Miniaturized wireless ultrasound energy transfer system for powering a bio-implantable medical device

• US 10,252,066 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Piezo Energy Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Piezo Energy Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Radziemski, Leon J., Makin, Inder Raj Singh, Jabs, Harry, Tonazzi, Juan Carlos Lopez
• Primary Examiner(s): Fairchild, Mallika D
• Application Number:
  US15/587,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20170319858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0219 of externally powered implanted units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4041 Evaluating nerves condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/025 Digital circuitry features of electrotherapy devices, e.g. memory, clocks, processors
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37223 Circuits for electromagnetic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/23 The load being a medical device, a medical implant, or a life supporting device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/15 using ultrasonic waves

Abstract

A system for providing energy to a bio-implantable medical device includes an acoustic energy delivery device and a bio-implantable electroacoustical energy converter. The acoustic energy delivery device generates acoustic energy with a multi-dimensional array of transmitting electroacoustical transducers. The acoustic energy is received by one or more receiving electroacoustical transducers in the bio-implantable electroacoustical energy converter. The receiving electroacoustical transducers convert the acoustic energy to electrical energy to power the bio-implantable medical device directly or indirectly. An external alignment system provides lateral and/or angular positioning of an ultrasound energy transmitter over an ultrasound energy receiver. The acoustic energy transmitter alignment system comprises either or both x-y-z plus angular positioning components, and/or a substantially multi-dimensional array of transmitters plus position sensors in both the transmitter and receiver units.

Claims

1. A system for providing energy to a bio-implantable medical device, the system comprising:

an acoustic energy delivery device configured to be secured to a patient'"'"'s skin and apposed superficial tissue, the acoustic energy delivery device comprising;

a delivery device housing;

a multi-dimensional array of transmitting electroacoustical transducers disposed on or in the delivery device housing, the multi-dimensional array of transmitting electroacoustical transducers arranged in a regular two-dimensional geometric shape;

a signal generator and power output board disposed in the delivery device housing, the signal generator in electrical communication with the multi-dimensional array of transmitting electroacoustical transducers;

a microprocessor-based controller disposed in the delivery device housing, the microprocessor-based controller in electrical communication with the signal generator and the multi-dimensional array of transmitting electroacoustical transducers; and

a battery disposed in the delivery device housing, the battery electrically coupled to the multi-dimensional array of transmitting electroacoustical transducers, the signal generator and power output board, and the microprocessor-based controller;

a bio-implantable electroacoustical energy converter configured to be electrically coupled to the bio-implantable medical device, the bio-implantable electroacoustical energy converter configured to be coupled to the patient'"'"'s skin tissue comprising;

a converter device housing;

one or more receiving electroacoustical transducers disposed on or in the converter device housing, the one or more receiving electroacoustical transducers configured to convert acoustic energy received from the acoustic energy delivery device into converted electrical energy; and

an energy rectification and storage device disposed in the converter device housing, the energy storage device in electrical communication with the one or more receiving electroacoustical transducers to store at least a portion of the converted electrical energy,

wherein;

the acoustic energy delivery device and the bio-implantable electroacoustical energy converter each comprise a gyroscope and an accelerometer, and

the microprocessor-based controller receives angular position and translational position data from the gyroscope and the accelerometer in the acoustic energy delivery device and from the gyroscope and the accelerometer in the bio-implantable electroacoustical energy converter, the microprocessor-based controller configured or programmed to adjust a relative phase of input signals generated by the signal generator to steer a beam of the ultrasonic energy according to a relative angular position and a relative translational position of the bio-implantable electroacoustical energy converter with respect to the acoustic energy delivery device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the bio-implantable electroacoustical energy converter further comprises a microcontroller disposed in the converter device housing.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a wireless feedback loop between the bio-implantable electroacoustical energy converter and the acoustic energy delivery device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the microcontroller is configured or programmed to modulate an impedance of the one or more receiving electroacoustical transducers to form the wireless feedback loop.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the microcontroller is configured or programmed to modulate an electrical load on a charging circuit that electrically couples the one or more receiving electroacoustical transducers to the energy storage device.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the acoustic energy delivery device further comprises a first radio frequency (RF) antenna and the bio-implantable electroacoustical energy converter further comprises a second RF antenna, the wireless feedback looped formed by RF communication between the first and second RF antennas.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a programmable external controller in electrical communication with the acoustic energy delivery device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor-based controller is configured or programmed to adjust a relative phase of input signals generated by the signal generator to steer a beam of the ultrasonic energy.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first plurality of magnets disposed on the delivery device housing and a second plurality of magnets configured to be disposed on the skin tissue or on the converter device housing, the first plurality of magnets having an opposite polarity to the second plurality of magnets to magnetically retain an alignment of the acoustic energy delivery device and the bio-implantable electroacoustical energy converter.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising both x-y-z and angular alignment mechanical devices to optimize alignment of transmitter transducer and receiver transducer faces.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising an acoustically transparent adhesive to secure the acoustic energy delivery device to the patient'"'"'s skin.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a dry acoustic coupling between the multi-dimensional array of transmitting electroacoustical transducers and the patient'"'"'s skin.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the dry acoustic coupling comprises polyurethane, silicone, fatty-acids, polyacrylamide, a lipophilic material, or a hydrophilic material.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the dry acoustic coupling includes a dynamic coupling to optimize impedance matching of the transmitting electroacoustical transducers to the dry acoustic coupling.