CN116943030B

CN116943030B - Device based on ultrasonic signal and implantable medical equipment

Info

Publication number: CN116943030B
Application number: CN202310950509.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 冯雪; 王慕尧; 贾欣媛
Original assignee: Tsinghua University
Current assignee: Tsinghua University
Priority date: 2023-07-31
Filing date: 2023-07-31
Publication date: 2024-08-27
Anticipated expiration: 2043-07-31
Also published as: CN116943030A

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an ultrasonic signal-based device and an implantable medical device, the device comprising an ultrasonic transceiver unit, a piezoelectric unit, a passive feedback circuit and a sensor unit, the ultrasonic transceiver unit being configured to transmit ultrasonic signals to the piezoelectric unit and receive echo signals; the piezoelectric unit is used for converting the received ultrasonic signals into first electric signals so as to supply power to a device to be powered in the medical equipment by using the first electric signals, reflecting the ultrasonic signals to form echo signals, and sending the echo signals to the ultrasonic transceiver unit; the sensor unit is used for sending a detection signal to the passive feedback circuit; the passive feedback circuit is used for changing the reflection coefficient of the piezoelectric material in the piezoelectric unit according to the detection signal. The device based on the ultrasonic signal and the implantable medical device provided by the embodiment of the disclosure can supply energy for the medical device implanted in the deep part of the organism, and simultaneously feed back the treatment effect of the implantable medical device.

Description

Device based on ultrasonic signal and implantable medical equipment

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to the technical field of medical instruments, in particular to an ultrasonic signal-based device and implantable medical equipment.

Background

Implantable medical devices refer to medical devices that are implanted, either entirely or partially, in a living body, such as a patient, for treating diseases of internal organs of the human body or assisting internal devices of the human body in performing functions, such as cardiac pacemakers, artificial joints, neural stimulators, etc. Since implantable medical devices are typically implanted inside the human body, there are significant challenges to the energy issues of implantable medical devices.

The implant devices of the related art typically use a built-in lithium ion battery to power them, and when the battery energy is exhausted, the battery needs to be replaced by an operation, which can cause great pain to the patient. Meanwhile, the electrolyte of the lithium ion battery also contains a plurality of toxic substances, and forms a great hidden trouble for human health.

In addition, the implantable medical devices in the related art, such as a brain pacemaker, a cardiac pacemaker, and the like, can only realize unidirectional stimulation treatment, and cannot feed back the treatment effect in real time. However, the feedback is important to determine whether the stimulation therapy is effective and to further determine the appropriate therapeutic amount without feedback information. The lack of feedback can reduce the accuracy of the stimulation therapy and even potentially cause undue treatment damage.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of this, the present disclosure proposes an ultrasonic signal-based device and an implantable medical device capable of supplying energy to a medical device implanted in a deep portion of a living body while feeding back a therapeutic effect of the implantable medical device.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus based on an ultrasonic signal, applied to an implantable medical device, the apparatus comprising: the ultrasonic receiving and transmitting unit is arranged outside the organism body, the piezoelectric unit, the passive feedback circuit and the sensor unit are implanted at the target position in the organism body,

The ultrasonic receiving and transmitting unit is used for transmitting ultrasonic signals to the piezoelectric unit;

The piezoelectric unit is used for converting the received ultrasonic signals into first electric signals so as to supply power for a device to be powered inside the medical equipment by using the first electric signals;

The sensor unit is used for sending a detected signal representing the detected physiological information of the organism to the passive feedback circuit;

The passive feedback circuit is used for receiving the detection signal and changing the reflection coefficient of the piezoelectric material in the piezoelectric unit according to the detection signal;

the piezoelectric unit is further used for reflecting the ultrasonic signals to form echo signals and sending the echo signals to the ultrasonic receiving and sending unit, and the echo signals can represent the physiological information;

the ultrasonic receiving and transmitting unit is also used for receiving the echo signals.

