Temperature sensor for a leadless cardiac pacemaker
First Claim
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1. A leadless cardiac pacemaker comprising:
- an implantable hermetic housing;
a power source disposed in the housing;
at least two electrodes supported by the housing; and
a bipolar transistor temperature sensor disposed in the housing, including at least one bi-polar transistor, and configured to produce a complimentary-to-absolute-temperature (CTAT) signal, a first proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) signal and a second PTAT signal;
wherein the bipolar transistor temperature sensor also includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to produce a digital temperature output in dependence on the CTAT signal and the first and second PTAT signals.
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Abstract
A leadless cardiac pacemaker comprises a hermetic housing, a power source disposed in the housing, at least two electrodes supported by the housing, a semiconductor temperature sensor disposed in the housing, and a controller disposed in the housing and configured to deliver energy from the power source to the electrodes to stimulate the heart based upon temperature information from the temperature sensor. In some embodiments, the sensor can be configured to sense temperature information within a predetermined range of less than 20 degrees C. The temperature sensor can be disposed in the housing but not bonded to the housing.
584 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A leadless cardiac pacemaker comprising:
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an implantable hermetic housing; a power source disposed in the housing; at least two electrodes supported by the housing; and a bipolar transistor temperature sensor disposed in the housing, including at least one bi-polar transistor, and configured to produce a complimentary-to-absolute-temperature (CTAT) signal, a first proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) signal and a second PTAT signal; wherein the bipolar transistor temperature sensor also includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to produce a digital temperature output in dependence on the CTAT signal and the first and second PTAT signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of providing rate responsive stimulation to a patient'"'"'s heart using a leadless pacemaker that includes a hermetic housing configured to be implanted within a patient, a power source disposed in the housing, a controller disposed within the housing, at least two electrodes supported by the housing, and a bipolar transistor temperature sensor disposed in the housing, the method comprising:
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using the bipolar transistor temperature sensor to produce a complimentary-to-absolute-temperature (CTAT) signal, a first proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) signal and a second PTAT signal; using an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) of the bipolar transistor temperature sensor to determine a temperature change in dependence on the CTAT signal and the first and second PTAT signals; and using the controller disposed in the housing to deliver energy from the power source to the electrodes to stimulate the heart based upon the temperature change. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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24. A leadless cardiac pacemaker comprising:
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an implantable housing that supports at least two electrodes; a power source disposed in the housing; a bipolar transistor temperature sensor configured to sense temperature information within a temperature range having a lower bound and an upper bound, the bipolar transistor temperature sensor including at least one bipolar transistor configured to receive current from the power source and based thereon generate base-emitter voltages that are used to derive a complimentary-to-absolute-temperature (CTAT) signal and first and second proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) signals, the first PTAT signal being equal to the CTAT signal at the lower bound of the temperature range and the second PTAT signal being equal to the CTAT signal at the upper bound of the temperature range; and the bipolar transistor temperature sensor including an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to produce a digital temperature output signal in dependence on the CTAT signal and the first and second PTAT signals. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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Specification