Programmable human tissue stimulator
First Claim
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1. A programmable human tissue stimulator system comprising:
- an implanted stimulating signal generator for generating body tissue stimulating pulses responsive to control signals,an implanted memory means for storing control signals for controlling said stimulating signal generator,external control means for generating a plurality of sets of signals, each set including control signals, and signals which represent a memory address in said memory means,external means for transmitting said generated sets of signals;
an implanted receiver for receiving said sets of transmitted signals,implanted means for verifying that the received signals in each set are accurate and for producing an accurate signal when each signal in a set has substantially either a first waveform or a second waveform,an implanted memory address means for storing the memory address which is represented by the memory address representing signal in the set;
implanted means responsive to said accurate signal for entering selected ones of the received control signals in each set in the memory means at the memory address stored in said memory address means, andimplanted means for controlling said implanted stimulating signal generator with control signals from said memory.
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Abstract
An implanted heart and tissue stimulator is provided which is externally programmable so that stimulating signals generated thereby can be changed to meet the changing requirements of the user. Provision is made for verifying and screening control parameter words which are transmitted from an external controller so that only correct parameters will be stored for use by the implanted stimulator. Provision for read out of stimulating signals and of the tissue response thereto is also provided.
307 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A programmable human tissue stimulator system comprising:
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an implanted stimulating signal generator for generating body tissue stimulating pulses responsive to control signals, an implanted memory means for storing control signals for controlling said stimulating signal generator, external control means for generating a plurality of sets of signals, each set including control signals, and signals which represent a memory address in said memory means, external means for transmitting said generated sets of signals; an implanted receiver for receiving said sets of transmitted signals, implanted means for verifying that the received signals in each set are accurate and for producing an accurate signal when each signal in a set has substantially either a first waveform or a second waveform, an implanted memory address means for storing the memory address which is represented by the memory address representing signal in the set; implanted means responsive to said accurate signal for entering selected ones of the received control signals in each set in the memory means at the memory address stored in said memory address means, and implanted means for controlling said implanted stimulating signal generator with control signals from said memory. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 21)
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10. A programmable human tissue stimulator system comprising:
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an implanted stimulating signal generator for generating body tissue stimulating pulses responsive to control signals, an implanted memory means for storing control signals for controlling said stimulating signal generator, external control means for generating a plurality of sets of signals, each set including control signals, external means for transmitting said generated sets of signals, an implanted receiver for receiving said sets of transmitted signals, implanted means for verifying that the received signals in each set are accurate and for producing an accurate signal when each signal in a set has substantially either a first waveform or a second waveform, implanted means responsive to said accurate signal for entering selected ones of the received control signals in each set in a location in said memory means which is defined by other signals in the set, implanted means for controlling said implanted stimulating signals generator with control signals from said memory, each set of signals comprises a word comprised of binary pulses, each binary pulse rising from a leading edge to a first predetermined amplitude which extends first for a predetermined interval thereafter, then said binary pulse extends for a second predetermined interval at an amplitude level determined by its binary value, and thereafter extends for a third predetermined interval at a second predetermined value, means for determining that each signal has an acceptable waveform includes, first means responsive to the leading edge of a binary pulse for generating a reset pulse responsive to a binary value amplitude level change during said second predetermined interval, and second means responsive to the leading edge of a binary pulse for generating a reset pulse responsive to a change in said first predetermined amplitude during said first predetermined interval, register means into which a received binary word is transferred from said implanted receiver, and means for applying said reset signals to said register means to clear said register means.
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11. A programmable human tissue stimulator system comprising:
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an implanted stimulating signal generator for generatng, responsive to control signals, body tissue stimulating pulse trains having parameters which are determined by said control signals, an implanted memory means for storing, at different locations, different parameter determining control words for determining the parameters of the pulse train output of said stimulating pulse signal generator, external control means for generating digital word signals, each word including a first plurality of binary bits representing a parameter for a pulse train, a second plurality of binary bits representing the storage location of said parameter in memory, and a third plurality of binary bits representing patient identifying data, an external transmitter for transmitting said digital word signals, an implanted receiver for receiving said transmitted signals, an implanted temporary storage means for storing word signals received by said receiver, means for verifying that the waveform of the received binary bits in a word have a predetermined acceptable waveform and clearing said temporary storage if the waveform is not acceptable, implanted means for storing patient identifying data, means for comparing the received patient identifying data with stored patient identifying data and producing an acceptance signal if they are the same, means responsive to said acceptance signal for transferring said first plurality of binary bits, from said temporary storage into the location in memory means indicated by said second plurality of binary bits, and means responsive to said acceptance signal for clearing said temporary storage. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 33)
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23. A system for obtaining electrical biophysical signals from electrodes placed at a plurality of different tissue locations within a body comprising:
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external means for generating digital word signals specifying a tissue location from which it is desired to obtain electrical biophysical signals, an external transmitter for transmitting said digital word signals, an implanted receiver for receiving said digital word signals, an implanted transmitter for transmitting an electrical biophysical signal, implanted switch means responsive to said digital word signals for selectively connecting to said implanted transmitter an electrode placed at a tissue location from among a plurality of electrodes placed at different tissue locations within said body, said location being specified by said digital word signal, whereby said implanted transmitter will transmit electrical biophysical signals from said tissue location, and external receiver means for receiving said transmitted electrical biophysical signals.
