Adjustable valve setting with motor control

• US 8,241,240 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2009
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Xomed Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Xomed Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Murphy, John Murdock
• Primary Examiner(s): Keasel, Eric
• Application Number:
  US12/614,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20110112460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 604/891.1, 604/9, 251/65, 251/129.04, 137/1, 137/524, 137/530, 128/899
• US Class Current: 604/9
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0219 of externally powered implanted units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/031 Intracranial pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 27/006 Cerebrospinal drainage; Accessories therefor, e.g. valves
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/0675 Electromagnet aspects, e.g. electric supply therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 37/0041 for measuring valve parameters F16K37/0033 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7878 With bias adjustment indicator

Abstract

An implantable medical device is disclosed that includes a valve body and a valve rotor adjustable with respect to the valve body. A tool can be utilized to determine and control a position of the valve rotor with respect to the valve body. The tool can include a valve body position reader, a valve rotor position reader and a valve rotor position controller to determine a valve setting for the device and adjust the valve setting as desired.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an implantable medical device comprising a valve body and a valve rotor adjustable with respect to the valve body, the valve body including a

resonant circuit and the valve rotor including a permanent magnet;

a positioning tool comprising;

a valve body position reader configured to determine orientation of the valve body with respect to the position tool using the resonant circuit;

a valve rotor position reader configured to determine a position of the valve rotor with respect to the positioning tool using the permanent magnet;

a processor configured to determine a valve setting for the implantable medical device based on the orientation of the valve body and the position of the valve rotor; and

a valve rotor position controller having a stator with a plurality of stator coils and a driver electrically coupled to the stator to provide current to the stator coils to selectively position the valve rotor with respect to the valve body.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the valve rotor is rotatable with respect to the valve body.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the positioning tool further includes a plurality of magnetic sensors configured to determine a position of the valve rotor with respect to the tool.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the positioning tool further comprises a processing module configured to calculate a valve setting for the implantable medical device from a plurality of valve settings, the valve setting being indicative of pressure and/or flow characteristics of fluid through the device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein a number of the plurality of valve settings is at least ten.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of stator coils include three stator coils that can be positioned equally about the valve rotor.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the driver provides drive currents to the plurality of stator coils to induce electromagnetic force voltages in the permanent magnet of the valve rotor.