Abstract: An energy harvester includes a pendular unit subjected with a piezoelectric beam coupled to an inertial mass. On the clamped side of the beam, a beam frame includes two pressing elements between which the beam is taken in sandwich, each including i) an intermediate part, an internal face of which presses on a corresponding face of the beam, and ii) a pressure plate, an internal face of which presses on an external face of the intermediate part, a printed circuit board being interposed between them. The intermediate parts and the pressure plates are passed through by at least one common transverse bore receiving a locking pin. The intermediate parts, the pressure plates and the pin are each massive metal parts ensuring a direct electrical and mechanical contact with the electrodes of the beam and with the printed circuit boards.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a transparent member arranged on at least one of a front surface or a rear surface of the electronic device and including a first region facing a display module, a housing surrounding the transparent member, including a sidewall extending in a circumferential direction of the electronic device, and forming an exterior of the electronic device, and protruding portions protruding toward the transparent member from the sidewall and extending in the circumferential direction of the electronic device, wherein a distance between the protruding portions facing each other with the transparent member therebetween is less than a width of the transparent member arranged between the protruding portions.

Abstract: A hinge module capable of fixing a first housing and a second at various opening angles and a foldable electronic device including the same are provided.

Abstract: The energy harvesting module is provided with a pendular unit comprising an inertial mass coupled to an elastic piezoelectric beam providing a power voltage. An acceleration sensor provides a signal representative of the instantaneous acceleration of the beam in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the beam, and an angular speed sensor provides a signal representative of the instantaneous angular speed of rotation of the beam about an axis perpendicular to a plane of bending of the beam. Based on the voltage, acceleration and angular speed values, a beam integrity monitoring circuit estimates parameters of a mechanical-electrical transfer function and derives therefrom metrics representative of physical and electrical parameters of the pendular unit and of the material of the beam. This makes it possible to evaluate the proper operation of the energy harvester and to detect a potential performance decrease liable to lead to a failure in the more or less short term.

Abstract: A capsule includes a tubular body with, at its proximal end, a coupling member adapted to cooperate with a conjugated coupling member mounted at the distal end of a catheter of the implantation tool, for the transmission of a torque for the rotational driving of the capsule by the catheter. The coupling member of the tool includes a dihedral-shaped imprint, with two diverging arms in a V-arrangement, and the capsule coupling member includes a convex surface adapted to frictionally and slidingly urge against the diverging arms of the V-shape.

Abstract: The module comprises a pendular unit with an elastically deformable piezoelectric beam having a clamped end and an opposite, free end, coupled to an inertial mass. The beam produces an oscillating electrical signal collected by electrodes, which is rectified and regulated to output a voltage for charging a battery. The number and configuration of the electrodes (T1, T2, B1, B2, N) carried by the piezoelectric beam define a plurality of pairs of electrodes between which a corresponding plurality of said oscillating signals can be simultaneously collected. A switching matrix, as a function of an input command, selectively switches the plurality of pairs of electrodes between each other according to a plurality of different series (S), parallel (P) and/or series-parallel (SP) configurations, the selected configuration being that which maximizes the power sent to the battery as a function of the voltage level (VBAT) present at the terminals of the latter.

Abstract: The capsule includes a tubular body and a front-end unit including an anchoring member for the anchoring of the capsule to a wall of a patient's organ. The front-end unit is mobile in relative axial rotation with respect to the tubular body, and a disengageable coupling member is adapted to allow this relative rotation when the tubular body receives an external rotational stress, the anchoring member then exerting a reaction torque higher than a predetermined threshold torque, and to prevent the relative rotation in the absence of external rotational stress applied to the tubular body. The coupling member may in particular include, between the front-end unit and the tubular body, a friction interface, with an elastically deformable element applying an axial compression between a bearing face of the tubular body and a support ring integral with the anchoring member.