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24. A programmable human tissue stimulator system comprising:
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an implanted stimulating signal generator for generating body tissue stimulating pulses responsive to control signals, an implanted memory means for storing control signals, for controlling said stimulating signal generator, external control means for generating a plurality of sets of signals, each set including at least control signals, several of said sets further including memory location signals, means for transmitting each of said generated sets of signals, an implanted receiver for receiving each of said transmitted sets of signals, means for verifying that the received signals in each set are accurate and producing an accurate signal indicative thereof only when each signal in the set has substantially either a first or a second waveform, means responsive to said accurate signal for entering said received control signals in said memory means, at a location defined by the memory location signals in the set, means responsive to certain ones of said control signals in said memory means for controlling said generator to establish the frequency of the body tissue stimulating pulses which it generates, means responsive to others of said control signals in said memory means for controlling said generator to establish the periods of bursts of the body tissue stimulating pulses which it generates, and means responsive to still others of said control signals in said memory means for controlling said generator to establish the amplitude of the body tissue stimulating pulses which it generates. - View Dependent Claims (25, 35)
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26. A programmable human tissue stimulator system comprising
an implanted stimulating signal generator for generating, responsive to control signals, body tissue stimulating pulse trains having parameters which are determined by said control signals, an implanted memory means for storing, at different locations, different parameter determining control words for determining the parameters of the pulse train output of said stimulating pulse signal generator, external control means for generating digital word signals, each word including a first plurality of binary bits representing a parameter for a pulse train, a second plurality of binary bits representing the storage location of said parameter in memory, and a third plurality of binary bits representing identifying data, an external transmitter for transmitting said digital word signals, an implanted receiver for receiving said transmitted signals, an implanted temporary storage means for storing word signals received by said receiver, implanted means for storing identifying data, means for comparing the received identifying data with stored patient identifying data and producing an acceptance signal if they are the same, means responsive to said acceptance signal for transferring said first plurality of binary bits, from said temporary storage into the location in memory means indicated by said second plurality of binary bits, and means responsive to said acceptance signal for clearing said temporary storage.
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28. A programmable human tissue stimulator system comprising:
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an implanted stimulating signal generator for generating, responsive to control signals, body tissue stimulating pulse trains having parameters which are determined by said control signals, an implanted memory means for storing, at different locations, different parameter determining control words for determining the parameters of the pulse train output of said stimulating pulse signal generator, external control means for generating digital word signals, including a plurality of binary bits representing identifying data, an external transmitter for transmitting said digital word signals, an implanted receiver for receiving said transmitted signals, as implanted transmitter, implanted means for storing identifying data, means for comparing the received identifying data with the stored identifying data, and means for selectively connecting said internal transmitter to said implanted means for storing identifying data to selectively transmit said stored identifying data.
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29. A programmable human tissue stimulator system comprising:
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an implanted stimulating signal generator responsive to different groups of control signals for generating body tissue stimulating pulses having characteristics which are functions of said groups of the control signals; an implanted memory means for storing in a plurality of locations groups of control signals, for controlling said stimulating signal generator as a function of at least some of said groups of control signals; external control means for generating any one of a plurality of sets of signals, each set including a group of control signals, some sets further including memory-address-defining signals; means for transmitting each generated set of signals; an implanted receiver for receiving said transmitted set of signals; means for verifying that the received set of signals is accurate and producing an accurate signal indicative thereof, only when each signal in the set has substantially a first or a second waveform; means responsive to said accurate signal for entering the control signals in the received set in said memory means, at a location, defined by said memory-address-defining signals in said received set, without affecting the control signals located in other locations; and an implanted battery for continuously applying power to at least said generator and said memory means, independent of external power source means. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 34)
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Specification