Patent ID: 8577327

Claim:
A system for wireless communication between at least two active medical devices in which at least one active medical device is a transmitter device and at least one active implantable medical device is a receiver device, wherein: the transmitter device comprises a first pair of electrodes and a transmitter means for generating a modulated pulse train comprising a wake-up plurality of pulses in a series corresponding to a communication to the receiver device, and a wake-up signal preceding said modulated pulse train, said wake-up signal having a predetermined characteristic pulse pattern, and for applying said wake-up signal and modulated pulse train to said first pair of electrodes; and the receiver device comprises an energy source, at least one active circuit element, a second pair of electrodes, and a receiver means for collecting a received signal at said first pair of electrodes and processing said received signal to identify therein a received wake-up signal and modulated pulse train corresponding to said wake-up signal and modulated pulse train from said transmitter means, and means for demodulating said received modulated pulse train into a received pulse train corresponding to said wake-up plurality of pulses; wherein said receiver means further comprises means for selectively switching said at least one active circuit element between a sleep state not powered by said energy source and an operational state powered for processing said received signal using said at least one active circuit element; and, wake-up circuit means for discriminating said received wake-up signal having said predetermined characteristic pulse pattern, and in response, switching the receiver means from the sleep state to the operational state, wherein: said wireless communication is an intracorporeal communication of electrical pulses conducted by the interstitial tissues of a patient's body; and the wake-up circuit means comprises a detector circuit and a hysteresis comparator.