Medical device apparatus, system, and method

Abstract

Disclosed are a medical device apparatus, system, and method. A method includes receiving biometric information, by an external device external to a body of a user, of the user from an internal device within the body of the user, and wirelessly transmitting stimulus information configured to specify a stimulus based on the biometric information, and power to the internal device configured to drive the internal device and to apply the stimulus in response to the transmitted stimulus information. A method also includes wirelessly transmitting, from an internal device in a body of a user, biometric information of the user to an external device located outside the body of the user, and wirelessly receiving from the external device stimulus information configured to specify a stimulus, and power configured to drive the internal device and to apply the stimulus to the user in response to the received stimulus information.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A medical device method, the method comprising:
 receiving biometric information, by an external device external to a body of a user, of the user from an internal device within the body of the user;   determining, based on the biometric information received from the internal device, whether an urgent action is required to treat a disease or a symptom of the user;   selectively performing:
 a generating, based on the received biometric information, of a stimulus information; and 
 a wirelessly transmitting to the internal device:
 of the stimulus information configured to specify a stimulus; and 
 power configured to drive the internal device; and 
 
   wherein the selective performing of the generating of the stimulus information and the wireless transmitting includes:
 in response to the urgent action being determined required as a result of the determining of whether the urgent action is required, selecting to perform the generating of the stimulus information and the wireless transmitting; and 
 in response to the urgent action being determined not required as the result of the determining of whether the urgent action is required, selecting to not perform the generating of the stimulus information and the wireless transmitting and transmitting the biometric information to a user terminal controlled by the user and/or an electronic device controlled by a medical specialist, 
   wherein the generating of the stimulus information includes generating the stimulus information to include stimulus characteristics to be used by the internal device to derive the stimulus.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the wirelessly transmitting of power includes continuously wirelessly transmitting an amount of power required by the internal device, for generating the stimulus, in response to the transmitted stimulus information.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the selective performing of the generating of the stimulus information and the wireless transmitting further includes selecting to perform the generating of the stimulus information and the wireless transmitting, for application of the stimulus to the user by the internal device, in response to a detection of an abnormal symptom of the user based on the biometric information.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the selective performing of the generating of the stimulus information and the wireless transmitting further includes selecting to not perform the generating of the stimulus information and the wireless transmitting when the body of the user is determined damaged or when the internal device is determined to be malfunctioning based on the biometric information, and   wherein the generating of the stimulus information further includes generating an instruction to instruct the internal device to derive or apply the stimulus to the user.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving control information from the user terminal controlled by the user; and   generating the stimulus information based on the control information.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the control information includes at least one of:
 first control information determined by a first feedback loop including the internal device, the external device, and the user terminal; and   second control information determined by a second feedback loop including the internal device, the external device, the user terminal, and an electronic device controlled by a medical specialist.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the first control information includes information indicating a stimulus pattern selected from at least one first stimulus pattern determined in association with the first feedback loop. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the second control information includes at least one of:
 information indicating a stimulus pattern selected from at least one second stimulus pattern determined in association with the second feedback loop; and   information indicating a stimulus pattern generated in real time based on the biometric information.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the control information is set by the user or a medical specialist diagnosing the user. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the generating of the stimulus information based on the control information comprises resetting the stimulus information based on control information determined by a medical specialist diagnosing the user. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the generating of the stimulus information based on the control information comprises resetting the stimulus information based on the control information determined by a medical specialist diagnosing the user in response to a current state of the user based on the biometric information. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wirelessly transmitting of the stimulus information and the wirelessly transmitting of the power are respectively performed dependent on the external device being within at least a proximity to the internal device enabling power and stimulus information transfer from the external device to the internal device. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wirelessly transmitting of the stimulus information and the wirelessly transmitting of the power are respectively performed using a coil of the external device, the coil corresponding to a coil of the internal device. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the receiving of the biometric information of the user comprises receiving the biometric information of the user from the internal device while the power for driving the internal device is transmitted to the internal device from the external device. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the stimulus information includes information on any one or any combination of an intensity, a duration, an interval, and a repetition count of a pulse applied to the user as respective stimulus characteristics. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the biometric information includes information on any one or any combination of a contact impedance, a humidity, a temperature, and an electroencephalogram (EEG) signal of the user. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 transmitting the received biometric information to a user terminal controlled by the user while the external device is connected to the user terminal.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method is an operating method of a medical device system that includes the internal device and the external device, and the method further comprises controlling the internal device to collect the biometric information, and controlling the internal device to apply the stimulus. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the medical device system further includes a user terminal, and the method further comprises determining control information set by a technician provided communication with the user terminal, and respectively controlling the wirelessly transmitting of the stimulus and the wirelessly transmitting of the power to the internal device by the external device based on the determining and/or the control information as provided by the user terminal. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the medical device system further includes an electronic device that includes a user interface to set the control information based on input by the technician to the user interface. 
     
