Low-power-consumption implantable apparatus, implantable system, and method

Abstract

A low-power-consumption implantable apparatus, an implantable system, and a method. The implantable apparatus comprises: a signal acquisition unit, configured, in a monitoring state, for periodically acquiring a biological signal; and a control unit that enters a low-power-consumption state when not performing a task operation. In the monitoring state, the control unit is woken up when configured for performing the following task operations: batch processing a plurality of groups of buffered biological signals; and / or, in response to detecting an abnormal signal in the batch-processed groups of biological signals, controlling the implantable apparatus to enter a treatment state. The implantable apparatus according to embodiments of the present disclosure has relatively low power consumption.

Description

Low-power implantable devices, implantable systems and methods Cross-references to related applications

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application filed on June 28, 2024, with application number 202410864566.2 and entitled "Low-power implantable device, implantable system and method". Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure generally relates to the field of medical device technology. More specifically, this disclosure relates to a low-power implantable device, a low-power implantable system, and a method for controlling the power consumption of the implantable device. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of medical technology, implantable medical devices are playing an increasingly important role in the treatment and monitoring of human diseases. Closed-loop neurostimulation systems, such as implantable pacemakers, muscle stimulators, and neurostimulators, in particular, achieve precise treatment of diseases by directly interacting with the human nervous system. However, these devices typically rely on battery power, and their limited battery capacity poses a challenge to their long-term stable operation. Therefore, reducing the power consumption of implantable devices under limited battery power conditions has become an urgent technical problem to be solved.

[0004] In view of this, there is an urgent need to provide a low-power control scheme for implantable devices in order to reduce the power consumption of implantable devices and ensure their long-term stable operation. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to at least address one or more of the technical problems mentioned above, this disclosure provides low-power implantable devices, low-power implantable systems, and methods for controlling the power consumption of implantable devices in several aspects.

[0006] In a first aspect, this disclosure provides a low-power implantable device, comprising: a signal acquisition unit for periodically acquiring biological signals in a monitoring state; a control unit that enters a low-power state when not performing a task operation; and in the monitoring state, the control unit is awakened when performing the following tasks: batch processing multiple sets of cached biological signals; and / or controlling the implantable device to enter a treatment state in response to detecting an abnormal signal in the batch-processed multiple sets of biological signals.

[0007] In some embodiments, the low-power state includes a sleep state or a low-frequency state, wherein the operating frequency of the control unit in the low-frequency state is lower than the operating frequency of the control unit when performing task operations.

[0008] In some embodiments, in the treatment state, the control unit is configured to configure stimulation parameters and enter a low-power state after outputting the stimulation parameters; the implantable device further comprises a stimulation unit configured to output stimulation signals based on the stimulation parameters in response to receiving the stimulation parameters in the treatment state.

[0009] In some embodiments, in the treatment state, the control unit is configured to configure stimulation parameters and enter a low-power state after outputting the stimulation parameters; the implantable device further comprises a stimulation unit configured to output stimulation signals based on the stimulation parameters in response to receiving the stimulation parameters in the treatment state.

[0010] In some embodiments, the implantable device further comprises a dedicated processing unit configured to, in the monitoring state, batch process the cached groups of biosignals, and in response to detecting an abnormal signal in the batch-processed groups of biosignals, wake up the control unit to control the implantable device to enter the treatment state.

[0011] In some embodiments, the implantable device further comprises a cache module located in the control unit or independently provided from the control unit and configured to cache the biosignals.

[0012] In some embodiments, the control unit is woken up and configured to batch process the cached groups of biosignals when the cached groups of biosignals satisfy at least one of the following conditions: a number of groups of biosignals reaches a preset number of groups; a data volume of the groups of biosignals reaches a preset volume; a cache space for caching the groups of biosignals is full.

[0013] In some embodiments, the preset number of groups, the preset volume, or a size of the cache space is determined according to a data volume required for detecting the abnormal signal.

[0014] In some embodiments, the implantable device further comprises a storage unit configured to store at least the biosignals and / or the abnormal signal, a first communication unit configured to, in a communication-on state, be communicatively connected with an external device so that the implantable device and the external device exchange information, and a charging unit comprising a charging battery and a first charging coil, wherein the charging battery is configured to provide energy for each unit in the implantable device, and the first charging coil is configured to, in the communication-on state, inductively charge a second charging coil in the external device; wherein in the communication-on state, the control unit is woken up when there is a demand for information exchange and enters a low-power state when there is no demand for information exchange.

[0015] In some embodiments, the tasks include periodic tasks, and the control unit is further configured to be woken up at a time interval of the periodic tasks.

[0016] In some embodiments, the biological signal comprises at least one of electroencephalogram signal, electrocardiogram signal, electromyogram signal.

[0017] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a low-power implantable system, comprising: an implantable device as described in any of the first aspect of the present disclosure; and an external device for information interaction with the implantable device.

