External Telemetry Module Low Power State Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional implantable medical device (IMD) programming devices consume excessive power due to continuous listening for communications, which shortens the battery life and requires frequent charging or replacement.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a telemetry module that operates in a low power state with interleaved power-down and power-up intervals, allowing the device to receive a wakeup communication from the IMD and transition to a high power state only when necessary to establish a communication session, thereby reducing power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the external device continuously listens for communications from the IMD, then it can immediately respond to communication requests, but the power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The external device transitions between low power state and high power state periodically, listening for wakeup communications only during high power intervals. This periodic operation allows the device to maintain communication capability while significantly reducing average power consumption compared to continuous listening.
Solution Approach 2:
The IMD initiates communication by sending a wakeup transmission to the external device, eliminating the need for the external device to continuously monitor for incoming communications. The external device only activates its receiver when triggered by the IMD's wakeup signal, making the system self-starting and energy-efficient.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the external device operates in low power state with intermittent listening, then power consumption is reduced, but the device cannot detect wakeup communications between listening intervals
Solution Approach 1:
The external device performs preliminary actions by sending an acknowledgment transmission immediately upon receiving a wakeup communication. This acknowledgment serves as a preliminary confirmation that triggers the IMD to initiate the formal communication session establishment process, ensuring reliable connection setup even with intermittent listening.
Solution Approach 2:
The external device provides feedback to the IMD through acknowledgment transmissions and session establishment communications. This feedback mechanism confirms successful wakeup detection and guides the IMD through the session establishment process, ensuring reliable communication even when the external device operates in low power state between intervals.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates generally to wireless communication with an implantable medical device. An implantable medical device (IMD) may initiate the establishment of a communication session by sending a wakeup communication to an external device with which the IMD desires to communicate. The external device may operate in low power state (sometimes referred to as a sleep state or a low current state) in which the external device occasionally powers up telemetry circuitry to monitor for the wakeup communication from the IMD. Upon receiving the wakeup communication, the external device transitions from the low power state to a high power state to establish the communication session with the IMD. Operating the external device in the low power state when no communication session is established reduces the amount of power consumed by the external device when no telemetry is occurring, thus enabling the external device to be powered by a battery.