MY OFF THE SHELF – IMPLANTABLE COMPUTER SYSTEM
(SO FAR)
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Cell-phone Implant Modules
If you remove a cell phone’s plastic exterior, you’ll find all kinds of
electronic components inside. Numerous chips and devices attach to a
printed circuit board. These include:
A microprocessor, which acts like the phone’s brain
Flash memory and read-only memory (ROM)
Analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters
A radio transmitter and receiver
A speaker and a microphone
Connectors for the phone’s buttons, screens and antenna
Connections for charging cords and headsets
Some models have GPS and Bluetooth receivers. Many new phones also
have built-in digital camera lenses and sensors, as well as storage
space for pictures and videos. Some phones even have the circuitry and
storage space required to store and play MP3s. The more parts there are
and the more impressive the phone’s capabilities, the larger and
stronger the phone’s battery has to be. In many cell phones, the battery
as almost as large as the printed circuit board it powers.
Combined, the circuit board, its components and the battery make up
about half of the phone’s bulk. The rest comes from the screen, the keys
and the outer plastic case. Since an implant has to be much smaller than
a traditional cell phone, a good first step in making one is getting rid
of these three elements. For this reason, a cell-phone implant does not
have a typical user interface (UI). It uses the person’s body instead.
Taking the place of a keypad is a six-axis piezoelectric accelerometer
attached to the angle of the mandible, or the jawbone. This
accelerometer can detect when the jaw opens and closes or moves from
side to side. Since the jaw moves along with a person’s head, the
accelerometer also detects head movements. It does this using crystals
that create electrical pulses when they change shape. You can read How
the Nike + iPod Works to learn more about these crystals.
The implant’s on/off switch
After receiving the cell-phone implant, the user learns a series of
head and jaw gestures that control the phone. This is similar to the
stylus shorthand used with older PDAs. It’s also a little like sign
language, but it uses the head and jaw instead of the hands. Before
beginning a gesture, the user touches a small on/off switch located on
the mastoid process, a bony protrusion on the skull just behind and
below the ear. This lets the implant know to be ready for the user’s
input and prevents it from mistaking ordinary conversation or movement
for gestures. The user can also turn the implant completely off by
holding the switch down for three seconds.
The modules of a cell-phone implant are inserted under the skin and in
the jaw. During a gesture, a flexible circuit and conductive ink carry
the accelerometer’s electrical impulses to the implant’s microprocessor,
located on the back of the ear. This processor, made of a flexible
thin-film transistor, is a custom-fitted piece that lies precisely along
the cartilage in the back of the ear. The processor uses a lookup table
stored on a nearby ROM chip to match a person’s movements with the cell
phone’s commands. If a person makes the gesture for “four,” the
processor finds the corresponding pattern of electrical impulses in the
look up table. It then holds the number four in a memory buffer until all
of the gestures are complete. An implanted radio frequency (RF)
transmitter sends the data using radio waves. This data moves just like
ordinary cell phone data
Thin-film Transistors
If your current cell phone has an LCD screen, it probably uses
thin-film transistors (TFTs) to power its pixels. The TFTs used in
cell-phone implants are a little different, though. The TFT in an LCD
screen is under a pane of glass, so it’s rigid. The TFTs used in
cell-phone implants, on the other hand, are attached to flexible film.
This technology, developed by the U.S. Air Force research lab, was
originally intended to provide soldiers with flexible, wearable
displays.
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Standalone Implantable Medical Power Module – Patent 7009362
Disclosed is a medically implantable integrated biocompatible power
module incorporating a power source (e.g., battery), a power management circuit (PMC), a magnetically inductive coupling system (MICS) for remote communication and/or inductive charging and a homing device for locating the implanted inductive charging coil. Three configurations are disclosed, each generally suitable for a specified range of energy capacities. The implantable power module (IPM) allows for improved design flexibility for medical devices since the power source may be located remotely and be recharged safely in situ. Special safety aspects may be incorporated, including endothermic phase change heat absorption material (HAM), emergency energy disconnect and emergency energy drain circuits. Communication (one or two way) may be carried out using the inductive charging link, a separate inductive pathway, or other pathway such as RF or via light waves. Homing devices and other means for precisely locating the IPM and/or MICS are disclosed.
