The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 20, 2016
Filed:
Sep. 10, 2012
Robert Ozawa, Woodland Hills, CA (US);
Daniel Aghassian, Glendale, CA (US);
Robert Ozawa, Woodland Hills, CA (US);
Daniel Aghassian, Glendale, CA (US);
Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation, Valencia, CA (US);
Abstract
The disclosed means of determining alignment between an external charger and an implantable medical device (IMD) involves the use of reflected impedance modulation, i.e., by measuring at the external charger reflections arising from modulating the impedance of the charging coil in the IMD. During charging, the charging coil in the IMD is pulsed to modulate its impedance. The difference in the coil voltage (ΔV) produced at the external charger as a result of these pulses is assessed and is used by the external charger to indicate coupling. If the magnitude of ΔV is above a threshold, the external charger considers the coupling to the IMD to be adequate, and an alignment indicator in the external charger is controlled accordingly. The magnitude of Vcoil can be assessed in addition to ΔV to determine alignment with the IMD with improved precision, and/or to further define a high quality alignment condition.