Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110087307 | Efficient External Charger for an Implantable Medical Device Optimized for Fast Charging and Constrained by an Implant Power Dissipation Limit - An improved external charger for a battery in an implantable medical device (implant), and technique for charging the battery using such improved external charger, is disclosed. In one example, simulation data is used to model the power dissipation of the charging circuitry in the implant at varying levels of implant power. A power dissipation limit is chosen to constrain the charging circuitry from producing an inordinate amount of heat to the tissue surrounding the implant, and duty cycles are determined for the various levels of input intensities to ensure that the power limit is not exceeded. A maximum simulated average battery current determines the optimal (i.e., quickest) battery charging current, and at least an optimal value for a parameter indicative of that current, for example, the voltage across the battery charging circuitry, is determined and stored in the external charger. During charging, the actual value for that parameter is reported from the implant to the external charger, which in turn adjusts the intensity and/or duty cycle of the magnetic charging field consistent with the simulation to ensure that charging is as fast as possible, while still not exceeding the power dissipation limit. | 04-14-2011 |
20110121777 | Efficient External Charger for Charging a Plurality of Implantable Medical Devices - An improved external charger for a battery in an implantable medical device (implant), and technique for charging batteries in multiple implants using such improved external charger, is disclosed. During charging, values for a parameter measured in the implants are reported from the implants to the external charger. The external charger infers from the magnitudes of the parameters which of the implants has the highest and lowest coupling to the external charger, and so designates those implants as “hot” and “cold.” The intensity of the magnetic charging field is optimized for the cold implant consistent with the simulation to ensure that that the cold implant is charged with a maximum (fastest) battery charging current. The duty cycle of the magnetic charging field is also optimized for the hot implant consistent with the simulation to ensure that the hot implant does not exceed the power dissipation limit. As a result, charging is optimized to be fast for all of the implants, while still safe from a tissue heating perspective. | 05-26-2011 |
20110234155 | Inductive Charger with Magnetic Shielding - To recharge an implanted medical device, an external device, typically in the form of an inductive charger, is placed over the implant to provide for transcutaneous energy transfer. The external charging device can be powered by a rechargeable battery. Since the battery is in close proximity to the charge coil, the large magnetic field produced by the charge coil induces eddy currents that flow on the battery's metallic case, often resulting in undesirable heating of the battery and reduced efficiency of the charger. This disclosure provides a means of shielding the battery from the magnetic field to reduce eddy current heating, thereby increasing efficiency. In one embodiment, the magnetic shield consists of one or more thin ferrite plates. The use of a ferrite shield allows the battery to be placed directly over the charge coil as opposed to outside the extent of the charge coil. | 09-29-2011 |
20120004708 | Implantable Medical Device and Charging System Employing Electric Fields - An implantable medical device and external base station system are disclosed. The external base station can provide a passive electric field to power the implant, or to charge its battery. The base station may also power or charge using magnetic fields under certain circumstances. The Implantable medical device may comprise an implantable neurostimulator having a number of electrode leads extending from its body. One or more of the electrode leads can comprise the antenna for receiving the electric field from the base station, and resonance in that antenna can be rectified to provide the power for recharging the battery. Although the E-field provided by the base station does not provide as much power for recharging as does other traditional charging techniques (such as those using magnetic fields), it can occur passively and over longer distances to allow the patent's implant to be recharged when in relative proximity to the base station. | 01-05-2012 |
20120004709 | Charging System for an Implantable Medical Device Employing Magnetic and Electric Fields - A base station for passively recharging a battery in an implant without patient involvement is disclosed. The base station can be hand held or may comprise equipment configured to be placed at a fixed location, such as under a bed, on or next to a wall, etc. The base station can generate electric and magnetic fields (E-field and B-field) that couple with an antenna and a receiving coil within the implant to generate a charging current for charging the implant's battery. No handling or manipulation on part of the patient is necessary; the implant battery is passively charged whenever the patient is within range of either the magnetic or electric charging fields generated by base station. Charging using the B-field occurs when the IPG is at a relatively short distance from the base station, while charging using the E-field occurs at longer distances. Back telemetry from the implant can inform the base station whether B-field or E-field charging is indicated, and is preferred if possible for its ability to transfer higher amounts of power to the implant. | 01-05-2012 |
