Ingestible low power sensor device and system for communicating with same

• US 8,588,887 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2007
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innurvation Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Innurvation Incorporated
• Inventors: Arneson, Michael R., Bandy, William R., Powell, Kevin J., Jamieson, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): FORMAN, BETTY J
• Application Number:
  US11/851,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20080146871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,266 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0028 Body tissue as transmission medium, i.e. transmission systems where the medium is the human body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/073 Intestinal transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/42 Detecting, measuring or recording for evaluating the gastrointestinal, the endocrine or the exocrine systems A61B1/00, A61B5/4857, A61B5/486, A61B5/4866, A61B5/4869 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6801 specially adapted to be attached to or worn on the body surface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6861 Capsules, e.g. for swallowing or implanting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37217 characterised by the communication link, e.g. acoustic or tactile
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for an ingestible sensor device are described. The ingestible sensor devices may be swallowed by an animal to diagnose one or more conditions of the animal. The ingestible sensor device may include a sensor configured to receive a stimulus inside the gastrointestinal tract of an animal, wherein the sensor is configured to output a signal having a characteristic proportional to the received stimulus. The ingestible sensor device may further include a communications module that transmits a signal modulated with the sensor output signal and a housing configured to have a size that is swallowable, wherein the housing substantially encloses the sensor and communications module.

Claims

1. An ingestible electronic sensor device, comprising:

a sensor configured to receive a stimulus inside a gastrointestinal tract of an animal, wherein the sensor is configured to output a signal having a characteristic proportional to the received sensor stimulus;

a communications module configured to transmit an acoustic signal modulated with the sensor output signal, the acoustic signal having a frequency in the range of 20 Hz to 16 KHz; and

a housing configured to have a size that is ingestible, wherein the housing substantially encloses the sensor and communications module.

2. The ingestible electronic sensor device of claim 1, wherein the housing is spherically shaped.

3. The ingestible electronic sensor device of claim 1, further comprising:

a power source that provides power to the communications module,

wherein the housing encloses the power source.

4. The ingestible electronic sensor device of claim 1, wherein the communications module comprises:

a modulator that modulates an acoustic carrier frequency with the sensor output signal to generate the acoustic signal.

5. The ingestible electronic sensor device of claim 4, wherein the communications module further comprises:

an amplifier that amplifies the acoustic signal.

6. The ingestible electronic sensor device of claim 1, further comprising:

a radiating element coupled to an output of the communications module.

7. The ingestible electronic sensor device of claim 6, wherein the housing is the radiating element.

8. An ingestible electronic sensor device, comprising:

a sensor configured to receive a stimulus inside a gastrointestinal tract of an animal, wherein the sensor is configured to output a signal having a characteristic proportional to the received sensor stimulus;

a communications module configured to transmit an acoustic signal modulated with the sensor output signal, wherein the modulated signal has an ultrasonic frequency; and

a housing configured to have a size that is ingestible, wherein the housing substantially encloses the sensor and communications module.

9. A medical diagnostic system, comprising:

an ingestible sensor device configured to be ingestible by an animal and includes;

a sensor configured to receive a sensor stimulus inside a gastrointestinal tract of the animal, wherein the sensor is configured to output a signal having a characteristic proportional to the received sensor stimulus;

a communications module configured to transmit an acoustic signal modulated with the sensor output signal, the acoustic signal having a frequency in the range of 20 Hz to 16 kHz; and

a housing configured to have a size that is ingestible, wherein the housing substantially encloses the sensor and the communications module, wherein the acoustic signal is an acoustic communications signal; and

a sensor link module configured to receive the acoustic communications signal.

10. The medical diagnostic system of claim 9, further comprising:

a computing device,

wherein the sensor link module is configured to transmit a second acoustic communication signal that includes at least a portion of data obtained by the sensor, and

wherein the computing device is configured to receive the second acoustic communication signal.

11. The medical diagnostic system of claim 10, further comprising:

a remote entity,

wherein the computing device is configured to transmit a third acoustic communication signal that includes data received from the sensor link module in the second acoustic communication signal, and

wherein the remote entity is configured to receive the third acoustic communication signal.

12. The medical diagnostic system of claim 11, wherein the remote entity comprises a computer system.

13. The medical diagnostic system of claim 11, wherein the computing device transmits the third acoustic communication signal over a communications network, wherein the communications network includes at least one of a telephone network or the Internet.

14. The medical diagnostic system of claim 10, wherein the sensor link module transmits the second acoustic communication signal according to a Bluetooth protocol, an 802.11 protocol, or a Zigbee protocol.

16. The medical diagnostic system of claim 9, wherein the sensor link module is attached to the animal.

15. A medical diagnostic system, comprising:

an ingestible sensor device configured to be ingestible by an animal and includes;

a sensor configured to receive a sensor stimulus inside a gastrointestinal tract of the animal, wherein the sensor is configured to output a signal having a characteristic proportional to the received sensor stimulus;

a communications module configured to transmit a communications signal modulated with the sensor output signal, wherein the communications signal is an ultrasound signal; and

a housing configured to have a size that is ingestible, wherein the housing substantially encloses the sensor and the communications module; and

a sensor link module configured to receive the communications signal.