Methods and systems for acoustic data transmission

• US 9,900,109 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2015
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innurvation Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Innurvation Incorporated
• Inventors: Bandy, William Robert, Davenport, Roger Allen, Okunev, Yuri
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayard, Emmanuel
• Application Number:
  US14/930,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20170126331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 375302-303, 375308-309, 375295
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00036 Means for power saving, e.g. sleeping mode
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• 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 5/6861 Capsules, e.g. for swallowing or implanting
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0833 involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4236 characterised by adhesive patches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/56 Details of data transmission or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/565 involving data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA

Abstract

A method of communicating with an ingestible capsule includes detecting the location of the ingestible capsule, focusing a multi-sensor acoustic array on the ingestible capsule, and communicating an acoustic information exchange with the ingestible capsule via the multi-sensor acoustic array. The ingestible capsule includes a sensor that receives a stimulus inside the gastrointestinal tract of an animal, a bidirectional acoustic information communications module that transmits an acoustic information signal containing information from the sensor, and an acoustically transmissive encapsulation that substantially encloses the sensor and communications module, wherein the acoustically transmissive encapsulation is of ingestible size. The multi-sensor array includes a plurality of acoustic transducers that receive an acoustic signal from a movable device, and a plurality of delays, wherein each delay is coupled to a corresponding acoustic transducer. Each delay may be adjusted according to a phase of a signal received by the corresponding acoustic transducer.

Claims

1. A transmitter, comprising:

a bit splitter configured to parse an information signal into a first data stream and a second data stream;

a differential frequency shift keying (DFSK) switch configured to select a first carrier frequency as a DFSK data stream when the second data stream is at a first logical value or a second carrier frequency as the DFSK data stream when the second data stream is at a second logical value;

a phase shifting module configured to alter a phase of the DFSK data stream to produce a phase shifted DFSK data stream;

a multiplier configured to multiply the first data stream by a delayed representation of an output of the multiplier to provide a differential phase shift keying (DPSK) switch control signal;

a DPSK switch configured to select the phase shifted DFSK data stream when the DPSK switch control signal is at the first logical value or the DFSK data stream when the DPSK switch control signal is at the second logical value to generate a combined DFSK and DPSK data stream; and

a radiating element configured to convert the combined DFSK and DPSK data stream to an acoustic representation to generate an acoustic communication signal.

2. The transmitter of claim 1, further comprising:

a delay module configured to delay the output of the multiplier by one or more bits, one or more bytes, or one or more symbols.

3. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the DFSK switch is further configured to select the first carrier frequency and the second carrier frequency from among a first set of carrier frequencies and a second set of carrier frequencies, respectively.

4. The transmitter of claim 3, wherein the first set of carrier frequencies and the second set of carrier frequencies are selectively chosen in accordance with a code of a frequency hopping (FH) scheme.

5. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the bit splitter configured to parse the information signal into a first group of one or more bits, one or more bytes, or one or more symbols to provide the first data stream and a second group of one or more bits, one or more bytes, or one or more symbols to provide the second data stream.

6. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the phase shifting module is configured to alter the phase of the DFSK data stream by approximately one hundred eighty degrees to produce the phase shifted DFSK data stream.

7. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the radiating element comprises:

an electromechanical transducer;

a piezoelectric element;

or

a transducer configured to vibrate at an acoustic frequency.

8. A transmitter, comprising:

a differential frequency shift keying (DFSK) switch configured to select a first carrier frequency as a DFSK data stream when a data stream is at a first logical value or a second carrier frequency as the DFSK data stream when the data stream is at a second logical value;

a phase shifting module configured to alter a phase of the DFSK data stream to produce a phase shifted DFSK data stream;

a differential phase shift keying (DPSK) switch configured to select the phase shifted DFSK data stream when two consecutive values of the data stream are different or the DFSK data stream when the two consecutive values of the data stream match to generate a combined DFSK and DPSK data stream; and

a radiating element configured to convert the combined DFSK and DPSK data stream to an acoustic representation to generate an acoustic communication signal.

9. The transmitter of claim 8, wherein the DFSK switch is further configured to select the first carrier frequency and the second carrier frequency from among a first set of carrier frequencies and a second set of carrier frequencies, respectively.

10. The transmitter of claim 9, wherein the first set of carrier frequencies and the second set of carrier frequencies are selectively chosen in accordance with a code of a frequency hopping (FH) scheme.

11. The transmitter of claim 8, further comprising:

a multiplier configured to compare a first value from among the two consecutive values of the data stream with a delayed representation of an output of the multiplier to determine whether the two consecutive values of the data stream match or are different, the delayed representation of the output of the multiplier representing a second value from among the two consecutive values of the data stream.

12. The transmitter of claim 8, wherein the phase shifting module is configured to alter the phase of the DFSK data stream by approximately one hundred eighty degrees to produce the phase shifted DFSK data stream.

13. The transmitter of claim 8 wherein the radiating element comprises:

an electromechanical transducer;

a piezoelectric element;

or

a transducer configured to vibrate at an acoustic frequency.

14. A method for operating a transmitter, the method comprising:

selecting, by the transmitter, a first carrier frequency as a differential frequency shift keying (DFSK) data stream when a data stream is at a first logical value or a second carrier frequency as the DFSK data stream when the data stream is at a second logical value;

altering, by the transmitter, a phase of the DFSK data stream to produce a phase shifted DFSK data stream;

selecting, by the transmitter, the phase shifted DFSK data stream when two consecutive values of the data stream are different or the DFSK data stream when the two consecutive values of the data stream match to generate a combined DFSK and differential frequency shift keying (DPSK) data stream; and

converting, by the transmitter, the combined DFSK and DPSK data stream to an acoustic representation to generate an acoustic communication signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the selecting the first carrier frequency comprises:

selecting the first carrier frequency and the second carrier frequency from among a first set of carrier frequencies and a second set of carrier frequencies, respectively.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the selecting the first carrier frequency further comprises:

selectively choosing the first set of carrier frequencies and the second set of carrier frequencies in accordance with a code of a frequency hopping (FH) scheme.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

comparing a first value from among the two consecutive values of the data stream with a second value from among the two consecutive values of the data stream to determine whether the two consecutive values of the data stream match or are different.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the altering comprises:

altering the phase of the DFSK data stream by approximately one hundred eighty degrees to produce the phase shifted DFSK data stream.