Medtronic, Inc.

Bonnie Dougherty, Legal Representative

Garry L Dublin

Gregory John Haubrich

Piotr J Przybyszewski

William D Verhoef

Len D Twetan

Christine Gale Kronich

Eugene Kuschnir

Rodney S Wallace

A coaxial cable antenna is provided for use in an external device, such as a programmer or monitor, to enhance communication between the external device and an implanted medical device (IMD). The coaxial cable antenna provides the external device with polarization diversity. For example, the coaxial cable antenna includes a first portion and a second portion that are substantially perpendicular to one another. Each of the portions of the coaxial cable antenna has a different polarization orientation, thus providing the programmer with polarization diversity. Further, the external device may include more than one coaxial cable antenna to provide the external device with spatial diversity as well as polarization diversity provided by the coaxial cable antenna design. The coaxial cable antenna configurations reduce problems associated with polarization mismatches, antenna nulls, and multi-path propagation interference.

Coaxial cable antenna for communication with implanted medical devices

Improved telemetry antennas and methods of fabrication for an implantable medical device (IMD) for use in uplink telemetry (UT) and downlink telemetry (DT) transmissions between the IMD and an external medical device (EMD) are disclosed. A first telemetry antenna element is supported to extend in a first direction along a minor side of the IMD housing by a first header segment, and a second antenna element is supported to extend in a second direction along a second minor side of the IMD housing by a second header segment. The first and second antenna elements are supported to extend apart at substantially 90&#xb0; to one another, i.e., substantially orthogonally, in substantially a common plane to optimize UT transmission and DT reception of UHF telemetry signals by at least one of the first and second antenna elements depending upon the mutual spatial orientation with the antenna elements of an EMD antenna.

Telemetry antenna for an implantable medical device

Growing community of inventors

Minneapolis, MN, United States of America

Bonnie Dougherty, Legal Representative