SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SELECTIVELY COMMUNICATING WITH AN IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL DEVICE

• US 20150056921A1
• Filed: 08/23/2013
• Published: 02/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schwartz, Allan, Wu, Yongjian
• Granted Patent: US 9,232,485 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/42 in systems with time, space, frequency or polarisation diversity

Abstract

A system may include a target implantable medical device (IMD) and an external device configured to selectively communicate with the target IMD. The external device may include a communication module configured to communicate with the target IMD, a response analysis module configured to receive and analyze a target response signal from the target IMD and other response signals from other IMDS, and a power adjustment module configured to receive one or more power-adjustment request signals from the response analysis module. The power adjustment module is configured to adaptively adjust a power of a transmission request over a first frequency band based on the one or more power-adjustment request signals until the response analysis module receives only the target response signal from the target IMD.

Claims

1. An external device configured to selectively communicate with a target implantable medical device (IMD) within a vicinity of other IMDs, the external device comprising:

a communication module configured to communicate with the target IMD;

a response analysis module configured to receive and analyze a target response signal from the target IMD and the other response signals from the other IMDs; and

a power adjustment module configured to receive one or more power-adjustment request signals from the response analysis module, wherein the power adjustment module is configured to adaptively adjust a power of a transmission request over a first frequency band based on the one or more power-adjustment request signals until the response analysis module receives only the target response signal from the target IMD, and wherein the external device is configured to communicate with the target IMD over a second frequency band after the response analysis module receives only the target response signal.

2. The external device of claim 1, wherein the external device is configured to be positioned closer to the target IMD than the other IMDs.

3. The external device of claim 1, wherein one or more of the communication module, the response analysis module, and the power adjustment module are contained within a wand that is configured to wake up the target IMD.

4. The external device of claim 1, wherein one or more of the communication module, the response analysis module, and the power adjustment module are contained within one or more of a patient home care system, a tablet, a smart phone, or a laptop computer.

5. The external device of claim 1, wherein the communication module is devoid of telemetry hardware that is configured to facilitate inductive communication.

6. The external device of claim 1, wherein the power adjustment module is configured to incrementally decrease the power of transmission request over the first frequency band when the response analysis module receives one or more of the other signals from one of more the other IMDs.

7. The external device of claim 1, wherein the power adjustment module is configured to incrementally increase the power of the transmission request over the first frequency band when the response analysis module does not receive the target response signal.

8. The external device of claim 1, wherein the first frequency band is 2.45 GHz, and wherein the second frequency band is within a range of 402-405 MHz.

9. A system, comprising:

a target implantable medical device (IMD); and

an external device configured to selectively communicate with the target IMD, the external device comprising;

a communication module configured to communicate with the target IMD;

a response analysis module configured to receive and analyze a target response signal from the target IMD and other response signals from other IMDS; and

a power adjustment module configured to receive one or more power-adjustment request signals from the response analysis module, wherein the power adjustment module is configured to adaptively adjust a power of a transmission request over a first frequency band based on the one or more power-adjustment request signals until the response analysis module receives only the target response signal from the target IMD, and wherein the external device is configured to communicate with the target IMD over a second frequency band after the response analysis module receives only the target response signal.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the target IMD is closer to the external device than the other IMDs.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein one or more of the communication module, the response analysis module, and the power adjustment module are contained within a wand that is configured to wake up the target IMD.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein one or more of the communication module, the response analysis module, and the power adjustment module are contained within one or more of a patient home care system, a tablet, a smart phone, or a laptop computer.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the communication module and the target IMD is devoid of telemetry hardware that is configured to facilitate inductive communication.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the power adjustment module is configured to incrementally decrease the power of the transmission request over the first frequency band when the response analysis module receives one or more of the other signals from one of more the other IMDs.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the power adjustment module is configured to incrementally increase the power of the transmission request over the first frequency band when the response analysis module does not receive the target response signal.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the first frequency band is 2.45 GHz, and wherein the second frequency band is within a range of 402-405 MHz.

17. A method of selectively communicating with a target implantable medical device (IMD) within a vicinity of other IMDs, the method comprising:

communicating with the target IMD with a communication module;

receiving a target response signal from the target IMD with a response analysis module;

receiving one or more other response signals from one or more of the other IMDs with the response analysis module receive;

analyzing the target response signal and the one or more other response signals with the response analysis module; and

receiving one or more power-adjustment request signals from the response analysis module at a power adjustment module;

adaptively adjusting a power of a transmission request over a first frequency band based on the one or more power-adjustment request signals until the response analysis module receives only the target response signal from the target IMD; and

communicating with the target IMD over a second frequency band after the response analysis module receives only the target response signal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the communicating operation occurs when the external device is positioned closer to the target IMD than the other IMDs.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the adaptively adjusting operation comprises incrementally decreasing the power of the transmission request over the first frequency band when the response analysis module receives one or more of the other signals from one of more the other IMDs.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the adaptively adjusting operation comprises incrementally increasing the power of the transmission request over the first frequency band when the response analysis module does not receive the target response signal.