Abstract:
A motorized gastric ring or “AGM” including a motor acting on a diameter of the ring and actuated by induction toward an integrated receiving antenna from at least one outer transmitting antenna, wherein the ring includes at least one receiving antenna, the at least one antenna being disoriented relative to a plane extending through the gastric ring, and integrated electronics adapted to substantially optimally use energy received.

Description:
[0001]    The present invention relates to the technical area of AGMs or motorized gastric rings, that is, of which the diameter of the ring can be regulated by an integrated micromotor. 
         [0002]    Gastric ring systems of the type comprising an outer chamber and an inner balloon arranged in a physiological liquid contained in the space between the chamber and the balloon are known. A greater or lesser inflation of the balloon increases or reduces the diameter of the gastric ring. The adaptation of the inflation is carried out with the aid of a syringe with which the practicing physician sends a physiological liquid via a reception chamber arranged under an incision in the skin of the patient, and a tube leading to the ring. The disadvantages of such solutions can be imagined: Pain at the level of the permanently arranged chamber, risk of leaks, abuses of manipulations requested on certain occasions by the patients, etc., risk of infection. 
         [0003]    Motorized gastric ring apparatuses have been developed whose control is carried out by remote control without having recourse to incisions, streams of physiological liquid, reception chamber, tubes, etc. 
         [0004]    In particular, patents FR 2 816 828, EP 0015140 and FR 2 797 181, that can be qualified as base patent, are known. 
         [0005]    These systems essentially comprise a not entirely closed ring intended to be placed around the esophagus, which ring comprises an internal band fixed to one of the ring ends and exiting from the ring by its other end, which band can slide in the ring under the action of a micromotorization (traction system) arranged in a distinct element comprising this motorization, and integrated electronics (electronics for the saving of energy, the processing of command signals, for the supplying of the micromotorization, for sending command signals to this motorization, for managing memories and memory data, for updating this data, and other functions of this type). 
         [0006]    An expert in the art will understand that by exerting a traction on the band the ring is tightened around the esophagus and inversely if the traction is loosened. 
         [0007]    These various apparatuses are of great importance. 
         [0008]    However, a significant problem is posed in the sense that the gastric ring can move after it has been positioned and finally come to rest on certain organs such as the liver or the stomach. 
         [0009]    In order to define more accurately the movement which the AGM undergoes, it is necessary to define the following elements more precisely:
       The AGM is constituted ( FIG. 4 ) by a cylinder  2  containing a motor, electronics and receiving antenna, and the ring  1  placed around the esophagus is located in front of this cylinder. This ring, whose diameter can be increased or reduced, defines a plane whose orientation relative to the transmitting antenna is very important ( FIG. 1 ).       
 
