Implantable medical transceiver device
An implantable medical device having a transceiver for transmitting/receiving wirelessly transmitted data, which is turned off or switched into an energy-saving rest state between individual data transmissions via the transceiver and having a waking unit which is implemented to switch the transceiver by a waking signal from its turned-off state or its rest state into its fully operational state, the waking unit having a low-power receiver and a waking control unit of which the low-power receiver is implemented to monitor multiple predefined frequency ranges in such a way that in case of a transmission of sufficient signal strength in one of the frequency ranges, it generates an output signal and outputs it to the waking control unit and of which the waking control unit is implemented to analyze output signals of the low-power receiver and output a waking signal to the transceiver which switches it on or to fully operational.
1. An implantable medical device ( 20 ) comprising:
a transceiver ( 203 ) that comprises a first transmitter and first receiver configured to transmit and receive wirelessly transmitted data respectively, wherein said transceiver is turned off or switched into an energy-saving rest state between individual data transmissions
a waking unit ( 202 ), which is configured to switch said transceiver ( 203 ) from its turned-off state or its rest state into its fully operational state by a waking signal;
wherein said waking unit comprises
a second receiver independent of said first receiver wherein said second receiver is a low-power receiver ( 210 ) that requires less energy as said transceiver in said transceiver's fully operational state and
a waking control unit ( 206 ), of which said low-power receiver ( 210 ) is configured to monitor multiple predefined frequency ranges in such a way that, in case of a transmission of sufficient signal strength in one or more frequency ranges said low-power receiver ( 210 ) generates an output signal and outputs said output signal to said waking control unit ( 206 ), and of which said waking control unit ( 206 ) is configured to analyze output signals of said low-power receiver ( 210 ) and to output said waking signal to said transceiver ( 203 ), which switches said transceiver ( 203 ) on or to fully operational, if a predefined condition is met or multiple predefined conditions are met;
wherein said waking control unit ( 206 ) is configured to output said waking signal to said transceiver ( 203 ) if a condition is met that said low-power receiver ( 210 ) outputs a sequence of output signals which identify that said low-power receiver ( 210 ) has detected a series of data transmissions of sufficient signal strength in various frequency ranges which correspond to a predefined series/sequence of frequencies; and,
a transmission control unit ( 204 ), wherein said transmission control unit ( 204 ) has or is connected to a random generator ( 205 ) and is configured, after lapse of a waiting time after said transceiver ( 203 ) is turned on by said waking control unit ( 206 ), to transmit a response signal and to define a time of a transmission beginning after said transceiver ( 203 ) is turned on by said waking control unit ( 206 ) for this purpose in such a way that said time of said transmission beginning corresponds to an ending time of said waiting time, which begins with said waking signal and has a duration which corresponds to a product ZZ·SD of a random number ZZ generated by said random generator ( 205 ) and at least one predetermined average transmission duration SD.
2. The implantable medical device ( 20 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said low-power receiver ( 210 ) has multiple bandpass filters ( 211 ′, 211 ″, 211 ′″, 211 ″″), each having an assigned signal detector ( 212 ′, 212 ″, 212 ′″, 212 ″″), which work together in such a way that a particular signal detector ( 212 ′, 212 ″, 212 ′″, 212 ″″) outputs a signal if said low-power receiver ( 210 ) receives a transmission having sufficient signal strength in a particular frequency range which corresponds to a transmission range or passband of said bandpass filters ( 211 ′, 211 ″, 211 ′″, 211 ″″) which is assigned to said particular signal detector ( 212 ′, 212 ″, 212 ′″, 212 ″″).
3. The implantable medical device ( 20 ) according to claim 2 , wherein said waking control unit ( 206 ) is configured to detect a sequence of signals output by signal detectors ( 212 ′, 212 ″, 212 ′″, 212 ″″) and compare said sequence of signal to a predefined sequence and output said waking signal to said transceiver ( 203 ) in case of a positive comparison.
4. The implantable medical device ( 20 ) according to claim 3 , wherein said waking control unit ( 206 ) has a time monitoring unit ( 207 ) and is configured to generate said waking signal only if signals output by said signal detectors ( 212 ′, 212 ″, 212 ′″, 212 ″″) occur in sequence within a predefined duration.
5. The implantable medical device ( 20 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said transmission control unit ( 204 ) is configured to scale said random number ZZ in such a way that said random number ZZ is an integer between 0 and a predefined maximum number of implantable medical devices ( 20 ′, 20 ″) located in reception range of an external device ( 10 ) minus one.
