JP2003135497A - Percutaneous information transmitting system for artificial organ or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure the safe and proper operation of an artificial organ, etc., by correctly and bi-directionally transmitting information concerning the operation control of the artificial organ, etc., at high speed and also fairly preventing the runaway and mulfunction, etc., of a computer which constitutes the control means of a system. SOLUTION: The system includes a first control means for controlling the operation of the artificial organ embedded in a living body, a second control means which is placed outside of the living body and exchanges information with the first control means, and a first transmitting means for performing percutaneous (without invading the living body) transmission of an information signal between the first and second control means. A first communication means consists of an external transmitter/receiver and an internal transmitter/receiver which mutually exchange the signal by electromagnetic induction. The both transmitters/receivers respectively have a digital modulating/ demodulating circuit and a data processing control means. Thus, the artificial organ is normally and fairly operated at high speed by an accurate data processing and bi-directional transmission in the percutaneous information transmitting system for the artificial organ, etc.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to percutaneous information transmission for transmitting control information to a control means of an artificial organ as necessary based on various information transmitted non-invasively from the artificial organ in the living body. It is about the system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art: Various information is transmitted to an artificial heart, an artificial pancreas (insulin pump) or other artificial organs or various in-vivo measuring devices embedded in a living body, and an information signal is transmitted for controlling from outside the body. As a means, researches using near infrared rays or electromagnetic waves have been made. When using near infrared rays, the distance that can be transmitted through the skin is
As short as about 1 cm, various problems occur. That is, since it is difficult to transmit a signal through clothes, and the transmitter / receiver inside the body needs to be placed at a subcutaneous shallow position, this transmitter / receiver and, for example, an artificial heart device (pump, drive means, drive control means) It is unavoidable that a communication path must be set up between them and that a means for preventing axial misalignment between the transmitter and receiver inside and outside the body is required.

On the other hand, attempts to communicate by electromagnetic waves between the inside and outside of the body have been limited to the transmission of low-frequency analog signals such as electrocardiogram, blood pressure, and body temperature. On the other hand, in a motor-driven artificial heart, for example, it is possible to calculate the instantaneous artificial heart output flow rate and blood pressure from the instantaneous motor current and the instantaneous motor rotation angle, and more accurately control the operation of the artificial heart based on these various data. It is possible, and in order to realize this, it is necessary to be able to transmit and receive a large amount of information at high speed and accurately between the inside and outside the body. It is expected that such a need will increase in the future. In other words, the functions of implantable devices such as artificial hearts, defibrillators, artificial pancreas, cochlear implants, etc. are becoming more sophisticated, and more information is stored in the body.
This is because it will be necessary to perform high-precision control corresponding to advanced functions by exchanging between outside the body. Furthermore, in exchanging an information signal between a predetermined part of a living body, for example, a certain muscle part and its motion control source (brain), the information signal is transmitted instead of or together with the information transmission system unique to the living body. The required control will be realized in the near future. Even in such a case, it is indispensable to be able to transmit and receive a large amount of information at high speed and accurately inside and outside the body.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a transcutaneous information transmission system for an artificial organ or the like is provided with first control means for controlling the operation of the artificial organ embedded in the living body and the first control means outside the living body.
Second control means for exchanging information with the control means, and transmission of an information signal between the first control means and the second control means percutaneously (without invading a living body) 1 transmission means, wherein the first communication means is composed of an external body transmitter / receiver device and an internal body transmitter / receiver device that mutually transmit and receive signals by electromagnetic induction, and both transmitter / receiver devices are digitally modulated / demodulated. With a circuit and a data processing control means, it is possible to always properly operate the artificial organ by high-speed and accurate data processing and bidirectional transmission, and to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems. is there.

In the above structure, the third control means for exchanging information with the second control means, and the transmission of the information signal between the second control means and the third control means by a wireless system 2 communication means may be included.

Further, in the above configuration, the second communication means may be configured to be capable of transmitting and receiving a large amount of data wirelessly at high speed and in both directions.

In the above structure, the second communication means may be configured to be connectable to a computer network such as the Internet.

Furthermore, the first control means, the second control means, and the data processing control means are each constituted by a one-chip microcomputer, while the communicable distance of the first communication means is approximately 7 cm, and through the clothes. In some cases, the device may be configured to be able to communicate with the in-body transmitting / receiving device and to prevent interference with other systems.

Further, in any one of the systems described above, a device for receiving an information signal from the in-body transmitting / receiving device is further provided, and the operating condition of the artificial heart can be monitored by the second control means in place of the in-body transmitting / receiving device. There are things to do.

