INDUCTIVELY POWERED REMOTELY ADJUSTABLE GASTRIC BANDING SYSTEM

• US 20110207995A1
• Filed: 02/25/2010
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apollo Endosurgery US, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allergan, Inc. (Canada) (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stone, Robert, Birk, Janel A., SNOW, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 8,764,624 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/37
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00411 actuated by application of energy from an energy source outside the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2005/002 for sensing mechanical parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/003 inflatable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0059 with wireless means

Abstract

A power management system provides wireless power to operate components of a remotely adjustable gastric banding system. The power management system comprises an external power component transmitting power, and an implantable power management component receiving power and converting the power for use in powering one or more components of the remotely adjustable gastric banding system, such as a pump. The internal power management component and the external power component may be tunable. By utilizing the power management system, implantable batteries may be eliminated.

Claims

1. An implantable device that uses inductive coupling to adjust a circumference of a gastric band, the implantable device comprising:

an antenna for receiving power from a remote device;

a converter for converting the power to a low voltage direct current;

a charge pump for converting the low voltage direct current to a voltage signal, the charge pump capable of being turned off using a telemetric signal received from the remote device; and

an electromechanical device, coupled to the gastric band, for increasing and decreasing the circumference of the gastric band using the voltage signal received from the charge pump.

2. The implantable device of claim 1, wherein the antenna is an inductively-coupled antenna.

3. The implantable device of claim 1, wherein the voltage signal comprises at least one of a monopolar voltage signal, a bipolar voltage signal, and combinations thereof.

4. The implantable device of claim 1, wherein the voltage signal has positive and negative voltage values.

5. The implantable device of claim 1, wherein the voltage signal includes a positive voltage value of at least 60 volts and a negative voltage value of at least 60 volts.

6. The implantable device of claim 1, wherein the charge pump comprises at least one of a charge pump with feedback-controlled pulse width modulation, a charge pump with feedback-controlled pulse frequency modulation, a charge pump with feedback-controlled pulse width modulation and pulse frequency modulation, and combinations thereof.

7. The implantable device of claim 1, wherein the charge pump comprises a low on-resistance transistor and a voltage multiplier.

8. The implantable device of claim 7, wherein the voltage multiplier comprises at least one of a half-wave series multiplier, a multi-stage voltage multiplier, a Villard cascade, a Cockroft-Walton multiplier, and combinations thereof.

9. The implantable device of claim 7, wherein the low on-resistance transistor is in series with the voltage multiplier.

10. The implantable device of claim 7, wherein the low on-resistance transistor is interposed with the voltage multiplier.

11. The implantable device of claim 1, wherein the electromechanical device is powered solely by the voltage signal from the charge pump.

12. The implantable device of claim 1, wherein the antenna is tunable to vary the power received from the remote device.

13. A system for facilitating obesity control, the system comprising:

an implantable gastric banding device including an inflatable member for containing fluid and restricting a patient'"'"'s cardia;

an implantable fluid reservoir;

an implantable pump unit for controlling pressure within the inflatable member, wherein the implantable pump unit is in communication with the fluid reservoir and the gastric banding device via a tubing;

an implantable access port coupled to the implantable pump unit, wherein the implantable pump unit is in communication with the fluid reservoir and the gastric banding device via a tubing;

a pressure sensor disposed at least partially within the tubing; and

a power management system for providing power to the implantable pump unit and the pressure sensor, wherein the power management system comprises;

an external remote control device capable of communicating with and powering an implantable power management component and a pressure sensor via inductive coupling; and

the implantable power management component, wherein the implantable power management component supplies power received from the external remote control device to the implantable pump unit.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the system does not comprise an implantable battery.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein all power to operate the implantable pump unit and the pressure sensor is wirelessly delivered by the external remote control device.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the pressure sensor comprises:

a housing defining a cavity and having an open top portion;

a flexible membrane covering the open top portion of the housing and having an inner surface facing the cavity and an outer surface capable of contacting a fluid within the tubing;

a pressure transfer fluid located within the cavity;

a sensing element, positioned within the cavity of the housing and positioned adjacent to the flexible membrane, for measuring a pressure on the flexible membrane, the pressure being caused by the fluid contacting the outer surface of the flexible membrane, for converting the pressure to a pressure signal; and

