Removable heat management for recharge coils

• US 8,887,619 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2011
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Kallmyer, Todd A., Kast, John E., Olson, David P., Roles, Randy S., Gaddam, Venkat R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad M
• Application Number:
  US13/284,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20130105115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 622/593, 625/30, 607/108, 607/109, 607/112, 607/114, 607/115
• US Class Current: 92/56
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36142 for improving safety
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37211 Means for communicating with stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37514 Brain implants
• 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 50/005 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 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• 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: H05K 7/20 Modifications to facilitate cooling, ventilating, or heating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4902 Electromagnet, transformer or inductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

Devices, systems, and techniques for managing heat generated in coils for wireless energy transmission are disclosed. Inductive coupling between two coils (e.g., a primary coil and a secondary coil) may be used to recharge the power source of an implantable medical device. A phase change material may be thermally coupled to the primary coil to absorb heat generated during the inductive coupling and reduce temperature increases of the primary coil. In one example, the phase change material may be configured to absorb heat from an energy transfer coil. A housing may be configured to contain the phase change material and a coupling mechanism may be configured to removably attach the housing to the energy transfer coil.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a phase change material configured to absorb heat from an energy transfer coil;

a first housing configured to contain the phase change material; and

a coupling mechanism configured to removably attach the first housing to a second housing containing the energy transfer coil.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the coupling mechanism is configured to retain at least a portion of the first housing in thermal communication with a surface of the second housing containing the energy transfer coil.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises a threaded structure configured to mate to a threaded surface of the second housing containing the energy transfer coil.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises at least one retaining member that extends away from the first housing and is shaped to retain the second housing containing the energy transfer coil between the at least one retaining member and the first housing.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises an elastic sheath configured to retain the first housing in thermal communication with the second housing containing the energy transfer coil.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the phase change material is disposed in at least one shape configured to conform to at least one of the second housing containing the energy transfer coil and a non-planar skin surface of a patient.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the first housing comprises one or more channels configured to contain the phase change material.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising one or more flexible tubes configured to contain the phase change material at predetermined locations within the first housing, wherein the phase change material is disposed within the one or more flexible tubes.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more flexible tubes and the first housing is constructed of a thermally conductive elastomer.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the phase change material is encapsulated in a plurality of beads distributed within the first housing.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the phase change material comprises a melting point temperature between approximately 35 degrees Celsius and 43 degrees Celsius.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy transfer coil is configured to wirelessly transfer power via inductive coupling.

13. A device comprising:

means for absorbing heat from an energy transfer coil;

means for containing the means for absorbing heat; and

means for removably attaching the containing means to a housing containing the energy transfer coil.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the means for removably attaching the containing means to the housing containing the energy transfer coil comprises a threaded structure configured to mate to a threaded surface of the housing containing the energy transfer coil.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the means for removably attaching the containing means to the energy transfer coil comprises at least one retaining member that extends away from the containing means and is shaped to retain the housing containing the energy transfer coil between the at least one retaining member and the containing means.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the means for removably attaching the containing means to the housing containing the energy transfer coil comprises an elastic sheath configured to retain the containing means in thermal communication with the housing containing the energy transfer coil.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the means for absorbing heat from an energy transfer coil comprises means for conforming the absorbing means to at least one of the housing containing the energy transfer coil and a non-planar skin surface of a patient.

18. The device of claim 13, wherein the phase change material comprises a melting point temperature between approximately 35 degrees Celsius and 43 degrees Celsius.

19. A system comprising:

an energy transfer coil configured to recharge a rechargeable power source of an implantable medical device;

a first housing containing the energy transfer coil; and

a second housing containing a phase change material and configured to be removably attached to the first housing containing the energy transfer coil, wherein the phase change material is configured to absorb heat from the energy transfer coil.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the second housing is in thermal communication with the energy transfer coil when the second housing is in thermal communication with a surface of the first housing containing the energy transfer coil.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the first housing containing the energy transfer coil comprises a threaded surface, and wherein the second housing comprises a threaded structure configured to mate to the threaded surface of the first housing containing the energy transfer coil.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the second housing comprises at least one retaining member that extends away from the second housing and is shaped to retain the first housing containing the energy transfer coil between the at least one retaining member and the second housing.

23. The system of claim 19, further comprising an elastic sheath configured to retain the second housing in thermal communication with the first housing containing the energy transfer coil.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the phase change material is disposed in at least one shape configured to conform to at least one of the first housing containing the energy transfer coil and a non-planar skin surface of a patient.

25. The system of claim 19, further comprising a thermally conductive material configured to be disposed between the second housing and the first housing containing the energy transfer coil, wherein the thermally conductive material is deformable to a surface of the first housing containing the energy transfer coil and a surface of the second housing.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the phase change material comprises a melting point temperature between approximately 35 degrees Celsius and 43 degrees Celsius.

27. The system of claim 19, further comprising an implantable medical device comprising the rechargeable power source and a secondary coil, wherein the secondary coil is configured to transcutaneously receive power from the energy transfer coil.

28. A method comprising:

removably attaching a first housing to a second housing containing an energy transfer coil, wherein the energy transfer coil is configured to recharge a rechargeable power source of an implantable medical device and the first housing contains a phase change material configured to absorb heat from the energy transfer coil.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein removably attaching the first housing to the second housing containing the energy transfer coil comprises rotating a threaded structure of the first housing against a threaded surface of the second housing containing the energy transfer coil until the first housing is in thermal communication with the second housing.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein removably attaching the first housing to the second housing containing the energy transfer coil comprises radially bending at least one retaining member of the first housing and disposing the second housing containing the energy transfer coil between the at least one retaining member and the first housing.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein removably attaching the first housing to the second housing containing the energy transfer coil comprises retaining the first housing and the second housing containing the energy transfer coil within an elastic sheath such that the first housing is in thermal communication with the second housing containing the energy transfer coil.