WIRELESS CHARGING FOR PROSTHETIC DEVICE

• US 20150066155A1
• Filed: 08/22/2014
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Freedom Innovations LLC (Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Freedom Innovations LLC (Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA)
• Inventors: Haque, Kamran
• Application Number:
  US14/466,878
• Publication Number:
  US 20150066155A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/38 for elbows or knees
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/4202 for ankles
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/50 Prostheses not implantable in the body closure means for urethra or rectum or for artificial body openings therefor A61F2/0004
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/60 Artificial legs or feet or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/70 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/702 Battery-charging stations
• 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 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction

Abstract

A prosthetic device including a power storage unit to power the prosthetic device and an electromagnetic receiver including a plurality of coils arranged about a portion of the prosthetic device. The electromagnetic receiver is configured to receive a magnetic field from an electromagnetic transmitter magnetically coupled with the electromagnetic receiver and to generate electric power from the magnetic field. Circuitry of the prosthetic device stores the electric power generated from the magnetic field in the power storage unit. The electromagnetic transmitter includes circuitry configured to receive power from a power supply and a plurality of coils configured to generate the magnetic field using the electric power.

Claims

1. A prosthetic device, comprising:

a power storage unit to power the prosthetic device;

an electromagnetic receiver including a plurality of coils arranged about a portion of the prosthetic device, the electromagnetic receiver configured to receive a magnetic field from an electromagnetic transmitter magnetically coupled with the electromagnet receiver and to generate electric power from the magnetic field; and

circuitry configured to store the electric power generated from the magnetic field in the power storage unit.

2. The prosthetic device of claim 1, wherein each coil of the plurality of coils is arranged adjacent to another coil of the plurality of coils such that diameters of the plurality of coils completely surround the portion of the prosthetic device.

3. The prosthetic device of claim 1, wherein at least one coil of the plurality of coils partially overlaps an adjacent coil of the plurality of coils.

4. The prosthetic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a first flexible circuit including coils of the plurality of coils; and

a second flexible circuit including coils of the plurality of coils, wherein the second flexible circuit is substantially parallel to the first flexible circuit.

5. The prosthetic device of claim 4, wherein the coils of the first flexible circuit are laterally offset from the coils of the second flexible circuit.

6. The prosthetic device of claim 1, wherein the magnetic field is a resonating magnetic field with a resonant frequency of the electromagnetic receiver.

7. The prosthetic device of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic receiver is further configured to simultaneously receive multiple magnetic fields from different electromagnetic transmitters magnetically coupled with the electromagnetic receiver and to generate electric power from the simultaneously received magnetic fields.

8. The prosthetic device of claim 1, further comprising electronics configured to:

receive a beacon from the electromagnetic transmitter identifying the electromagnetic transmitter;

transmit device information to the electromagnetic transmitter, the device information related to at least one of identifying the prosthetic device, a frequency for magnetically coupling with the electromagnetic receiver, an average power usage of the prosthetic device, or information about the power storage unit.

9. An electromagnetic transmitter, comprising:

circuitry configured to receive electric power from a power supply; and

a plurality of coils configured to generate a magnetic field using the electric power to magnetically couple with an electromagnetic receiver of a prosthetic device.

10. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 9, wherein the plurality of coils is located in a mat.

11. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 9, wherein the electromagnetic transmitter is portable and constructed to secure onto furniture or a portion of a vehicle.

12. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 9, wherein the plurality of coils is constructed to wrap around an exterior portion of the prosthetic device.

13. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 9, further comprising a magnet for aligning the electromagnetic transmitter on the prosthetic device.

14. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 9, wherein the electromagnetic transmitter is constructed to secure to a building structure.

15. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 9, wherein the plurality of coils is configured to generate a magnetic field to simultaneously magnetically couple with electromagnet receivers of different prosthetic devices.

16. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 9, wherein the plurality of coils is configured to generate a resonating magnetic field with a resonant frequency of the electromagnetic receiver of the prosthetic device.

17. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 9, wherein the circuitry is further configured to adjust a frequency of the magnetic field.

18. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 9, wherein at least one coil of the plurality of coils partially overlaps an adjacent coil of the plurality of coils.

19. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 9, further comprising a flexible circuit including the plurality of coils.

20. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 19, further comprising an attachment portion for forming a loop with the flexible circuit.

21. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 9, further comprising:

a first flexible circuit including coils of the plurality of coils; and

a second flexible circuit including coils of the plurality of coils, wherein the second flexible circuit is substantially parallel to the first flexible circuit.

22. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 21, wherein the coils of the first flexible circuit are laterally offset from the coils of the second flexible circuit.

23. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 9, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

determine an amount of reflected power in the magnetic field that is not received by the electromagnetic receiver of the prosthetic device; and

adjust an amount of power used to generate the magnetic field based on the amount of reflected power.

24. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 23, wherein the circuitry is further configured to increase the amount of power used to generate the magnetic field as the amount of reflected power increases.

25. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 23, wherein the circuitry is further configured to initiate a low power state of the electromagnetic transmitter if the amount of reflected power reaches or exceeds a threshold amount of reflected power.

26. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 9, wherein the circuitry is further configured to transmit a beacon to the prosthetic device identifying the electromagnetic transmitter.

27. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 9, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

receive device information from the prosthetic device; and

set a frequency for generating the magnetic field based on the device information.

28. The electromagnetic transmitter of claim 9, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

receive device information from the prosthetic device indicating a charge level of a storage unit of the prosthetic device; and

stop generating the magnetic field based on the device information.

29. A prosthetic device, comprising:

at least one of a motor, a valve, a sensor, or a controller;

a power storage unit electrically coupled thereto and carried by the prosthetic device; and

an electromagnetic receiver electrically coupled to the power storage unit and carried by the prosthetic device, wherein the electromagnetic receiver is configured to magnetically couple to an electromagnetic transmitter at a resonant frequency of the electromagnetic receiver.

30. The prosthetic device of claim 29, wherein the electromagnetic receiver includes a plurality of coils arranged about a portion of the prosthetic device.