Temperature Sensor for a Leadless Cardiac Pacemaker
First Claim
1. A semiconductor temperature sensor, comprising:
- at least one bipolar transistor configured to generate;
a complimentary-to-absolute-temperature (CTAT) signal derived from a base-emitter voltage of the at least one bipolar transistor;
first and second proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) signals derived from the at least one bipolar transistor, the first PTAT signal being equal to the CTAT signal at a first temperature, the second PTAT signal being equal to the CTAT signal at a second temperature;
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to covert the CTAT signal and the first and second PTAT signals into a digital temperature output signal; and
a controller configured to scale the digital temperature output signal to represent a preferred temperature scale.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A leadless cardiac pacemaker comprises a hermetic housing, a power source disposed in the housing, at least two electrodes supported by the housing, a semiconductor temperature sensor disposed in the housing, and a controller disposed in the housing and configured to deliver energy from the power source to the electrodes to stimulate the heart based upon temperature information from the temperature sensor. In some embodiments, the sensor can be configured to sense temperature information within a predetermined range of less than 20 degrees C. The temperature sensor can be disposed in the housing but not bonded to the housing.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A semiconductor temperature sensor, comprising:
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at least one bipolar transistor configured to generate; a complimentary-to-absolute-temperature (CTAT) signal derived from a base-emitter voltage of the at least one bipolar transistor; first and second proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) signals derived from the at least one bipolar transistor, the first PTAT signal being equal to the CTAT signal at a first temperature, the second PTAT signal being equal to the CTAT signal at a second temperature; an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to covert the CTAT signal and the first and second PTAT signals into a digital temperature output signal; and a controller configured to scale the digital temperature output signal to represent a preferred temperature scale. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of measuring temperature with a semiconductor temperature sensor, comprising:
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deriving a complimentary-to-absolute-temperature (CTAT) signal from a base-emitter voltage of at least one bipolar transistor; deriving first and second proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) signals from the at least one bipolar transistor, wherein the first PTAT signal is approximately equal to the CTAT signal at a first temperature, wherein the second PTAT signal is approximately equal to the CTAT signal at a second temperature; converting the CTAT signal and the first and second PTAT signals into a digital temperature output signal with an analog-to-digital converter (ADC); and scaling the digital temperature output signal to represent a preferred temperature scale. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. A leadless cardiac pacemaker comprising:
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a hermetic housing configured to be implanted in a chamber of a human heart; a power source disposed in the housing; at least two electrodes supported by the housing; a semiconductor temperature sensor disposed in the housing, comprising; at least one bipolar transistor configured to generate a complimentary-to-absolute-temperature (CTAT) signal derived from a base-emitter voltage of at least one bipolar transistor, and first and second proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) signals derived from the at least one bipolar transistor, the first PTAT signal being equal to the CTAT signal at a first temperature, the second PTAT signal being equal to the CTAT signal at a second temperature; an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to covert the CTAT signal and the first and second PTAT signals into a digital temperature output signal; a controller disposed in the housing and configured to deliver energy from the power source to the electrodes to stimulate the heart based on the digital temperature output signal from the semiconductor temperature sensor. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A leadless cardiac pacemaker comprising:
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a hermetic housing configured to be implanted in a chamber of a human heart; a switched-bias power source disposed in the housing; at least two electrodes supported by the housing; a semiconductor temperature sensor comprising; at least one bipolar transistor configured to generate a complimentary-to-absolute-temperature (CTAT) signal derived from a base-emitter voltage of at least one bipolar transistor, and first and second proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) signals derived from the at least one bipolar transistor, the first PTAT signal being generated by operating the at least one bipolar transistor at a first pair of current densities, the second PTAT signal being generated by operating the at least one bipolar transistor at a second pair of current densities, wherein a first ratio of the first pair of current densities differs from a second ratio of the second pair of current densities; an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to covert the CTAT signal and the first and second PTAT signals into a digital temperature output signal; and a controller disposed in the housing and configured to deliver energy from the power source to the electrodes to stimulate the heart based upon the digital temperature output signal from the semiconductor temperature sensor. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A leadless cardiac pacemaker comprising:
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a hermetic housing configured to be disposed in a chamber of a human heart; a power source disposed in the housing; at least two electrodes supported by the housing; a semiconductor temperature sensor disposed in the housing, the semiconductor temperature sensor being configured to sense temperature information within a predetermined range of less than 20 degrees C.; and a controller disposed in the housing and configured to deliver energy from the power source to the electrodes to stimulate the heart based upon temperature information from the temperature sensor. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification