IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANAGING ADVERTISING AND SCANNING SCHEDULES

• US 20190321646A1
• Filed: 07/03/2019
• Published: 10/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Original Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Wu, Yongjian, Shah, Samir, Hellman, Heidi, Shahandeh, Reza, Singh, Tejpal, Huang, Youjing, Young, Chao-Wen
• Granted Patent: US 11,298,552 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0215 by means inserted into the body catheters A61M25/00
• 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 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4836 Diagnosis combined with treatment in closed-loop systems or methods A61B5/0036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/023 for introduction into the body, e.g. into the oesophagus oesophageal ECG probes A61B5/285
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/362 Heart stimulators heart defibrillators A61N1/39
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37223 Circuits for electromagnetic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37252 Details of algorithms or data aspects of communication system, e.g. handshaking, transmitting specific data or segmenting data
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3956 Implantable devices for applying electric shocks to the heart, e.g. for cardioversion
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Methods and devices for managing establishment of a communications link between an external instrument (EI) and an implantable medical device (IMD) are provided. The methods and devices comprise storing, in memory in at least one of the IMD or the EI an advertising schedule defining a pattern for advertisement notices. The advertisement notices are distributed un-evenly and separated by unequal advertisement intervals. The method transmits, from a transmitter in at least one of the IMD or the EI the advertisement notices. The advertisement notices are distributed as defined by the advertising schedule. The method establishes a communication session between the IMD and the EI.

Claims

1. A method for use with an implantable medical device (IMD), the method comprising:

transmitting an advertisement notice in accordance with an advertising schedule during an advertising state;

scanning one or more channels for a connection request following the transmitting of the advertisement notice;

determining whether a valid connection request was received by the IMD from an external instrument (EI) within a specified interval following the transmitting of the advertising notice;

repeating the transmitting and the scanning during the advertising state, in response to determining that a valid connection request was not received by the IMD, from an EI, within the specified interval following the transmitting of the advertising notice;

determining whether a duration of the advertising state exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

changing the advertising schedule in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the advertising schedule includes a first advertisement interval between first and second advertisement notices and a second advertisement interval between the second advertisement notice and a third advertisement notice;

the first and second advertisement intervals differ from one another; and

the changing the advertising schedule, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold, comprises changing one or both of first and second advertisement intervals.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the advertising schedule includes a first advertisement interval between first and second advertisement notices and a second advertisement interval between the second advertisement notice and a third advertisement notice;

the first and second advertisement intervals differ from one another; and

the changing the advertising schedule, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold, comprises adding a third advertising interval that differs from the first and second advertisement intervals.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the changing the advertising schedule, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold, comprises switching between predetermined advertising schedules.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a communication link between the IMD and an EI, in response to determining that a valid connection request was received by the IMD from an EI.

6. A method for use with an implantable medical device (IMD), the method comprising:

transmitting an advertisement notice in accordance with an adverting schedule during an advertising state;

scanning one or more channels for a connection request following the transmitting of the advertisement notice;

determining whether a valid connection request was received by the IMD from an external instrument (EI) within a specified interval following the transmitting of the advertising notice;

repeating the transmitting and the scanning for one or more additional instances of the advertising state, in response to determining that a valid connection request was not received by the IMD, from an EI, during the advertising notice;

determining whether a number of the advertising states, which have occurred without a successful connection having been established between the IMD and an EI, exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

changing the advertising schedule in response to the number of the advertising states, which have occurred without a successful connection having been established between the IMD and an EI, exceeding the predetermined threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the advertising schedule includes a first advertisement interval between first and second advertisement notices and a second advertisement interval between the second advertisement notice and a third advertisement notice;

the first and second advertisement intervals differ from one another; and

the changing the advertising schedule, in response to the number of the advertising states, which have occurred without a successful connection having been established between the IMD and an EI, exceeding the predetermined threshold, comprises changing one or both of first and second advertisement intervals.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the advertising schedule includes a first advertisement interval between first and second advertisement notices and a second advertisement interval between the second advertisement notice and a third advertisement notice;

the first and second advertisement intervals differ from one another; and

the changing the advertising schedule, in response to the number of the advertising states, which have occurred without a successful connection having been established between the IMD and an EI, exceeding the predetermined threshold, comprises adding a third advertising interval that differs from the first and second advertisement intervals.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the changing the advertising schedule, in response to the number of the advertising states, which have occurred without a successful connection having been established between the IMD and an EI, exceeding the predetermined threshold, comprises switching between predetermined advertising schedules.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

establishing a communication link between the IMD and an EI, in response to determining that a valid connection request was received by the IMD from an EI.

11. An implantable medical device (IMD), comprising:

a memory that stores an advertising schedule that defines a plurality of advertising intervals, at least some of which are unequal, wherein the stored advertising schedule is for use in transmitting advertising notices in accordance with a pattern that distributes at least some of the advertisement notices un-evenly by being separated by unequal ones of the advertisement intervals;

a processor configured to access the advertising schedule stored in the memory;

a transmitter configured to selectively transmit the advertisement notices under control of the processor; and

a receiver configured to scan one or more channels for a connection request following transmission of one of the advertisement notices by the transmitter;

the processor also configured to

cause transmitting of the advertisement notices by the transmitter in accordance with the advertising schedule during an advertising state;

determine whether a valid connection request was received by the IMD from an external instrument (EI) within a specified interval following a said advertising notice being transmitted;

determine whether a duration of the advertising state exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

change the advertising schedule in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold.

12. The IMD of claim 11, wherein:

the advertising schedule includes a first advertisement interval between first and second advertisement notices and a second advertisement interval between the second advertisement notice and a third advertisement notice;

the first and second advertisement intervals differ from one another; and

the processor is configured to change the advertising schedule, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold, by changing one or both of first and second advertisement intervals.

13. The IMD of claim 11, wherein:

the advertising schedule includes a first advertisement interval between first and second advertisement notices and a second advertisement interval between the second advertisement notice and a third advertisement notice;

the first and second advertisement intervals differ from one another; and

the processor is configured to change the advertising schedule, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold, by adding a third advertising interval that differs from the first and second advertisement intervals.

14. The IMD of claim 11, wherein:

the processor is configured to change the advertising schedule, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold, by switching between predetermined advertising schedules stored in the memory.

15. The IMD of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to establish a communication link between the IMD and an EI, in response to determining that a valid connection request was received by the IMD from an EI.

16. An implantable medical device (IMD), comprising:

a memory that stores an advertising schedule that defines a plurality of advertising intervals, at least some of which are unequal, wherein the stored advertising schedule is for use in transmitting advertising notices in accordance with a pattern that distributes at least some of the advertisement notices un-evenly by being separated by unequal ones of the advertisement intervals;

a processor configured to access the advertising schedule stored in the memory;

a transmitter configured to selectively transmit the advertisement notices under control of the processor;

a receiver configured to scan one or more channels for a connection request following transmission of one of the advertisement notices by the transmitter;

the processor also configured to

cause transmitting of the advertisement notices by the transmitter in accordance with the adverting schedule during an advertising state;

determine whether a valid connection request was received by the IMD from an external instrument (EI) within a specified interval following a said advertising notice being transmitted;

determine whether a number of the advertising states, which have occurred without a successful connection having been established between the IMD and an EI, exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

change the advertising schedule in response to the number of the advertising states, which have occurred without a successful connection having been established between the IMD and an EI, exceeding the predetermined threshold.

17. The IMD of claim 16, wherein:

the advertising schedule includes a first advertisement interval between first and second advertisement notices and a second advertisement interval between the second advertisement notice and a third advertisement notice;

the first and second advertisement intervals differ from one another; and

the processor is configured to change the advertising schedule by changing one or both of first and second advertisement intervals, in response to the number of the advertising states, which have occurred without a successful connection having been established between the IMD and an EI, exceeding the predetermined threshold,

18. The IMD of claim 16, wherein:

the advertising schedule includes a first advertisement interval between first and second advertisement notices and a second advertisement interval between the second advertisement notice and a third advertisement notice;

the first and second advertisement intervals differ from one another; and

the processor is configured to change the advertising schedule by adding a third advertising interval that differs from the first and second advertisement intervals, in response to the number of the advertising states, which have occurred without a successful connection having been established between the IMD and an EI, exceeding the predetermined threshold.

19. The IMD of claim 16, wherein:

the processor is configured to change the advertising schedule by switching between predetermined advertising schedules stored in the memory, in response to the number of the advertising states, which have occurred without a successful connection having been established between the IMD and an EI, exceeding the predetermined threshold.

20. The IMD of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to establish a communication link between the IMD and an EI, in response to determining that a valid connection request was received by the IMD from an EI.