6. The implantable medical device ( 20 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said transmission control unit ( 204 ) is configured to repeat a transmission of said response signal after passage of a newly determined waiting time.
7. The implantable medical device ( 20 ) according to claim 1 wherein said implantable medical device ( 20 ) is a cardiac pacemaker or a cardioverter/defibrillator or a combination of both.
8. An implantable medical device ( 20 ) comprising:
a transceiver ( 203 ) that comprises a first transmitter and first receiver configured to transmit and receive wirelessly transmitted data respectively, wherein said transceiver is turned off or switched into an energy-saving rest state between individual data transmissions;
a waking unit ( 202 ), which is configured to switch said transceiver ( 203 ) from its turned-off state or its rest state into its fully operational state by a waking signal;
wherein said waking unit comprises
a second receiver independent of said first receiver wherein said second receiver is a low-power receiver ( 210 ) that requires less energy as said transceiver in said transceiver's fully operational state and
a waking control unit ( 206 ), of which said low-power receiver ( 210 ) is configured to monitor multiple predefined frequency ranges in such a way that, in case of a transmission of sufficient signal strength in one or more frequency ranges said low-power receiver ( 210 ) generates an output signal and outputs said output signal to said waking control unit ( 206 ), and of which said waking control unit ( 206 ) is configured to analyze output signals of said low-power receiver ( 210 ) and to output said waking signal to said transceiver ( 203 ), which switches said transceiver ( 203 ) on or to fully operational, if a predefined condition is met or multiple predefined conditions are met;
wherein said waking control unit ( 206 ) is configured to output said waking signal to said transceiver ( 203 ) if a condition is met that said low-power receiver ( 210 ) outputs a sequence of output signals which identify that said low-power receiver ( 210 ) has detected a series of data transmissions of sufficient signal strength in various frequency ranges which correspond to a predefined series/sequence of frequencies;
wherein said low-power receiver ( 210 ) has multiple bandpass filters ( 211 ′, 211 ″, 211 ′″, 211 ″″), each having an assigned signal detector ( 212 ′, 212 ″, 212 ′″, 212 ″″), which work together in such a way that a particular signal detector ( 212 ′, 212 ″, 212 ′″, 212 ″″) outputs a signal if said low-power receiver ( 210 ) receives a transmission having sufficient signal strength in a particular frequency range which corresponds to a transmission range, or passband, of said bandpass filters ( 211 ′, 211 ″, 211 ′″, 211 ″″) which is assigned to said particular signal detector ( 212 ′, 212 ″, 212 ′″, 212 ″″);
wherein said waking control unit ( 206 ) is configured to detect a sequence of signals output by signal detectors ( 212 ′, 212 ″, 212 ′″, 212 ″″) and compare said sequence of signal to a predefined sequence and output said waking signal to said transceiver ( 203 ) in case of a positive comparison;
wherein said waking control unit ( 206 ) has a time monitoring unit ( 207 ) and is configured to generate said waking signal only if signals output by said signal detectors ( 212 ′, 212 ″, 212 ′″, 212 ″″) occur in sequence within a predefined duration; and,
a transmission control unit ( 204 ), wherein said transmission control unit ( 204 ) has or is connected to a random generator ( 205 ) and is configured, after lapse of a waiting time after said transceiver ( 203 ) is turned on by said waking control unit ( 206 ), to transmit a response signal and to define a time of a transmission beginning after said transceiver ( 203 ) is turned on by said waking control unit ( 206 ) for this purpose in such a way that said time of said transmission beginning corresponds to an ending time of said waiting time, which begins with said waking signal and has a duration which corresponds to a product ZZ·SD of a random number ZZ generated by said random generator ( 205 ) and at least one predetermined average transmission duration SD.
9. The implantable medical device ( 20 ) according to claim 8 , wherein said transmission control unit ( 204 ) is configured to scale said random number ZZ in such a way that said random number ZZ is an integer between 0 and a predefined maximum number of implantable medical devices ( 20 ′, 20 ″) located in reception range of an external device ( 10 ) minus one.
10. The implantable medical device ( 20 ) according to claim 8 , wherein said transmission control unit ( 204 ) is configured to repeat a transmission of said response signal after passage of a newly determined waiting time.
11. The implantable medical device ( 20 ) according to claim 8 wherein said implantable medical device ( 20 ) is a cardiac pacemaker or a cardioverter/defibrillator or a combination of both.