[0018] In some embodiments, the external device comprises: a second communication unit for communication connection with the implantable device; a second charging coil for charging the implantable device and / or waking up the implantable device; a magnet for waking up the control unit and / or switching the state of the implantable device.

[0019] In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for controlling power consumption of an implantable device, the implantable device comprising a signal acquisition unit and a control unit, wherein the control unit enters a low-power state when not performing a task operation; the method comprising: periodically acquiring biological signals by the signal acquisition unit in a monitoring state; batch processing a plurality of groups of buffered biological signals; and in response to detecting an abnormal signal in the batch-processed plurality of groups of biological signals, controlling the implantable device to enter a treatment state; wherein the control unit is woken up for the batch processing of the plurality of groups of buffered biological signals; and / or in response to detecting the abnormal signal, the control unit is woken up to control the implantable device to enter the treatment state.

[0020] In some embodiments, the low-power state comprises a sleep state or a low-frequency state, wherein the running frequency of the control unit in the low-frequency state is lower than the running frequency of the control unit when performing a task operation.

[0021] In other embodiments, the implantable device further comprises a stimulation unit, and the method further comprises: in the treatment state, configuring a stimulation parameter by the control unit, and entering a low-power state after outputting the stimulation parameter; in response to receiving the stimulation parameter, outputting a stimulation signal based on the stimulation parameter by the stimulation unit.

[0022] In yet other embodiments, the method further comprises: in the treatment state, in response to the presence of a plurality of stimulation stages, waking up the control unit to configure a stimulation parameter of a next stimulation stage when switching the stimulation stage.

[0023] In some embodiments, the implantable device further comprises a dedicated processing unit for batch processing a plurality of groups of buffered biological signals.

[0024] In some embodiments, the batch processing of the plurality of groups of biological signals comprises: in response to the plurality of groups of biological signals satisfying at least one of the following conditions, batch processing the plurality of groups of biological signals: the number of groups of biological signals reaches a preset number of groups; the data amount of the plurality of groups of biological signals reaches a preset amount; the cache space for caching the plurality of groups of biological signals is full.

[0025] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: determining the preset number of groups, the preset amount, or the size of the cache space according to the data amount required for detecting the abnormal signal.

[0026] In some embodiments, the implantable device further comprises a first communication unit and a charging unit, the first communication unit is configured to be communicatively connected with an external device in a communication-on state, so that the implantable device and the external device exchange information; the charging unit comprises a charging battery and a first charging coil, wherein the charging battery is configured to provide energy for each unit in the implantable device, and the first charging coil is configured to inductively charge with a second charging coil in the external device in the communication-on state; the method further comprises: in the communication-on state, in response to receiving an information exchange request, waking up the control unit; and in response to not receiving an information exchange request, the control unit enters a low-power consumption state.

[0027] In some embodiments, the task comprises a periodic task, and the method further comprises: according to a task time interval of the periodic task, periodically waking up the control unit.

[0028] In some embodiments, the biological signal comprises at least one of an electroencephalogram signal, an electrocardiogram signal, and an electromyogram signal.

[0029] By the above-mentioned scheme for reducing the power consumption of the implantable device, the embodiments of the present disclosure can advantageously reduce the energy consumption of the signal acquisition unit by periodically acquiring biological signals in the monitoring state; and by configuring the control unit to enter a low-power consumption state when not performing a task operation, and to be woken up when batch processing a plurality of groups of biological signals cached in the monitoring state, and / or to be woken up when detecting an abnormal signal in the batch-processed plurality of groups of biological signals, the control unit does not need to remain in a running state at all times in the monitoring state, thereby effectively reducing the power consumption of the control unit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0031] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a low-power implantable device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a low-power implantable device, according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a low-power implantable device, according to yet some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a low-power implantable system, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method for controlling power consumption of an implantable device, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of, rather than all of, the embodiments of the present disclosure. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0037] It should be understood that the terms “comprise” and “include” used in the specification and claims of the present disclosure indicate the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0038] It should also be understood that the terms used in the specification of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used in the specification and claims of the present disclosure, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that the term “and / or” used in the specification and claims of the present disclosure means one or more of the associated listed items as well as all possible combinations of the items.

[0039] As used in the specification and claims, the term “if’ can be interpreted as meaning “when” or “once” or “in response to a determination” or “in response to a detection” depending on the context. Similarly, the phrases “if determined” or “if detected [the described condition or event]” can be interpreted as meaning “once determined” or “in response to a determination” or “once detected [the described condition or event]” or “in response to a detection [the described condition or event]” depending on the context.

[0040] The present inventors have found that, for an implantable device, the power consumption of the CPU has a great impact on the overall power consumption of the implantable device. Generally, the CPU is triggered to run once for each time the implantable device collects a biological signal, so that the CPU needs to process or respond to each collected biological signal, thereby the CPU needs to work continuously or be frequently woken up during the biological signal collection.

