MEDICAL SYSTEM COMPRISING IMPLANTS

• US 20120112556A1
• Filed: 07/19/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kirk Promotion Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Milux Holding SA
• Inventors: Forsell, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,610,455 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• 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 50/10 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

Abstract

A medical system (100, 300) comprises internal parts (30, 32) for implantation in a patient and external parts (10, 12, 20). The external parts comprise an energy source (10) with a primary coil (12) and the internal parts comprise an electrically powered medical device (40, 41) and an energy receiver (30) with a secondary coil (32) for inductively receiving energy from the external energy source (10). The system (100, 300) is arranged to determine a balance between the energy received in the energy receiver (30) and the amount of energy used by the medical device (40, 41). The internal control unit (50) transmits feedback information to the external control unit (20), and the system (100, 300) is arranged to determine the feedback information based on a first (P1) and a second (P2) parameter.

Claims

1. A medical system comprising internal parts for implantation in a patient and external parts for use externally to the patient, the external parts comprising an energy source equipped with a primary coil for inductively transmitting energy to the implantable parts and an external control unit for the control of the energy source, the internal parts comprising an electrically powered medical device, an energy receiver equipped with a secondary coil for inductively receiving energy for the medical device from the external energy source and an internal control unit for the control of the internal parts, the system being arranged to determine a balance between the amount of energy received in the energy receiver and the amount of energy used by the medical device, in which system the internal control unit is arranged to wirelessly transmit feedback information to the external control unit, the system being characterized in that it is arranged to determine said feedback information based on or relating to a first (P1) and a second (P2) parameter and a third parameter, with the first parameter being based on said energy balance over a certain amount of time and the second parameter being based on information relating to a coupling factor between the primary and the secondary coils and the third parameter being based on at least one of;

a) in which the medical device also comprises a current regulator arranged to keep a current constant, the system being arranged to determine a difference between an input current to the current regulator and the current which the current regulator is arranged to keep constant, in which system said third parameter comprising or being based on said difference,

b) in which the system also comprises a voltage regulator arranged to keep a voltage constant, the system being arranged to determine a difference between an input voltage to the voltage regulator and the voltage which the voltage regulator is arranged to keep constant, in which system said third parameter comprising or being based on said difference, and wherein

the system being adapted to take into account at least both the first and second and third parameters to determine the amount of energy which should be transmitted by the energy source, thus allowing for a rapid adjustment of said energy balance.

2. A system according to claim 1, in which the system also comprises a capacitor coupled in parallel over the medical device, the system being arranged to determine the total amount of energy stored in said capacitor, in which system the feedback information is also based on or comprises a parameter comprising or being based on the total amount of energy stored in the capacitor, the system also being adapted to take into this parameter in order to determine the amount of energy which should be transmitted by the external energy source.

3. A system according to claim 1, which is adapted to use all at least all three parameters to determine the feedback information, wherein the feedback information comprises information comprising or relating to the amount of energy which should be transmitted by the external energy source.

4. A system according to claim 1, which is adapted to use the second and third parameters for determining the amount of energy which should be transmitted by the external energy source as a repeated calibration of the system, and to use the first parameter during operation of the system as a regular feed back in order to determine the amount of energy which should be transmitted by the external energy source during operation of the system.

5. The system according to claim 1, in which the external control unit is adapted to transmit information wirelessly to the internal control unit, which in turn is adapted to receive information wirelessly.

6. The system according to claim 5, in which at least a part of at least one of said parameters or information for determining at least a part of at least one of said parameters is transmitted from the external control unit to the internal control unit, in which system the internal control unit determines the other parameters used by the system and transmits the feedback information to the external control unit as information on the amount of energy which should transmitted by the external energy source.

7. The system according to claim 5, in which at least a part of at least one of said parameters or information for determining at least a part of at least one of said parameters is transmitted from the external control unit to the internal control unit, in which system the internal control unit determines the other parameters used by the system and transmits the feedback information to the external control unit as information about said parameters allowing the external control unit to determine the amount of energy which should be transmitted by the external energy source based on said parameters.

