Devices and methods for visually indicating the alignment of a transcutaneous energy transfer device over an implanted medical device

• US 9,375,567 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2015
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cirtec Medical Corp.
• Original Assignee: Nuvectra Corporation
• Inventors: Fell, Roger B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wieland, Robert N
• Application Number:
  US14/703,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20150231392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• 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 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge

Abstract

The present disclosure involves a charging system for charging an implanted medical system. The charging device includes a replenishable power supply. The charging device includes a coil assembly electrically coupled to the power supply. The coil assembly includes a primary coil and a plurality of sense coils positioned proximate to the primary coil. The charging device includes electrical circuitry operable to: measure an electrical parameter of the coil assembly; and determine a position of the coil assembly relative to a position of the implanted medical device based on the measured electrical parameter. The charging device includes a visual communications interface operable to: receive an input from the electrical circuitry; and visually display on a screen the position of the coil assembly relative to the position of the implanted medical device based on the input received from the electrical circuitry.

Claims

1. A charger for an implanted medical device, the charger comprising:

a power supply;

a coil assembly electrically coupled to the power supply, the coil assembly including a primary coil and a plurality of sense coils, wherein at least two of the sense coils are perpendicularly oriented with respect to one another;

electrical circuitry configured to;

measure electrical parameters of the coil assembly; and

determine, based on the measured electrical parameters, locational information with respect to the coil assembly and the implanted medical device; and

a visual interface configured to visually communicate the locational information.

2. The charger of claim 1, wherein the sense coils are located in different layers of a substrate.

3. The charger of claim 1, wherein the primary coil is located over the sense coils.

4. The charger of claim 1, wherein the electrical parameters comprise voltages of one or more of the sense coils.

5. The charger of claim 1, wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to calculate, based on the measured electrical parameters, a locational offset between the coil assembly and the implanted medical device.

6. The charger of claim 1, wherein the electrical circuitry comprises:

amplification circuitry configured to amplify electrical signals from the sense coils;

rectification circuitry configured to convert AC components of an output of the amplification circuitry into DC components; and

filtering circuitry configured to filter an output of the rectification circuitry.

7. The charger of claim 6, wherein the electrical circuitry further comprises comparator circuitry coupled to the filtering circuitry, the comparator circuitry being configured to detect a zero-crossing event.

8. The charger of claim 1, wherein the visual interface is configured to display, on a screen, a first visual object representing a location of the coil assembly and a second visual object representing a location of the implanted medical device.

9. The charger of claim 8, wherein the visual interface is configured to update the locations of the coil assembly and the implanted medical device in real time in response to actual movements of the coil assembly or the implanted medical device.

10. The charger of claim 1, wherein the visual interface is configured to communicate instructions to a user to align the coil assembly with the implanted medical device.

11. A method for charging an implanted medical device, comprising:

providing a coil assembly, the coil assembly including a primary coil and a plurality of sense coils, wherein at least two of the sense coils are perpendicularly oriented with respect to one another;

measuring electrical parameters of the coil assembly;

determining, based on the measured electrical parameters, locational information with respect to the coil assembly and the implanted medical device; and

communicating the locational information via a visual interface.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the sense coils are located in different layers of a substrate, and wherein the primary coil is located over the sense coils.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the measuring of the electrical parameters comprises measuring voltages of one or more of the sense coils.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises calculating, based on the measured electrical parameters, a locational offset between the coil assembly and the implanted medical device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises:

amplifying electrical signals from the sense coils;

converting AC components of the amplified electrical signals into DC components;

filtering the DC components of the amplified electrical signals; and

detecting a zero-crossing event based on the filtered DC components.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the communicating comprises displaying, on a screen, a first visual object representing a location of the coil assembly and a second visual object representing a location of the implanted medical device.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the communicating comprises communicating instructions to a user to align the coil assembly with the implanted medical device.

18. A medical system, comprising:

an implantable medical device; and

a charger for charging the implantable medical device, wherein the charger includes;

a coil assembly, circuitry that is electrically coupled to the coil assembly, and a communications interface, wherein;

the coil assembly includes;

a primary coil;

a first position-sensing coil; and

a second position-sensing coil that is perpendicularly oriented with respect to the first position-sensing coil;

the circuitry is configured to;

measure voltages of the first and second position-sensing coils; and

determine, based on the measured voltages, locational information with respect to the coil assembly and the implantable medical device; and

the communications interface is configured to visually communicate the locational information.

19. The medical charging system of claim 18, wherein the circuitry comprises:

amplification circuitry configured to amplify electrical signals from the sense coils;

rectification circuitry configured to covert AC components of an output of the amplification circuitry into DC components;

filtering circuitry configured to filter an output of the rectification circuitry; and

comparator circuitry coupled to the filtering circuitry, the comparator circuitry being configured to detect a zero-crossing event based on the filtered output of the rectification circuitry.

20. The medical charging system of claim 18, wherein the communications interface is configured to display, in real time, a first visual object representing a location of the coil assembly and a second visual object representing a location of the implantable medical device.