Abstract: An autonomous implantable capsule comprises a capsule body provided with an element for its anchoring to a patient's organ. An electronic unit is powered by an energy harvesting module provided with a pendular unit comprising an inertial mass coupled to an elastic piezoelectric beam forming a mechanical-electrical transducer for converting into electrical energy the oscillations of the beam. A mobile support, integral with the clamped end of the beam and mobile in axial rotation about the axis of the capsule body, can be directed by a controllable driver to adjust the angular position of the support so as to maximize the produced electrical power converted by the mechanical-electrical transducer.

Abstract: An energy harvester includes a pendular unit subjected with a piezoelectric beam coupled to an inertial mass. On the clamped side of the beam, a beam frame includes two pressing elements between which the beam is taken in sandwich, each including i) an intermediate part, an internal face of which presses on a corresponding face of the beam, and ii) a pressure plate, an internal face of which presses on an external face of the intermediate part, a printed circuit board being interposed between them. The intermediate parts and the pressure plates are passed through by at least one common transverse bore receiving a locking pin.

Abstract: An integrated self-sustainable power supply includes a piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) beam, a power management unit (PMU) circuit located on the PEH beam, a rechargeable battery located on the PEH beam, and a positive regulated power supply output and a negative regulated power supply output. The PMU circuit includes electrical inputs/outputs. The rechargeable battery includes a negative access pad and a positive access pad, which are in electrical communication with the electrical inputs/outputs of the PMU circuit. The positive regulated power supply output and the negative regulated power supply output are also in electrical communication with the electrical inputs/outputs of the PMU circuit.

Abstract: A receiver module of an autonomous implanted capsule receives a human body communication, HBC, signal sensed by an electrode in contact with body tissues or fluids of a patient. The signal is a pulse-modulated, baseband PPM pulse signal. The receiver module comprises a non-linear LNA amplifier stage comprising a pair of complementary transistors arranged as a voltage inverter circuit with an input coupled to the modulated-input-signal collecting electrode. The amplifier stage input is polarized to an intermediate operating point voltage between a supply voltage of the complementary transistor pair and a ground voltage. The amplifier stage has a gain of at least 40 dB, a gain-bandwidth product of at least 20 MHz, and a consumption lower than or equal to 100 nW.

Abstract: A method for securing data flows in a communication device configurable from a remote terminal, the method comprising steps of recording a first encryption key in a memory of the device, the generation, from the first key, of a public key and of a private key corresponding to the public key, the reception of a request for securing sent by the remote terminal and a sending of the public key to the remote terminal in response to the request for securing, the operations of receiving the request and of sending the public key being performed when the device and the terminal are connected to the same local network. Another object of the invention is a communication device configured to implement the method described.

Abstract: The instrument includes a dual-wall deformable tube, with an inner sleeve, a coaxial outer sleeve, and an imaging module connected to the inner and outer sleeves. An array of transducers is carried by an outer face of the imaging module. The inner sleeve and the outer sleeve are mobile in relative axial translation between: a folded position in which the inner and outer sleeves both have a cylindrical shape, and in which the imaging module substantially extends in the continuation of the inner sleeve; and an expanded position, in which the inner sleeve has a cylindrical shape and the outer sleeve has a flared shape widening on the distal side and in which the imaging module substantially extends with the face that carries the transducers of the array turned in axial direction towards the front of the deformable tube.

Abstract: An interstitial ultrasound thermal ablation applicator for conformal treatment of an inhomogeneous tumor lesion includes: a body having a longitudinal axis; and a plurality of array transducers mounted on the body, arranged side by side and having azimuth directions parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body, and having outer faces disposed in a polygonal arrangement; the plurality of array transducers having predetermined elevation dimensions defined for directing emitted ultrasonic energy to obtain a conformal volume treatment of the tumor lesions. An electronic driving method for driving an applicator having multiple independent transducer elements arranged in rows and columns includes: controlling focal parameters of each row and column of transducer elements; and controlling a contribution of each row and column of transducer elements in a manner to provide a conformal ablated volume.

