Active signal processing personal health signal receivers

• US 8,718,193 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2007
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Otsuka Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Proteus Digital Health, Inc. (Otsuka Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: Arne, Lawrence, Crandall, Kenneth C., Robertson, Timothy, Au-Yeung, KitYee
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, SIU M
• Application Number:
  US12/515,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20100316158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,360 Days
• Field of Search: 375/316, 600/300, 607/60
• US Class Current: 375/316
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• 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 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7257 using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/123 using adaptive balancing or compensation means adaptive filter circuits and algorithms H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0036 arrangements specific to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0045 Arrangements at the receiver end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/152 using controlled oscillators, e.g. PLL arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/22 Demodulator circuits; Receiver circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2271 wherein the carrier recovery circuit uses only the demodulated signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2273 associated with quadrature demodulation, e.g. Costas loop

Abstract

The invention provides a receiver associated with a body, e.g., located inside or within close proximity to a body, configured to receive and decode a signal from an in vivo transmitter which located inside the body. Signal receivers of the invention provide for accurate signal decoding of a low-level signal, even in the presence of significant noise, using a small-scale chip, e.g., where the chip consumes very low power. Also provided are systems that include the receivers, as well as methods of using the same.

Claims

1. A signal receiver, comprising:

(a) a receiver module configured to receive an encoded signal from an in vivo transmitter in a low signal to noise ratio (SNR) environment, the receiver module comprising;

a first demodulator to receive the encoded signal and to produce a filtered complex baseband signal;

a carrier frequency detector to receive the filtered complex baseband signal and generate an estimated carrier offset frequency;

a second demodulator to receive the complex baseband signal and the estimated carrier offset frequency and to produce a demodulated encoded signal; and

(b) a decoder module coupled to the receiver module to receive the demodulated encoded signal, the decoder module configured to decode the demodulated encoded signal with substantially no error;

wherein the signal receiver is sized to be stably associated with a living subject in a manner that does not substantially impact movement of the living subject,

wherein the first demodulator comprises;

a first mixer;

a direct digital synthesizer coupled to the first mixer to produce a nominal carrier frequency, wherein the received encoded signal is mixed by the mixer with the nominal carrier frequency to produce the complex baseband signal; and

a first low pass filter coupled to the first mixer to filter the complex baseband signal.

2. The signal receiver according to claim 1, further comprising a decimation block coupled to the first low pass filter.

3. A signal receiver, comprising:

(a) a receiver module configured to receive an encoded signal from an in vivo transmitter in a low signal to noise ratio (SNR) environment, the receiver module comprising;

a first demodulator to receive the encoded signal and to produce a complex baseband signal;

a carrier frequency detector to receive the filtered complex baseband signal and generate an estimated carrier offset frequency;

a second demodulator to receive the complex baseband signal and the estimated carrier offset frequency and to produce a demodulated encoded signal; and

(b) a decoder module coupled to the receiver module to receive the demodulated encoded signal, the decoder module configured to decode the demodulated encoded signal with substantially no error;

wherein the signal receiver is sized to be stably associated with a living subject in a manner that does not substantially impact movement of the living subject,

wherein the second demodulator comprises;

a second mixer to mix the filtered complex baseband signal with the estimated carrier offset frequency; and

a second low pass filter coupled to the second mixer to produce the demodulated encoded signal.