Communication System with Enhanced Partial Power Source and Method of Manufacturing Same

• US 20150080679A1
• Filed: 06/18/2014
• Published: 03/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Proteus Digital Health, Inc. (Otsuka Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Proteus Digital Health, Inc. (Otsuka Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: Frank, Jeremy, Bjeletich, Peter, Hafezi, Hooman, Azevedo, Robert, Duck, Robert, Pesic, Iliya, Costello, Benedict, Snyder, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 9,962,107 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/302
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/12 Manufacturing methods specially adapted for producing sensors for in-vivo measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/125 characterised by the manufacture of electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/162 Capsule shaped sensor housings, e.g. for swallowing or implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0028 Body tissue as transmission medium, i.e. transmission systems where the medium is the human body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/073 Intestinal transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14539 for measuring pH
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6861 Capsules, e.g. for swallowing or implanting
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/007 Marking tablets or the like apparatus for printing on tablets or the like B41F17/36
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0402 Methods of deposition of the material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/06 Electrodes for primary cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/08 Processes of manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/366 as layered products
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/381 Alkaline or alkaline earth metals elements H01M4/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/582 Halogenides
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/66 Selection of materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/34 : Immersion cells, e.g. sea-water cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 : Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1056 : Perforating lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 : Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 : Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

The system of the present invention includes a conductive element, an electronic component, and a partial power source in the form of dissimilar materials. Upon contact with a conducting fluid, a voltage potential is created and the power source is completed, which activates the system. The electronic component controls the conductance between the dissimilar materials to produce a unique current signature. The system can also measure the conditions of the environment surrounding the system.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a plurality of communication devices, wherein each of the plurality of communication devices comprises a non-conducting membrane and a partial power source device, the method comprising:

cutting a plurality of openings into a sheet of non-conducting material to produce an assembly membrane sheet, wherein the shape of each opening corresponds to the shape of a framework of each of the plurality of devices;

inserting one partial power source device selected from a plurality of partial power source devices into each opening of the assembly membrane sheet to produce a loaded membrane sheet, wherein each of the plurality of partial power source devices is prepared according to a process that comprises depositing a layer of transition metal on an opposite surface of a support structure from a surface having an adhesion material;

depositing a layer of non-reactive material onto the loaded membrane sheet on a side opposite the transition metal to produce an adhesion membrane sheet, wherein the layer of non-reactive material defines a plurality of holes;

depositing a first material onto the adhesion membrane sheet on the side with the adhesive material, wherein the first material adheres to the non-reactive material; and

depositing a second material onto the layer of transition metal to produce a partial power device sheet, wherein the first material and the second material are configured to produce a voltage potential difference when the first material and the second material come into contact with an electrically conductive fluid.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, defining a plurality of boundaries on the support structure, wherein each boundary corresponds to circuitry of each device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein depositing a layer of non-reactive material further comprises defining a group of holes, wherein each group of holes is contained within one boundary selected from the plurality of boundaries, such that the position of each hole within the group of holes is within the corresponding boundary.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising depositing the first material over the adhesive material such that any edge of the first material is not positioned over any one of the plurality of holes.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the edge of the first material is positioned between any one edge of the adhesive material and the boundary.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of holes is spaced a first distance from any one of the edges of the adhesive material.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first distance is a minimum distance required to separate the holes from any one of the edges of the adhesive material to allow the plurality of the holes to fall within the boundary such that the edge of the first material is not positioned over any one of the plurality of holes.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein depositing the first material comprises depositing a CuCl material.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein depositing the second material comprises depositing a Mg material.