In one possible implementation, the sensor unit includes one or more of a flexible strain sensor, a flexible pressure sensor, a flexible temperature sensor, a flexible chemical sensor; the detection signal comprises one or more of a bioelectric signal, a force signal, a temperature signal and a chemical signal.

In a possible implementation, the apparatus further comprises an energy supply circuit and an output electrode, the output electrode being connected to the device to be powered,

The energy supply circuit is used for transmitting the direct current level to the device to be powered through the output electrode after converting the first electric signal into the direct current level required by the medical equipment.

In one possible implementation, the piezoelectric unit and the passive feedback circuit, the passive feedback circuit and the sensor unit, the piezoelectric unit and the energy supply circuit, and the energy supply circuit and the output electrode are electrically connected by flexible extension wires.

In one possible implementation, the device further comprises a flexible encapsulation layer for encapsulating the device.

In one possible implementation, the structural shape of the flexible extension wire includes a fractal structure based on a preset shape, the preset shape including at least one of a shape serpentine, s-shape.

In one possible implementation, the device further comprises a flexible adhesive layer for attaching the device to the target location.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an implantable medical device comprising: an ultrasonic signal-based device and a device to be powered,

The device comprises: the ultrasonic receiving and transmitting unit is arranged outside the organism body, the piezoelectric unit, the passive feedback circuit and the sensor unit are implanted at the target position in the organism body,

The piezoelectric unit is used for converting the received ultrasonic signals into first electric signals so as to supply power for the device to be powered by using the first electric signals;

In a possible implementation manner, the medical device further comprises an energy supply circuit and an output electrode, wherein the output electrode is connected to the device to be powered, and the energy supply circuit is used for transmitting the direct current level to the device to be powered through the output electrode after converting the first electric signal into the direct current level required by the medical device.

In a possible implementation manner, the apparatus further comprises an energy supply circuit and an output electrode, wherein the output electrode is connected to the device to be powered, and the energy supply circuit is used for transmitting the direct current level to the device to be powered through the output electrode after converting the first electric signal into the direct current level required by the medical equipment.

According to the ultrasonic signal-based device and the implantable medical device, the ultrasonic receiving and transmitting unit arranged outside the body and the three units (namely the piezoelectric unit, the passive feedback circuit and the sensor unit) implanted in the target position in the body are matched, so that energy can be supplied to the implantable medical device and physiological information of the body is fed back outwards, namely the piezoelectric unit is used for converting the received ultrasonic signal into the first electric signal, the device can utilize the first electric signal to supply power to a device to be powered inside the medical device, and the passive feedback circuit is used for changing the reflection coefficient of the piezoelectric material in the piezoelectric unit according to the detection signal representing the physiological information of the body, detected by the sensor unit, so that the ultrasonic signal is emitted to form an echo signal at the piezoelectric material, the ultrasonic receiving and transmitting unit can receive the echo signal representing the physiological information, so that the physiological information of the body can be fed back to the body, and the depth of energy transmission can be effectively improved while painless of the body can be ensured by utilizing ultrasonic waves.

Other features and aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments, features and aspects of the present disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an ultrasound signal-based apparatus provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a passive feedback circuit provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of an ultrasound signal-based apparatus provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic view of the structural shape of a flexible extension wire provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a cardiac pacemaker provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Various exemplary embodiments, features and aspects of the disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Although various aspects of the embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale unless specifically indicated.

The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, embodiment, or illustration. Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in the following detailed description in order to provide a better understanding of the present disclosure. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without some of these specific details. In some instances, methods, means, elements, and circuits well known to those skilled in the art have not been described in detail in order not to obscure the present disclosure.

In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure by those skilled in the art, a technical environment in which the technical solutions are implemented is described below.

Implantable medical devices refer to medical devices that are implanted, either entirely or partially, in a living body, such as a patient, for treating diseases of internal organs of the human body or assisting internal devices of the human body in performing functions, such as cardiac pacemakers, artificial joints, neural stimulators, etc. Since implantable medical devices are typically implanted inside the human body, the energy supply of implantable medical devices presents a significant challenge.

