Systems and methods for communicating with an implantable stimulator

• US 9,079,041 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2013
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Rudolph V., Parramon, Jordi, Klosterman, Daniel, Marnfeldt, Goran N.
• Primary Examiner(s): BOCKELMAN, MARK
• Application Number:
  US14/133,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20140107734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 607 1- 3, 607 30- 33, 607 60- 61
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36007 of urogenital or gastrointestinal organs, e.g. for incontinence control
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37205 Microstimulators, e.g. implantable through a cannula
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3727 characterised by the modulation technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37276 characterised by means for reducing power consumption during telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37288 Communication to several implantable medical devices within one patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/02 Amplitude-modulated carrier systems, e.g. using on-off keying; Single sideband or vestigial sideband modulation H04L27/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/10 Frequency-modulated carrier systems, i.e. using frequency-shift keying H04L27/32 takes precedence

Abstract

An exemplary system for communicating with an implantable stimulator includes a coil configured to transmit a signal modulated with either on-off keying (OOK) modulation or Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) modulation. The system further includes a first telemetry receiver in the implantable stimulator configured to receive the signal in accordance with the OOK modulation and a second telemetry receiver in the implantable stimulator configured to receive the signal in accordance with the FSK modulation.

Claims

1. An implantable medical device, comprising:

a coil; and

telemetry circuitry coupled to the coil for allowing data-containing signals to be received from at least one external device, the telemetry circuitry comprising a first telemetry receiver for receiving data over a first telemetry link in accordance with a first frequency modulation telemetry scheme, and a second telemetry receiver for receiving data over a second telemetry link in accordance with a second On-Off-Keying telemetry scheme, wherein at least the second telemetry receiver is configured to receive calibration data used to synchronize a reference clock signal with a frequency used to transmit or receive data using the first frequency modulated telemetry scheme.

2. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the first telemetry scheme comprises a frequency shift key telemetry scheme wherein a binary ‘

1’

is represented by a transmitted signal of a first frequency, and wherein a binary ‘

0’

is represented by a transmitted signal of a second frequency.

3. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the second telemetry scheme comprises an On-Off-Keying (OOK) Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) telemetry scheme wherein a binary ‘

0’

is represented by a first pulse width and a binary ‘

1’

is represented by a second pulse width, and wherein a transition between one data bit and an adjacent data bit is marked by a change in a transmitted data signal from an ON to an OFF state or from an OFF to an ON state, wherein the ON state is characterized by the presence of a data signal having a frequency, and wherein the OFF state is characterized by the absence of the data signal.

4. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the telemetry circuitry is bidirectional for allowing data signals to be sent to and received from the at least one external device.

5. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the first telemetry link is a radio frequency (RF) telemetry link, and the second telemetry link is an inductive telemetry link.

6. The implantable medical device of claim 5, wherein the first communication scheme comprises a frequency shift key (FSK) communication scheme, and the second communication scheme comprises an On-Off-Keying (OOK) Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) communication scheme.

7. The implantable medical device of claim 1, further comprising at least one electrode for stimulating the tissue of a patient.

8. A method for receiving communications in an implantable medical device, comprising:

receiving a first modulated signal, wherein the first modulated signal comprises first data modulated with pulse width modulation;

receiving a second modulated signal, wherein the second modulated signal comprises second data modulated with frequency modulation;

using a first telemetry receiver in the implantable medical device to demodulate the received first modulated signal to recover the first data; and

using a second telemetry receiver in the implantable medical device to demodulate the received second modulated signal to recover the second data, wherein the first data comprises calibration data used to synchronize a reference clock signal with a frequency used to transmit the second modulated signal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the pulse width modulation comprises on-off keying (OOK) modulation.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the frequency modulation comprises frequency shift keying (FSK) modulation.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the implantable medical device generates the reference clock signal used by the second telemetry receiver.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first data comprises a start bit and a number of control bits.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the implantable medical device comprises at least one electrode for stimulating a patient'"'"'s tissue.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the first data enables the second telemetry receiver to receive the second modulated signal.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second telemetry receivers are coupled to a coil for receiving the first and second modulated signals.

16. A method for receiving communications in an implantable medical device, comprising:

receiving a second modulated signal at a second telemetry receiver in the implantable medical device, wherein the second modulated signal comprises a second telemetry scheme;

disabling reception of the second modulated signal upon the occurrence of a condition in the implantable medical device;

when reception of the second modulated signal is disabled, using a first telemetry receiver in the implantable medical device to listen for and demodulate a received first modulated signal to recover first data, wherein the first modulated signal comprises a first telemetry scheme; and

using the recovered first data to enable the reception of the previously disabled second modulated signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first telemetry scheme comprises on-off keying (OOK) modulation.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second telemetry scheme comprises frequency shift keying (FSK) modulation.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the implantable medical device generates a reference clock signal used by the second telemetry receiver.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first data comprises calibration data used to synchronize the reference clock signal with a frequency used to transmit the second modulated signal.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the implantable medical device comprises at least one electrode for stimulating a patient'"'"'s tissue.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein reception of the second modulated signal is disabled because of a low power condition in the implantable medical device.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein reception of the second modulated signal is disabled because the implantable medical device enters a hibernation or storage mode state.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second telemetry receivers are coupled to a coil for receiving the first and second modulated signals.