RF telemetry link quality assessment system and method

• US 20070049983A1
• Filed: 08/29/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Freeberg, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,801,620 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37223 Circuits for electromagnetic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37252 Details of algorithms or data aspects of communication system, e.g. handshaking, transmitting specific data or segmenting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/345 Interference values signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR] H04B17/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/04 TPC

Abstract

A system and method for assessing link quality for radio frequency (RF) transmissions between a programmer and an implantable medical device (IMD) is provided. An embodiment of the method includes measuring a plurality of available wireless communication channel potentially used to communicate between an implantable medical device (IMD) and a programmer to determine signal and noise levels for the channels. The method also includes storing the signal and noise levels. The method further includes processing the stored levels to determine the interference potential on the channels adjacent to the available channels. In this embodiment, the method also includes selecting a preferred communication channel based on a function of noise level for a target center channel and interference potential for corresponding adjacent channels to the target channel. Other aspects and embodiments are provided herein.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

measuring a plurality of available wireless communication channels potentially used to communicate between an implantable medical device (IMD) and a programmer to determine signal and noise levels for the plurality of channels;

storing the signal and noise levels;

processing the stored levels to determine an interference potential on the channels adjacent to the available channels; and

selecting a preferred communication channel based on a function of noise level for a target center channel and interference potential for corresponding adjacent channels to the target channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring the plurality of available wireless communication channels potentially used to communicate between an IMD and a programmer includes measuring each available successive wireless communication channel.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing the stored levels to sort the available channels by noise level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a preferred communication channel based on a function of noise level for the target center channel and interference potential for corresponding adjacent channels to the target channel includes selecting a preferred communication channel based on a lowest sum of the noise level for a target center channel and a largest noise level for corresponding adjacent channels to the target channel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring a plurality of available wireless communication channel potentially used to communicate between an IMD and a programmer includes using an external hand-held instrument to measure the channels.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring a plurality of available wireless communication channel potentially used to communicate between an IMD and a programmer includes using the programmer to measure the channels.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring a plurality of available wireless communication channel potentially used to communicate between an IMD and a programmer includes using the IMD to measure the channels.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a preferred communication channel includes outputting numerical data to a display.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a preferred communication channel includes outputting graphical data to a display.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein outputting graphical data to a display includes outputting a graph of peak noise measurement for the channels.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein outputting graphical data to a display includes outputting a graph of average noise measurement for the channels.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein outputting graphical data to a display includes outputting a graph of a sum of noise level for each target channel and interference potential for corresponding adjacent channels to each target channel.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the stored levels to determine the interference potential on the channels adjacent to the available channels includes comparing noise levels for the adjacent channels to the target channels and selecting highest of the noise levels to represent interference potential for the target channel.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for a link quality assessment from a programmer;

simulating an IMD in an RF session with the programmer over a plurality of available wireless communication channels potentially used to communicate between the IMD and the programmer;

testing the plurality of available wireless communication channel to record the presence of frame error rates, retries, and packet errors on the channels; and

selecting a preferred communication channel based on lowest error rates, retries and packet errors.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein testing a plurality of available wireless communication channel includes testing each available successive wireless communication channel.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein simulating an IMD in an RF session with the programmer includes telemetering electrograms to the programmer.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein testing a plurality of available wireless communication channel includes collecting link protocol data.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein selecting a preferred communication channel includes executing an algorithm to assess performance of the plurality of available channels.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein selecting a preferred communication channel includes executing an algorithm to assess performance of adjacent channels to the plurality available channels.

20. A device, comprising:

an antenna;

a communication circuit electrically connected to the antenna, the communication circuit adapted to receive wireless communication between an implantable medical device and a programmer;

a processor electrically connected to the communication circuit, the processor adapted to execute embedded instructions to evaluate signal and noise strength of available wireless communication channels potentially used to communicate between the IMD and the programmer to determine respective signal and noise levels for each channel, to determine the interference potential on the channels adjacent to each available channel, and to recommend a communication channel based on a function of noise level for a target center channel and interference potential for corresponding adjacent channels to the target channel; and

a memory electrically connected to the processor, the memory adapted to store the embedded instructions, measurements of individual channels and results of evaluation.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the communication circuit includes a transmitter and a receiver.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein the communication circuit includes a transceiver.