Implantable medical devices typically use a built-in lithium ion battery to power them, and when the battery is depleted, the battery needs to be surgically replaced, which can cause significant pain to the patient. In addition, the electrolyte of the lithium ion battery also contains a plurality of toxic substances, and forms a great hidden trouble for human health. Meanwhile, the existing implantable medical equipment such as a brain pacemaker, a cardiac pacemaker and the like can only realize unidirectional stimulation treatment, and cannot feed back the treatment effect in real time. However, the feedback is important to determine whether the stimulation therapy is effective and to further determine the appropriate therapeutic amount without feedback information. The lack of feedback can reduce the accuracy of the stimulation therapy and even potentially cause undue treatment damage.

In addition, since the implantation space inside the human body is very limited, a large-sized hard processing circuit cannot be accommodated, and internal organs of the human body (such as brain, heart, bladder, etc.) have complex surface shapes and are mostly periodically deformed according to circadian rhythms, which also puts higher demands on preparation materials of the implantable medical device.

The embodiment of the disclosure provides an ultrasonic signal-based device applied to an implantable medical device, which is capable of supplying energy to the implantable medical device and feeding back physiological information of a living body outwards through cooperation of an ultrasonic receiving and transmitting unit arranged outside the living body and a target position implanted in the living body (namely, a piezoelectric unit, a passive feedback circuit and a sensor unit), namely, the piezoelectric unit is used for converting a received ultrasonic signal into a first electric signal, so that the device can utilize the first electric signal to supply power to a device to be powered inside the medical device, and the passive feedback circuit is used for changing the reflection coefficient of a piezoelectric material in the piezoelectric unit according to a detection signal which is detected by the sensor unit and represents the physiological information of the living body, so that the ultrasonic signal is emitted to form an echo signal at the piezoelectric material, and the ultrasonic receiving and transmitting unit can receive the echo signal which represents the physiological information, so as to realize feeding back the physiological information of the living body outside the living body, wherein the ultrasonic wave is utilized for energy transmission, so that the depth of energy transmission can be effectively improved while painless of the living body is ensured.

The device based on the ultrasonic signal provided by the embodiment of the disclosure can be applied to an implantable medical device, and is used for supplying energy to the implantable medical device and feeding back physiological information in a living body to the outside of the living body, in other words, the device has a power supply mode and a feedback mode. The implantable medical device may be a cardiac pacemaker, an artificial joint, a neurostimulator, or the like. The implantable medical device may comprise an ultrasound signal based means and a device to be powered.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an ultrasound signal-based apparatus provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 1, the apparatus 100 may include an ultrasonic transceiver 101, a piezoelectric unit 102, a sensor unit 103, and a passive feedback circuit 104, wherein the ultrasonic transceiver 101 is disposed outside a living body, and the piezoelectric unit 102, the sensor unit 103, and the passive feedback circuit 104 are implanted at a target location inside the living body.

The ultrasonic transceiver unit 101 may be used not only to transmit ultrasonic signals to the piezoelectric unit 102 but also to receive echo signals from the piezoelectric unit 102. Wherein the echo signal is capable of characterizing physiological information, in particular in a living being, and the echo signal is also an ultrasound signal. Thus, the energy transmission by using the ultrasonic wave can effectively improve the depth of the energy transmission while ensuring no pain of the living body, and the energy transmission device can be used in a state that the implanted medical device is not provided with a built-in battery. During use of the device, the ultrasonic transceiver unit 101 may continuously transmit ultrasonic signals to the piezoelectric unit 102 at all times.

In one possible implementation, the ultrasound transceiver unit 101 may be a transducer. For example, the ultrasonic transceiver unit 101 may comprise a transmitting transducer operable to transmit ultrasonic signals to the piezoelectric unit 102 and a receiving transducer operable to receive echo signals from the piezoelectric unit 102.