20130023943 | Battery Management for an Implantable Medical Device - Battery management circuitry for an implantable medical device such as an implantable neurostimulator is described. The circuitry has a T-shape with respect to the battery terminal, with charging circuitry coupled between rectifier circuitry and the battery terminal on one side of the T, and load isolation circuitry coupled between the load and the battery terminal on the other side. The load isolation circuitry can comprise two switches wired in parallel. An undervoltage fault condition opens both switches to isolate the battery terminal from the load to prevent further dissipation of the battery. Other fault conditions will open only one the switches leaving the other closed to allow for reduced power to the load to continue implant operations albeit at safer low-power levels. The battery management circuitry can be fixed in a particular location on an integrated circuit which also includes for example the stimulation circuitry for the electrodes. | 01-24-2013 |
20130096651 | Charger Alignment in an Implantable Medical Device System Employing Reflected Impedance Modulation - The disclosed means of determining alignment between an external charger and an implantable medical device (IMD) involves the use of reflected impedance modulation, i.e., by measuring at the external charger reflections arising from modulating the impedance of the charging coil in the IMD. During charging, the charging coil in the IMD is pulsed to modulate its impedance. The difference in the coil voltage (ΔV) produced at the external charger as a result of these pulses is assessed and is used by the external charger to indicate coupling. If the magnitude of ΔV is above a threshold, the external charger considers the coupling to the IMD to be adequate, and an alignment indicator in the external charger is controlled accordingly. The magnitude of Vcoil can be assessed in addition to ΔV to determine alignment with the IMD with improved precision, and/or to further define a high quality alignment condition. | 04-18-2013 |
20130096652 | Closed Loop Charger for an Implantable Medical Device System Employing Reflected Impedance Modulation - The disclosed system for providing closed loop charging between an external charger and an implantable medical device such as an IPG involves the use of reflected impedance modulation, i.e., by measuring at the external charger reflections arising from modulating the impedance of the charging coil in the IPG. During charging, the charging coil in the IPG is periodically pulsed to modulate its impedance. The magnitude of the change in the coil voltage produced at the external charger ΔV as a result of these pulses is assessed and is used by the controller circuitry in the external charger as indicative of the coupling between the external charger and the IPG. The external charger adjusts its output power (e.g., Icharge) in accordance with the magnitude of ΔV, thus achieving closed loop charging without the need of telemetering coupling parameters from the IPG. | 04-18-2013 |
20130103115 | Communication and Charging Circuitry for a Single-Coil Implantable Medical Device - Communication and charging circuitry for an implantable medical device is described having a single coil for receiving charging energy and for data telemetry. The circuitry removes from the AC side of the circuit a tuning capacitor and switch traditionally used to tune the tank circuitry to different frequencies for telemetry and charging. As such, the tank circuitry is simplified and contains no switchable components. A switch is serially connected to the storage capacitor on the DC side of the circuit. During telemetry, the switch is opened, thus disconnecting the storage capacitor from the tank circuit, and alleviating concerns that this capacitor will couple to the tank circuit and interfere with telemetry operations. During charging, the switch is closed, which allows the storage capacitor to couple to the tank circuitry through the rectifier during some portions of the tank circuitry's resonance. | 04-25-2013 |
20140176066 | Communication and Charging Circuitry for a Single-Coil Implantable Medical Device - Communication and charging circuitry for an implantable medical device is described having a single coil for receiving charging energy and for data telemetry. The circuitry removes from the AC side of the circuit a tuning capacitor and switch traditionally used to tune the tank circuitry to different frequencies for telemetry and charging. As such, the tank circuitry is simplified and contains no switchable components. A switch is serially connected to the storage capacitor on the DC side of the circuit. During telemetry, the switch is opened, thus disconnecting the storage capacitor from the tank circuit, and alleviating concerns that this capacitor will couple to the tank circuit and interfere with telemetry operations. During charging, the switch is closed, which allows the storage capacitor to couple to the tank circuitry through the rectifier during some portions of the tank circuitry's resonance. | 06-26-2014 |
20140200631 | Efficient External Charger for Charging a Plurality of Implantable Medical Devices - An external charger for a battery in an implantable medical device (implant), and technique for charging batteries in multiple implants using such improved external charger, is disclosed. During charging, values for a parameter measured in the implants are reported from the implants to the external charger. The external charger infers from the magnitudes of the parameters which of the implants has the highest (hot) and lowest (cold) coupling to the external charger. The intensity of the magnetic charging field is optimized for the cold implant to ensure that it is charged with a maximum (fastest) battery charging current. The duty cycle of the magnetic charging field is also optimized for the hot implant to ensure that it does not exceed a power dissipation limit. As a result, charging is optimized to be fast for all of the implants, while still safe from a tissue heating perspective. | 07-17-2014 |