23. The device of claim 20, further comprising:

a display electrically connected to the processor, the display adapted to provide a visual depiction of evaluation results.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the display is adapted to output a graph of peak noise measurement for each channel.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the display is adapted to output a graph of average noise measurement for each channel.

26. A system, comprising:

an implantable medical device (IMD);

a programmer wirelessly coupled to the IMD; and

a radio frequency link quality assessment (LQA) device positioned to receive a radio frequency communication between the implantable medical device and the programmer;

wherein at least one of the IMD, the programmer, and the LQA device are adapted to evaluate signal and noise strength of available wireless communication channels potentially used to communicate between the IMD and the programmer to determine respective signal and noise levels for each channel.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the programmer is adapted to request the IMD to evaluate signal and noise strength of available wireless communication channels potentially used to communicate between the IMD and the programmer.

28. A system, comprising:

an implantable medical device (IMD); and

a programmer wirelessly coupled to the IMD;

wherein at least one of the IMD and the programmer are adapted to evaluate signal and noise strength of available wireless communication channels potentially used to communicate between the IMD and the programmer to determine respective signal and noise levels for each channel.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the IMD is adapted to proactively evaluate signal and noise strength of available wireless communication channels potentially used to communicate between the IMD and the programmer, and adapted to telemeter data regarding the evaluated channels to the programmer.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the programmer is adapted to request the IMD to evaluate a particular frequency.

31. A system, comprising:

an implantable medical device (IMD);

a programmer wirelessly coupled to the IMD; and

a radio frequency link quality assessment device positioned to receive a radio frequency communication between the implantable medical device and the programmer, the radio frequency link quality assessment device including;

an antenna;

a communication circuit electrically connected to the antenna, the communication circuit adapted to receive wireless communication between the implantable medical device and the programmer;

a processor electrically connected to the communication circuit, the processor adapted to execute embedded instructions to evaluate signal and noise strength of available wireless communication channels potentially used to communicate between the IMD and the programmer to determine respective signal and noise levels for each channel, to determine the interference potential on the channels adjacent to each available channel, and to recommend a communication channel based on a function of noise level for a target center channel and interference potential for corresponding adjacent channels to the target channel; and

a memory electrically connected to the processor, the memory adapted to store the embedded instructions, measurements of individual channels and results of evaluation.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the IMD includes a cardiac rhythm management device.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the radio frequency link quality assessment device includes a handheld device.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the radio frequency link quality assessment device is adapted to receive a request for an alternative communication channel from the IMD.

35. A system, comprising:

an implantable medical device; and

a programmer wirelessly coupled to the implantable medical device, the programmer including;

an antenna;

a communication circuit electrically connected to the antenna, the communication circuit adapted to wirelessly communicate with the implantable medical device;

a processor electrically connected to the communication circuit, the processor adapted to execute embedded instructions to evaluate signal and noise strength of available wireless communication channels potentially used to communicate between the IMD and the programmer to determine respective signal and noise levels for each channel, to determine the interference potential on the channels adjacent to each available channel, and to select a communication channel based on a function of noise level for a target center channel and interference potential for corresponding adjacent channels to the target channel; and

a memory electrically connected to the processor, the memory adapted to store the embedded instructions, measurements of individual channels and results of evaluation.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the communication circuit includes a transceiver.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the communication circuit includes a transmitter and a receiver.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the receiver is adapted to scan each available wireless communication channel to measure noise level when a link between the IMD and the programmer is not in use.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the receiver is adapted to continue to scan until the programmer is commanded to resume an existing telemetry session or establish a new telemetry session.

40. A system, comprising:

means for measuring a plurality of available wireless communication channels potentially used to communicate between an implantable medical device (IMD) and a programmer to determine respective signal and noise levels for the channels;

means for storing the signal and noise levels;

means for processing the stored levels to sort the available channels by noise level, and for processing the stored levels to determine the interference potential on the channels adjacent to the available channels; and

means for selecting a communication channel based on a lowest sum of noise level for a target center channel and interference potential for corresponding adjacent channels to the target channel.

41. The system of claims 40, wherein the means for processing the stored levels includes a microprocessor located within a hand held link quality assessment device.

42. The system of claims 40, wherein the means for processing the stored levels includes a microprocessor located within the programmer.