In one possible implementation, the ultrasound transceiver unit 101 may be an ultrasound probe that can be used to both transmit and receive ultrasound signals. Under the control of an external terminal such as a tablet, the ultrasonic probe can detect and receive echo signals reflected from the piezoelectric unit 102 at the same time after transmitting ultrasonic signals to the piezoelectric unit 102 at a target position implanted in a living body.

The piezoelectric unit 102 may include a piezoelectric element, which may be made of a piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric unit 102 may be used not only to convert a received ultrasonic signal into a first electrical signal to supply power to a device to be powered inside the medical device with the first electrical signal, but also to reflect the ultrasonic signal to form an echo signal, and transmit the echo signal to the ultrasonic transceiver unit 101.

As shown in fig. 1, in the case of an apparatus 100 based on an ultrasonic signal for supplying energy to an implantable medical device (i.e., a power supply mode), an ultrasonic transceiver 101 provided outside a living body may transmit an ultrasonic signal to a piezoelectric unit 102 located at a target position inside the living body, and the piezoelectric unit 102 may convert the received ultrasonic signal into a first electrical signal, so that a power to be supplied to a device inside the medical device may be supplied with the first electrical signal.

The sensor unit 103 may be configured to send a detected signal representing the detected physiological information of the living being to the passive feedback circuit 104. The sensor unit 103 may be disposed close to the implantable medical device to better monitor the therapeutic effect of the implantable medical device, i.e. the target position may be a position close to or the same as the diseased position of the implantable medical device for treating the living body, so that the accuracy of the feedback information may be improved. The biological information may be determined based on the use of the implantable medical device. For example, in the case of an implantable medical device being a cardiac pacemaker, the beating frequency of the heart, the force of cardiac pacing, the temperature of the heart, etc. may be detected. For example, in the case where the implantable medical device is a nerve stimulator, an electrical signal transmitted from a nerve may be detected.

In one possible implementation, the sensor unit 103 may include one or more of a flexible strain sensor, a flexible pressure sensor, a flexible temperature sensor, a flexible chemical sensor, and correspondingly, the detection signal may include one or more of a bioelectric signal, a force signal, a temperature signal, a chemical signal, so that strain, pressure, temperature, chemical, etc. physiological information of an organ within the living body may be monitored. Therefore, by utilizing different types of sensors, the measurement of various physiological information can be realized, and the device has higher use comfort degree by utilizing the flexible sensor, so that the use experience of a patient is improved. The actual sensor type may be determined according to medical needs, and embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited in this regard.

The passive feedback circuit 104 may be configured to receive the detection signal and to change the reflectance of the piezoelectric material in the piezoelectric unit 102 based on the detection signal. Further, when the piezoelectric unit 102 generates echo signals by reflecting the ultrasonic signals, different echo signals are generated due to different reflection coefficients. Therefore, based on analysis and processing of echo signals, reflection coefficients, detection signals and physiological information can be determined step by step, and based on the information, the working process of medical equipment can be further regulated and controlled, and the treatment effect can be assessed.

In one possible implementation, the passive feedback circuit 104 may include a triode. Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a passive feedback circuit provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Taking the detection signal as a bioelectric signal as an example, the process of the passive feedback circuit 104 to change the reflectance of the piezoelectric material in the piezoelectric unit 102 will be described with reference to fig. 2:

