Apparatus for determining the actual status of a piezoelectric sensor in a medical implant
US6829507B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 15, 2001 |
| Grant date | Dec 7, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 15, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S128/901
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
In an apparatus for determining the actual status of a piezoelectric sensor in a medical implant, electrical charges generated in the sensor, in response to changes in acceleration and/or gravitational force or other loads acting on the sensor, are continuously detected and the charges are then removed from the sensor, thereby maintaining the voltage across the sensor at a substantial constant zero level. The detected charges, both negative and positive, are integrated, thereby providing a resulting integrated signal representing the actual status of the sensor. The integrated signal is then evaluated for determining the physical activity and/or the posture of a patient in whom the medical implant is implanted.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.