Implantable Device Coding Module Using Fixed Huffman Tables

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Solution Overview

Problem

Implantable medical devices face challenges in efficiently transmitting physiological signals to external devices due to limited energy storage capacity and the need for low power consumption, while maintaining signal fidelity and processing efficiency.

Innovation Solution

The use of a fixed Huffman code table stored in the implantable medical device's memory for lossless compression of physiological signals, generated offline using training data, reduces computational load and increases transmission efficiency by eliminating the need for adaptive code table generation during operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If adaptive Huffman code table generation is used during operation, then signal compression efficiency is improved, but processing complexity and energy consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesignal compression efficiencyVSAvoidprocessing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The Huffman code table is generated in advance during an offline training phase using representative physiological signal data, rather than being generated adaptively during device operation. This preliminary action transfers the computational burden to the offline phase, allowing the implantable device to use a pre-computed fixed code table that requires minimal processing resources during actual signal compression.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of implementing complex adaptive code table generation algorithms in the resource-constrained implantable device, the invention uses a copied fixed code table that was generated externally during the offline training phase. This copying approach simplifies the device architecture while maintaining compression effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Loss of information

If adaptive Huffman code table generation is used during operation, then signal compression efficiency is improved, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesignal compression efficiencyVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The computationally intensive code table generation is performed in advance during offline training, eliminating the need for continuous adaptive generation during device operation. This preliminary action significantly reduces the energy consumption of the implantable device during its operational lifetime, as only simple encoding operations are performed on the fixed pre-computed table.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If fixed Huffman code table is used, then processing complexity and energy consumption are reduced, but compression efficiency may deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing complexityVSAvoidcompression efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The fixed Huffman code table is not arbitrarily chosen but is generated in advance through an offline training phase using representative physiological signal data. This preliminary adaptive generation ensures that the fixed table is optimized for the specific characteristics of the target signal type, thereby maintaining high compression efficiency while enabling simple fixed-table encoding operations during device operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the parameters of the code table based on the statistical characteristics of the physiological signal obtained during offline training. By adapting the code table parameters to match the specific signal being compressed, the system achieves compression efficiency comparable to adaptive methods while using a fixed table during operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Volume of moving object

If device size is reduced for implantation in small blood vessels, then ease of implantation is improved, but battery capacity and thus energy storage are limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice sizeVSAvoidenergy storage capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the operational parameters of the device by using a fixed Huffman code table instead of adaptive generation, significantly reducing the computational load and power consumption of the processing device. This parameter change in processing efficiency compensates for the reduced battery capacity, allowing the miniaturized device to achieve the required operational lifetime despite having limited energy storage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS11456075B2Implantable medical device having a coding module

Publication Date: 2022.09.27 BIOTRONIK SE & CO KG

AI summary

An implantable medical device includes an electronic processing device configured for processing a physiological signal, a memory, and a communication device for communicating with an external device. The processing device includes a coding module for coding the physiological signal to obtain an output signal for transmission by the communication device to the external device. The coding module is configured to encode the physiological signal using at least one fixed Huffman code table stored in the memory to obtain the output signal.