PRESSURE SENSING IMPLANT

• US 20160324443A1
• Filed: 07/19/2016
• Published: 11/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Endotronix, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Endotronix, Inc.
• Inventors: Plag, Nathan, Panian, Tyler, Sundaram, Suresh, Rowland, Harry, Nagy, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,638,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/168 Fluid filled sensor housings
• 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 5/0215 by means inserted into the body catheters A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02152 specially adapted for venous pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/036 by means introduced into body tracts A61B5/032 and A61B5/035 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/076 Permanent implantations telemetry using implanted circuitry A61B5/0031; implanted stimulators for therapy A61N1/3605, A61N1/362, A61N1/372
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/08 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6869 Heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6876 Blood vessel

Abstract

Disclosed is an implant and method of making an implant. The implant having a housing that defines a cavity. The housing includes a sensor comprising a base attached to a diaphragm wherein said base may be positioned within said cavity. The sensor may be a capacitive pressure sensor. The diaphragm may be connected to the housing to hermetically seal said housing. The sensor may include electrical contacts positioned on the diaphragm. The base may define a capacitive gap and a vent wherein the electrodes may be positioned within said capacitive gap such that at least a portion of the electrical contacts extend through the vent. The implant may include a coil in electric communication with the sensor, said coil may be positioned within said housing. A printed circuit board having at least one component may be attached to the floating base.

Claims

1. An implant comprising:

a housing that defines a cavity;

a sensor connected to said housing comprising;

a diaphragm; and

a floating base attached to the diaphragm wherein said floating base is positioned entirely within said cavity.

2. The implant of claim 1, wherein said floating base is attached only to said diaphragm.

3. The implant of claim 1, wherein said sensor is a capacitive sensor.

4. The implant of claim 1, wherein said diaphragm is connected to said housing to form at least part of a hermetic seal about said cavity.

5. The implant of claim 1, wherein said sensor includes electrical contacts positioned on said diaphragm.

6. The implant of claim 3, wherein said floating base defines a capacitive gap and a vent.

7. The implant of claim 3, wherein said floating base and said diaphragm define a capacitive gap wherein an attachment between the floating base and the diaphragm includes a discontinuity that allows at least one electrical trace to connect at least one said electrical contact outside of said capacitive gap to at least one electrode positioned at least partially within the capacitive gap.

8. The implant of claim 7, wherein said discontinuity is a vent to allow the passage of fluid between the cavity and the capacitive gap.

9. The implant of claim 1, further comprising a coil in electrical communication with said sensor, said coil positioned within said housing.

10. The implant of claim 9, wherein said coil includes a coil axis wherein the coil axis is substantially perpendicular to said diaphragm.

11. The implant of claim 1, further comprising a printed circuit board having at least one electronic component, the printed circuit board attached to the floating base.

12. The implant of claim 11, wherein the electronic component is a capacitor whose capacitance value may be adjusted by laser trimming, wherein said laser passes through said housing.

13. The implant of claim 1, wherein implant parameters are adjusted after hermetic sealing is complete by transmitting radiation through the housing to inside the cavity.

14. The implant of claim 13, wherein said radiation is one of laser, ultraviolet light, infrared light, focused light, and gamma radiation.

15. The implant of claim 13, wherein said implant parameters are adjusted by at least one of:

ablating portions of electrodes on said sensor;

ablating portions of a capacitor;

ablating portions of tracks on a substrate;

curing an adhesive;

curing a coating;

modifying an optically sensitive chemical;

modifying a thermally sensitive chemical;

attaching items by welding;

separating items by cutting;

ablating a coating, film, or structure; and

causing solder to reflow.

16. A method of assembling an implant comprising:

providing a housing that defines a cavity;

attaching a floating base to a diaphragm to form a sensor;

attaching said diaphragm to said housing such that said floating base is positioned within said cavity;

attaching a coil to said sensor; and

attaching a bottom to said housing to form a hermetic seal about the cavity.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprises welding a plurality of side walls together to form said housing that defines said cavity.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprises machining a continuous material to provide said housing that defines said cavity.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said floating base is made of a different material than said diaphragm.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said diaphragm is hermetically attached to said housing by at least one laser weld about the perimeter of said cavity.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the housing includes an integral base.