[0041] Based on the above findings, the present disclosure provides a brand-new solution, by buffering and batch processing the collected biological signals, the number of CPU wake-ups can be reduced, thereby facilitating the reduction of CPU power consumption and the overall power consumption of the implantable device. The specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042] FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a low-power implantable device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the implantable device can include a control unit 110 and a signal collection unit 120, wherein in a monitoring state, the signal collection unit 120 is configured to periodically collect biological signals; the control unit 110 enters a low-power state when no task operation is performed; in the monitoring state, the control unit 110 is woken up when configured to perform the following task operations: batch processing of buffered multiple sets of biological signals; and / or in response to detecting an abnormal signal in the batch-processed multiple sets of biological signals, controlling the implantable device to enter a treatment state.

[0043] The implantable device described herein can be a device implanted in the body, which can be implemented as a chip or a micro device to achieve the functions of collecting and processing biological signals. The implantable device can be a closed-loop neural stimulation system, which can automatically perform the operations of collecting, processing and stimulating output of biological signals without communication connection with an external device. The biological signal is a physiological electrical signal emitted by a living body. In some embodiments, the biological signal can include at least one of an electroencephalogram signal, an electrocardiogram signal, an electromyogram signal, etc. In other embodiments, the implantable device can include at least one of an implantable cardiac pacemaker, an implantable muscle stimulator, an implantable neural stimulator, etc.

[0044] In some embodiments, the control unit 110 can be a micro control unit (MCU), which can include a processor CPU and peripherals (e.g., timers, serial ports, etc.). In other embodiments, the signal acquisition unit 120 can include one or more devices such as amplifiers, filters, analog-to-digital converters, etc. to enable digital acquisition of the biological signals. In some embodiments, the monitoring state can be a state in which the implanted device monitors the biological signals, in which the implanted device can acquire and process the biological signals to monitor for the generation of abnormal signals. In other embodiments, the low power state can include a sleep state or a low frequency state, in which the control unit 110 operates at a lower frequency than when performing task operations. The low frequency state of the control unit 110 can be achieved by reducing the clock frequency of the CPU. The sleep state refers to a state in which the CPU is stopped (i.e., the clock is turned off), in which the peripherals can remain in a certain operational state to enable the CPU to be woken up in a timely manner when needed. The sleep state of the CPU can be more advantageous than the low frequency state in terms of reducing power consumption. In some embodiments, the treatment state can be a state in which the implanted device processes or responds to abnormal signals.

[0045] The signal acquisition unit 120 can periodically acquire the biological signals, which can be achieved by a timer periodically triggering. The timer can be a hardware timer. The timer can send a trigger signal at a set time period, and the signal acquisition unit 120 can start acquiring a current set of biological signals (e.g., electroencephalogram signals) upon receiving the trigger signal. The acquired biological signal data can be buffered, waiting for the control unit 110 to be woken up and further processed or analyzed. Each time the signal acquisition unit 120 acquires biological signals is a set of biological signals, and multiple times the signal acquisition unit 120 acquires biological signals are multiple sets of biological signals. This periodic triggering mechanism allows the implanted device to collect data periodically without the need for continuous operation, thereby facilitating energy saving and reducing power consumption.

[0046] In some embodiments, the tasks performed by the control unit 110 described above can include periodic tasks, and the control unit 110 can be configured to be woken up according to a task time interval of the periodic tasks. Here, the periodic tasks can be tasks (e.g., voltage detection, etc.) performed at a certain task time interval. Specifically, according to the task time interval, the control unit 110 (the CPU of the control unit 110) can be periodically woken up by setting a timer. After each period of performing the corresponding task, the control unit 110 can enter a low power state, and then be woken up when performing the task in the next period. Waking up the control unit 110 can refer to triggering the processor CPU of the control unit 110 to enter a running state from a sleep state, or to switch from a low frequency state to a high frequency state for performing task operations.

[0047] In some embodiments, the tasks described above can include periodic tasks, and the control unit 110 can be woken up in response to receiving an interrupt signal of the periodic tasks. After the periodic tasks are executed, the control unit 110 can enter the low-power consumption state again. It can be understood that the more frequent the periodic tasks, the more frequently the control unit 110 is woken up, and the greater the power consumption of the control unit 110; on the contrary, the less frequent the periodic tasks, the less frequently the control unit 110 is woken up, and the smaller the power consumption of the control unit 110.

[0048] For the control unit 110, processing the collected biological signals is a non-periodic task. Compared to waking up the control unit 110 each time a set of biological signals is collected, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the control unit 110 is woken up after a batch of data (i.e., multiple sets of biological signals) is buffered by periodically collecting biological signals, which is conducive to reducing the number of times the control unit 110 is woken up in the monitoring state, thereby effectively reducing the power consumption of the control unit 110 and the entire implantable device.

