METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING ENERGY TO AN IMPLANT

• US 20110196452A1
• Filed: 10/12/2009
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kirk Promotion Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Milux Holding SA
• Inventors: Forsell, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,612,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0001 Means for transferring electromagnetic energy to implants
• 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 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment

Abstract

A system is disclosed which comprises an implantable electrical medical device (100) with an internal energy receiver (102). The system also comprises an external energy source (104) located externally for supplying wireless energy to the internal energy receiver (102). The external energy source (104) has a primary coil (11) for transmitting energy inductively to a first secondary coil (10) in the energy receiver (102). The system is arranged to measure parameters related to a first coupling factor (C1) between the primary and the first secondary coil (10), and the external energy source (104) is adapted to transmit energy to the energy receiver (102) for enabling the medical device (100) to detect information related to the first coupling factor (C1). The medical device (100) is adapted to wirelessly send feedback information related to said first coupling factor (C1) to the external energy source (104) with the external energy source (104) being arranged to receive the feedback information and to perform a predetermined action based on said feedback information.

Claims

1. A system comprising an electrically powered medical device (100;

200) adapted to be implanted in a patient, in which system the medical device (100;

200) comprises an internal energy receiver arranged to power the medical device (100;

200), the system also comprising an external energy source (104) adapted to be located externally to the patient for wireless supply of energy to said internal energy receiver (102), the external energy source (104) being equipped with a primary coil (11) from which the external energy source (104) is arranged to transmit said energy inductively to a first secondary coil (10) in the energy receiver (102), the system being arranged to determine by measurements one or more parameters related to a first coupling factor (C1) between the primary and the first secondary coil (10), in which system the external energy source (104) is adapted to transmit a first amount of energy to the energy receiver (102) for enabling the medical device (100;

200) to detect information related to the first coupling factor (C1), the system being characterized in that the medical device (100;

200) is adapted to wirelessly send feedback information related to said first coupling factor (C1) to the external energy source (104) with the external energy source (104) being arranged to receive said feedback information from the medical device and in that the external energy source (104) is adapted to perform a predetermined action based on said feedback information.

2. The system of claim 1, in which said predetermined action comprises optimizing the placement of the primary coil (11) in relation to the first secondary coil (10) in order to optimize said first coupling factor (C1).

3. The system of claim 2, being adapted to use said first coupling factor (C1) to determine a second amount of energy to be transmitted by said external energy source (104) to the internal energy receiver (102), said second amount of energy being optimized to power or charge the medical device.

4. The system of claim 1, further being adapted to increase said first amount of energy until said first coupling factor (C1) is detected by the system.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an indicator in the external energy source (104) adapted to indicate a level of the first coupling factor (C1).

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising an indicator in the external energy source (104) for indicating an optimal placement of the primary coil (11) in relation to said first secondary coil (10) in order to optimize the first coupling factor (C1).

7. The system of claim 1, in which the energy receiver (102) comprises a first switch (102a) adapted to switch a connection between the first secondary coil (10) and the medical implant on and off, in order to enable the system to measure the first coupling factor when the connection is off.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising an implantable control unit adapted to control the switching on and off of said connection.

9. The system of claim 8, in which the implantable control unit is comprised in the medical device.

10. The system of claim 7, in which the switch is an electronic switch.

11. The system of claim 1, in which the internal energy receiver (102) comprises an electronic component connected to the first secondary coil (10) for preventing flow of electrical current between the first secondary coil (10) and the medical implant during measurement of parameters related to the first coupling factor (C1).

12. The system of claim 11, in which the electronic component is a diode.

13. The system of claim 1, being adapted to let the first secondary coil (10) be substantially without electrical load when measuring the first coupling factor (C1).

14. The system of claim 1, in which the energy receiver (102) comprises a half wave rectifying component for rectifying half of the pulse cycle of a received alternating current energy signal in the energy receiver (102), the system being adapted to measure parameters related to the first coupling factor (C1) during at least part of the non-rectified half of one or more pulse cycles.

15. The system of claim 1, also being arranged to directly or indirectly measure over a predetermined period of time the difference between an electrical parameter related to the energy transmitted by the external energy source (104) and an electrical parameter related to the amount of energy received by the internal energy receiver (102), and to determine the balance between said electrical parameters in order to determine said first coupling factor (C1).

16. The system of claim 15, comprising a memory unit for storing information related to the first coupling factor (C1).

17. The system of claim 1, in which the energy receiver (102) further comprises a second secondary coil, so that the primary coil (11) has the first coupling factor (C1) in relation to the first secondary coil (10) and a second coupling factor (C2) in relation to the second secondary coil, with the first secondary coil (10) being arranged to receive energy for powering said medical device and the second secondary coil being adapted to supply information related to the second coupling factor (C2), the second coupling factor (C2) having a predetermined relation to the first coupling factor (C1), in which the one or more parameters related to the first coupling factor (C1) which are determined by measurements of the system being parameters related to the second coupling factor (C2), thus the system being arranged to determine by measurements said second coupling factor (C2), in which system the feedback information related to the first coupling factor (C1) which is transmitted to the external energy source (104) is information which is also related to the second coupling factor (C2).

18. The system of claim 17, in which said feedback information which is related to the first coupling factor (C1) is related to the second coupling factor (C2), the system being adapted to use the feedback information in order to perform said action in order to optimize the placement of the primary coil (11) in relation to the second secondary coil in order to optimise the second coupling factor (C2), thereby also optimizing said first coupling factor (C1), related to said second coupling factor (C2).

19. The system of claim 17, being adapted to transmit a predetermined amount of energy from the external energy source (104), related to the second coupling factor (C2), the energy amount being optimized to charge or to initially operate the medical device.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the energy receiver (102) comprises an electronic component connected to said second secondary coil, for preventing or substantially reducing the flow of electrical current between the second secondary coil and the medical implant during the measurements of parameters related to the second coupling factor (C2).

21-111. -111. (canceled)