Abstract: A steerable catheter comprises a mobile tube and an intermediate tube, coaxial with each other, which extend from a proximal end to a distal end of the catheter and are telescopically mounted into each other with possibility of mutual rotation and axial translation. The mobile tube comprises a central lumen extending from the proximal end to the distal end. The intermediate tube comprises, along its whole length, a longitudinal notch radially offset in a direction of offset with respect to the axis of the steerable catheter and extending axially from the proximal end to the distal end. The longitudinal notch contains a cable adapted to undergo a traction exerted from the proximal end, the traction generating a bending of the steerable catheter directed towards the offset direction. The steerable catheter further comprises around the intermediate tube a sealed external sheath surrounding the intermediate tube over its periphery and covering the longitudinal notch over its length.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a transparent member arranged on at least one of a front surface or a rear surface of the electronic device and including a first region facing a display module, a housing surrounding the transparent member, including a sidewall extending in a circumferential direction of the electronic device, and forming an exterior of the electronic device, and protruding portions protruding toward the transparent member from the sidewall and extending in the circumferential direction of the electronic device, wherein a distance between the protruding portions facing each other with the transparent member therebetween is less than a width of the transparent member arranged between the protruding portions.

Abstract: A receiver module of an autonomous implanted capsule receives a human body communication, HBC, signal sensed by an electrode in contact with body tissues or fluids of a patient. The signal is a pulse-modulated, baseband PPM pulse signal. The receiver module comprises a non-linear LNA amplifier stage comprising a pair of complementary transistors arranged as a voltage inverter circuit with an input coupled to the modulated-input-signal collecting electrode. The amplifier stage input is polarized to an intermediate operating point voltage between a supply voltage of the complementary transistor pair and a ground voltage. The amplifier stage has a gain of at least 40 dB, a gain-bandwidth product of at least 20 MHz, and a consumption lower than or equal to 100 nW.

Abstract: The bending of the catheter is controlled from the handle by a variable tension exerted to a steering cable housed in an offset longitudinal notch of the catheter. The handle comprises: a body adapted to be held in hand by an operator; a piston, axially mobile in rotation and in translation inside the handle body; a first mechanism with a pulley for the winding of the steering cable and a lever for modifying in a controlled manner the tension of the cable and hence controlling the steering of the catheter; and a second mechanism comprising a member for holding a security wire and a member for adjusting the axial position of this wire with respect to the internal tube of the catheter, so as to keep the security wire in tight condition whatever the bend provided to the catheter by operation of the first mechanism.

Abstract: The implantable medical device comprises an elongated composite tubular body comprising a tubular part made of a biocompatible and RF wave permeable dielectric material and a tubular part made of a biocompatible metallic material. The dielectric tubular part and the metallic tubular part are arranged end-to-end at their interface against the respective planar end faces thereof, without being fit into each other. The interface comprises a planar brazing sealing to each other the two opposite respective planar end faces of the dielectric material tubular part and of the metallic material tubular part. With a dielectric material that is a high-purity alumina ceramic and a metallic material that is titanium, the brazing is obtained by gold brazing on a Ti—Nb primer metallization layer deposited on the planar end face of the dielectric material tubular part.

Abstract: The energy harvesting module is provided with a pendular unit comprising an inertial mass coupled to an elastic piezoelectric beam providing a power voltage. An acceleration sensor provides a signal representative of the instantaneous acceleration of the beam in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the beam, and an angular speed sensor provides a signal representative of the instantaneous angular speed of rotation of the beam about an axis perpendicular to a plane of bending of the beam. Based on the voltage, acceleration and angular speed values, a beam integrity monitoring circuit estimates parameters of a mechanical-electrical transfer function and derives therefrom metrics representative of physical and electrical parameters of the pendular unit and of the material of the beam. This makes it possible to evaluate the proper operation of the energy harvester and to detect a potential performance decrease liable to lead to a failure in the more or less short term.