Method and apparatus for operating a diversity antenna system for communicating with implantable medical device
First Claim
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1. A system, comprising:
- an external transceiver;
a plurality of antennas coupled to the external transceiver and configured to wirelessly transfer information between an implantable medical device and the external transceiver using a frame-based protocol, the protocol including specified timing for receiving incoming data frames from the implantable medical device; and
an antenna control circuit configured to select an antenna of the plurality of antennas for use in wireless information transfer, the selecting using information about an assessed quality of frame-based wireless information transfer between the implantable medical device and the external transceiver,wherein the antenna control circuit comprises a timer configured to time a duration during which a response frame is expected to be received by the external transceiver from the implantable medical device, the response frame transmitted from the implantable medical device in response to one or more outgoing frames transmitted to the implantable medical device from the external transceiver; and
wherein the antenna control circuit is configured to select a different antenna of the plurality of antennas in response to a failure to detect the response frame during the timed duration.
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Abstract
A far-field radio frequency (RF) telemetry system for communicating with an implantable medical device includes a diversity antenna system. Multi-frame messages each including multiple outgoing data frames are transmitted to the implantable medical device. In response, the implantable medical device transmits response data frames each following one or more of the outgoing data frames, according to a predetermined communication protocol. An antenna control circuit selects an antenna of the diversity antenna system for transmitting the outgoing data frames and/or receiving the response data frames based on the quality of signal reception associated with the response data frames.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A system, comprising:
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an external transceiver; a plurality of antennas coupled to the external transceiver and configured to wirelessly transfer information between an implantable medical device and the external transceiver using a frame-based protocol, the protocol including specified timing for receiving incoming data frames from the implantable medical device; and an antenna control circuit configured to select an antenna of the plurality of antennas for use in wireless information transfer, the selecting using information about an assessed quality of frame-based wireless information transfer between the implantable medical device and the external transceiver, wherein the antenna control circuit comprises a timer configured to time a duration during which a response frame is expected to be received by the external transceiver from the implantable medical device, the response frame transmitted from the implantable medical device in response to one or more outgoing frames transmitted to the implantable medical device from the external transceiver; and wherein the antenna control circuit is configured to select a different antenna of the plurality of antennas in response to a failure to detect the response frame during the timed duration. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A system, comprising:
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an external transceiver; a plurality of antennas coupled to the external transceiver and configured to wirelessly transfer information between an implantable medical device and the external transceiver using a frame-based protocol, the protocol including specified timing for receiving incoming data frames from the implantable medical device; an antenna control circuit configured to select an antenna of the plurality of antennas for use in wireless information transfer, the selecting using information about an assessed quality of frame-based wireless information transfer between the implantable medical device and the external transceiver; and an incoming signal monitoring circuit configured to determine information indicative of a received signal strength for an antenna included in the plurality of antennas; and wherein the antenna control circuit is configured to select an antenna of the plurality of antennas using the information indicative of the received signal strength, wherein the antenna control circuit comprises a timer configured to time a duration during which a response frame is expected to be received by the external transceiver from the implantable medical device, the response frame transmitted from the implantable medical device in response to one or more outgoing frames transmitted to the implantable medical device from the external transceiver; and wherein the antenna control circuit is configured to select a different antenna of the plurality of antennas in response to a failure to detect the response frame during the timed duration.
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11. A method, comprising:
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wirelessly transferring information between an implantable medical device and an external transceiver using a plurality of antennas coupled to the external transceiver, the wireless information transfer using a frame-based protocol including specified timing for receiving incoming data frames from the implantable medical device; assessing a quality of frame-based wireless information transfer between the implantable medical device and the plurality of antennas; and in response to the assessed quality, selecting an antenna of the plurality of antennas for use in wireless information transfer between the implantable medical device and the plurality of antennas, timing a duration during which a response frame is expected to be received by the external transceiver from the implantable medical device, the response frame transmitted from the implantable medical device in response to one or more outgoing frames transmitted to the implantable medical device from the external transceiver; and selecting a different antenna of the plurality of antennas in response to a failure to detect the response frame during the timed duration. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification