Patent ID: 7658196

Claim:
A system for detecting the orientation of an implant component, the system comprising: (a) an implantable component, wherein the implantable component comprises a first coil operable to transcutaneously transmit a first signal comprising a pattern of pulses, wherein either at least two adjacent pulses in the pattern have a different duration or pulses within the pattern are provided at a different frequency relative to the frequency of other pulses within the pattern, wherein the implantable component is configured to be implanted within a patient; (b) an external component, wherein the external component comprises a second coil operable to detect the pattern of pulses transcutaneously transmitted by the first coil; and (c) a logic component in communication with the second coil, wherein the logic component is configured to process the pattern of pulses emitted by the first coil as detected by the second coil and determine the orientation of the first coil relative to the second coil based on the pattern of pulses emitted by the first coil as detected by the second coil.