Detecting overloading of an analog-to-digital converter of an implantable medical device

• US 7,474,247 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2007
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Tan, Wenxiao, Anderson, Joel A., Heinks, Michael W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Khai M
• Application Number:
  US11/861,945
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 341/143, 341/155
• US Class Current: 341/155
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3706 Pacemaker parameters stimulation threshold A61N1/371
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3718 Monitoring of or protection against external electromagnetic fields or currents
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 3/366 in feed-forward mode, e.g. using look-ahead circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 3/434 with multi-level feedback

Abstract

In general, this disclosure is related to detecting overload within an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) of an implantable medical device (IMD). The IMD may include an overload detection module that determines whether the ADC is operating in an overload condition. When the overload detection module determines the ADC is operating in the overload condition for a particular period of time, the ADC may send an overload signal to a processor that processes the output of the ADC. The overload signal notifies the processor that the ADC is operating in or is close to operating in the overload condition. In response to the indication from the ADC, the processor of the IMD may disregard the output of the ADC. The processor may continue to disregard the output of the ADC until the overload signal is deactivated, thereby indicating that the ADC is no longer in an overloaded condition.

Claims

1. A method of detecting overload in an implantable medical device, comprising:

converting an analog input signal from a sensor into a digital signal with an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) of the implantable medical device;

determining that the ADC is in an overload condition based on at least one signal from the ADC; and

disregarding the digital signal by a processor of the implantable medical device in response to the determination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the ADC is in an overload condition based on at least one signal from the ADC comprises:

generating a clamp signal when an integrator of the ADC is operating in a clamped mode; and

determining that the ADC is in the overload condition based on the clamp signal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the ADC is in the overload condition based on the clamp signal comprises:

registering a clamp event for a time interval if the clamp signal is present for at least a portion of the time interval;

counting a number of time intervals for which a clamp event was registered in a set of contiguous time intervals; and

determining that the ADC is in the overload condition based on a comparison of the number of time intervals to a threshold.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the ADC is in an overload condition based on at least one signal from the ADC further comprises:

generating a low toggle signal if a quantizer of the ADC outputs the same value during a threshold number of consecutive clock cycles; and

determining that the ADC is in an overload condition based on both the clamp signal and the low toggle signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the ADC is in an overload condition based on at least one signal from the ADC comprises:

generating a low toggle signal if a quantizer of the ADC outputs the same value during a threshold number of consecutive clock cycles; and

determining that the ADC is in an overload condition based on the low toggle signal.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

registering a low toggle event for a time interval if the low toggle signal is present for at least a portion of the time interval;

counting a number of time intervals for which a low toggle event was registered in a set of contiguous time intervals; and

determining that the analog input signal is in the overload condition based on a comparison of the number of time intervals to a threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the implantable medical device comprises a cardiac pacemaker, the digital signal comprises an electrocardiogram, and disregarding the digital signal comprises disregarding intrinsic events within the electrocardiogram.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein disregarding intrinsic events within the electrocardiogram comprises changing a mode of operation of the pacemaker from demand pacing to reversion pacing.

9. An implantable medical device, comprising:

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that converts an analog input signal from a sensor into a digital signal;

an overload detection module that determines that the ADC is in an overload condition based on at least one signal from the ADC; and

a processor that disregards the digital signal in response to the determination.

10. The implantable medical device of claim 9, wherein:

the ADC further comprises an integrator that generates a clamp signal when the integrator is operating in a clamped mode, and

the overload detection module further comprises a clamp overload detection module that determines that the ADC is in the overload condition based on the clamp signal.

11. The implantable medical device of claim 10, wherein the clamp overload detection module further comprises:

an event buffer that registers a clamp event for a time interval if the clamp signal is present for at least a portion of the time interval;

an event counter that counts a number of time intervals for which a clamp event was registered in a set of contiguous time intervals; and

a compare block that determines that the ADC is in the overload condition based on a comparison of the number of time intervals to a threshold.

