System and method for providing fault tolerant processing in an implantable medical device

• US 8,347,149 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2009
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Stubbs, Scott R., Sowder, Conrad L., Hoyme, Kenneth P., Linder, William J., Doshi, Hiten J., Elliott, Lynn S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): KUDIRKA, JOSEPH R
• Application Number:
  US12/568,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20100088539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 714/38.1, 714/38.12, 714/51, 714/55, 714/47.1, 714/47.2, 714/47.3, 718/102, 718/107, 717/127, 607/27
• US Class Current: 714/47.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0715 in a system implementing multitasking multitasking per se G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0757 by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40

Abstract

Embodiments herein generally relate to implantable medical devices and, specifically, to a system and method for providing fault tolerant processing in an implantable medical device. In an embodiment a system for providing fault tolerant processing in an implantable medical device is provided. The system can include an implantable medical device comprising a processor and memory store configured to execute a plurality of threads, temporal and spatial constraints assigned to one or more of the threads, and a kernel. The kernel can include a scheduler and a thread monitor configured to monitor execution of threads against the temporal and spatial constraints, and further configured to issue a response upon violation of either of the constraints by one of the plurality of threads. In an embodiment a method for providing fault tolerant processing in an implantable medical device is provided. Other embodiments are also included herein.

Claims

1. A system for providing fault tolerant processing in an implantable medical device, comprising:

an implantable medical device comprising a processor and memory store, the processor and memory store configured to execute a plurality of threads;

temporal and spatial constraints assigned to one or more of the threads, wherein the temporal and spatial constraints are applicable to individual threads or classes of threads; and

a kernel, comprising;

a scheduler configured to divide processing time among the plurality of threads; and

a thread monitor configured to monitor execution of each of the threads for which temporal and spatial constraints are assigned, wherein the spatial constraints comprise a unique thread identifier assigned to individual threads or classes of threads prior to execution, wherein the thread monitor compares the unique thread identifier provided by a completed thread against a stored thread identifier, wherein mismatch of the completed thread identifier and the stored thread identifier indicates a violation of the spatial constraint, and wherein the thread monitor is further configured to issue a response upon violation of either of the temporal and spatial constraints by individual threads or classes of threads.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the temporal constraints comprise a maximum allowable execution time for each of the plurality of threads.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the thread monitor further comprises a timer configured to expire at the maximum allowable execution time for execution of each of the plurality of threads.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the kernel further comprises an exception handler configured to take corrective action when a response is issued.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a watch dog timer, the kernel configured to service the watch dog timer using a lowest priority thread.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the temporal and spatial constraints are assigned to one or more threads at compile time.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the temporal and spatial constraints are uniquely assigned to individual threads.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the temporal and spatial constraints are uniquely assigned to a class of threads.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the implantable medical device is selected from the group consisting of:

a pacemaker, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, biventricular pacemaker, implantable sensor, neural stimulator, and implantable monitor.

10. A method for providing fault tolerant processing in an implantable medical device, comprising:

providing a processor and memory store in an implantable medical device that are configured to execute a plurality of threads;

defining temporal and spatial constraints for one or more of the plurality of threads, the temporal and spatial constraints applicable to individual threads or classes of threads;

dividing processing time between the plurality of threads;

monitoring thread execution and memory usage of each individual thread or class of threads against the temporal and spatial constraints assigned to the individual thread or class of threads, wherein the spatial constraints comprise a unique thread identifier assigned to individual threads or classes of threads prior to execution;

comparing the unique thread identifier provided by a completed thread against a stored thread identifier, wherein mismatch of the completed thread identifier and the stored thread identifier indicates a violation of the spatial constraint; and

issuing a response upon violation of either of the corresponding defined temporal and spatial constraints by the individual thread or class of threads.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

timing each thread execution; and

flagging thread execution upon expiry of a timer absent normal completion of the thread execution.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

taking corrective action upon fault detection; and

recovering operation of the implantable medical device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing a watch dog timer, wherein a kernel is configured to service the watch dog timer using a lowest priority thread.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

specifying the temporal and spatial constraints for one or more threads at compile time.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising assigning the temporal and spatial constraints to an individual thread.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising assigning the temporal and spatial constraints to a class of threads.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the implantable medical device is selected from the group consisting of:

a pacemaker, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, biventricular pacemaker, implantable sensor, neural stimulator, and implantable monitor.