8. The system according to claim 1, in which at least a part of at least one of said parameters or information for determining at least a part of at least one of said parameters is transmitted as said feedback information from the internal control unit to the external control unit, and in which system the external control unit determines the other parameters or part of parameters used by the system as well as the amount of energy which should transmitted by the external energy source.

9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an indicator in the external energy source which is adapted to indicate a level of the coupling factor, and further for indicating an optimal placement of the primary coil in relation to the secondary coil in order to optimize the coupling factor.

10. The system according to claim 1, in which the energy receiver comprises a first switch adapted to switch a connection between the secondary coil and the medical device on and off.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said connection between the secondary coil and the medical device is switched on and off in order to achieve at least one of the following;

a) enable the system to measure the coupling factor when the connection is off and b) using said switch as a security system, switching off when a security parameter determined by the internal control unit relating to the wireless energy transfer exceeds a certain threshold.

12. The system according to claim 1 in which the energy receiver comprises an electronic component connected to the secondary coil for preventing flow of electrical current between the secondary coil and the medical device during measurement of parameters related to the coupling factor.

13. The system (100, 300) according to claim 12, in which the electronic component is a diode.

14. The system according to claim 1, being adapted to let the secondary coil be substantially without electrical load when measuring the coupling factor.

15. The system according to claim 1, in which the energy receiver comprises a half wave rectifier for rectifying half of the pulse cycle of a received alternating current energy signal in the energy receiver.

16. The system according to claim 2, in which a capacitor is coupled in parallel to the secondary coil via the half wave rectifier.

17. The system according to claim 1, in which the external energy source further comprises an electronic circuit for comparing the feedback information with the amount of energy transmitted by the external energy source.

18. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an internal control unit adapted to determine the energy balance between the energy received by the energy receiver and the energy used by the medical device, and an external control unit adapted to calibrate the transmission of wireless energy from the energy source using feedback information.

19. The system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one energy stabilizing unit in or connected to the medical device, arranged to stabilize received energy prior to use by the medical device.

20. A method for use with a medical system which comprises internal parts for implantation in a patient and external parts for use externally to the patient, the external parts comprising:

an energy source equipped with a primary coil for inductively transmitting energy to the implantable parts,

a control unit for the control of the energy source,

the internal parts comprising;

an electrically powered medical device,

an energy receiver equipped with a secondary coil for inductively receiving energy for the medical device from the external energy source,

a control unit for the control of the internal parts,

the method comprising the step of determining a balance between the amount of energy received in the energy receiver and the amount of energy used by the medical device, and the step of letting the internal control unit wirelessly transmit feedback information to the external control unit, the method being characterized in that it comprises the step of determining the feedback information based on or relating to a first (P1) and a second (P2) and a third parameter (P3), and the step of letting the first parameter be based on the energy balance over a certain amount of time and letting the second parameter be based on information relating to a coupling factor between the primary and the secondary coils, and letting the third parameter be based on at least one of the following;

a) further comprising the step of determining a difference between an input voltage to a voltage regulator which is comprised in the medical device in order to keep a voltage constant, and the voltage which the voltage regulator is arranged to keep constant, the method also comprising the step of using a third parameter, said third parameter comprising or being based on said voltage difference, the method also comprising the step of taking into account the third parameter in order to determine the amount of energy which should transmitted by the external energy source and b) further comprising the step of determining a difference between an input current to a current regulator which is comprised in the medical device in order to keep a current constant, and the current which the current regulator is arranged to keep constant, the method also comprising the step of using a third parameter, said third parameter comprising or being based on said current difference, the method also comprising the step of taking into account the third parameter in order to determine the amount of energy which should transmitted by the external energy source,

the method also comprising the step of using at least both the first and second and third parameters to determine the amount of energy which should be transmitted by the energy source, thus allowing for a rapid adjustment of the energy balance.

21-37. -37. (canceled)