[0049] In some embodiments, in the monitoring state, the control unit 110 can be woken up when it is necessary to batch process the buffered multiple sets of biological signals to perform detection and analysis operations; and in response to detecting an abnormal signal in the batch-processed multiple sets of biological signals, the control unit 110 remains in the woken-up state and controls the implantable device to enter the treatment state. In other embodiments, in response to not detecting an abnormal signal in the batch-processed multiple sets of biological signals, the control unit 110 can enter the low-power consumption state again until the next time it is woken up.

[0050] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the buffering can be implemented by software and / or hardware. In some embodiments, the implantable device can include a buffering module 130 for buffering biological signals, which can be a specific hardware component (such as static random access memory SRAM or other types of high-speed memory); or it can be an allocated area in the memory of the control unit 110 and managed by software logic. In other embodiments, the buffering module 130 can be located in the control unit 110 (shown in a dashed box in the figure) or independently provided from the control unit 110 (not shown in the figure). For example, in some embodiments, the buffering module 130 can be located between the control unit 110 and the signal collection unit 120.

[0051] In yet some embodiments, the control unit 110 is woken up and used to batch process the cached groups of bio-signals when the cached groups of bio-signals satisfy at least one of the following conditions: the number of groups of bio-signals reaches a preset number of groups; the data amount of the groups of bio-signals reaches a preset amount; the cache space used to cache the groups of bio-signals is full. Batch processing is to process the groups of bio-signals as a single job or work batch.

[0052] For example, by setting a preset number of groups (e.g. 5 groups, or 10 groups, etc.), the preset number of groups of bio-signals can be processed as a work batch of data when the number of groups of bio-signals cached reaches the preset number of groups. By setting a data amount threshold (i.e. a preset amount), the preset amount of groups of bio-signals can be processed as a work batch when the data size of the cached groups of bio-signals reaches the preset amount. By setting the size of the cache space of the cache module for example, the groups of bio-signals stored in the cache space can be read and processed as a work batch of data in response to the cache space being full.

[0053] In some embodiments, the preset number of groups, the preset amount, or the size of the cache space can be determined according to the amount of data required for detecting abnormal signals. The control unit 110 can implement detection and analysis of bio-signals through built-in algorithms. Taking electroencephalogram data detection as an example, algorithms such as line length method, area method, etc. can be used to detect electroencephalogram signals, and according to the detection requirements of the algorithms, a segment of electroencephalogram signals needs to be detected (rather than only based on one data point to detect) to determine whether there is an abnormal signal in the segment of electroencephalogram signals. Therefore, the amount of data required to detect abnormal signals (i.e. the minimum processing amount required by the algorithm to detect whether a bio-signal is abnormal) can be used as a basis for setting the preset number of groups, the preset amount, or the cache space.

[0054] According to such settings, the number of times the control unit 110 is woken up can be reduced while ensuring the timeliness of detecting abnormal signals, thereby ensuring the timely response and processing of abnormal signals by the implantable device. Further, such settings can also enable the cached groups of bio-signals to be processed at one time within one operation period, without the need for delaying and waiting for the required data amount to perform operation or spanning multiple operation periods to be processed, thereby being more conducive to hardware implementation, making full use of hardware computing power, and reducing the length of wake-up time. In particular, setting the size of the cache space based on the minimum processing amount of the algorithm is also conducive to reducing the resources occupied by the cache, thereby being conducive to the miniaturization of the implantable device.

[0055] The above describes the low-power implantable device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure in combination with FIG. 1, and it can be understood that the above description is exemplary rather than limiting. For example, the implantable device can not be limited to only including the control unit 110 and the signal acquisition unit 120, but can also include other components. For another example, the batch processing of the multiple groups of buffered data can not be limited to being performed by the control unit 110, but can also be implemented by other hardware. The low-power implantable device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below in combination with FIG. 2.

[0056] FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of a low-power implantable device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the implantable device can include the control unit 110, the signal acquisition unit 120, and a dedicated processing unit 210, wherein the dedicated processing unit 210, in the monitoring state, can be configured to: batch process the multiple groups of biological signals; and in response to detecting an abnormal signal in the batch-processed multiple groups of biological signals, wake up the control unit 110 to control the implantable device to enter the therapy state. In some embodiments, the control unit 110 can be woken up by setting a pin.

[0057] In the present embodiment, the algorithm for detecting biological signals can be fixed in the dedicated processing unit 210, which can batch process the multiple groups of biological signals. In some embodiments, the dedicated processing unit 210 can be implemented in the form of an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). In some other embodiments, the dedicated processing unit 210 can be configured with an operation unit according to the algorithm, such as a Fourier operation unit, a floating point operation unit, a multiply-accumulate operation unit, etc.

[0058] In the present embodiment, the CPU of the control unit 110 can not be woken up during the batch processing of the multiple groups of buffered biological signals, but can be woken up only when the dedicated processing unit 210 detects an abnormal signal, thereby further reducing the number of times of waking up the control unit 110 and being conducive to further reducing the power consumption of the CPU.