20140277287 | Efficient External Charger for an Implantable Medical Device Optimized for Fast Charging and Constrained by an Implant Power Dissipation Limit - An external charger for a battery in an implantable medical device and charging techniques are disclosed. Simulation data is used to model the power dissipation of the charging circuitry in the implant at varying levels of implant power. A power dissipation limit constrains the charging circuitry from producing an inordinate amount of heat to the tissue surrounding the implant, and duty cycles of a charging field are determined so as not to exceed that limit. A maximum simulated average battery current determines the optimal (i.e., quickest) battery charging current, and at least an optimal value for a parameter indicative of that current is determined and stored in the external charger. During charging, the actual value for that parameter is determined, and the intensity and/or duty cycle of the charging field are adjusted to ensure that charging is as fast as possible, while still not exceeding the power dissipation limit. | 09-18-2014 |
20140324126 | Heating Control for an Inductive External Charger for an Implantable Medical Device - The disclosed technique for charging a battery in an implantable medical device using an external charger indirectly determines the total power dissipated as heat in the IPG (P_IPG) by accounting for the various powers in the external charger/IPG system which are either known or can be measured, such as the input power provided to the amplifier that drives the coil in the external charger (Psys), the power stored in the IPG's battery (Pstored), and the power dissipated in the external charger's charging coil as heat (P_EC) (which is measured). Determining P_IPG at the external charger in this manner allows the heat flux from the IPG to be calculated (F_IPG), and compared to a safe heat flux limit (F_IPG′) to allow for adjustment to the power of the magnetic charging field in a closed loop fashion. | 10-30-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100298910 | Chair Pad Charging and Communication System for a Battery-Powered Microstimulator - A system and method are provided for both recharging and communicating with a stimulator having a rechargeable battery, which stimulator is implanted deeply in the body, in particular where the stimulator is a microstimulator, the system includes a base station and an external device, for instance a chair pad. The chair pad may contain an antenna/charging coil and a booster coil. The antenna/charging coil can be used for charging the rechargeable battery and also for communicating with the stimulator using frequency shift keying and on-off keying. The booster coil can be used to recharge a battery depleted to zero volts. The base station connected to the chair pad may be used to power the antenna/charging coil and the booster coil. | 11-25-2010 |
20120197352 | Charging and Communication System for a Battery-Powered Microstimulator - A system and method are provided for both recharging and communicating with a stimulator having a rechargeable battery, which stimulator is implanted deeply in the body, in particular where the stimulator is a microstimulator, the system includes a base station and an external device, for instance a chair pad. The chair pad may contain an antenna/charging coil and a booster coil. The antenna/charging coil can be used for charging the rechargeable battery and also for communicating with the stimulator using frequency shift keying and on-off keying. The booster coil can be used to recharge a battery depleted to zero volts. The base station connected to the chair pad may be used to power the antenna/charging coil and the booster coil. | 08-02-2012 |
20130331910 | Power Architecture for an Implantable Medical Device Having a Non-Rechargeable Battery - An improved architecture for an implantable medical device using a primary battery is disclosed which reduces the need for boosting the voltage of the primary battery, and hence reduces the power draw in the implant. The architecture includes a boost converter for boosting the voltage of the primary battery and for supplying that boosted voltage to certain of the circuit blocks, which is particularly useful if the battery voltage is necessarily lower than the minimal input power supply voltage necessary for the circuit blocks to operate. However, circuitry capable of operation even at low battery voltages—including the telemetry tank circuitry and the compliance voltage generator—receives the battery voltage directly without boosting, thus saving power. | 12-12-2013 |
20140358194 | External Device for Determining an Optimal Implantable Medical Device for a Patient Using Information Determined During an External Trial Stimulation Phase - An external controller is disclosed for communicating with an external trial stimulator (ETS) for an implantable medical device. The external controller is programmed with a battery algorithm able to assist a clinician in choosing a suitable implant for the patient based on battery performance parameters estimated for a number of implants during an external trial stimulation phase that precedes implantation of the implant. The algorithm is particularly useful in assisting the clinician in choosing between a rechargeable-battery implant or a primary-battery implant for the patient. | 12-04-2014 |
