Virtual magnetic transmission lines for communication and power transfer in conducting media

• US 10,111,612 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2016
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents (University of Arizona)
• Original Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents (University of Arizona)
• Inventors: Diaz, Rodolfo E., Yousefi, Tara
• Primary Examiner(s): Takaoka, Dean
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Alan
• Application Number:
  US15/551,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20180069439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/40 Detecting, measuring or recording for evaluating the nervous system A61B5/4806, A61B5/4821, A61B5/4824 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2038/143 for signals
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/23 characterised by the type of transmitting antennas, e.g. directional array antennas or Yagi antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

System and method for wireless, low-loss transmission in conductive medium of a radio-frequency signal received by a passive array of magnetic dipole elements from a source magnetic dipole. The individual elements are separated from one another by a distance on the order of or less than a quarter-wavelength corresponding to resonant radio-frequency. An array individual elements of which are microscopically dimensioned form a neuronal transmitter that can be configured to be implanted into neuronal tissue such that a source dipole, disposed near a neuron, passes a signal representative of neuronal activity along the array to an outmost element and further to external receiver disposed near skull. Macroscopically-dimensioned embodiment is configured to be submerged into and operate in salty water.

Claims

1. A neuronal radio-frequency (RF) telemetry system comprising:

a microscopically-sized neuronal sensor tuned to a resonance at a chosen radio-frequency;

an electronic circuitry operably connected to said neuronal sensor,

a passive array of microscopically-sized neuronal transmitter elements separated from one another by a distance that defines near-field interaction between immediately neighboring neuronal transmitter elements of the passive array, wherein an outmost transmitter element of said array is separated from the neuronal sensor by the distance, and

a receiver in RF communication at least with the outmost transmitter element.

2. A telemetry system according to claim 1, wherein said neuronal sensor includes a source magnetic dipole element and said transmitter elements from the passive array include passive magnetic dipole elements.

3. A telemetry system according to claim 1, wherein the passive array includes at least one of a one-dimensional array, a two-dimensional array, and a three-dimensional array.

4. A telemetry system according to claim 1, further comprising electronic circuitry configured to tune at least one of (i) a configuration of elements of said transmission line and (ii) the chosen frequency.

5. A telemetry system according to claim 1, wherein said microscopically-sized neuronal transmitter elements include antenna elements having a longest dimension that does not exceed one half wavelength corresponding to said chosen frequency in a medium surrounding the telemetry system.

6. A telemetry system according to claim 1, configured to operate in a conductive medium.