         [0011]    In fact, this orientation determines the quantity of energy received by the ring. Too small a quantity of energy received is expressed at first by a halt in the operation of the motor, then by a halt in the communication with the AGM. 
         [0012]    The antenna of the AGM versions of the prior art is placed in a standard manner at 90° from the plane formed by the ring. 
         [0013]    The Applicant pursued his studies on the subject and discovered that the AGM shifts in the patient&#39;s body after being implanted, which could not have been foreseen and is, moreover, random, which confirms the impossibility of foreseeing it and confirms the merit of the Applicant for having oriented his research in this direction. The shifting of the AGM after implantation results in a rotation that, when it occurs, can be quite considerable in the AGM ring relative to the plane of the outer antenna. This rotation is, in fact, between 0° and 90° relative to the ideal orientation of the ring (ring plane perpendicular to the plane of the transmitting antenna) ( FIG. 2 ). 
         [0014]    When these possible rotations are taken into account, the antenna can therefore be at an angle that does not allow sufficient energy to be received to feed the motor and, in certain instances, a communication is not even possible any more. 
         [0015]    This can possibly result in the necessity of repositioning the ring in extreme instances. 
       TECHNICAL PROBLEM 
       [0016]    This patent has the technical problem of eliminating this danger. The “objective” technical problem posed is therefore to imagine a system that ensures, whatever the final position of the motorized gastric ring (AGM), a reception that allows the functioning of the AGM motor at a distance greater than 5 cm. 
         [0017]    It is, of course, impossible to sufficiently increase the dimensions of the outer transmitting antenna, that must be placed on the abdomen of the patient, nor its power or its transmission time (risk, among others, of bums by the antenna upon contact and the risk of the inner heating of the body zone where the apparatus is implanted); likewise, the choice of the transmitting frequency is not free: the frequency must obviously be very far removed from microwave frequencies and must on the contrary correspond to a radiation that is magnetic (without a considerable effect on the patient) and non-electromagnetic. 
         [0018]    One solution is to orient the single antenna at an “average” angle, that is to say, intermediate between the position initially adopted (antenna at 90° to the ring) and in antenna in the same plane as the ring. Thus, the antenna is placed at an “average” angle on the order of 45° relative to the ring. 
         [0019]    Thus, taking into account the possible movements of the motorized ring after it has been positioned, this removes the risk of a zero reception. 
         [0020]    According to a particular embodiment the invention consists in adding at least one second antenna to the first one whether the latter is disoriented as indicated above or whether it is oriented in a standard manner as in the prior art, or any intermediate solution. This second antenna (or the supplementary antennas) is/are substantially at a right angle (or at regularly spaced angles in the case of several antennas) relative to the first antenna. This solution allows it to be ensured that whatever the angle of rotation of the AGM at least one of the antennas allows a minimum reception of energy that allows the feeding of the AGM motor. 
         [0021]    This technology forms the subject matter of a separate patent application filed on the same day as the present application. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0022]    The invention rests on a motorized gastric ring or “AGM” of the type comprising a motor acting on the diameter of the ring, actuated by induction toward at least one integrated receiving antenna, from an outer transmitting antenna, characterized in that this ring comprises at least one receiving antenna, at least one of which antennas is disoriented relative to the plane of this gastric ring, that is, the antenna is no longer at a right angle to the plane containing the gastric ring, and integrated electronics adapted in such a manner as to ensure an optimal use of the energy received. 
         [0023]    The angle that the antenna should have relative to the ring plane should be at least 20° and preferably on the order of 25 to 65° relative to the ring plane. This angle will be trigonometrically positive when viewing the AGM from the end opposed to the ring ( FIG. 3 ). 
         [0024]    However, for a disorientation of 45° the power received by the receiving antenna is 70% of the power received with an angle of 0° between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna. 
         [0025]    Such a loss of reception corresponds to diminution of the maximum distance of good functioning of the AGM of 65%. 
         [0026]    An advantageous improvement of the solution of one disoriented antenna is to arrange two antennas and electronics adapted in such a manner as to allow the best use of the energy received by the antenna that is best oriented to feed the motor. 
         [0027]    In this configuration the disorientation between the transmitting antenna and the best-placed receiving antenna corresponds to 22.5°. 
         [0028]    The invention are therefore also relates to a motorized gastric ring characterized in that two antennas are arranged that are angularly offset relative to one another and at least one of which is disoriented and that electronics are arranged that are adapted in such a manner as to allow the best use of the energy received by the antenna that is best oriented to feed the motor. 
         [0029]    In this configuration the disorientation between the transmitting antenna and the best-placed receiving antenna corresponds to 22.5° if it is supposed that the transmitting antenna is placed substantially parallel to the abdomen of the carrier of the AGM. 
         [0030]    For this difference of orientation the energy received by the best-oriented antenna is 92.4%, which corresponds to a diminution of the maximum distance for good functioning of the AGM of 21.1%. 
         [0031]    It will be noted that this type of solution meets two significant obstacles: on the one hand, more than one antenna means more space required and greater complexity whereas the available volume and the authorized weight cannot be extended as desired; on the other hand, two antennas or more than two antennas risk having their signals interfere and conflict with each other, up to possibly totally destroying each other. 
         [0032]    The invention solves these two problems. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0033]    The invention therefore relates to a motorized gastric ring characterized in that it comprises at least one antenna with an angular orientation offset by at least 20° relative to the ring plane, preferably at least two antennas with an angular offset for receiving energy intended for the motorization and for the corresponding integrated electronics, energy supplied by induction by at least one outer antenna, which at least two receiving antennas are angularly offset relative to each other, and in that it comprises complementary integrated electronics suitable for using the energy received individually by each antenna. 
         [0034]    According to a particular embodiment the invention relates to a motorized gastric ring characterized in that it comprises at least two angularly offset antennas for receiving energy intended for the motorization and for the corresponding integrated electronics, energy supplied by induction by at least one outer antenna, which at least two receiving antennas are angularly offset relative to each other, and in that it comprises complementary integrated electronics suitable for using the energy received individually by each antenna. 
         [0035]    According to another particular embodiment the invention comprises at least two antennas and in particular two antennas and is characterized in that it comprises at least one antenna with an angular orientation offset by at least 20° relative to the ring plane. 
         [0036]    According to a particular embodiment the AGM has two antennas. 
         [0037]    According to another particular embodiment the two antennas are angularly offset by 90° from one another. 
         [0038]    According to another particular embodiment these two antennas are in planes whose intersection forms the longitudinal axis of the motorization and electronic part of the AGM. 
         [0039]    This gastric ring advantageously comprises a plurality of antennas offset angularly relative to each other by 45° to 135°. 
         [0040]    According to an option this AGM comprises three or four antennas offset angularly in a regular manner. 
         [0041]    According to a particular embodiment the antennas are constituted by windings surrounding at least part of the “motorization-electronic integrated” body, preferably in peripheral canals or slots in the surface of this body. 
     
