Implantable Device Telemetry Link Termination for Power Conservation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Implantable medical devices (IMDs) face power drain issues due to stalled telemetry sessions, where connections remain active despite little or no data being transmitted, preventing the establishment of new connections and wasting energy.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a system where IMDs and external devices monitor uplink throughput and automatically terminate stalled telemetry connections based on predefined threshold values, ensuring efficient power management by identifying and disabling inactive connections.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the telemetry connection is maintained to ensure connectivity availability, then the reliability of data transmission is improved, but the power consumption increases due to stalled sessions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection availabilityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously monitors telemetry session performance metrics (data transmission success rate, connection status) and uses this feedback to dynamically determine whether to terminate or maintain the connection. When the session is identified as stalled based on monitoring criteria, the system automatically terminates it to conserve power while maintaining the ability to establish new connections when needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary monitoring and assessment of telemetry session health before full power is allocated to maintaining the connection. By evaluating session effectiveness in advance and identifying stalled sessions early, the system can terminate unproductive connections before they consume significant power resources, thus preventing wasted energy on ineffective connections.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If the telemetry connection is maintained to ensure continuous communication capability, then the productivity of data transmission is improved, but the device lifespan decreases due to power drain

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata transmission efficiencyVSAvoiddevice lifespan

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses feedback from telemetry session monitoring to make informed decisions about connection termination. By continuously assessing whether the connection is productive based on actual data transmission success and session effectiveness, the system can terminate stalled sessions that would otherwise drain power and reduce device lifespan, while maintaining productive connections that ensure continuous communication capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes operational parameters by transitioning from maintaining all connections to selectively terminating connections based on monitored performance parameters. When session effectiveness falls below threshold parameters, the system changes the connection state from active to terminated, thereby conserving power and extending device lifespan while maintaining overall productivity through selective connection management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If the telemetry connection is maintained to ensure communication reliability, then the stability of data transmission is improved, but the loss of energy increases due to inactive connections

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata transmission stabilityVSAvoidpower drain from stalled sessions

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback-based monitoring that tracks telemetry session effectiveness in real-time. When the monitoring detects that a connection is stalled or ineffective, the feedback mechanism triggers automatic termination of that specific connection, preventing energy loss from inactive sessions while preserving the stability of productive connections that are successfully transmitting data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system extracts and separates stalled, ineffective connections from the active connection pool and terminates them selectively. By taking out only the unproductive connections while maintaining productive ones, the system prevents energy loss from inactive sessions without compromising the stability of data transmission for connections that are actually functioning properly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP3589363B1Mitigating implantable device power drain associated with stalled telemetry sessions

Publication Date: 2023.11.22 MEDTRONIC INC

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AI summary

Systems, apparatus, methods and computer-readable storage media that mitigate implantable medical device (IMD) power drain associated with stalled telemetry sessions are provided. In one embodiment, a device a housing, a communication component configured to receive a communication request from an external device via a telemetry communication link established between the IMD and the external device. The communication request can comprise a request for data. The device can further comprise a throughput monitoring component configured to monitor uplink throughput associated with transmission of the data by the IMD to the external device via the telemetry communication link based on reception of the communication request. The communication component is configured to terminate the telemetry communication link based on the uplink throughput being below a threshold value.