Energy-harvesting system, apparatus and methods

• US 8,968,296 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2013
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: McPherson, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Peffley, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, COLIN K
• Application Number:
  US13/859,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20130345695A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 606/34
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/10 Power sources therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1206 Generators therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/14 Probes or electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1477 Needle-like probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1815 using microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00199 with a console, e.g. a control panel with a display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00411 actuated by application of energy from an energy source outside the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00601 Cutting
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0063 Sealing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00928 by sending a signal to an external energy source
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1823 Generators therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1869 with an instrument interstitially inserted into the body, e.g. needles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1876 with multiple frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/248 provided with an AC/DC converting device, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/23 The load being a medical device, a medical implant, or a life supporting device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/27 characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 : using capacitors as storage or buffering devices

Abstract

An electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus includes an energy delivery circuit, a control circuit and an energy-harvesting system with a plurality of energy-harvesting circuits and a voltage regulator that provides a regulated DC voltage to the energy delivery circuit and/or the control circuit. The energy delivery circuit receives an electrosurgical energy signal having a primary frequency and selectively provides the electrosurgical energy signal to an energy delivery element. The control circuit connects to the energy delivery circuit and selectively enables the flow of electrosurgical energy to the energy delivery element. The plurality of energy-harvesting circuits each include an energy-harvesting antenna tuned to a particular frequency, a matched circuit configured to receive an RF signal from the energy-harvesting antenna, rectify the RF signal and generate a DC signal, and an energy storage device that connects to the voltage regulator to receive and store the DC signal.

Claims

1. An electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus, comprising:

an energy delivery circuit configured to receive an electrosurgical energy signal via a transmission line from an electrosurgical energy source;

a control circuit powered by the received electrosurgical energy signal and operatively connected to the energy delivery circuit, the control circuit configured to receive a control signal from an electrosurgical energy source and selectively enable a flow of electrosurgical energy from the energy delivery circuit to an energy delivery element based on the received control signal; and

an energy-harvesting system including;

a plurality of energy-harvesting circuits, each of the plurality of energy-harvesting circuits including;

an energy-harvesting antenna configured to harvest energy from the received electrosurgical energy signal and generate an RF signal;

a matched circuit operably coupled to the energy-harvesting antenna and configured to receive the RF signal from the energy-harvesting antenna, rectify the RF signal, and generate a DC signal; and

an energy storage device configured to receive and store the DC signal; and

a voltage regulator connected to the energy storage device and configured to provide a regulated DC voltage to power at least one of the energy delivery circuit or the control circuit.

2. The electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the received electrosurgical energy signal has a primary frequency and at least one of the plurality of energy-harvesting circuits is tuned to the primary frequency.

3. The electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit further includes:

a communication circuit configured to provide a wireless connection between the control circuit and an electrosurgical energy source.

4. The electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the received electrosurgical energy signal has a primary frequency and the plurality of energy-harvesting circuits are not tuned to the primary frequency.

5. The electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the received electrosurgical energy signal has a primary frequency and the control signal is embedded within the received electrosurgical energy signal at a frequency different from the primary frequency.

6. An electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus comprising:

an energy delivery circuit configured to receive an electrosurgical energy signal via a transmission line from an electrosurgical energy source;

a control circuit powered by the received electrosurgical energy signal and operatively connected to the energy delivery circuit, the control circuit configured to receive a control signal from an electrosurgical energy source and selectively enable a flow of electrosurgical energy from the energy delivery circuit to an energy delivery element based on the received control signal; and

a control energy-harvesting system including;

a plurality of energy-harvesting circuits, each of the plurality of energy-harvesting circuits including;

an energy-harvesting antenna tuned to a particular frequency configured to harvest energy from the received electrosurgical energy signal and generate a RF signal;

a matched circuit operably coupled to the energy-harvesting antenna and configured to receive the RF signal from the energy-harvesting antenna, rectify the RF signal, and generate a DC signal; and

a switch controlled by the DC signal and configured to indicate that the energy-harvesting antenna is receiving the particular frequency,

wherein the switch indicates to the control circuit that the particular frequency was received by the energy-harvesting antenna.

7. The electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the particular frequency of each of the plurality of energy-harvesting circuits is different.

8. The electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the received electrosurgical energy signal has a primary frequency and the particular frequency of each of the plurality of energy-harvesting circuits is not equal to the primary frequency.

9. The electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the received electrosurgical energy signal includes energy at a frequency equal to at least one of the particular frequencies of one of the plurality of energy-harvesting circuits.

10. The electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the received electrosurgical energy signal includes energy at a frequency that corresponds to at least one of the particular frequencies of the plurality of energy-harvesting circuits.

11. The electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the received electrosurgical energy signal has a primary frequency and the control signal is embedded within the received electrosurgical energy signal at a frequency different from the primary frequency.

12. An electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus, comprising:

an energy delivery circuit configured to receive an electrosurgical energy signal via a transmission line from an electrosurgical energy source;

a control circuit powered by the received electrosurgical energy signal and operatively connected to the energy delivery circuit, the control circuit configured to receive a control signal from an electrosurgical energy source and selectively enable a flow of electrosurgical energy from the energy delivery circuit to an energy delivery element based on the received control signal; and

an energy-harvesting system including;

a plurality of energy-harvesting circuits, each of the plurality of energy-harvesting circuits including;

an energy-harvesting antenna having a frequency range and configured to harvest energy from the received electrosurgical energy signal and generate an energy signal;

a matched circuit operably coupled to the energy-harvesting antenna and configured to receive the energy signal from the energy-harvesting antenna, the energy signal having energy at frequencies within the frequency range, the matched circuit configured to rectify the energy signal and generate a DC signal; and

an energy storage device configured to receive and store the DC signal; and

a voltage regulator connected to the energy storage device and configured to provide a regulated DC voltage to at least one of the energy delivery circuit or the control circuit.

13. The electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the energy-harvesting antennas is a fractal antenna.

14. The electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control circuit further includes:

a communication circuit configured to provide a wireless connection between the control circuit and an electrosurgical energy source.

15. The electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the received electrosurgical energy signal has a primary frequency and the plurality of energy-harvesting circuits are out of tune with the primary frequency.

16. The electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of energy-harvesting circuits is configured to harvest energy from ambient electrical noise.

17. The electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of energy-harvesting circuits is configured to harvest energy from an unregulated frequency.

18. The electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of energy-harvesting circuits is configured to harvest energy from a regulated frequency.

19. The electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the received electrosurgical energy signal has a primary frequency and the control signal is embedded within the received electrosurgical energy signal at a frequency different from the primary frequency.