12. The implantable medical device of claim 10, wherein overload detection module further comprises:

a toggle overload detection module that generates a low toggle signal if a quantizer of the ADC outputs the same value during a threshold number of consecutive clock cycles;

wherein the overload detection module determines that the ADC is in an overload condition based on both the clamp signal and the low toggle signal.

13. The implantable medical device of claim 9, wherein the overload detection module further comprises a toggle overload detection module that generates a low toggle signal if a quantizer of the ADC outputs the same value during a threshold number of consecutive clock cycles and determines that the ADC is in an overload condition based on the low toggle signal.

14. The implantable medical device of claim 13, wherein the toggle overload detection module further comprises:

an event buffer that registers a low toggle event for a time interval if the low toggle signal is present for at least a portion of the time interval;

an event counter that counts a number of time intervals for which a low toggle event was registered in a set of contiguous time intervals; and

a compare block that determines that the analog input signal is in the overload condition based on a comparison of the number of time intervals to a threshold.

15. The implantable medical device of claim 9, wherein the overload detection module comprises one of a software module implemented by the processor or a digital logic circuit separate from the processor.

16. An implantable medical device, comprising:

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that converts an analog input signal from a sensor into a digital signal, wherein the ADC includes a clamping integrator that generates a clamp signal when the clamping integrator is operating in a clamped mode;

an overload detection module that determines that the ADC is in an overload condition based on the clamp signal from the ADC; and

a processor that disregards the digital signal in response to the determination.

17. The implantable medical device of claim 16, wherein the overload detection module further comprises:

an event buffer that registers a clamp event for a time interval if the clamp signal is present for at least a portion of the time interval;

an event counter that counts a number of time intervals for which a clamp event was registered in a set of contiguous time intervals; and

a compare block that determines that the ADC is in the overload condition based on a comparison of the number of time intervals to a threshold.

18. An implantable medical device, comprising:

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that converts an analog input signal from a sensor into a digital signal;

an overload detection module that that generates a low toggle signal if a quantizer of the ADC outputs the same value during a threshold number of consecutive clock cycles and determines that the ADC is in an overload condition based on the low toggle; and

a processor that disregards the digital signal in response to the determination.

19. The implantable medical device of claim 18, wherein the processor further comprises:

an event buffer that registers a low toggle event for a time interval if the low toggle signal is present for at least a portion of the time interval;

an event counter that counts a number of time intervals for which a low toggle event was registered in a set of contiguous time intervals; and

a compare block that determines that the analog input signal is in the overload condition based on a comparison of the number of time intervals to a threshold.

20. An implantable medical device comprising:

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that converts an analog input signal from a sensor into a digital signal; and

an overload prediction module that determines that the ADC is approaching an overload condition based on at least one signal from the ADC, and generates a warning signal in response to the determination, wherein the ADC switches from a normal slew operating mode to a high slew operating mode in response to the warning signal.

21. The implantable medical device of claim 20, further comprising a counter within the ADC that switches from a normal counting mode to a high slew counting mode in response to the warning signal.

22. The implantable medical device of claim 20, wherein the ADC switches from normal slew operating mode to high slew operating mode by increasing a clocking rate of the ADC.

23. The implantable medical device of claim 20, wherein the overload prediction module determines that the ADC is approaching an overload condition based on one of a clamp warning signal received from an integrator and a low toggle warning signal that indicates a quantizer of the ADC outputs the same value during a threshold number of consecutive clock cycles.

24. The implantable medical device of claim 20, wherein the overload prediction module deactivates the warning signal after a predetermined time period from activation of the warning signal has expired and the ADC switches from the high slew operating mode to the normal slew operating mode in response to deactivation of the warning signal.

25. The implantable medical device of claim 20, wherein the overload prediction module deactivates the warning signal based on the at least one signal from the ADC and the ADC switches from the high slew operating mode to the normal slew operating mode in response to deactivation of the warning signal.