[0059] It can be understood that the implantable device can also include other units, which will be further described below in combination with FIG. 3.

[0060] FIG. 3 shows a schematic block diagram of a low-power implantable device according to yet some other embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the implantable device can include the control unit 110, the signal acquisition unit 120, and a stimulation unit 310. In the therapy state, the control unit 110 can be configured to configure stimulation parameters and enter a low-power state after outputting the stimulation parameters; and the stimulation unit 310, in response to receiving the stimulation parameters, outputs stimulation signals based on the stimulation parameters.

[0061] In some embodiments, the stimulation parameters can include one or more of, for example, pulse width, amplitude, frequency, waveform, stimulation duration, stimulation interval, etc. of the pulsed current. The control unit 110 outputs the stimulation parameters to the stimulation unit 310 to control the stimulation unit 310 to enter the therapy state. During the stimulation unit 310 outputs the corresponding stimulation signal based on the stimulation parameters (i.e., in the course of therapy), the control unit 110 can enter the low-power state, thereby reducing the power consumption of the control unit 110. During the stimulation interval (between pulses), the stimulation unit 310 can also enter the sleep state to save power consumption, while the stimulation unit 310 can be timed to wake up by setting a timer of the stimulation unit 310 in order to perform the stimulation output of the next pulse.

[0062] In other embodiments, in the therapy state, in response to the presence of multiple stimulation phases, the control unit 310 is woken up for configuring the stimulation parameters of the next stimulation phase when switching the stimulation phase. In some embodiments, the multiple stimulation phases can include, for example, the upper half wave and the lower half wave in one pulse cycle, or multiple different waveforms, or multiple pulse widths, or multiple amplitudes, etc. Taking the example of the multiple stimulation phases including the upper half wave and the lower half wave, the control unit 110 can be woken up when switching between the upper half wave and the lower half wave. Taking the example of multiple pulse widths, the control unit 110 can be woken up when switching from one pulse width to another pulse width.

[0063] According to such a setting, in the therapy state, the control unit 110 can not need to run continuously, but be woken up when needed to configure the stimulation parameters, and remain in the low-power state at other times, thereby facilitating reducing the power consumption of the implantable device in the therapy state while achieving the therapy effect.

[0064] As further shown in FIG. 3, the implantable device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can also include a storage unit 320 at least for storing the aforementioned biological signals and / or abnormal signals. In some embodiments, the storage unit 320 can include at least one of ferroelectric memory (FRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc. The storage unit 320 can be used to store the aforementioned acquired biological signals, and can also store the detected abnormal signals and / or the biological signals from which the abnormal signals are detected, etc. In other embodiments, the storage unit 320 can also be used to store the biological signals from which no abnormal signals are detected.

[0065] Further, the implantable device can further include a first communication unit 330, which, in the communication-on state, can be used to communicate with the external device, so as to exchange information between the implantable device and the external device. In some embodiments, the first communication unit 330 can include a first Bluetooth module, so as to be connected with the external device via Bluetooth. When it is required to acquire the biological signal via the implantable device or to regulate the implantable device, the first communication unit 330 can be activated by the external device to enter the communication-on state. When it is not required to monitor or acquire the biological signal, the first communication unit 330 can be turned off to enter the communication-off state, so as not to consume current.

[0066] In some embodiments, in the communication-on state, the control unit 110 is woken up when information exchange is required, and enters the low-power state when information exchange is not required. The information exchange described herein can include transmission of data, transmission of instructions, etc. For example, in the communication-on state, the external device can acquire real-time biological signals via the implantable device, or acquire historical biological signals stored by the implantable device in the closed-loop control from the storage unit 320, or can regulate the stimulation signal output by the stimulation unit 310 by issuing control instructions to the implantable device. In this embodiment, the control unit 110 is woken up in response to receiving the information exchange request, and can not need to be kept in the running state at all times in the communication-on state, thereby facilitating reduction of the power consumption of the implantable device in the communication-on state.

[0067] As further shown in FIG. 3, the implantable device can further include a charging unit 340, which can include a charging battery and a first charging coil, wherein the charging battery can be used to provide energy for the units in the implantable device, and the first charging coil can be used to induct with a second charging coil in the external device in the communication-on state, so as to charge the charging battery. The charging unit 340 can be connected with the units (shown by dashed lines in the figure) to supply power to the units.

[0068] The low-power implementation of the implantable device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is described above in conjunction with the plurality of drawings, and it can be understood that the states of the implantable device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can coexist or switch, and in combination with the power consumption control in the states and the cooperation and coordination between the units, the biological signal acquisition, monitoring, treatment, etc. functions can be implemented while the power consumption of the implantable device is optimized.

[0069] The present disclosure further provides a low-power implantable system, including: the implantable device as described above; and an external device used to exchange information with the implantable device. For ease of understanding, an implementation of the implantable system will be described below in conjunction with FIG. 4.