Inventors:Hisashi Tsukamoto; Pang Hoo Tan
Assignee:Quallion LLC
Primary Examiner:Tso; Edward H.
Assistance Examiner:
Attorney, Agent of firm:Gavrilovich, Dodd & Lindsey
Filed Date: 11/19/2003
Issue Date: 3/7/2006
US Patent Application: 10/718,927
Patent number: 7009362
Primary Class:Electricity: Battery Or Capacitor Charging Or Discharging
(320/107)
Other US Classes:
International Classes:H01M 10/44(20060101); H01M 10/46(20060101)
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Inductive Charging System – Patent 7211986
An apparatus for inductive charging a battery. The apparatus includes
a housing with a lower surface and a charging surface. A rechargeable
device with a rechargeable battery may be placed on the charging
surface. The apparatus further includes a controller for driving an
oscillator, wherein the controller receives power from a power source. A
first charger coil and second charger coil are disposed within the
housing and are coupled to the oscillator. The first charger coil and
second charger coil create a substantially horizontal magnetic field in
the volume of space above the charging surface.
Inventors:Peter M. Flowerdew; David Huddart
Assignee:Plantronics, Inc.
Primary Examiner:Easthom; Karl
Assistance Examiner:Berhanu; Samuel
Attorney, Agent of firm:Chuang; Thomas
Filed Date: 7/1/2004
Issue Date: 5/1/2007
US Patent Application: 10/882,961
Patent number: 7211986
Primary Class:Electricity: Battery Or Capacitor Charging Or Discharging
(320/108)
Other US Classes:
International Classes:H02J 7/0(20060101)
Categories:Legal > Patents > Electricity
Tags:Inductive charging system, Flowerdew, et al., Peter M. Flowerdew,
David Huddart, Application number 10 882-961, Electricity: Battery Or
Capacitor Cha…, inductive charging, charging system, electric
vehicles, inductive charger, electric car, Wii Remote, charging systems,
wireless power, Rechargeable Batteries,
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Cortically based visual neuroporsthesis systems
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The Intelligent Retinal Implant System (IRIS):
The implantable Retinal Stimulator consists of a flexible plastic
film onto which various microelectronic components are mounted. The
electronics are used to receive the stimulation data and to
generate the electric pulses for stimulation. The microcontacts
(miniaturized electrodes) are used for stimulation. To bypass the
degenerated part of the retina, stimulation pulses are applied by the
microcontacts directly to the retinal ganglion cells which in turn pass
the information via the optic nerve to the central nervous system.
The Visual Interface looks externally like a pair ofsunglasses.
Several electronic components areintegrated into the glasses: a camera
to capture images as well as other components for data communication
with the Pocket Processor and the Retinal Stimulator. Furthermore, the
Visual Interface transfers the energy required by the implant /
Retinal Stimulator to the inside of the eye wirelessly. The pocket
processor is connected with the Visual Interface using a thin cable.
The Pocket Processor has the size of a walkman. Itcontains
rechargeable batteries which supply energy for the entire system
(Pocket Processor, Visual Interface and Retinal Stimulator). It
also contains a micro-computer that translates the image data from
the Visual Interface into stimulation commands for the Retinal
Stimulator. Depending on the preference of the user, the Pocket
Processor can be carried on a belt or a shoulder strap.
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Retinal based visual neuroprosthetic:
Is an epiretinal approach where an electrode array will be placed on
the vitreal surface in an effort to stimulate ensembles of ganglion
cells (or possibly bipolar cells), and a subretinal approach where an
electrode array is intended to be implanted between the retina and the
pigment epithelium and extrinsic currents are intended to stimulate
either remnant photoreceptor inner segments, or bipolar cells.