Further, in the above description, the artificial organ may be composed of any one of an artificial heart, a defibrillator, an artificial pancreas, an artificial inner ear and other implantable devices.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a related configuration of each element in one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, an artificial heart is used as the artificial organ embedded in the body. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an artificial heart which is completely embedded in the body, and includes a pump main body, a motor as a drive source, and first control means for controlling the artificial heart via the drive source as described later. 2 is a first control means and a second control means 3 outside the body
Is a first communication means interposed between the control means and the control means, and transmits information between the control means by a radio system using electromagnetic waves. Reference numeral 4 is a second communication means interposed between the second control means 3 and the third control means 5, and transmits information between the both control means by a radio system using electromagnetic waves. Various communication forms can be used as the second communication means 4, but in this embodiment, a so-called PHS, which is a simple mobile phone system, is adopted. This PHS is suitable for high-speed data communication, and since the radio waves are weak, even if it is used in a medical facility such as a hospital, it has little influence on medical equipment. Further, as another communication mode, a method of connecting to a computer network such as the Internet via a wired telephone line is also effective. Reference numeral 6 denotes a receiving device dedicated to reception, which receives an information signal from a later-described in-body transmitting / receiving device in the first communication means 2 and monitors the operating condition of the artificial heart in the second control means.

The second control means 3 is a computer that can be carried by the wearer of the artificial heart, and exchanges information regarding the driving of the artificial heart with the first control means of the artificial heart 1 and the artificial heart. It has the function of monitoring the operating status.

Further, the third control means 5 sends control information to the first control means in the artificial heart inside the body via the second control means 3 and various information fed back from the first control means. It is processed, and is usually installed in a hospital or other medical facility and is composed of a host computer under the control of a doctor or the like. The third control means 5 controls the second control means 3 in addition to the steady control operation of the second control means 3 or when the state of the artificial heart exceeds the control capability of the second control means 3. Instead, drive control of the artificial heart is performed, and if necessary, necessary instruction information is transmitted to the wearer himself / herself via the second control means (on the monitor screen or the like).

Further explanation will be given with reference to FIG. Figure 2
It is a block diagram of the artificial heart system centering on the related structure of the 1st communication means 2 and the component of the artificial heart 1. As shown in FIG. The artificial heart 1 includes a pump main body 11, an electric motor 12 as a drive source for the pump main body 11, and a first control unit for controlling the drive source.
It comprises a control means 13.

In the present embodiment, the first control means 13 comprises a 16-bit capacity one-chip microcomputer, an encoder, etc., and processes the drive control information transmitted from the second and third controls. The operation of the electric motor 12 as a drive source is controlled. In addition, the first control means 13 monitors the operation of the electric motor 12 and provides information on the rotation angle and the current to the second and third motors.
It is sent to the control means. The second control means 3 or the third
Based on the information fed back from the first control means 13, the control means 5 estimates and grasps the biological circulation dynamics such as blood pressure and blood flow status, and thereby transmits further necessary control information to the first control means 13.

The first communication means 2 comprises an outside-body transmitting / receiving device 21 and an inside-body transmitting / receiving device 31 embedded in the living body. The extracorporeal transmitter / receiver 21 includes an ASK modulation / demodulation circuit 22 as a digital modulation / demodulation circuit, a transmission / reception antenna 23, and a one-chip microcomputer 24 having a capacity of about 16 bits as data processing control means. The in-body transmitting / receiving device 31 has the same configuration as the in-body transmitting / receiving device 21, and has an ASK modulation / demodulation circuit 32 as a digital modulation / demodulation circuit, a transmission / reception antenna 33, and a one-chip microcomputer 34 having a capacity of about 16 bits as a data processing control means. Etc.

The transmission / reception antennas 23 and 33 are thin-walled coils that are embedded in the living body inside the body and attachable to the body outside the body in consideration of wearability. The larger the coil diameter, the better the coupling coefficient of the coil for transmission and reception, but the suitability for implantation in the living body is impaired. Therefore, based on the result of measurement and comparison of the inter-coil total coefficient under various conditions, in the present embodiment, the transmission coil was formed with an enameled wire having a wire diameter of 0.4 mm to have a diameter of 40 mm and a thickness of 1.5 mm. Then, on the concentric shaft inside the transmitter coil, a wire diameter of 0.2 m
A receiving coil having a diameter of 20 mm and a thickness of 1.5 mm formed by an enameled wire of m was fitted.