22. A method of assembling an implant comprising:

providing a housing from a continuous material that defines a cavity having an integral base with a top side and a bottom side;

attaching a diaphragm to said housing such that a capacitive gap is formed between said diaphragm and said top side of said integral base;

inserting a coil into said cavity adjacent to said bottom side of said integral base; and

attaching a bottom wall to the housing to form a hermetic seal about said cavity.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising providing a through hole through said integral base.

24. The method of making the implant of claim 22, further comprising electrically connecting said coil to said sensor through said through hole.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein said coil is connected to said integral base with at least one through substrate via (TSV).

26. An implant comprising:

a housing that defines a cavity;

a sensor connected to said housing comprising;

a diaphragm having at least one diaphragm electrode; and

a base attached to the diaphragm, the base includes at least one base electrode wherein said base and diaphragm define a capacitive gap between the at least one diaphragm electrode and the at least one base electrode.

27. The implant of claim 26, wherein the area of said base is larger than the area of said diaphragm such that the base attaches to the housing to define the cavity.

28. The implant of claim 26, wherein the base is a floating base positioned within the cavity of said housing.

29. The implant of claim 26, wherein said base includes at least one through substrate via (TSV) to electrically connect the at least one of the base electrode and the diaphragm electrode to a component outside the capacitive gap.

30. The implant of claim 28, wherein said base further includes at least one additional through substrate via (TSV) configured to connect to at least one said diaphragm electrode of said sensor to a component outside said capacitive gap.

31. The implant of claim 28, wherein said base further includes at least one through hole to provide access to electrically connect said at least one said diaphragm electrode to a component outside said capacitive gap.

32. The implant of claim 26, wherein said diaphragm includes a thick region and a thin region wherein the thin region is aligned with said capacitive gap between the at least one diaphragm electrode and the at least one base electrode.

33. The implant of claim 26 further comprising a coil in electric communication with said sensor, said coil positioned within said housing.

34. The implant of claim 26 further comprising a printed circuit board having at least one electronic component, the printed circuit board attached to the base and electrically attached to said coil.

35. The implant of claim 26 further comprising a distal anchor and a proximal anchor opposite the distal anchor wherein the distal anchor and proximal anchor are formed as loops that extend from the implant, said anchors positionable in a fold down configuration and deployable from the fold down configuration to an open configuration.

36. The implant of claim 33, wherein said proximal and distal anchors are made of at least one of nitinol, platinum, stainless steel, polymer, and material which is biocompatible and extrudable.

37. The implant of claim 26, wherein the sensor is at least one of a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a chemical sensor, a proximity sensor, an optical sensor, and strain gauge.

38. The implant of claim 26, wherein said housing may be attached to said sensor by at least one of laser welding, frit bonding, anodic bonding, fusion bonding, and eutectic bonding.

39. The implant of claim 26, wherein the sensor is electrically attached to the other components inside said cavity wherein the electrical attachments are accomplished by at least one of wirebonding, soldering, ultrasonic bonding, wedge bonding, laser welding, and conductive adhesives.

40. The implant of claim 26, wherein said implant is an actuator.

41. The implant of claim 26 further comprising an energy storage unit within the cavity.

42. The implant of claim 39, wherein the energy storage unit is at least one of an electrochemical cell and a supercapacitor.

43. The implant of claim 26, further comprising an internal component within said cavity, the internal component is at least one of a drug, steroid, battery, stimulus electrode, pacing circuitry, flow sensor, and chemical sensor.

44. The implant of claim 26, wherein said implant communicates wirelessly with an external unit.

45. The implant of claim 26, wherein said implant includes a circuit having a resonant frequency that changes in response to a sensed parameter.

46. The implant of claim 26, wherein said implant includes a circuit functional to perform at least one of modulation, demodulation, memory, ac/dc conversion, and signal conditioning.

47. The implant of claim 26, wherein said housing and diaphragm are made of a non conductive material.

48. The implant of claim 26, wherein said implant is filled with a liquid or gel configured to transfer pressure from said diaphragm to a pressure sensor located inside said cavity.

50. The implant of claim 48 wherein said implant is configured to sense proximity.

51. The implant of claim 48 wherein said implant is configured to sense chemicals.

52. The implant of claim 48 wherein said implant is configured for wireless communication.

49. An implant comprising:

a housing that defines a cavity;

a sensor connected to said housing comprising a plate having at least two electrodes; and

a coil positioned inside said cavity;

wherein said coil is attached to said electrodes, forming a resonator and wherein said cavity is hermetically sealed.