Implantable Medical Device Communication via Segmented Electrode
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Solution Overview
Problem
Implantable medical devices (IMDs) face communication challenges due to gain nulls or fades when positioned at certain orientations, leading to reduced communication capabilities and increased costs and complexity from additional hardware required for multiple communication channels.
Innovation Solution
The IMD features a controller that adjusts communication frequency and an insulating cover with varying thicknesses to create multiple sub-electrodes, allowing for effective communication through a single electrode without extra conductors, achieving multichannel performance and directional diversity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple communication sub-channels with multiple electrodes and driving wires are provided, then communication capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into multiple sub-electrodes with different thicknesses of insulating material, allowing each segment to function as a separate communication channel. This segmentation enables the system to achieve multichannel communication capability without adding separate driving wires or complex multichannel transmit/receive hardware, as each sub-electrode can be independently controlled through the single existing driving wire.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension by varying the thickness of the insulating material over different portions of the housing. This thickness variation creates different capacitance values and electrical characteristics for each sub-electrode, enabling spatial diversity in communication without requiring additional temporal channels or complex hardware switching mechanisms.
2Reliability
If multiple communication sub-channels with multiple electrodes are provided, then communication capability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple communication sub-channels are merged into a single electrode structure on the housing. The insulating material with varying thicknesses creates multiple functional sub-electrodes that share a common driving wire and housing structure. This merging eliminates the need for separate driving wires, separate multichannel transmit/receive hardware, and multiple sealing interfaces, significantly reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the physical enclosure, acts as a single electrode, and creates multiple communication sub-channels through varying insulating material thicknesses. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate components for each function, reducing overall device complexity and manufacturing cost while maintaining improved communication capability.
3Reliability
If driving wires extend through implant walls to provide multiple communication channels, then communication capability is improved, but sealing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the communication channel functionality from separate driving wires that would need to extend through implant walls. Instead, the communication channels are created by varying the thickness of insulating material over the housing surface. This extraction eliminates the need for multiple driving wires penetrating the implant wall, thereby reducing sealing complexity and potential failure points while maintaining multichannel communication capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables continuous and efficient communication between IMDs and external programmers without the need for additional hardware, reducing costs and complexity while maintaining effective signal transmission and reception at different spatial orientations and phase shifts.
Implementation Method 1
The insulating cover may have different first and second thicknesses in a first thinned area and outside of the first thinned area. The insulating cover may be configured to yield controlled capacitances that may be a function of thicknesses, areas, shapes, and locations of segments of the insulating cover on the housing.
Implementation Method 2
The controller controls delivery of a communications signal to the physical electrode of the housing. The communication signal propagates from the multiple sub-electrodes along corresponding communications vectors that collectively define a composite transmit communications vector. In at least one embodiment, the controller selects a transmit frequency range of the communications signal to steer the composite transmit communications vector.
Data Source
AI summary
An implantable medical device (IMD) is configured to be implanted within a patient. The IMD may include a controller configured to adjust a communication frequency, a housing formed of an electrically common material, and an insulating cover coupled to the housing. The insulating cover may include one or both of at least one opening or at least one thinned area over portions of the housing. Multiple sub-electrodes are formed in the housing through the opening(s) or the thinned area(s).