a microcontroller positioned within the cavity of the housing and coupled to the sensing element, the microcontroller configured to process the pressure signal received from the sensing element and transmit the processed pressure signal to the external remote control device.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the external remote control device comprises:

an inductive power transmitter configured to transmit an electromagnetic power signal;

a switchable tuning circuit coupled to the inductive power transmitter, wherein the switchable tuning circuit is configured to vary at least one parameter associated with the electromagnetic power signal;

a drive circuit coupled to the switchable tuning circuit;

a first microcontroller coupled to the drive circuit, wherein the first microcontroller is configured to issue a command configured to cause the switchable tuning circuit to vary at least one parameter associated with an inductive power signal transmitted by the inductive power transmitter; and

a first communication circuit coupled to the first microcontroller, wherein the first communication circuit wirelessly receives information from and transmits information to the implantable power management component via a first communication antenna using an electromagnetic communication signal.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the implantable power management component comprises:

a tunable inductive power receiver for receiving power from the electromagnetic power signal;

a voltage rectifier coupled to the inductive power receiver, wherein the voltage rectifier outputs a direct current (DC) voltage responsive to an alternating current (AC) voltage received from the inductive power receiver;

a voltage conditioner coupled to the voltage rectifier;

a sampling circuit coupled to the voltage rectifier for assessing an amount of power received at the inductive power receiver;

a voltage regulator coupled to the voltage conditioner for supplying at least one fixed DC voltage;

a second microcontroller coupled to the sampling circuitry, wherein the second microcontroller is coupled to a second communication circuit coupled to a second communication antenna, and wherein the second microprocessor is configured to report an amount of power received at the inductive power receiver to the external remote control device via the electromagnetic communication signal;

a positive high voltage generator coupled to the voltage regulator and to the second microcontroller, wherein the positive high voltage generator is configured to generate a positive output voltage of at least 60 volts responsive to a command from the second microcontroller; and

a negative high voltage generator coupled to the voltage regulator and to the second microcontroller, wherein the negative high voltage generator is configured to generate a negative output voltage of at least 60 volts responsive to a command from the second microcontroller, and wherein the positive output voltage and the negative output voltage are utilized to operate the implantable pump unit.

19. A power management system for a remotely adjustable gastric banding system, the power management system comprising:

an external power component, wherein the external power component comprises;

an inductive power transmitter;

a switchable tuning circuit coupled to the inductive power transmitter;

a driver circuit coupled to the switchable tuning circuit;

a first microcontroller coupled to the driver circuit and to a first communication circuit, the first microcontroller configured to govern operation of the external power component;

a first communication antenna coupled to the first communication circuit; and

a power management component, wherein the power management component comprises;

a tunable inductive power receiver for receiving power from the electromagnetic power signal;

a voltage rectifier coupled to the inductive power receiver, wherein the voltage rectifier outputs a direct current (DC) voltage responsive to an alternating current (AC) voltage received from the inductive power receiver;

a voltage conditioner coupled to the voltage rectifier;

a sampling circuit coupled to the voltage rectifier for assessing an amount of power received at the inductive power receiver;

a voltage regulator coupled to the voltage conditioner for supplying at least one fixed DC voltage;

a second microcontroller coupled to the sampling circuitry, wherein the second microcontroller is coupled to a second communication circuit coupled to a second communication antenna, and wherein the second microprocessor is configured to report an amount of power received at the inductive power receiver to the external remote control device via the electromagnetic communication signal;

a positive high voltage generator coupled to the voltage regulator and to the second microcontroller, wherein the positive high voltage generator is configured to generate a positive output voltage of at least 60 volts responsive to a command from the second microcontroller; and

a negative high voltage generator coupled to the voltage regulator and to the second microcontroller, wherein the negative high voltage generator is configured to generate a negative output voltage of at least 60 volts responsive to a command from the second microcontroller, and wherein the positive output voltage and the negative output voltage are utilized to operate the implantable pump unit.

20. The power management system of claim 19, wherein the remotely adjustable gastric banding system does not comprise an implantable battery.

21. The power management system of claim 19, wherein the positive high voltage generator comprises at least one of a half-wave series multiplier, a multi-stage voltage multiplier, a Villard cascade, a Cockroft-Walton multiplier, and combinations thereof.