromagnetic radiation in a direction substantially normal to the tissue layer.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising detecting an initiation of wireless communications with the electronic device in response to a wake-up receiver that is coupled to the electronic device.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing the sensor data in a memory of the electronic device for later transmission.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the implant device data further comprises one or more of implant device operations data, and/or emergency alert data.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving signals associated with the external device with the electronic device via the antenna array;

determining a transmission direction associated with the received signals, wherein the determined transmission direction is associated with a direction of an external device relative to the implant device; and

adjusting one or more phases associated with individual antenna elements in the antenna array based on the determined transmission direction such that signal levels in the direction of the external device are increased.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising one or more of receiving, by the electronic device, therapy delivery commands via the antenna array, and generating, by the electronic device, therapy delivery signals adapted to deliver therapy to the organism.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting a failure of an individual antenna element in the antenna array with the electronic device; and

adjusting a signal power associated with the individual antenna element in response to the detected failure with the electronic device.

18. A microchip controller couplable to an implant device that is implantable inside an organism and adapted to wirelessly communicate via an antenna array with a device external to the implant device, the microchip controller comprising:

an RF transceiver that includes a send path and a receive path, wherein the send path of the RF transceiver is configured to convert implant device data associated with the implant device into RF signals, and transmit RF signals via the antenna array to the device external to the implant device, and wherein the receive path of the RF transceiver is configured to convert received RF signals from the antenna array into data adapted for consumption by the implant device.

19. The microchip controller of claim 18, wherein the RF signals adapted for wireless communication and the received RF signals are in a Medical Implanted Communication Service (MICS) frequency range.

20. The microchip controller of claim 18, further comprising a wake-up receiver configured to receive a wake-up signal from the antenna array and wake up the microchip controller in response to receiving the wake-up signal.