[0070] FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of an implantable system with low power consumption according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, the implantable system can include an implantable device 410 and an extra-corporeal device 420, wherein the implantable device 410 can include the control unit 110, the signal acquisition unit 120, the charging unit 340, the storage unit 320, the stimulation unit 310, and the first communication unit 330; the extra-corporeal device 420 can include a second communication unit 421 and a second charging coil 422.

[0071] The second communication unit 421 can be configured to establish a communication connection with the implantable device 410. In some embodiments, the second communication unit 421 can include a second Bluetooth module to establish a Bluetooth connection with the implantable device 410. The second charging coil 422 can be configured to charge the implantable device 410 and / or wake up the implantable device 410. The second charging coil 422 can be inductively charged with the first charging coil in the charging unit 340. The second charging coil 422 can also trigger the first communication unit 330 in the implantable device 410 to enter a communication-on state (i.e., wake up the implantable device 410) by inductively coupling with the first charging coil in the charging unit 340.

[0072] In other embodiments, the extra-corporeal device 420 can further include a magnet 423 (shown in a dashed box) to wake up the control unit 110 and / or switch the state of the implantable device 410. In some embodiments, the implantable device 410 can further include a magnetic sensor configured to magnetically couple with the magnet 423; the magnetic sensor is connected to the control unit 110 to wake up the control unit 110. With the wake-up function of the magnet 423, the control unit 110 can control the first communication unit 330, thereby triggering the first communication unit 330 to enter a communication-on state. Therefore, in some application scenarios, the extra-corporeal device 420 can include one of the second charging coil 422 and the magnet 423 to wake up the implantable device.

[0073] In other application scenarios, the extra-corporeal device 420 can include both the second charging coil 422 and the magnet 423 to trigger two different events. For example, the second charging coil 422 can be configured to wake up the implantable device 410 to establish a communication connection with the extra-corporeal device 420; the magnet 423 can be configured to trigger the implantable device 410 to switch states in the communication-on state of the implantable device 410. For example, by moving the magnet 423 across the implantable device 410, the implantable device 410 is triggered to enter a therapy state.

[0074] The above describes the implantable system according to the embodiments of the present disclosure in combination with FIG. 4, and it can be understood that the above description and the shown in the figure are exemplary but not limited. For example, the units included in the implantable device 410 or the external device 420 can not be limited to the shown in the figure, and more or less can be set as needed.

[0075] In addition, the present disclosure also provides a method for controlling the power consumption of the implantable device, which is exemplarily described below in combination with FIG. 5.

[0076] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of a method for controlling the power consumption of the implantable device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. The method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be used to control the power consumption of the implantable device, which can include a signal acquisition unit and a control unit, wherein the control unit enters a low-power consumption state when not performing a task operation. As shown in FIG. 5, the method 500 can include: in step 502, periodically acquiring biological signals by the signal acquisition unit in a monitoring state; in step 504, batch processing a plurality of groups of cached biological signals; and in step 506, in response to detecting an abnormal signal in the batch-processed plurality of groups of biological signals, controlling the implantable device to enter a treatment state; wherein the control unit is woken up for batch processing when batch processing the plurality of groups of cached biological signals; and / or in response to detecting the abnormal signal, waking up the control unit to control the implantable device to enter the treatment state.

[0077] In some embodiments, the low-power consumption state includes a sleep state or a low-frequency state, wherein the running frequency of the control unit in the low-frequency state is lower than the running frequency of the control unit when performing the task operation.

[0078] In other embodiments, the implantable device further includes a stimulation unit, and the method 500 can further include: in the treatment state, configuring a stimulation parameter by the control unit, and entering a low-power consumption state after outputting the stimulation parameter; in response to receiving the stimulation parameter, outputting a stimulation signal based on the stimulation parameter by the stimulation unit.

[0079] In yet other embodiments, the method 500 can further include: in the treatment state, in response to the presence of a plurality of stimulation stages, waking up the control unit to configure a stimulation parameter of a next stimulation stage when switching the stimulation stage.

[0080] In some embodiments, the implantable device further includes a dedicated processing unit for batch processing the plurality of groups of cached biological signals.

[0081] In some embodiments, the batch processing of the cached groups of biosignals can comprise: in response to the cached groups of biosignals satisfying at least one of the following conditions, batch processing the groups of biosignals: the number of groups of biosignals reaches a preset number of groups; the data volume of the groups of biosignals reaches a preset volume; the cache space for caching the groups of biosignals is full.

[0082] In yet some embodiments, the method 500 can further comprise: determining the preset number of groups, the preset volume, or the size of the cache space according to the data volume required for detecting the abnormal signal.