     
         21 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         22 . A medical device method, the method comprising:
 wirelessly transmitting, from an internal device in a body of a user, biometric information of the user to an external device located outside the body of the user and separate from the internal device; and   wirelessly receiving, by the internal device, from the external device:
 stimulus information configured to specify a stimulus, the stimulus information being generated based on the biometric information; and 
 power configured to drive the internal device and to apply the stimulus to the user in response to the received stimulus information; 
   deriving, by the internal device, the stimulus based on stimulus characteristics included in the stimulus information; and   applying, by the internal device, the derived stimulus,   wherein stimulus characteristic included in the stimulus information describe the stimulus based on the biometric information transmitted from the internal device through the external device to a user terminal controlled by the user,   wherein the stimulus information is generated by the external device in response to an urgent action being determined required in a determination, based on the biometric information received from the internal device, of whether the urgent action is required to treat a disease or symptom of the user, and   wherein, in response to the urgent action being determined not required in the determination of whether the urgent action is required, the biometric information is transmitted, from the external device, to the user terminal and/or an electronic device configured for control by a medical specialist.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the applying of the derived stimulus includes:
 generating the stimulus using the received power based on the stimulus information; and   applying the generated stimulus to the body of the user through a plurality of electrodes arranged at different positions in the body of the user.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the applying of the generated stimulus to the user through the plurality of electrodes arranged at the different positions in the body of the user comprises applying the stimulus through a number of electrode pairs including an anode electrode and a cathode electrode, wherein the number of electrode pairs is equal to or greater than a number of channels of the stimulus. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the applying of the stimulus through the number of electrode pairs includes variably changing the anode electrode and the cathode electrode included in each of the electrode pairs based on the stimulus information. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the internal device is located between a skull and a scalp of the user. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the method is an operating method of a medical device system that includes the internal device and the external device, and the method further comprises controlling the external device to respectively wirelessly transmit second stimulus information and the power to the internal device dependent on control information received by the external device. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the medical device system further includes a user interface configured to set the control information based on user input and/or provide the control information to the external device. 
     
     
         29 . A medical device method, the method comprising:
 generating, by a user terminal, control information in response to an input by a user or a medical specialist diagnosing the user, the control information being configured to cause an external device that is located outside a body of the user to derive and wirelessly transmit first stimulus information and wirelessly transmit power to an internal device inserted in the body of the user in response to the external device receiving the control information; and   transmitting, by the user terminal, the control information to the external device,   wherein the generating of the control information includes deriving the control information based on the input by the user or the medical specialist,   wherein second stimulus information is generated by the external device in response to an urgent action being determined required in a determination, based on the biometric information received from the internal device, of whether the urgent action is required to treat a disease or symptom of the user, and   wherein, in response to the urgent action being determined not required in the determination of whether the urgent action is required, the biometric information is transmitted, from the external device, to a user terminal and/or an electronic device configured for control by a medical specialist.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the control information includes at least one of:
 first control information determined by a first feedback loop including the internal device, the external device, and the user terminal; and   second control information determined by a second feedback loop including the internal device, the external device, the user terminal, and an electronic device controlled by the medical specialist.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the generating of the control information comprises generating control information configured to cause application of a predetermined stimulus to the user at a point in time desired by the user in response to a request input from the user. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 receiving, from the external device, biometric information of the user sensed by the internal device; and   transmitting the received biometric information to an electronic device controlled by the medical specialist diagnosing the user.   
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the generating of the control information includes receiving from the electronic device the control information set by the medical specialist diagnosing the user in response to a current state of the user indicated by the biometric information. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the method is an operating method of a medical device system that includes the internal device, the external device, the user terminal, and the electronic device, and
 wherein the control information is set by the user or the medical specialist.   
     