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Optic nerve based visual neuroprosthesis:
Phosphene generation via optic nerve stimulation. Implant with an
extracellular ‘cuff’ electrode that surrounds the optic nerve, and
containes four surface electrodes. Stimulation with various current
levels through different combinations of electrodes would evoke a
variety of spatially distributed phosphenes.
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The Utah artificial vision system:
Consisting of a micro-video camera hidden in a pair of eyeglasses to
transform light in the visual scene into electrical signals, signal
processing electronics then converts these signals into patterns of
electrical stimulation for the brain as well as a power source carried
in a shirt pocket, a totally implanted multichannel stimulator with
power and data to be delivered to the implant system via a
radio-frequency telemetry link, and an electrode array with 625
microelectrodes.
****** Although not addressed in this paper, possible implementation of
an additional Implantable Medical Power Module and Inductive Charging
System may be applicable.
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Fully Implantable Cochlear Implant System – Patent 6308101
A fully implantable cochlear implant system (170) and method includes
an implantable cochlear stimulator (ICS) unit (212) that is connected to
an implantable speech processor (ISP) unit (210). Both the ISP unit and
the ICS unit reside in separate, hermetically-sealed, cases. The ICS
unit has a coil (220) permanently connected thereto through which
magnetic or inductive coupling may occur with a similar coil located
externally during recharging, programming, or externally-controlled
modes of operation. The ICS unit further has a cochlear electrode array
(114) permanently connected thereto via a first multi-conductor cable
(116). The ICS unit 212 also has a second multi-conductor cable (222)
attached thereto, which second cable contains no more than five
conductors. The second cable is detachably connected to the ISP unit via
a connector (224) located on the case of the ISP unit. The ISP unit
includes an implantable subcutaneous microphone (218) as an integral
part thereof, and further includes ISP circuitry (214) and a replenishable power source (216), e.g., a rechargeable battery.
Inventors:Michael A. Faltys; Janusz A. Kuzma; John C. Gord
Assignee:Advanced Bionics Corporation
Primary Examiner:Getzow; Scott M.
Assistance Examiner:
Attorney, Agent of firm:Gold; Bryant R.
Filed Date: 9/24/1999
Issue Date: 10/23/2001
US Patent Application: 09/404,966
Patent number: 6308101
Primary Class:Surgery: Light,Thermal, And Electrical Application
(607/57)
Other US Classes:
International Classes:A61N 1/375(20060101); A61N 1/378(20060101); A61N
1/8(20060101); A61N 1/372(20060101); A61N 1/36(20060101); A61N 1/36(0)
Categories:Legal > Patents > Medical: Surgery
Tags:Fully implantable cochlear implant sy…, Faltys, et al., Michael
A. Faltys, Janusz A. Kuzma, John C. Gord, Application number 09 404-966,
Surgery: LightThermal And Electrical …, Implantable medical device,
COCHLEAR IMPLANT SYSTEM, power source, secondary coil, primary coil,
cochlear implant, Patent Search, medical device, preferred embodiment,
implantable device
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Bone Conduction Microphone:
Throat Microphone with VOX/Bone conduction microphone (CNS-HZ-V):
Brand Name: CNS Model Number: CNS-HZ-V Style: Gooseneck
Microphone
Communication: Wired Use: Military,Security
Place of Origin: Jiangsu China (Mainland) Color: Black
Specifications
Bone conduction
High sensor on throat
With voice control VOX
Bone conduction throat microphone.
CNS-HZ-V series model uses a high sensitive oscillationpick-up to
collect voice information, and send the information to the ear canal;
the vocal cord vibration transforms the voice information into sound
signal.
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The keyboard is just one part of a cell phone’s typical user
interface. Learn how cell-phone implants get by without a screen in the
next section.
