Selectable resonant frequency transcutaneous energy transfer system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An inductive power transfer system for supplying power to an electrical load located in it living body, the system including:
- a primary power supply located externally of the living body having a primary resonant circuit and being capable of providing an electromagnetic field;
an inductive power pick-up implanted within the living body having a pick-up resonant circuit and being capable of receiving power from the electromagnetic field provided by the primary power supply to supply power to the electrical load;
a plurality of reactive components, the reactive components being electrically connected to one or both of the primary resonant circuit and the pick-up resonant circuit;
a processor unit to increase or decrease the power available to the load by switching one or more of the reactive components into or out of connection with the primary resonant circuit or the pick-up resonant circuit to thereby vary the resonant frequency of the primary resonant circuit or the pick-up resonant circuit, the processor unit being a microprocessor, analogue circuit, programmable logic device or combination of any of the foregoing; and
wherein at least one of the reactive components is switched into or out of connection with the resonant circuit with which it is connected at a first rate and another reactive component is switched into or out of connection with the resonant circuit with which it is connected at a second rate that is slower than the first rate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An inductive power transfer system includes a number of controllable reactive components (3, 6, 12, 13, 16) that allow the resonant frequency of a primary and/or secondary resonant circuit to be controllably varied to thereby control power available to a load (10).
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. An inductive power transfer system for supplying power to an electrical load located in it living body, the system including:
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a primary power supply located externally of the living body having a primary resonant circuit and being capable of providing an electromagnetic field; an inductive power pick-up implanted within the living body having a pick-up resonant circuit and being capable of receiving power from the electromagnetic field provided by the primary power supply to supply power to the electrical load; a plurality of reactive components, the reactive components being electrically connected to one or both of the primary resonant circuit and the pick-up resonant circuit; a processor unit to increase or decrease the power available to the load by switching one or more of the reactive components into or out of connection with the primary resonant circuit or the pick-up resonant circuit to thereby vary the resonant frequency of the primary resonant circuit or the pick-up resonant circuit, the processor unit being a microprocessor, analogue circuit, programmable logic device or combination of any of the foregoing; and wherein at least one of the reactive components is switched into or out of connection with the resonant circuit with which it is connected at a first rate and another reactive component is switched into or out of connection with the resonant circuit with which it is connected at a second rate that is slower than the first rate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of inductive power transfer for supplying power to an electrical load located in a living body, the method including the steps of:
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controlling the power available to the load by controlling a plurality of reactive components electromagnetically coupled with resonant circuits of one or both of a primary resonant circuit located externally of the living body and a pick-up resonant circuit implanted within the living body to vary the resonant frequency of the primary resonant circuit or the pick-up resonant circuit; and wherein each of the reactive components is associated with a resonant circuit, at least one of the reactive components is switched into or out of connection with the resonant circuit with which it is associated at a first rate and another reactive component is switched into or out of connection with the resonant circuit with which it is associated at a second rate that is slower than the first rate. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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15. A method as claimed in 14, wherein the timing of the switching is controlled by the processor unit.
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18. A method as claimed in 14 including selectively electrically connecting:
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a first pick-up coil; a second pick-up coil; and a resonant capacitor; in a plurality of different configurations to control the power supplied to the load. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of inductive power transfer for supplying power to an electric load located in a living body, the method including the steps of:
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providing a primary power supply having a primary resonant circuit and being capable of providing an electromagnetic field; providing an inductive power pick-up having a pick-up resonant circuit and being capable of receiving power from the electromagnetic field provided by the primary power supply to supply power to an electric load; using a processor unit to increase or decrease the power available to the load by controlling a first and a second reactive component in electrical connection with the primary resonant circuit or the pick-up coil resonant circuit to thereby vary the resonant frequency of the primary resonant circuit or the pick-up resonant circuit, the processor unit being a microprocessor, analogue circuit, programmable logic device or combination of any of the foregoing; controlling the first reactive component to vary the resonant frequency of the respective resonant circuit over a plurality of current or voltage cycles; and controlling the second reactive component to vary the resonant frequency of the respective resonant circuit in each current or voltage cycle; and wherein at least one of the reactive components is switched into or out of connection with the resonant circuit with which it is connected at a first rate and another reactive component is switched into or out of connection with the resonant circuit with which it is connected at a second rate that is slower than the first rate.
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Specification