[0018] First of the internal body transceiver device 31 and the artificial heart 1
The control system such as the control means 13 is formed in a card shape in consideration of suitability for implantation in a living body. That is, electronic components such as the one-chip microcomputer constituting the data processing control means 34 and the first control means 13 are mounted on a predetermined substrate, while the transmitting / receiving coil is embedded in the groove formed in the substrate, It is formed into a card by insulation coating by a known means.

On the other hand, the extracorporeal transmission / reception device 21 does not need to be formed into a card shape as described above since it is not assumed to be embedded in a living body, but it should be as thin and compact as possible in consideration of the wearability to clothes. It is desirable to package.

Information signals are carried by electromagnetic waves between the extracorporeal transmitting / receiving device 21 and the intracorporeal transmitting / receiving device 31, and it is necessary to consider various conditions including the characteristic of the artificial heart when selecting the frequency. . That is, it must be taken into consideration that when the frequency is several tens of MHz or more, the influence of absorption of electromagnetic waves from living tissue appears, stray capacitance cannot be ignored, and tuning becomes difficult, and interference prevention is required. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the carrier wave frequency is selected within the one-chip microcomputer operation clock frequency range by sharing the clock and carrier wave of the one-chip microcomputer. As a result, the carrier frequency from the body to the body is set to 4 MHz, the carrier frequency from the body to the body is set to 10 MHz, and a bidirectional signal wave interferes with each other by using a tuning circuit having a high Q indicating the sharpness of the frequency characteristic. You can send and receive at the same time without doing. In order to prevent interference between the artificial heart systems according to the present invention, the outputs of the external transmitter / receiver 21 and the internal transmitter / receiver 31 have a communicable distance of 7 or less.
It is desirable to set it to about cm. Communication range is 7
If it is about cm, communication between the outside-body transmitting / receiving device 21 and the inside-body transmitting / receiving device 31 mounted on clothes will not be hindered, and interference with other systems will not occur in a normal usage mode.

The receiving device 6 is for receiving the information signal from the internal transmitting / receiving device 31 when the external transmitting / receiving device 21 cannot be used, for example, when the patient takes a bath. Unlike the extracorporeal transmitter / receiver 21, the receiver 6 is not attached to clothes for communication, and is placed near the patient for use, so the receivable range is 2 m.
It takes a degree. The operation information of the artificial heart is transmitted from the in-body transmitting / receiving device 31 via the receiving device 6 to the second control means 3.
Will be sent to and the artificial heart will be monitored.

The operation of this embodiment will be described based on the above configuration. The predetermined control information is transmitted to the first control means 13 in the artificial heart 1 via the first communication means 2, and the first control means 13 uses the control information to cause the motor 12 which is the drive source of the pump body 11 to meet a predetermined condition. While operating with
Operation information such as an instantaneous current value and an instantaneous rotation angle in the motor 12 is transmitted to the second control means 3 via the first communication means 2. The second control means 3 calculates the instantaneous artificial heart output and blood pressure by processing the operation information, and checks the driving state of the pump body 11. If it can be determined from the calculated value that the pump body 11 is driven under the set conditions, the driving state is maintained.

On the other hand, when the calculated value is out of the set condition, the second control means 3 sends new control information regarding the driving of the motor 12 to the first control means based on the correction information stored in advance. To transmit. As a result, when it is determined that the calculated value has returned to the predetermined value, the pump body 11 maintains its driving state. If the calculated value does not return to the set condition even with new control information, that is, the second
When it is determined that the situation cannot be improved by the correction information stored in the control means 3 in advance, the second control means 3 notifies the third control means in the medical facility such as a hospital and a new control for improving the situation. Request transmission of information.

The above-mentioned various information is transmitted by the first communication means 2,
This is done by the second communication means 4. The information transmitted from the second control means 3 to the first control means 13 is first subjected to predetermined data processing in a one-chip microcomputer as the data processing control means 24 of the extracorporeal transceiver 21 in the first communication means 2. Later, the internal transmitter / receiver 31
The data is transferred by electromagnetic induction to the one-chip microcomputer as the data processing control means 34, and after being subjected to the same data processing as described above, the data is sent to the first control means 13 in the artificial heart 1 to perform a predetermined operation control of the motor 12. It Then, the information from the first control means 13 to the second control means 3 is also transmitted via the route opposite to the above.