    
     
         [0042]    Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be better understood from a reading of the following description and by referring to the attached drawings in which: 
           [0043]      FIG. 1  represents a motorized gastric ring placed around the esophagus with an antenna 90° from the ring plane and with a transmitting antenna. 
           [0044]      FIG. 2  represents an AGM having undergone a modification of position in the abdomen in general between 0 and 90°, which causes the antenna to pivot all the more relative to the transmitting antenna. 
           [0045]      FIG. 3  represents a non-limiting solution in accordance with the invention comprising a receiving antenna “disoriented” by 45° relative to the ring plane in the configuration of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0046]      FIG. 4  represents an AGM of the type considered in schematic perspective with its properly named “ring” part  1  and its “integrated motorization-electronic” part or body  2  (whose antennas  3  and  4  offset angularly relative to one another correspond to a non-limiting version of the invention). 
           [0047]      FIG. 5  represents an electric wiring for the coupling of two antennas that can be extrapolated to more than two antennas:
       ANT x or y respectively: antenna along the x or y axis;   C capacitor   D diode   DZ Zener diode   L inductance   IC integrated circuit (allows the voltage to be converted to an appropriate voltage, especially 5V for the AGM application in order to feed the motor and its control circuit).         
       
    
    
       [0054]    The invention also relates to the AGM of the type described above comprising an electric wiring for the antenna coupling as described in the “process” section above. 
         [0055]    The invention also relates to all the applications of the antenna coupling process as described above for AGMs of all types, especially whose motorization system would be different (pinching/rotation of the two ring branches instead of traction on one band, etc.). 
       EXAMPLES 
       [0056]    A prototype of the invention was constructed whose characteristics are as follows:
       Antenna  3  disoriented by 45° relative to the plane of ring PA, constituted by 100 spirals wound on a frame with a length and a width that has a U-shaped throat with a section of 1.7×2 mm.   Antenna  4  at 90° to antenna  3 , constituted by 120 spirals wound on a frame 75 mm long and 11 mm wide that has a U-shaped throat with a section of 1.7×2 mm.       
 
         [0059]    By using a transmitting antenna with a diameter of 300 mm fed under 1000 V and 0.3 A, this type of apparatus allows the obtention of the operation of a motor under 40 mA and 5 V from a voltage of 12 V at the output of the voltage limiter at a distance of 15 cm. 
         [0060]    The invention also covers all the embodiments and all the applications that become directly accessible to an expert in the art from a reading of the present Application, from his own knowledge and possibly from simple routine tests.