8. A method of manufacturing a plurality of communication devices, wherein each of the plurality of communication devices comprises a non-conducting membrane and a partial power source device, the method comprising:

cutting a plurality of openings into a sheet of non-conducting material to produce an assembly membrane sheet, wherein the shape of each opening corresponds to the shape of a framework of each of the plurality of devices;

inserting one partial power source device selected from a plurality of partial power source devices into each opening of the assembly membrane sheet to produce a loaded membrane sheet, wherein each of the plurality of partial power source devices is prepared according to a process that comprises depositing a layer of transition metal on an opposite surface of a support structure from a surface having an adhesion material;

depositing a layer of non-reactive material onto the loaded membrane sheet on a side opposite the transition metal to produce an adhesion membrane sheet, wherein the layer of non-reactive material defines a plurality of holes;

depositing a first material onto the adhesion membrane sheet on the side with the adhesive material, wherein the first material adheres to the non-reactive material;

depositing a second material onto the layer of transition metal to produce a partial power device sheet, wherein the first material and the second material are configured to produce a voltage potential difference when the first material and the second material come into contact with an electrically conductive fluid; and

removing at least one of the plurality of communication devices from the assembly membrane sheet.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein removing the at least one of the plurality of communication devices from the assembly membrane sheet comprises punching the at least one of the plurality of communication devices from the assembly membrane sheet with a punch press.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising applying a coating to the at least one of the plurality of communication devices after it is removed from the assembly membrane sheet.

13. A method of manufacturing a plurality of communication devices, wherein each of the plurality of communication devices comprises a non-conducting membrane and a partial power source device, the method comprising:

cutting a plurality of openings into a sheet of non-conducting material to produce an assembly membrane sheet, wherein the shape of each opening corresponds to the shape of a framework of each of the plurality of devices;

inserting one partial power source device selected from a plurality of partial power source devices into each opening of the assembly membrane sheet to produce a loaded membrane sheet, wherein each of the plurality of partial power source devices is prepared according to a process that comprises depositing a layer of transition metal on an opposite surface of a support structure from a surface having an adhesion material, heating the transition metal and the framework;

depositing a layer of non-reactive material onto the loaded membrane sheet on a side opposite the transition metal to produce an adhesion membrane sheet, wherein the layer of non-reactive material defines a plurality of holes;

depositing a first material onto the adhesion membrane sheet on the side with the adhesive material, wherein the first material adheres to the non-reactive material; and

depositing a second material onto the layer of transition metal to produce a partial power device sheet, wherein the first material and the second material are configured to produce a voltage potential difference when the first material and the second material come into contact with an electrically conductive fluid.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising cleaning a surface of the transition metal after heating the transition metal and the framework.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein cleaning the surface of the transition metal heating the transition metal and the framework further comprises cleaning the surface of the transition metal heating the transition metal and the framework with ions using an gun.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising depositing the second material onto the cleaned surface of the transition metal.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the adhesion material has an unfinished surface for receiving the first material thereon.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising roughening the surface of the adhesion material prior to receiving the first material thereon

19. The method of claim 13, wherein depositing the first material comprises depositing a CuCl material.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein depositing the second material comprises depositing a Mg material.

21. A communication device, comprising:

a non-conducting membrane; and

a partial power source comprising;

a support structure comprising a first surface and a second surface, the first surface comprising an adhesive material and the second surface comprising a layer of transition metal deposited thereon;

a layer of non-reactive material deposited onto the transition metal to produce an adhesion membrane sheet, wherein the layer of non-reactive material defines a plurality of holes;

a first material deposited onto the adhesive material, wherein the first material adheres to the non-reactive material; and

a second material deposited onto the layer of transition metal to produce a partial power device sheet, wherein the first material and the second material are configured to produce a voltage potential difference when the first material and the second material come into contact with an electrically conductive fluid.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a plurality of boundaries defined on the support structure, wherein each boundary corresponds to circuitry of each device.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further defining a group of holes on the layer of non-reactive material, wherein each group of holes is contained within one boundary selected from the plurality of boundaries, such that the position of each hole within the group of holes is within the corresponding boundary.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising the first material deposited over the adhesive material such that any edge of the first material is not positioned over any one of the plurality of holes.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the edge of the first material is positioned between any one edge of the adhesive material and the boundary.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the plurality of holes is spaced a first distance from any one of the edges of the adhesive material.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the first distance is a minimum distance required to separate the holes from any one of the edges of the adhesive material to allow the plurality of the holes to fall within the boundary such that the edge of the first material is not positioned over any one of the plurality of holes.

28. The apparatus of claim 21, configured to be located in an opening cut into a sheet of non-conducting material to produce an assembly membrane sheet, wherein the shape of each opening corresponds to the shape of a framework of the device.