[0083] In some embodiments, the implantable device further comprises a first communication unit and a charging unit, the first communication unit is configured to be communicatively connected with the external device in the communication-on state, so that the implantable device and the external device exchange information; the charging unit comprises a charging battery and a first charging coil, wherein the charging battery is configured to provide energy for each unit in the implantable device, and the first charging coil is configured to inductively charge with a second charging coil in the external device in the communication-on state; the method 500 can further comprise: in the communication-on state, in response to receiving the information exchange request, waking up the control unit; and in response to not receiving the information exchange request, controlling the control unit to enter the low-power-consumption state.

[0084] In some embodiments, the task comprises a periodic task, and the method 500 can further comprise: according to a task time interval of the periodic task, timing the wake-up of the control unit.

[0085] In yet some embodiments, the biosignal comprises at least one of an electroencephalogram signal and an electrocardiogram signal.

[0086] The method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure has been described in detail above in connection with the implantable device described in any one of FIGS. 1-3, and thus will not be described here again.

[0087] In addition, in order to facilitate the understanding of the effects of the schemes of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following will be further described in connection with two test examples.

[0088] Test Example 1:

[0089] Table 1:

[0090] Taking the implanted device in the communication-on state as an example, Table 1 shows the power consumption test results of the two schemes, wherein the CPU power consumption shown in Table 1 represents the power consumption value at a fixed voltage. In order to exclude the interference of other factors, the implanted device is not in the monitoring state at the same time in this test example. In scheme A1, the clock of the CPU of the control unit is always on, that is, the CPU is always in the running state (or working state) in the communication-on state; in scheme A2, the CPU of the control unit enters the sleep state when there is no task operation. From the power consumption test results in Table 1, it can be seen that, compared with scheme A1, the control unit of the embodiment of the present disclosure enters the sleep state when there is no task operation, which will significantly reduce the CPU power consumption and be beneficial to reducing the overall power consumption of the implanted device.

[0091] Test Example 2:

[0092] Table 2:

[0093] Table 2 shows the power consumption of the implanted device when performing a batch processing of different amounts of data in the monitoring state. In order to exclude the interference of other factors, the implanted device is in the communication-off state in this test example. In scheme B1, the signal acquisition unit wakes up the control unit to process a group of biological signals each time the biological signals are collected. In scheme B2, the signal acquisition unit wakes up the control unit to process 8 groups of biological signals each time the biological signals are collected. In scheme B3, the signal acquisition unit wakes up the control unit to process 16 groups of biological signals each time the biological signals are collected. In scheme B4, the signal acquisition unit wakes up the control unit to process 32 groups of biological signals each time the biological signals are collected.

[0094] From the power consumption test results in Table 2, it can be seen that, as the number of groups of biological signals (data amount) processed by the CPU each time increases, the power consumption of the CPU is significantly reduced. This is because the more groups of biological signals processed at a time, the fewer times the CPU is woken up, thus the CPU power consumption can be effectively reduced, and the power consumption of the entire implanted device is reduced.

[0095] In summary, the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a power consumption reduction scheme suitable for implanted devices, by periodically collecting biological signals by the signal acquisition unit, the control unit enters a low-power state when there is no task operation, and the control unit is woken up after buffering multiple groups of biological signals, which can effectively reduce the power consumption of the implanted device, thereby being beneficial to ensuring the long-term stable operation of the implanted device.

[0096] In the present disclosure, the units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units. The aforementioned components or units can be located in the same place or distributed on a plurality of units. In addition, according to actual needs, part or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purposes of the solutions described in the embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, in some scenarios, multiple units in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be integrated into one unit or physically exist separately.

[0097] In some other implementation scenarios, the integrated units described above can also be implemented in the form of hardware, that is, specific hardware circuits, which can include digital circuits and / or analog circuits, etc. The physical implementation of the hardware structure of the circuit can include but is not limited to physical devices, and the physical devices can include but are not limited to transistors or memristors, etc.

[0098] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided only in an exemplary manner. Those skilled in the art can think of many changes, modifications and alternatives without departing from the idea and spirit of the present disclosure. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein can be employed in practicing the present disclosure. The appended claims are intended to define the scope of protection of the present disclosure and thus cover equivalent or alternative solutions within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A low-power implantable device, comprising: The signal acquisition unit, in monitoring mode, is used to periodically acquire biological signals; The control unit enters a low-power state when not performing any tasks. and In the monitoring state, the control unit is activated when performing the following tasks: Batch processing of multiple cached biosignals; and / or In response to the detection of an abnormal signal in multiple sets of biosignals processed in batches, the implantable device is controlled to enter the treatment state.

2. The implantable device according to claim 1, wherein the low power state includes a sleep state or a low frequency state, wherein the operating frequency of the control unit in the low frequency state is lower than the operating frequency of the control unit when performing task operations.

3. The implantable device according to claim 1, wherein, In the treatment state, the control unit is used to configure stimulation parameters and enters a low-power state after outputting the stimulation parameters; The implantable device also includes: The stimulation unit, in the treatment state, responds to the received stimulation parameters and outputs a stimulation signal based on the stimulation parameters.