As shown in fig. 2, the passive feedback circuit 104 may include a transistor 201, and the passive feedback circuit 104 may utilize a common-source amplification mode of the transistor 201. The sensor unit 103 may include a sensor element that may be used to detect a bioelectric signal, and the sensor element in this example employs two electrodes 202 for detecting a potential difference, and the sensor unit 103 may transmit the bioelectric signal acquired by the two electrodes 202 to the transistor 201 through a wire. The piezoelectric unit 102 may include a piezoelectric element 203. The gate (i.e., G pole in fig. 2) and source (i.e., S pole in fig. 2) of the transistor 201 are connected to the two electrodes 202 of the sensor unit 103, respectively, and the source and drain (i.e., D pole in fig. 2) of the transistor 201 are connected to both sides of the piezoelectric element 203, respectively. According to the linear resistive effect of the triode 201, the triode 201 has different output resistances (i.e. resistances between the drain and source levels) under different physiological voltages (i.e. corresponding to bioelectric signals), and the reflection coefficient of the piezoelectric element 203 can be modulated by using the magnitudes of the output resistances, so that the passive feedback circuit 104 realizes that the reflection coefficient of the piezoelectric material in the piezoelectric unit 102 is changed based on the bioelectric signals, and in this example, the larger the physiological voltage, the larger the output resistance of the triode 201, and the larger the reflection coefficient of the piezoelectric element 203 after being changed.

As shown in fig. 1, in the case of the apparatus 100 based on an ultrasonic signal for feeding back physiological information in a living body to the outside of the living body (i.e., a feedback mode), the sensor unit 103 may transmit the acquired detection signal to the passive feedback circuit 104, and the passive feedback circuit 104 may change the reflection coefficient of the piezoelectric material in the piezoelectric unit 102 according to the detection signal, so that the ultrasonic signal transmitted from the ultrasonic transceiver unit 101 to the piezoelectric unit 102 is reflected at the piezoelectric material to form an echo signal, and the ultrasonic transceiver unit 101 receives the echo signal, and may acquire the physiological information of the living body through analysis of an external terminal such as a tablet.

The change in reflection coefficient affects the power transfer function in the power supply mode, but the effect is very small. Taking the above ultrasonic probe as an example: typically, in the power mode, the ultrasound probe emits a continuous sine wave that can be processed by filtering, rectifying, etc. to provide an appropriate dc level to the implanted medical device; in the feedback mode, the ultrasonic probe emits discrete pulse waves, and the reflection coefficient has larger influence on the discrete pulse waves and has little influence on the continuous sine waves, so that although the device based on ultrasonic signals changes the reflection coefficient of the piezoelectric material in the feedback mode, the direct current level provided by the device in the power supply mode is almost unchanged, and the influence of the change of the reflection coefficient on the power supply function in the power supply mode can be ignored.

The change in reflection coefficient changes in real time with the passive feedback circuit 104, and the whole process is passive and is determined by the detection signal detected by the sensor unit 103. Like this, adopt the passive communication mode based on ultrasonic wave to feed back the treatment effect of implantable medical device, avoided not only the use of massive stereoplasm circuit, added the function of real-time perception and feedback for implantable medical device moreover, can help people in time to judge the validity of treatment, implement more accurate treatment.

In one possible implementation, the ultrasound signal-based device may initiate the power mode and then the feedback mode. After the device based on the ultrasonic signal is successfully installed, the power supply mode of the device is utilized to supply power to the implantable medical device in the former time period (for example, the former minute), and the feedback mode of the device is utilized to feed back the treatment effect of the implantable medical device, namely, the physiological information of the living body, to the outside of the body in the latter time period (for example, the latter minute), so that the physiological information of the treated living body can be acquired after the implantable medical device is treated for a period of time.

The process of starting the power supply mode and then starting the feedback mode will now be described with the ultrasonic transceiver unit 101 including a transmitting transducer and a receiving transducer as an example: after the ultrasonic signal-based device is successfully installed, an ultrasonic signal may be transmitted to the piezoelectric unit 102 during 14:00:00 to 14:02:00 by an external control device such as a planar control transmitting transducer, and the ultrasonic signal transmitted during 14:00:00 to 14:01:00 by an external control device such as a planar control receiving transducer is not operated during 14:00:00 to 14:01:00 and is operated during 14:01:02:00, so that the ultrasonic signal transmitted during 14:00:00 to 14:01:00 can supply power to the implantable medical device, so that the medical device can treat a target location of a living body, and so that the receiving transducer can receive echo signals representing physiological information of the living body at 14:01:00 to 14:02:00, so that the external control device such as the planar plate can obtain the physiological information of the living body by analyzing the echo signals. In one possible implementation, the power mode and the feedback mode of the ultrasound signal-based device may be activated simultaneously. After the device based on the ultrasonic signal is successfully installed, the power supply mode and the feedback mode of the device can be simultaneously utilized, so that the power supply is realized and the physiological information of the living body is fed back in real time.

