Claims for Patent: 8,718,193

Summary for Patent: 8,718,193

Title:	Active signal processing personal health signal receivers
Abstract:	The invention provides a receiver associated with a body, e.g., located inside or within close proximity to a body, configured to receive and decode a signal from an in vivo transmitter which located inside the body. Signal receivers of the invention provide for accurate signal decoding of a low-level signal, even in the presence of significant noise, using a small-scale chip, e.g., where the chip consumes very low power. Also provided are systems that include the receivers, as well as methods of using the same.
Inventor(s):	Arne; Lawrence (Redwood City, CA), Au-Yeung; KitYee (San Francisco, CA), Crandall; Kenneth C. (Sunnyvale, CA), Robertson; Timothy (Belmont, CA)
Assignee:	Proteus Digital Health, Inc. (Redwood City, CA)
Application Number:	12/515,527
Patent Claims:	1. A signal receiver, comprising: (a) a receiver module configured to receive an encoded signal from an in vivo transmitter in a low signal to noise ratio (SNR) environment, the receiver module comprising: a first demodulator to receive the encoded signal and to produce a filtered complex baseband signal; a carrier frequency detector to receive the filtered complex baseband signal and generate an estimated carrier offset frequency; a second demodulator to receive the complex baseband signal and the estimated carrier offset frequency and to produce a demodulated encoded signal; and (b) a decoder module coupled to the receiver module to receive the demodulated encoded signal, the decoder module configured to decode the demodulated encoded signal with substantially no error; wherein the signal receiver is sized to be stably associated with a living subject in a manner that does not substantially impact movement of the living subject, wherein the first demodulator comprises: a first mixer; a direct digital synthesizer coupled to the first mixer to produce a nominal carrier frequency, wherein the received encoded signal is mixed by the mixer with the nominal carrier frequency to produce the complex baseband signal; and a first low pass filter coupled to the first mixer to filter the complex baseband signal. 2. The signal receiver according to claim 1, further comprising a decimation block coupled to the first low pass filter. 3. A signal receiver, comprising: (a) a receiver module configured to receive an encoded signal from an in vivo transmitter in a low signal to noise ratio (SNR) environment, the receiver module comprising: a first demodulator to receive the encoded signal and to produce a complex baseband signal; a carrier frequency detector to receive the filtered complex baseband signal and generate an estimated carrier offset frequency; a second demodulator to receive the complex baseband signal and the estimated carrier offset frequency and to produce a demodulated encoded signal; and (b) a decoder module coupled to the receiver module to receive the demodulated encoded signal, the decoder module configured to decode the demodulated encoded signal with substantially no error; wherein the signal receiver is sized to be stably associated with a living subject in a manner that does not substantially impact movement of the living subject, wherein the second demodulator comprises: a second mixer to mix the filtered complex baseband signal with the estimated carrier offset frequency; and a second low pass filter coupled to the second mixer to produce the demodulated encoded signal.