ADJUSTABLE TRANSCUTANEOUS ENERGY TRANSFER SYSTEM

• US 20110106210A1
• Filed: 04/02/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Original Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Inventors: Meskens, Werner
• Granted Patent: US 8,626,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/57
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36038 Cochlear stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37229 Shape or location of the implanted or external antenna
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/125 Means for positioning
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/06 with core of ferromagnetic material H01Q7/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/23 The load being a medical device, a medical implant, or a life supporting device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0031 for data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0037 for power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0081 with antenna coils loop aerials H01Q7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/31 Aspects of the use of accumulators in hearing aids, e.g. rechargeable batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/51 Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/67 Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/55 : using an external connection, either wireless or wired

Abstract

A transcutaneous energy transfer system for an implantable medical device. The system comprises an internal coil assembly implantable in a recipient; and an external data coil assembly positioned in a housing worn by the recipient. The data coil assembly is configured to be inductively coupled to the internal coil assembly in order to transcutaneously transfer data to the internal coil assembly. One or more elements of the data coil assembly are physically adjustable with respect to the housing to alter the inductive coupling.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A hearing prosthesis comprising:

an internal coil assembly implantable in a recipient; and

an external data coil assembly positioned in a housing worn by the recipient, wherein the data coil assembly is configured to be inductively coupled to the internal coil assembly in order to transcutaneously transfer data to the internal coil assembly,

wherein one or more elements of the data coil assembly are physically adjustable with respect to the housing to alter the inductive coupling.

16. The hearing prosthesis of claim 15, wherein the one or more adjustable elements of the data coil assembly comprise a wire coil, and wherein at least one of the orientation and the position of the coil is adjustable with respect to the housing to alter the coupling.

17. The hearing prosthesis of claim 16, wherein the data coil assembly is attached to the housing by a support member, and wherein the support member is configured to rotate about at least one axis to change the orientation of the coil.

18. The hearing prosthesis of claim 17, wherein the support member is configured to be rotated manually.

19. The hearing prosthesis of claim 17, further comprises a drive component configured to rotate the support member about the at least one axis in response to a received electrical signal.

20. The hearing prosthesis of claim 15, wherein the one or more adjustable elements of the data coil assembly comprise an elongate core and a wire coil wound around the elongate core, and wherein the core is physically rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the core from a first rotational position to a second rotational position, and wherein the inductive coupling between the data coil assembly and the internal coil assembly is different when the core is in the first and second rotational positions.

21. The hearing prosthesis of claim 20, wherein the core is manually rotatable about the longitudinal axis.

22. The hearing prosthesis of claim 20, further comprising a drive component configured to rotate the core about the longitudinal axis in response to an electrical signal.

23. The hearing prosthesis of claim 15, wherein the data coil assembly comprises a wire coil wound around an elongate core, and wherein the physical location of the core with respect to the housing is adjustable to alter the inductive coupling.

26. The hearing prosthesis of claim 15, wherein the data coil assembly comprises a wire coil wound around an elongate core having a cylindrical main member and one or more cylindrical extensions extending perpendicularly from the main member.

28. The hearing prosthesis of claim 15, wherein the implantable component is configured to transcutaneously transfer data to the external component via the inductive coupling.

24-25. -25. (canceled)

27. (canceled)

29. A transcutaneous energy transfer system for an implantable medical device, comprising:

an internal coil assembly implantable in a recipient; and

an external data coil assembly positioned in a housing worn by the recipient and configured to be inductively coupled to the internal coil assembly to transcutaneously transfer data to the internal coil assembly,

wherein one or more elements of the data coil assembly are physically adjustable with respect to the housing to alter the inductive coupling.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the one or more adjustable elements of the data coil assembly comprise a wire coil, and wherein at least one of the orientation and position of the coil is adjustable with respect to the housing to alter the coupling.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the data coil assembly is attached to the housing by a support member configured to rotate about at least one axis to change the orientation of the coil.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the support member is configured to be rotated manually.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the support member further comprises a drive component configured to rotate the support member about the at least one axis in response to an electrical signal.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein the one or more adjustable elements of the data coil assembly comprise an elongate core and a wire coil wound around the elongate core, and wherein the core is physically rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the core from a first rotational position to a second rotational position, and wherein the inductive coupling between the data coil assembly and the internal coil assembly is different when the core is in the first and second rotational positions.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the core is manually rotatable about the longitudinal axis.

36. The system of claim 34, where the support member further comprises a drive component configured to rotate the support member about the at least one axis in response to an electrical signal.

37. The system of claim 29, wherein the data coil assembly comprises a wire coil wound around an elongate core, and wherein the physical location of the core with respect to the coil is adjustable to alter the inductive coupling.

40. The system of claim 29, wherein the data coil assembly comprises a wire coil wound around an elongate core having a cylindrical main member and one or more cylindrical extensions extending perpendicularly from the main member.

41. The system of claim 29, wherein the internal coil assembly is configured to transcutaneously transfer data to the external coil assembly.

38-39. -39. (canceled)

42. A method for using a hearing prosthesis comprising an internal coil assembly implantable in a recipient, and an external data coil assembly positioned in a housing worn by the recipient and configured to be inductively coupled to the internal coil assembly, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of the strength of the inductive coupling between the data coil assembly and the internal coil assembly; and

physically adjusting one or more elements of the data coil assembly with respect to the housing to alter the inductive coupling between the data coil assembly and the internal coil assembly.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the data coil assembly comprises a wire coil, and wherein physically adjusting the one or more elements of the data coil assembly comprises:

adjusting the orientation of the coil with respect to the housing.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the data coil assembly is attached to a housing of the external component by a support member, and wherein physically adjusting the one or more elements of the data coil assembly comprises:

rotating the support member about at least one axis.

45. The method of claim 42, wherein the data coil assembly comprises a wire coil wound around an elongate core physically rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the core from a first rotational position to a second rotational position, and wherein physically adjusting the one or more elements of the data coil assembly comprises:

rotating the coil from the first position to the second position.

46. The method of claim 42, wherein the data coil assembly comprises a wire coil wound around an elongate core, and wherein physically adjusting the one or more elements of the data coil assembly comprises:

changing the physical location of the core with respect to the housing.

47. (canceled)