The process of simultaneously starting the power supply mode and the feedback mode will now be described by taking the ultrasonic transceiver unit 101 including a transceiver-integrated ultrasonic probe as an example: after the ultrasonic signal-based device is successfully installed, an ultrasonic signal may be transmitted to the piezoelectric unit 102 during the period of 14:00:00 to 14:02:00 by an external control device, such as a tablet, so that the ultrasonic signal transmitted by the ultrasonic probe during the period of 14:00:00 to 14:02:00 can power the implantable medical device, and since the ultrasonic probe can be used for both transmitting and receiving the ultrasonic signal, the ultrasonic probe can also receive echo signals, which can characterize physiological information of a living body, in real time during the period of 14:00:00 to 14:02:00, so that the external control device, such as the tablet, obtains the physiological information of the living body by performing real-time analysis on the echo signals.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of an ultrasound signal-based apparatus provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one possible implementation, as shown in fig. 3, the apparatus 100 based on ultrasonic signals may further include an energy supply circuit 105 and an output electrode 106, where an output end of the piezoelectric unit 102 is electrically connected to an input end of the energy supply circuit 105, an output end of the energy supply circuit 105 is electrically connected to one end of the output electrode 106, and the other end of the output electrode 106 is connected to a device to be powered (not shown) inside the medical device. For example, the power supply circuit 105 may include a filter chip, a voltage regulator chip, and passive circuit elements such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, and the like.

The power supply circuit 105 may be configured to convert the first electrical signal into a dc level required by the medical device, and then transmit the dc level to the device to be powered through the output electrode 106. In this way, the energy supply circuit converts the first electrical signal to a desired DC level, thereby providing electrical energy to the implantable medical device in a stable and safe manner.

In one possible implementation, as shown in fig. 3, the electrical connections between the piezoelectric unit 102 and the passive feedback circuit 104, between the passive feedback circuit 104 and the sensor unit 103, between the piezoelectric unit 102 and the energy supply circuit 105, between the energy supply circuit 105 and the output electrode 106 may be through flexible extension wires 107. In this way, electrical interconnection is provided to the device portions by flexible ductile wires and impart flexibility and ductility to the device.

In one possible implementation, the structural shape of the flexible extension wire comprises a fractal structure based on a preset shape, which may comprise at least one of a serpentine shape, an s-shape. Fig. 4 shows a schematic view of the structural shape of a flexible extension wire provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 4, the flexible extension wire can adopt a fractal structure based on a serpentine wire, which can remarkably enhance the extension capability of the wire layer and provide strain isolation for each functional element in the device, the serpentine structure can bear most of strain through in-plane bending and out-of-plane buckling deformation, the deformation of the flexible extension wire is gradually unfolded, and the born strain is gradually released during deformation, so that the extension performance of the device is further enhanced.

In one possible implementation, as shown in fig. 3, the ultrasound signal-based device 100 may further include a flexible encapsulation layer 108, where the flexible encapsulation layer 108 may be used to encapsulate the device 100, i.e., where the piezoelectric unit 102, the passive feedback circuit 104, the energy supply circuit 105, and the flexible extension leads 107 are all disposed in the flexible encapsulation layer 108. The sensor unit 103 and the output electrode 106 can be selectively encapsulated in the flexible encapsulation layer 108 according to practical situations. For example, the flexible packaging layer 108 may be made of an organic material with good biocompatibility, and the overall packaging thickness may be less than 2mm, and its elastic modulus is similar to that of a human body soft tissue, so that the flexible packaging layer with extremely low bending stiffness may be conformally attached to the surface of a human body organ and follow the dynamic deformation of the organ, so as to avoid the damage of the device to the living body tissue, and also provide support and protection for the device, isolate the device from the outside, and avoid the interference of the device from the body fluid environment.

