Activity sensing for stimulator control
First Claim
1. A system comprising:
- a sensor configured to measure a distance between an electrode and a tissue of a patient to which the electrode delivers stimulation; and
at least one processor configured to control the sensor to measure the distance upon receiving an indication of activity of the patient, and, upon determining that the measured distance has changed, to adjust a parameter of the stimulation as a function of the measured distance to provide a substantially consistent stimulation intensity at the tissue, wherein adjusting the parameter of the stimulation comprises adjusting at least one of a pulse amplitude, a pulse width, and a pulse rate of the stimulation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The disclosure describes a system that measures the distance between one or more electrodes and tissue of a patient, and controls one or more parameters of the stimulation delivered to the tissue by the electrodes based on the measured distance. The system controls the measurement of the distance between the electrodes and the tissue as a function of activity of the patient. The system uses, for example, a piezoelectric transducer to sense activity of the patient, and may determine whether or how frequently to measure the distance between electrodes and tissue based on the sensed physical activity. A piezoelectric transducer may be used both to sense activity and to measure the distance between the electrodes and the tissue.
87 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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a sensor configured to measure a distance between an electrode and a tissue of a patient to which the electrode delivers stimulation; and at least one processor configured to control the sensor to measure the distance upon receiving an indication of activity of the patient, and, upon determining that the measured distance has changed, to adjust a parameter of the stimulation as a function of the measured distance to provide a substantially consistent stimulation intensity at the tissue, wherein adjusting the parameter of the stimulation comprises adjusting at least one of a pulse amplitude, a pulse width, and a pulse rate of the stimulation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A system comprising:
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a sensor configured to measure a distance between an electrode and a tissue of a patient to which the electrode delivers stimulation; and at least one processor configured to; upon receiving an indication of activity of the patient, control the sensor to measure the distance upon determining a likelihood that the distance between the electrode and the tissue has changed; and upon determining that the measured distance has changed, adjust a parameter of the stimulation delivered by the electrode as a function of the measured distance, wherein adjusting the parameter of the stimulation comprises adjusting at least one of a pulse amplitude, a pulse width, and a pulse rate of the stimulation. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method comprising:
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upon receiving an indication of activity of a patient, controlling, by at least one processor, measurement of a distance between an electrode and a tissue of the patient to which the electrode delivers stimulation; and upon determining that the measured distance has changed, adjusting, by the at least one processor, a parameter of the stimulation as a function of the measured distance to provide a substantially consistent stimulation intensity at the tissue, wherein adjusting the parameter of the stimulation comprises adjusting at least one of a pulse amplitude, a pulse width, and a pulse rate of the stimulation.
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28. A method comprising:
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upon receiving an indication of activity of a patient, controlling, by at least one processor, measurement of a distance between an electrode and a tissue of the patient to which the electrode delivers stimulation upon determining a likelihood that the distance has changed; and upon determining that the measured distance has changed, adjusting, by the at least one processor, a parameter of the stimulation delivered by the electrode as a function of the measured distance, wherein adjusting the parameter of the stimulation comprises adjusting at least one of a pulse amplitude, a pulse width, and a pulse rate of the stimulation.
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Specification