1. A minimally invasive method for monitoring a patient who has a neurological or psychiatric condition, the method comprising:
sampling brain activity signals with the one or more implanted devices that are positioned between at least one layer of scalp and the skull of the patient;
wirelessly transmitting a data signal that is encoded with data indicative of the sampled brain activity signals from the one or more implanted devices to an external device;
processing the data signal in a processing assembly of the external device to estimate the patient’s propensity for a neurological event; and
generating an output in response to the processing of the data signal.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the output comprises a communication output to the patient from the external device that indicates the patient’s propensity for the neurological event.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the neurological condition comprises epilepsy and the neurological event comprises a seizure.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the neurological event comprises a migraine headache.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the neurological condition comprises depression and the neurological event comprises an episode of depression.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more implanted devices are leadless and sampling brain activity is facilitated by receipt of a wireless signal from the external device that powers and interrogates the one or more leadless devices,
wherein the external device is portable.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the output generated in response to the processing of the data signal is a control signal that facilitates delivery of a therapy to the patient.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein sampling and wirelessly transmitting is performed substantially continuously,
further comprising storing the substantially continuous data signal in a memory of the external device.
9. (canceled)
10. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing an output communication when the data signal from the one or more devices are not being received by the external device.
11. The method of claim 1 further comprising encrypting the data signal prior to wirelessly transmitting.
12. A minimally invasive method of monitoring a patient’s propensity for a neurological event, the method comprising:
transmitting a signal from an external device that is configured to interrogate and provide power to one or more implanted devices that are positioned in between one or more layers of the patient’s scalp and skull;
wirelessly receiving a data signal from the one or more implanted devices that is encoded with data indicative of sampled brain activity signals, wherein the received data signal is derived from the transmitted signal from the external device;
processing the data signal in a processing assembly of the external device to provide a real-time estimate of the patient’s propensity for the neurological event; and
generating an output communication to the patient that provides an indication of the patient’s propensity for the neurological event.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the generating the output is performed substantially continuously so as to provide a substantially continuous output to the patient.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein the neurological event comprises a seizure.
15. The method of claim 12 wherein the neurological event comprises a migraine headache.
16. The method of claim 12 wherein the neurological event comprises an episode of depression.
17. The method of claim 12 wherein the processing comprise extracting one or more features from the brain activity signal and classifying the one or more features to estimate the patient’s propensity for the seizure.
18. The method of claim 12 wherein the one or more implanted devices are leadless.
19. The method of claim 12 further comprising storing the brain activity signals from the one or more devices in a memory in the external device.
20. The method of claim 12 further comprising providing an output communication when the data signal from the one or more implanted devices are not being received by the external device.
21. A minimally invasive method of monitoring a patient’s EEG signals for use in monitoring a patient’s propensity for a neurological event, the method comprising:
receiving a substantially continuous interrogation signal in an implanted device that is positioned between at least one layer of the patient’s scalp and skull from a device external to the patient’s body;
in response to the interrogation signal, substantially continuously sampling an EEG signal from the patient;
substantially continuously transmitting a wireless data signal encoded with data that is indicative of the sampled EEG signal from the patient to the device external to the patient’s body,
wherein the sampled EEG signal is processed in the external device to estimate the patient’s propensity for a neurological event.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein the interrogation signal provides power to electronic components of the implanted device.
23. The method of claim 21 wherein the neurological event comprises a seizure.
24. The method of claim 21 wherein the neurological event comprises a migraine headache.
25. The method of claim 21 wherein the neurological event comprises an episode of depression.
26. The method of claim 1 further comprising powering the one or more implanted device by deriving and storing power from patient-based energy sources.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A power supply apparatus comprising:
a first power supply unit including a transformer switching and transforming an input power, and converting the input power into a first power and providing the first power to a main output terminal and a standby output terminal;
a second power supply unit converting the input power into a second power and provide the second power as an operating power of the first power supply unit; and
a main switching unit intermitting a supply of the first power from the first power supply unit to the main output terminal.
2. The power supply apparatus of claim 1, wherein the main switching unit includes a bidirectional switching device.
3. The power supply apparatus of claim 1, wherein the main switching unit includes first and second switches each having a reverse diode embedded therein, and
a source of the first switch is connected to a source of the second switch, and a gate of the first switch is connected to a gate of the second switch.
4. The power supply apparatus of claim 2, wherein the main switching unit is switched off in a standby mode and is switched on in a nominal mode.
5. The power supply apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second power supply unit includes at least one of a flyback converter and a buck converter.
6. The power supply apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first power supply unit includes:
a primary side circuit unit including a primary side winding of the transformer and a plurality of primary side switching devices controlling a current flowing to the primary side winding of the transformer; and
a secondary side circuit unit including a plurality of secondary side windings magnetically coupled to the primary side winding of the transformer and a plurality of secondary side switching devices conducting currents from the secondary side windings.
7. The power supply apparatus of claim 6, wherein the primary side switching devices include first and second switching devices connected to each other in series and third and fourth switching devices connected to each other in series,
both ends of the first and second switching devices connected to each other in series are connected to a power input terminal in parallel, and both ends of the third and fourth switching devices connected to each other in series are connected in parallel with the power input terminal, and
the primary side winding of the transformer is connected between a first node, a connection point between the first and second switching devices, and a second node, a connection point between the third and fourth switching devices.
8. The power supply apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second power supply unit includes:
an inductor device having one end connected to the first node; and
a capacitor device connected between the other end of the inductor device and a ground.
9. The power supply apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second power supply unit further includes a buck converter.
10. The power supply apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second power supply unit further includes:
an inductor device having one end connected to the first node;
a switching device connected between the other end of the inductor device and a ground; and
a diode device connected to the other end of the inductor device.
11. A power supply apparatus comprising:
a first power supply unit including a transformer switching and transforming an input power, and converting the input power into a first power and providing the first power to a main output terminal and a standby output terminal;
a second power supply unit converting the input power into a second power and provide the second power as an operating power of the first power supply unit; and
a bidirectional switching device formed between an output terminal of the first power supply unit and the main output terminal and intermitting a supply of the first power from the first power supply unit to the main output terminal.