In one possible implementation, as shown in fig. 3, the ultrasound signal-based device 100 may also include a flexible adhesive layer 109, the flexible adhesive layer 109 being operable to tightly affix the device to a target site. The flexible adhesive layer 109 may be disposed on one side of the flexible encapsulation layer 108 such that when implanted in a target location of a living being, the flexible adhesive layer 109 may be positioned between the target location of the living being and the flexible encapsulation layer 108, improving adhesion between the device 100 and the target location.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a cardiac pacemaker provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The cardiac pacemaker is an electronic therapeutic instrument implanted in human body, and can be used for curing cardiac dysfunction due to some arrhythmia by means of transmitting electric pulse by means of pulse generator and stimulating cardiac muscle contacted by electrode by means of conduction of wire electrode so as to make heart be excited and contracted. In this example, the implantable medical device may be a cardiac pacemaker comprising the above-described ultrasound signal-based apparatus 100 for powering a device to be powered inside the cardiac pacemaker and feeding back physiological information of the human body, in particular the stimulation effect of the cardiac pacemaker, to the outside of the body in real time by means of echo signals, and a body device 500 for performing a cardiac pacing function.

In this example, as shown in fig. 5, the main body device 500 of the cardiac pacemaker is placed at the heart, and the flexible packaging layer 108 of the device 100 based on ultrasonic signals is attached to the heart with a flexible adhesive layer (not shown), and the sensor unit 103 (e.g., a flexible strain sensor based on polyvinylidene fluoride) of the device 100 is also placed at the heart and is disposed in cooperation with the main body device 500 of the cardiac pacemaker, so that the device 100 can detect the required strain signal.

In this example, the transducer 101 located outside the body continues to emit ultrasound waves into the region of the flexible encapsulation layer 108 inside the body. The device receives acoustic energy (i.e., ultrasonic energy) emitted by transducer 101 through a piezoelectric element (not shown) within flexible encapsulation layer 108 and converts the acoustic energy into electrical energy for delivery to an energy supply circuit (not shown). The power supply circuit drives the cardiac pacemaker 500 to operate via the output electrode (not shown) to stimulate the heart to contract. The contraction of the heart after receiving the stimulus is sensed by the sensor unit 103, and the sensed strain signal is transmitted to a passive feedback circuit (not shown), by which the reflection coefficient of the piezoelectric unit is changed, and the echo signal is reflected to the transducer 101. The external terminal analyzes the received echo signals from the transducer 101 to obtain the heart contraction information, so that the stimulation intensity of the main device 500 of the cardiac pacemaker can be adjusted in real time. If the degree of systole is lower than the standard value, the stimulation intensity is increased; if the degree of systole is higher than the standard value, the stimulus intensity is weakened.

The disclosed embodiments provide an implantable medical device that may include an ultrasound signal-based apparatus and a device to be powered, wherein the apparatus includes: the device comprises an ultrasonic receiving and transmitting unit, a piezoelectric unit, a passive feedback circuit and a sensor unit, wherein the ultrasonic receiving and transmitting unit is arranged outside a living body, and the piezoelectric unit, the passive feedback circuit and the sensor unit are implanted at a target position in the living body; the piezoelectric unit is used for converting the received ultrasonic signals into first electric signals so as to supply power for the device to be powered by the first electric signals; a sensor unit for transmitting a detected signal representing detected physiological information of the living body to a passive feedback circuit; the passive feedback circuit is used for receiving the detection signal and changing the reflection coefficient of the piezoelectric material in the piezoelectric unit according to the detection signal; the piezoelectric unit is also used for reflecting the ultrasonic signals to form echo signals and sending the echo signals to the ultrasonic receiving and transmitting unit, and the echo signals can represent physiological information; and the ultrasonic receiving and transmitting unit is also used for receiving the echo signals.

