Microcontroller Power Management via Event Queue for Implantable Devices

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Solution Overview

Problem

Implantable medical devices (IMDs) face challenges in conserving battery power due to increased complexity and the need for continuous operation, leading to inefficient power consumption and reduced device longevity.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a power management system that provides power to the microcontroller at a first level during idle states and a second level during processing operations, using an event queue and interrupt signals to optimize power usage, allowing the device to transition between idle and wake-up states based on event processing needs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the microcontroller continuously operates at full power to respond to events, then the device reliability and response time are improved, but the battery power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice reliabilityVSAvoidbattery power consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The microcontroller dynamically transitions between different operational states (idle, low-power, and full-power processing modes) based on the presence and priority of events in the event queue, rather than operating continuously at a fixed power level. This dynamic state adjustment resolves the contradiction by matching power consumption to actual processing needs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system employs periodic polling of the event queue at predetermined intervals to determine whether the microcontroller should wake from idle state. This periodic check mechanism allows the device to maintain reliability by detecting events timely while minimizing power consumption by staying in low-power state between polls when no events are present.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

2Duration of action of moving object

If the microcontroller is placed in idle state to conserve power, then the battery life is extended, but the response time to process events increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebattery lifeVSAvoidevent processing delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Duration of action of moving objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Events are pre-stored in the event queue before the microcontroller processes them. This preliminary storage allows the microcontroller to wake from idle state and process multiple accumulated events in succession, rather than waking for each individual event. This reduces the frequency of wake-ups (extending battery life) while ensuring no events are missed (maintaining response time).

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback from periodic event queue checks to dynamically adjust the microcontroller's operational state. When events are detected in the queue, the microcontroller transitions to processing mode; when the queue is empty, it returns to idle state. This feedback mechanism optimizes the balance between battery life and response time based on actual event conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Productivity

If the microcontroller processes events immediately upon detection, then the processing efficiency is improved, but the power consumption increases due to frequent wake-ups

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing efficiencyVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple events that occur during the microcontroller's idle period are merged into a single processing cycle. The microcontroller wakes up, processes all accumulated events in the event queue in succession, and then returns to idle state. This merging approach maintains high processing efficiency by handling multiple events without missing any, while significantly reducing power consumption by minimizing the frequency of wake-up transitions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS8855780B2Pacemaker event queue to control device processor operating power

Publication Date: 2014.10.07 MEDTRONIC INC

AI summary

In the present disclosure, conservation of an implantable medical device power supply of is facilitated by controlling the power consumption of the device's processing component. The power supplied to the processing component is controlled to enable processing of received events as a function of predetermined criteria rather than the actual occurrence of the events which is frequent, but irregular. Accordingly, the need for the processing component to start and stop (and thereby be fully powered on each start) with receipt of each event is obviated thereby maintaining the power consumption of the processing component and increasing longevity of the device. Event data associated with received events is stored in an event queue and subsequently retrieved and transmitted for processing based on predetermined criteria. The power supplied during an idle state of the processing component may be reduced in relation to the power supplied during a wake up state.