Implantable Antenna Orientation Independence
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gastric band systems face challenges in aligning implanted antennas with external devices for effective telemetry and data transmission, as the antennas can shift locations and orientations beneath the skin, making it difficult to power and communicate with the implantable medical devices.
Innovation Solution
An implantable restriction system with an antenna configured to communicate telemetrically regardless of rotational orientation, extending along the longitudinal axis of a catheter, and optionally including multiple antennae spaced radially around a support, allowing for effective communication with external or internally delivered devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single implanted antenna is used for telemetry communication, then the device structure is simple, but the communication reliability deteriorates due to antenna shifting and misalignment with external devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single antenna into multiple segmented antennas (typically three) arranged in a triangular configuration within the implantable device. Each antenna segment can independently communicate with external devices, ensuring that if one segment experiences misalignment or shifting, the other segments can maintain reliable communication connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-point antenna configuration to a distributed spatial arrangement of multiple antennas in three-dimensional space. By positioning antennas at different locations and orientations within the implantable device, the system creates multiple communication pathways in different spatial dimensions, thereby improving overall communication reliability despite tissue movement or orientation changes.
2Ease of manufacture
If the antenna is implanted under the skin, then the device is minimally invasive, but the antenna location and orientation become unpredictable, making alignment with external devices difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the antenna system into multiple distributed elements, the patent ensures that even if the implantable device shifts or rotates in unpredictable ways under the skin, at least one antenna segment will maintain proper alignment with external devices during programming or communication operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The multiple antenna configuration provides universal communication capability regardless of the implantable device's orientation or position. The system can communicate effectively from any orientation, making the implantation process simpler while maintaining operational ease for programming and data transmission.
3Reliability
If multiple antennas are used to improve communication reliability, then communication reliability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements segmentation by dividing the antenna system into multiple independent but functionally coordinated segments. This segmentation approach achieves improved reliability through redundancy while keeping each individual antenna segment simple in structure, with the overall complexity managed through systematic arrangement rather than complex individual components.
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
Enables reliable and efficient communication and power transfer between the implantable and external/internal devices, regardless of the antenna's orientation, facilitating non-invasive adjustments and monitoring of gastric bands.
Implementation Method 1
at least one antenna disposed within the housing and configured to emit a magnetic field toward an external device or an internally delivered device
Implementation Method 2
The at least one antenna extends along an axis aligned with a longitudinal axis of a catheter extending from the housing to allow the at least one antenna to communicate with the external device or the internally delivered device
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
Various methods and devices are provided for aligning an internal antenna with an external device. In one embodiment, an implantable restriction system is provided and includes an implantable restriction device configured to form a restriction in a pathway, and an implantable housing associated with the implantable restriction device. The housing has at least one antenna that can be configured to communicate telemetrically with a transceiver regardless of a rotational orientation of the housing about an axis. The at least one antenna can extend along an axis aligned with the longitudinal axis of a catheter extending from the housing. In one embodiment, the implantable housing can contain a sensor that can be configured, for example, to measure at least one of a system parameter and a physiological parameter, and the antenna can be effective to communicate the measured parameter to the transceiver.