167 results about "Test pulse" patented technology

Systems and methods for immobilizing a target such as a human or animal with a stimulus signal coupled to the target via numerous electrodes select particular electrodes to use for the stimulus signal. Subsets of electrodes may be tested by applying a test signal and monitoring the energy or charge delivered during a prescribed time. If the delivered energy or charge using a particular subset of electrodes as indicated by monitoring test pulse amplitude suitably compares to a limit, then the particular subset is selected for applying the stimulus signal. A first stimulus signal may be applied to a first subset of electrodes to prompt movement of the target toward an electrode that, when better coupled to the target as a consequence of movement of the target will provide a more effective subset of electrodes for further stimulus. For example, a projectile with closely spaced electrodes may stimulate a burning sensation to attract the target to impale the target's hand on a rear facing electrode of the projectile. Use of the rear facing electrode and one or more of the closely spaced electrodes may provide a more effective stimulus circuit through tissue of the target.

A system and technique for detecting a device that requires power is implemented with a power detection station. The power detection system includes a detector having an output and a return which are coupled together by the device when the device requires power. The detector includes a word generator for generating test pulses for transmission to the device via the detector output, and a comparator for comparing the detector output with the detector return. The power detection station has a wide variety of applications, including by way of example, a switch or hub.

Disclosed is a method for the diagnosis of conductor anomalies, such as an insulation failure resulting in a short circuit, in an implantable medical device, such as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Upon determining if a specific defibrillation pathway is shorted, the method excludes the one electrode from the defibrillation circuit, delivering defibrillation current only between functioning defibrillation electrodes. Protection can be provided against a short in the right-ventricular coil-CAN defibrillation pathway of a pectoral, transvenous ICD with a dual-coil defibrillation lead. If a short caused by an in-pocket abrasion is present, the CAN is excluded from the defibrillation circuit, delivering defibrillation current only between the right-ventricular and superior vena cava defibrillation coils. Determination that the defibrillation pathway is shorted may be made by conventional low current measurements or delivery of high current extremely short test pulses.

A method, system, and apparatus for performing a lead condition assessment and / or a lead orientation determination associated with an implantable medical device (IMD). A first impedance is determined. The first impedance relates to the impedance relative to a first electrode and a portion of the IMD. A second impedance is determined. The second impedance relates to the impedance relative to a second electrode and the portion of the IMD. The first impedance is compared with the second impedance to determine an impedance difference. A determination is made whether the impedance difference is outside a predetermined tolerance range. Furthermore, artifact measured during impedance measurements or test pulses may be compared to assess lead orientation. An indication of a lead condition error is provided in response to determining that the impedance difference is outside the predetermined tolerance range.

A system and method for measuring the speed of a fan is presented. The duty cycle of a pulse width modulated (PWM) power signal may control speed of the fan. The fan may generate tachometer pulses used for monitoring RPM of the fan. Very low frequency test pulses may be generated and provided via a test signal multiplexed with the PWM signal to obtain tachometer pulses present even when the PWM signal is deasserted. The frequency of the test signal may be determined based on the duty cycle of the PWM signal and may be dynamically updated using frequency divider values stored in a user programmable look-up table. The tachometer pulses may be used to reset a flip-flop whose data input is held high and a down counter, which may be operated at a frequency slightly lower than the frequency of the test signal, with the output of the down counter clocking the flip-flop. The output of the flip-flop may provide recreated tachometer pulses to a pulse counter that counts the number of pulses within a determined period of time, providing a measured RPM of the fan.

The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for evaluating the position of a disturbance on an optical link, in particular where the disturbance is a time-varying disturbance. An optical time domain reflectometry technique is used in which a series of low coherence test pulses is launched by means of an optical pulse source (18) into an the optical link (16), and the backscattered return signal is monitored. The test pulses pass through an unbalanced Mach Zhender interferometer (20) with the result that for each test pulse, a pair of time-displaced pulse copies is launched onto the link (16). The backscattered return signal is passed through the same interferometer (20), which causes the pulse copes of each pair to become realigned and to interfere with one another. A time-varying disturbance (x) is likely to affect each pulse copy of a pair differently. As a result, an abnormality such as a step is likely occur in the backscattered signal. From the time position of an abnormality, the distance of the disturbance responsible is evaluated.

A laser pulse shape measuring system to measure the pulse shape of pulses generated by a pulsed laser. Each pulse includes a pulse width and a peak wavelength. The system includes: a beam splitter coupled to the laser to separate each of the pulses into a test pulse and a probe pulse; a pulse width compression means coupled to the beam splitter to compress the pulse width of each probe pulse; a controllable delay means to control a time offset between each test pulse and a corresponding probe pulse; a nonlinear optical medium arranged such that the test beam path and the probe beam path intersect within it to generate wavelength converted pulses corresponding to intersecting pairs of pulses; a detector coupled to the nonlinear optical medium to detect the pulse energies of the wavelength converted pulses; and a processor to determine the pulse shape of the laser pulses.

A system having a device for neural stimulation of a patient's cochlea, an in-situ device for measuring a patient's response to the neural stimulation of the cochlea, and a programming unit for adjusting the stimulation device; the stimulation device having a stimulation signal unit for generating a stimulation signal formed of pulses having a shape determined by a shape parameter set including at least one shape parameter; a cochlear implant stimulation arrangement with a plurality of stimulation channels for stimulating the cochlea based on the stimulation signal; the measuring device providing patient-specific response data concerning the stimulation response to a programming unit that controls the stimulation signal unit by subsequently supplying a plurality of different test shape parameter sets to the stimulation signal unit for causing the stimulation signal unit to generate corresponding test pulses, the programming unit evaluating each test shape parameter set based on stimulation response data.