4. The implantable device of claim 3, wherein, in the treatment state, in response to the presence of multiple stimulation phases, the control unit is activated to configure stimulation parameters for the next stimulation phase when switching stimulation phases.

5. The implantable device according to claim 1 further includes a dedicated processing unit, which, in the monitoring state, is used for: Batch processing of multiple cached biosignals; and In response to the detection of an abnormal signal in multiple sets of biosignals processed in batches, the control unit is activated to control the implantable device to enter the treatment state.

6. The implantable device according to claim 1, further comprising: A caching module, which is located within the control unit or set independently of the control unit, is used to cache the biological signals.

7. The implantable device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is activated and used to perform batch processing of the cached biological signals when at least one of the following conditions is met: The number of multiple biological signal groups reached the preset number; The amount of data from multiple sets of biological signals reached the preset amount; The cache space used to cache multiple sets of biological signals is full.

8. The implantable device according to claim 7, wherein the preset number of groups, the preset amount, or the size of the buffer space is determined based on the amount of data required to detect the abnormal signal.

9. The implantable device according to any one of claims 1-8, further comprising: A storage unit, at least for storing the biological signals and / or the abnormal signals; The first communication unit, when in the communication-enabled state, is used to establish a communication connection with the external device so that the implantable device and the external device can exchange information. as well as A charging unit includes a rechargeable battery and a first charging coil, wherein the rechargeable battery is used to provide energy to each unit in the implantable device, and the first charging coil is used to inductively charge a second charging coil in the external device when the communication is enabled. In the communication-enabled state, the control unit is woken up when there is a need for information interaction and enters a low-power state when there is no need for information interaction.

10. The implantable device of claim 1, wherein the task includes a periodic task, and the control unit is further configured to be woken up periodically according to the task time interval of the periodic task.

11. The implantable device according to claim 1, wherein the biosignal includes at least one of electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), and electromyogram (EMG).

12. A low-power implantable system, comprising: The implantable device as described in any one of claims 1-11; as well as An external device for exchanging information with the implanted device.

13. The implantable system of claim 12, wherein the external device comprises: The second communication unit is used to communicate with the implanted device; The second charging coil is used to charge the implanted device and / or wake up the implanted device; Magnets are used to wake up the control unit and / or switch the state of the implanted device.

14. A method for controlling the power consumption of an implantable device, the implantable device comprising a signal acquisition unit and a control unit, wherein the control unit enters a low-power state when not performing a task operation; the method comprising: During monitoring, the signal acquisition unit periodically acquires biological signals; Batch processing of multiple cached biological signals; as well as In response to the detection of an abnormal signal in multiple sets of biosignals processed in batches, the implantable device is controlled to enter a treatment state; wherein... When batch processing multiple sets of cached biosignals, the control unit is awakened to perform the batch processing; and / or In response to the detection of the abnormal signal, the control unit is activated to control the implantable device to enter the treatment state.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the low-power state includes a sleep state or a low-frequency state, wherein the operating frequency of the control unit in the low-frequency state is lower than the operating frequency of the control unit when performing a task operation.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the implantable device further comprises a stimulation unit, and the method further comprises: In the treatment state, the stimulation parameters are configured using the control unit, and the system enters a low-power state after outputting the stimulation parameters. In response to receiving the stimulation parameters, the stimulation unit outputs a stimulation signal based on the stimulation parameters.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: In the treatment state, in response to the presence of multiple stimulation phases, the control unit is activated when switching stimulation phases to configure the stimulation parameters for the next stimulation phase.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the implantable device further comprises a dedicated processing unit for batch processing multiple sets of cached biological signals.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein batch processing of multiple cached biosignals comprises: In response to multiple sets of cached biological signals satisfying at least one of the following conditions, the multiple sets of biological signals are processed in batches: The number of multiple biological signal groups reached the preset number; The amount of data from multiple sets of biological signals reached the preset amount; The cache space used to cache multiple sets of biological signals is full.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: The number of preset groups, the preset quantity, or the size of the buffer space are determined based on the amount of data required to detect the abnormal signal.

21. The method according to any one of claims 14-20, wherein the implantable device further comprises a first communication unit and a charging unit, wherein the first communication unit is configured to communicate with an external device in a communication-enabled state, so that the implantable device and the external device can interact; the charging unit comprises a rechargeable battery and a first charging coil, wherein the rechargeable battery is configured to provide energy to each unit in the implantable device, and the first charging coil is configured to perform inductive charging with a second charging coil in the external device in the communication-enabled state. The method further includes: With communication enabled Upon receiving an information interaction request, the control unit is activated; In response to not receiving an information interaction request, the control unit enters a low-power state.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the task includes a periodic task, and the method further comprises: The control unit is periodically woken up according to the task time interval of the periodic task.

23. The method according to claim 14, wherein the biosignal includes at least one of electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), and electromyogram (EMG).

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