In one possible implementation, the medical device may further comprise an energy supply circuit and an output electrode, the output electrode being connected to the device to be powered, the energy supply circuit being operable to transmit the dc level to the device to be powered via the output electrode after converting the first electrical signal to the dc level required by the medical device.

In one possible implementation, the apparatus may further comprise an energy supply circuit and an output electrode, the output electrode being connected to the device to be powered, the energy supply circuit being operable to transmit the dc level to the device to be powered via the output electrode after converting the first electrical signal to the dc level required by the medical device.

In some embodiments, functions or modules included in an apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure may be used to perform a method described in the foregoing method embodiments, and specific implementations thereof may refer to descriptions of the foregoing method embodiments, which are not repeated herein for brevity.

The device and the implantable medical device based on the ultrasonic signals can be used for supplying energy to implantable medical devices through the energy supply and communication modes based on the ultrasonic waves, feeding back the treatment effect of the implantable medical devices, utilizing the ultrasonic waves to perform energy transmission, effectively improving the depth of energy transmission, performing energy supply to the implantable devices in the deep of a human body, and performing information sensing and feedback in a mode of changing reflection coefficients by passive electrical impedance, so that the use of a large hard circuit is avoided.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the various embodiments described. The terminology used herein was chosen in order to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application, or the technical improvements in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An ultrasound signal-based apparatus for use with an implantable medical device, the apparatus comprising: the ultrasonic receiving and transmitting unit is arranged outside the organism body, the piezoelectric unit, the passive feedback circuit and the sensor unit are implanted at the target position in the organism body,

The piezoelectric unit is used for converting the received ultrasonic signals into first electric signals so as to supply power to a device to be powered inside the medical equipment by using the first electric signals, so that the medical equipment treats the living body by using the electric energy inside the device to be powered;

the sensor unit is used for sending a detected signal representing the physiological information of the organism after being treated to the passive feedback circuit, and comprises a flexible strain sensor, a flexible pressure sensor, a flexible temperature sensor and a flexible chemical sensor, wherein the detected signal comprises a bioelectric signal, a force signal, a temperature signal and a chemical signal;

The passive feedback circuit is used for receiving the detection signal and changing the reflection coefficient of the piezoelectric material in the piezoelectric unit according to the detection signal, and the change process of the reflection coefficient is passive and is determined by the detection signal;

The piezoelectric unit is further used for reflecting the received ultrasonic signals according to different reflection coefficients to form different echo signals, and sending the echo signals to the ultrasonic receiving and sending unit, wherein the echo signals can represent physiological information of the living body after being treated;

The ultrasonic receiving and transmitting unit is further used for receiving the echo signals, so that the external terminal processes the echo signals to obtain the reflection coefficient, the detection signals and the physiological information, and therefore the working process of the medical equipment is regulated and controlled, and the treatment effect of the medical equipment is evaluated.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an energy supply circuit and an output electrode, the output electrode being connected to the device to be powered,

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the piezoelectric unit is electrically connected to the passive feedback circuit, the passive feedback circuit and the sensor unit, the piezoelectric unit and the energy supply circuit, and the energy supply circuit and the output electrode by flexible extension wires.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a flexible encapsulation layer for encapsulating the device.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the structural shape of the flexible extension wire comprises a fractal structure based on a preset shape, the preset shape comprising at least one of a serpentine shape and an s-shape.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a flexible adhesive layer for attaching the device to the target site.

7. An implantable medical device, comprising: an ultrasonic signal-based device and a device to be powered,

the piezoelectric unit is used for converting the received ultrasonic signals into first electric signals so as to supply power to the device to be powered by the first electric signals, and the medical equipment can treat the organism by utilizing the electric energy in the device to be powered;

8. The medical device of claim 7, further comprising an energy supply circuit and an output electrode, the output electrode being connected to the device to be powered,

9. The medical device according to claim 7, wherein the apparatus further comprises an energy supply circuit and an output electrode, the output electrode being connected to the device to be powered,