     
         35 . A medical device system, the system comprising:
 an external device located outside a body of a user, the external device comprising:
 a data transceiver; 
 a power transmitter; 
 a coil connected to the data transceiver and the power transmitter; and 
 a controller configured to:
 determine, based on biometric information received by the data transceiver from an internal device inserted in the body of the user, whether an urgent action is required to treat a disease or symptom of the user; 
 
 in response to the urgent action being determined required in the determining of whether the urgent action is required:
 generate stimulus information, to specify a stimulus, based on the biometric information; and 
 cause the data transceiver and the power transmitter to transfer wirelessly, using the coil, the stimulus information and power to the internal device configured to drive the internal device and to apply a stimulus in response to the transmitted stimulus information; and 
 
 transmit, in response to the urgent action being determined not required in the determining of whether the urgent action is required, the biometric information to a user terminal controlled by the user and/or an electronic device controlled by a medical specialist, 
   wherein the generation of the stimulus information includes generation of the stimulus information to include stimulus characteristics to be used by an internal device to derive the stimulus.   
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 35 , further comprising the internal device. 
     
     
         37 . A medical device system, the system comprising:
 an internal device located inside a body of a user, the internal device comprising:
 a data transceiver; 
 a power receiver; 
 a coil connected to the data transceiver and the power receiver; 
 a sensor configured to sense biometric information of the user; 
 a stimulator; and 
 a controller configured to cause the data transceiver to:
 wirelessly transmit the biometric information to an external device located outside the body of the user using the coil and is separate from the internal device; 
 wirelessly receive, from the external device using the data transceiver, stimulus information configured to specify a stimulus, the stimulus information being generated based on the biometric information; and 
 wirelessly receive from the external device using the power receiver power configured to drive the sensor, stimulator, and controller, 
 
   wherein the controller causes the stimulator to apply the stimulus to the body of the user in response to the received stimulus information,   wherein the stimulus information includes stimulus characteristics to indicate the stimulus,   wherein the stimulus is derived by the internal device based on the stimulus information,   wherein the stimulus information is generated by the external device in response to an urgent action being determined required in a determination, based on the biometric information received from the internal device, of whether the urgent action is required to treat a disease or symptom of the user, and   wherein, in response to the urgent action being determined not required in the determination of whether the urgent action is required, the biometric information is transmitted, from the external device, to a user terminal and/or an electronic device configured for control by a medical specialist.   
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 37 , further comprising the external device. 
     
     
         39 . A medical device system, the system comprising:
 a user terminal controlled by a user, the user terminal comprising:
 a data transceiver; and 
 a controller configured to:
 generating control information in response to an input by a user or a medical specialist diagnosing the user, the control information being configured to cause an external device that is located outside a body of the user to derive and wirelessly transmit first stimulus information and wirelessly transmit power to an internal device inserted in the body of the user in response to the external device receiving the control information, and 
 cause the data transceiver to transmit the control information to the external device, 
 
   wherein the generation of the control information includes a derivation of the control information based on the input by the user or the medical specialist,   wherein second stimulus information is generated by the external device in response to an urgent action being determined required in a determination, based on the biometric information received from the internal device, of whether the urgent action is required to treat a disease or symptom of the user, and   wherein, in response to the urgent action being determined not required in the determination of whether the urgent action is required, the biometric information is transmitted, from the external device, to a user terminal and/or an electronic device configured for control by a medical specialist.