In the above-mentioned route of information transmission, the data processing control means 24 and 34 of the outside-body transmitting / receiving device 21 and the inside-body transmitting / receiving device 31 perform error judgment and correction processing of the transmitted / received data. That is, for example, the information signal from the second control means 3 is taken into the one-chip microcomputer 24 of the extracorporeal transmitter / receiver 21, the error judgment and correction processing of the data are performed, and the biological tissue of the wearer by electromagnetic induction after ASK modulation. To the in-body transmitting / receiving device 31 via. In the in-body transmission / reception device 31, the received information after ASK demodulation is fetched into the one-chip microcomputer 34, as in the case of the outside of the body, and data error judgment and correction processing are performed. If there is no error, it is directly output to the first control means 13 of the artificial heart 1. The data is incorrect,
If it is correctable, the data is corrected and output, but if the data error cannot be corrected, the sender is notified that a data transmission error has occurred, and the data is retransmitted. Also, due to the error determination processing of the carrier signal,
When it is determined that there is some abnormality in the communication state inside the body, a signal is transmitted to the first control means 13 and the second control means 3 to close the communication circuit, so that the occurrence of abnormality in both the control means. Will be prevented.

In this embodiment, as described above, the control means (microcomputer) is arranged in both the outside and inside of the body of the first communication means, and the error and correction processing of the transmitted and received data is performed in the first communication means. Therefore, the computer forming the first control means in the artificial heart 1 and the second control means functioning as the monitoring means on the patient side is not overloaded during high-speed data transmission, and therefore the risk of malfunction is extremely small. . Further, the control system inside the body also has a configuration in which the control means by the microcomputer are distributedly arranged (communication, drive control), and therefore, in addition to the above-described effects, downsizing is facilitated.

Further, the second control means for executing the drive control and the monitoring of the drive state, which are customary for the artificial heart, involve medical professionals via the third communication means such as the public wireless telephone network and the internet communication network. Since it is remotely supported by the third control means by the host computer,
It is possible to appropriately deal with various situations that may occur in the artificial heart.

[0028]

Since the invention of the present application has the above-described constitutional effects, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Information relating to operation control of an artificial organ or the like can be accurately transmitted in a high-speed bidirectional manner, and safe and proper operation of the artificial organ or the like can be secured. (2) It is possible to properly prevent runaway or malfunction of the computer constituting the control means of the system, and ensure safe and proper operation of the artificial organ or the like. (3) In addition to steady drive control and monitoring of artificial organs, more advanced control operations can be performed remotely as needed, and necessary instructions to the artificial organ wearer can be transmitted at any time. It greatly contributes to ensuring the safety of patients outside the facility. Further, since various information can be collected from artificial organs and the like, further development of related medical technology can be expected.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the same.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A first control means for controlling the operation of an artificial organ embedded in a living body, a second control means outside the living body for exchanging information with the first control means, and First
A first transmission means for transcutaneously transmitting information signals between the control means and the second control means (without invading the living body), wherein the first communication means uses electromagnetic induction. It is composed of an extracorporeal transceiver and an intracorporeal transceiver that transmit and receive signals to and from each other. Both transceivers have a digital modulation / demodulation circuit and a data processing control means, respectively, for high-speed and accurate data processing and A transcutaneous information transmission system in an artificial organ or the like, characterized in that the operation of the artificial organ can always be properly performed by bidirectional transmission. 2. The wireless system according to claim 1, wherein the third control means for exchanging information with the second control means and the transmission of the information signal between the second control means and the third control means are wireless. A transcutaneous information transmission system in an artificial organ or the like characterized by comprising: 3. The percutaneous information transmission system for an artificial organ or the like according to claim 2, wherein the second communication means is capable of bidirectionally transmitting and receiving a large amount of data wirelessly. 4. The percutaneous information transmission system for an artificial organ or the like according to claim 3, wherein the second communication means is connectable to a computer network such as the Internet. 5. The first control means, the second control means, and the data processing control means are each constituted by a one-chip microcomputer, and the communicable distance of the first communication means is about 7 cm, and the body is put through clothes. A transcutaneous information transmission system for an artificial organ or the like, characterized in that the transcutaneous information transmission system can communicate with an inner transmitting / receiving device and prevents interference with other percutaneous information transmission system. 6. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a receiving device for receiving an information signal from the in-body transmitting / receiving device, wherein the operating condition of the artificial organ can be monitored by the second control means in place of the in-body transmitting / receiving device. A transcutaneous information transmission system for artificial organs and the like characterized by the above. 7. A percutaneous information transmission system in an artificial organ or the like according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the artificial organ is either an artificial heart or an artificial pancreas.