Systems and methods for communicating with an implantable stimulator

• US 7,822,480 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Rudolph V., Klosterman, Daniel, Marnfeldt, Goran N., Parramon, Jordi
• Primary Examiner(s): BOCKELMAN, MARK
• Application Number:
  US11/043,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20050131494A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,100 Days
• Field of Search: 607/32, 607/60, 128/903
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36007 of urogenital or gastrointestinal organs, e.g. for incontinence control
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37205 Microstimulators, e.g. implantable through a cannula
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3727 characterised by the modulation technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37276 characterised by means for reducing power consumption during telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37288 Communication to several implantable medical devices within one patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/02 Amplitude-modulated carrier systems, e.g. using on-off keying; Single sideband or vestigial sideband modulation H04L27/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/10 Frequency-modulated carrier systems, i.e. using frequency-shift keying H04L27/32 takes precedence

Abstract

An exemplary system for communicating with an implantable stimulator includes a coil configured to transmit a signal modulated with on-off keying (OOK) modulation to transmit control data. The system further includes a first telemetry receiver in the implantable stimulator configured to receive the control data in accordance with the OOK modulation. An exemplary method of communicating with an implantable stimulator includes modulating a signal with control data using OOK modulation and transmitting the signal to the implantable stimulator.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an external device, comprising;

first modulation circuitry for producing from first data a first signal modulated with on-off keying (OOK) modulation, wherein the first modulated signal comprises logic ‘

0’

bits of a first pulse width and logic ‘

1’

bits of a second pulse width different from the first pulse width, wherein each bit further comprises either an ON state with a signal that varies with a first frequency or an OFF state, wherein a transition between adjacent bits in the first signal is marked by a change in the first modulated signal between the ON and OFF states;

a coil configured to wirelessly transmit the first modulated signal to the implantable medical device; and

an implantable medical device, comprising a first telemetry receiver in the implantable medical device for demodulating the first modulated signal to recover the first data.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

second modulation circuitry in the external device for producing from second data a second signal modulated with frequency modulation, wherein the coil is further configured to wirelessly transmit the second modulated signal to the implantable medical device;

a second telemetry receiver in the implantable medical device for demodulating the second modulated signal to recover the second data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the frequency modulation comprises frequency shift keying (FSK) modulation.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the implantable medical device further comprises a reference clock generation circuit for generating a reference clock signal used by the second telemetry receiver.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first data comprises calibration data used to calibrate the reference clock generation circuit such that the reference clock signal is synchronized with a frequency used to transmit the second modulated signal.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the first data comprises a start bit and a number of control bits, the start bit being transmitted before the control bits.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first telemetry receiver comprises:

a bit threshold counter configured to measure a pulse width of the start bit to generate a bit width threshold;

a pulse width counter configured to measure a pulse width of the bits; and

a comparator configured to compare the measured pulse widths with the bit width threshold to determine whether a bit comprises a logic ‘

0’

or a logic ‘

1’

.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the implantable medical device comprises an implantable stimulator.