Midfield coupler

• US 9,583,980 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2016
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NeuSpera Medical Inc.
• Original Assignee: NeuSpera Medical Inc.
• Inventors: Yeh, Alexander Jueshyan, Morris, Milton M.
• Primary Examiner(s): AMAYA, CARLOS DAVID
• Application Number:
  US15/200,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20160344240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 242 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/14 Probes or electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/18 by applying electromagnetic radiation, e.g. microwaves radiation therapy A61N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1838 Dipole antennas
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0219 of externally powered implanted units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/076 Permanent implantations telemetry using implanted circuitry A61B5/0031; implanted stimulators for therapy A61N1/3605, A61N1/362, A61N1/372
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/686 Permanently implanted devices, e.g. pacemakers, other stimulators, biochips A61B5/6861 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 31/002 Devices for releasing a drug at a continuous and controlled rate for a prolonged period of time artificial gland structures or devices A61F2/022; intra-uterine contraceptive devices A61F6/14; tampons for introducing into the vagina A61F13/20, A61L15/00; suppositories or bougies for intra-vaginal or intra-uterine application A61K9/02; physical forms of medicinal preparations for sustained or differential drug release A61K9/20, A61K9/50
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3601 of respiratory organs
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37229 Shape or location of the implanted or external antenna
• 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 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/23 characterised by the type of transmitting antennas, e.g. directional array antennas or Yagi antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment

Abstract

Described herein are devices, systems, and methods for wireless power transfer utilizing a midfield source and implant. In one variation, a midfield source may be realized by a patterned metal plate composed of one of more subwavelength structures. These midfield sources may manipulate evanescent fields outside a material (e.g., tissue) to excite and control propagating fields inside the material (e.g., tissue) and thereby generate spatially confined and adaptive energy transport in the material (e.g., tissue). The energy may be received by an implanted device, which may be configured for one or more functions such as stimulation, sensing, or drug delivery.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first transceiver that transmits and receives microwave signals at a first frequency, the first transceiver including a midfield coupler that converts signals from the first transceiver to signals with a non-negligible H-field component parallel to a surface of the midfield coupler and focuses the converted signals to a location within tissue that is within a wavelength, as measured in air, of the microwave signals; and

an at least partially implantable biocompatible device comprising a second transceiver, the second transceiver including an E-field based antenna that receives the signals from the midfield coupler and the second transceiver transmits signals at about the same frequency as the first transceiver.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the E-field based antenna is a dipole antenna.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver comprises:

a phase matching network comprising a phase detector and a phase shifter, the phase detector and the phase shifter electrically coupled to the midfield coupler, the phase detector determines a phase of a signal received from the second transceiver, and the phase shifter adjusts a phase of a signal to be provided to the midfield coupler based on the determined phase of the signal received from the second transceiver.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the phase shifter adjusts the phase of the signal by the determined phase of the signal received from the second transceiver.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the phase shifter adjusts the phase of the signal to match the phase of the signal received from the second transceiver.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver comprises:

an amplitude matching network comprising an amplitude detector and a variable gain amplifier electrically coupled to the midfield coupler, the amplitude detector determines an amplitude of a signal received from the second transceiver and the variable gain amplifier adjusts an amplitude of a signal to be provided to the midfield coupler based on the amplitude of the signal received from the second transceiver.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the midfield coupler includes two or more ports,

the amplitude detector is one of two or more amplitude detectors, each amplitude detector of the two or more amplitude detectors electrically coupled to a respective port of the midfield coupler,

the first transceiver further comprises a power divider which receives a radio frequency (RF) signal and divides and separates the RF signal into two or more signals, one signal for each port of the midfield coupler, and

wherein the variable gain amplifier is one of a plurality of variable gain amplifiers, each variable gain amplifier is electrically coupled between a respective port of the midfield coupler and the power divider, each amplifier receives a signal of the two or more signals from the power divider and amplifies the signal by a gain, wherein the gain is determined based on an amplitude determined by the amplitude detector coupled to the same respective of the midfield coupler.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the gain of each amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers is the amplitude determined by the amplitude detector multiplied by a quantity.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the quantity is P_k=P_tt/Σ

_i=1^NP_i, where P_tt is a specified amplitude and P_i is an amplitude of the plurality of amplitudes determined at the amplitude detector for each of the i ports of the midfield coupler.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the quantity, Pk, is further divided by an efficiency indicator, η

, where η

=Σ

_i=1^NP_i/P_it where P_it is an amplitude of a signal transmitted from the second transceiver.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the antenna is encapsulated in a dielectric material with a dielectric permittivity between a dielectric permittivity of animal tissue and a dielectric permittivity of a substrate of the midfield coupler on which a midfield plate of the midfield coupler is arranged.