20150073506 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REDUCING ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD-INDUCED HEATING FROM AN IMPLANTABLE PULSE GENERATOR - An implantable control module for an implantable electrical stimulation system includes a housing with at least a portion of the exterior forming a metallic structure and at least a portion of the interior defining a sealed compartment. The control module further includes an electronic subassembly disposed in the sealed compartment; a connector assembly coupled to the housing and defining a port for receiving a lead; connector contacts disposed in the port to electrically couple with terminals of the lead; feedthrough interconnects extending from the connector assembly into the sealed compartment and coupling the connector contacts to the electronic subassembly; and a coil disposed within or on the housing and configured and arranged to be shorted when an external electromagnetic field is applied in order to resist generation of an eddy current in the metallic structure of the exterior of the sealed housing in response to the external electromagnetic field. | 03-12-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090037522 | System and Method for Simulating Network Functionality for Demonstration Devices - Simulated network functionality is provided to an electronic device used for demonstration purposes when an active network connection is otherwise unavailable. A demonstration mode flag may be detected by the electronic demonstration device upon inserting a local external storage that contains the demonstration mode flag. In response to detecting the demonstration mode flag, the demonstration device may then enter a demonstration mode, where such mode may be characterized by switching the device's default network connection from a standard remote server location to a locally-executing server. Upon detecting a network request from any one of the device's application programs, the local server may receive and respond to the network request using, for example, sample content stored on the local external storage. | 02-05-2009 |
20090125969 | COMMUNICATION SIGNAL STRENGTH DISPLAY FOR TV INTERNET ADAPTER - A wireless signal strength indication is displayed on a TV, representing the signal strength of a wireless link between the Internet and an Internet adapter module providing Internet video to the TV. | 05-14-2009 |
20100083337 | Multipurpose television module - A method of processing a boot sequence for a processor forming a part of a module apparatus involves interrogating a host television device to determine if the host television device requires use of an application execution engine residing on the module apparatus; receiving a reply to the interrogation; and responsive to the reply, establishing a mode of operation wherein the application execution engine is used to execute application code for the host television device. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract. | 04-01-2010 |
20100095329 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR KEYFRAME ANALYSIS AND DISTRIBUTION FROM BROADCAST TELEVISION - Embodiments of keyframe analysis and distribution from broadcast television are disclosed. For example, embodiments include methods and systems of sharing video frame data over a data network to provide features that may include improved program guides, parental or other monitoring of televisions or other video receivers, and sharing of user identified frames or scenes of video programs. | 04-15-2010 |
20100212001 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USER LOGIN TO A MULTIMEDIA SYSTEM USING A REMOTE CONTROL - Embodiments include systems and methods for user login to a multimedia system. In one embodiment, a method of logging in one or more user profiles on a multimedia system includes associating one or more actuation sequences of one or more buttons on a remote control device each with a user profile, each user profile having one or more characteristics for outputting multimedia content, the characteristics affecting multimedia content provided by a multimedia system to personalize the user's multimedia experience, communicating a first signal corresponding to one of the one or more actuation sequences from the remote control device to a multimedia system to identify a first user profile for login, logging in the first user profile as an active user profile on the multimedia system based on the first signal, and controlling multimedia content provided to an output system of the multimedia system based on the active user profile. | 08-19-2010 |
20110050995 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REAL-TIME VIDEO CONTENT SHARING WITH SYNCHRONIZATION VIA CLOSED-CAPTION METADATA - Various disclosed embodiments included systems and methods which allow two persons in different locations to enjoy a synchronized and shared viewing experience of original content that has been edited differently for broadcast in each location. Closed captioning text data to identify synchronization points in the broadcasts and used to provide synchronization services between the two broadcasts. | 03-03-2011 |
20140189729 | Multipurpose Television Module - A method of processing a boot sequence for a processor forming a part of a module apparatus involves interrogating a host television device to determine if the host television device requires use of an application execution engine residing on the module apparatus; receiving a reply to the interrogation; and responsive to the reply, establishing a mode of operation wherein the application execution engine is used to execute application code for the host television device. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract. | 07-03-2014 |