Multi-element coupler for generation of electromagnetic energy
First Claim
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1. An apparatus configured to transfer wireless power through tissue, comprising:
- a substrate;
multiple sub-wavelength structures disposed on the substrate;
multiple radio-frequency ports respectively coupled to the multiple sub-wavelength structures;
a voltage or current source coupled to the multiple radio-frequency ports; and
a controller configured to manage excitation of the radio-frequency ports and sub-wavelength structures with the voltage or current source to manipulate evanescent fields outside of tissue to generate propagating fields inside the tissue and thereby generate a spatially focused field in the tissue.
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Abstract
Implantable devices and/or sensors can be wirelessly powered by controlling and propagating electromagnetic waves in a patient'"'"'s tissue. Such implantable devices/sensors can be implanted at target locations in a patient, to stimulate areas such as the heart, brain, spinal cord, or muscle tissue, and/or to sense biological, physiological, chemical attributes of the blood, tissue, and other patient parameters. The propagating electromagnetic waves can be generated with sub-wavelength structures configured to manipulate evanescent fields outside of tissue to generate the propagating waves inside the tissue. Methods of use are also described.
274 Citations
54 Claims
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1. An apparatus configured to transfer wireless power through tissue, comprising:
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a substrate; multiple sub-wavelength structures disposed on the substrate; multiple radio-frequency ports respectively coupled to the multiple sub-wavelength structures; a voltage or current source coupled to the multiple radio-frequency ports; and a controller configured to manage excitation of the radio-frequency ports and sub-wavelength structures with the voltage or current source to manipulate evanescent fields outside of tissue to generate propagating fields inside the tissue and thereby generate a spatially focused field in the tissue. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus configured to transfer wireless power through tissue, comprising:
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multiple sub-wavelength structures provided externally to a patient body and configured to generate, in response to respective excitation signals corresponding to each of the multiple sub-wavelength structures, a spatially adaptable propagating electromagnetic field inside the patient'"'"'s body; multiple independent feed ports configured to excite respective ones of the multiple sub-wavelength structures to generate the spatially adaptable propagating electromagnetic field; and a controller configured to update a focus and/or an output power of the spatially adaptable propagating electromagnetic field by exciting the sub-wavelength structures using updated excitation signals. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus configured to transfer wireless power through tissue, comprising:
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multiple sub-wavelength structures; a signal generator configured to provide respective excitation signals to each of the multiple sub-wavelength structures; and a controller configured to use the signal generator to provide the excitation signals to the multiple sub-wavelength structures to generate and transmit a wireless power signal by manipulating evanescent fields outside of a patient'"'"'s body and thereby control electromagnetic waves propagating inside the patient'"'"'s body; wherein the controller is configured to select different excitation signal characteristics for at least two of the respective excitation signals to focus the electromagnetic waves propagating inside the patient'"'"'s body toward a target receiver device implanted in the patient. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. An apparatus configured to transfer wireless power through tissue, comprising:
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a substrate; multiple sub-wavelength structures disposed on the substrate; multiple radio-frequency ports respectively coupled to the multiple sub-wavelength structures; a voltage or current source configured to provide respective excitation signals to the sub-wavelength structures via the radio-frequency ports; and a controller configured to manage excitation of the sub-wavelength structures with the voltage or current source to manipulate evanescent fields outside of tissue to generate propagating fields inside the tissue and thereby generate a spatially focused field in the tissue. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. An apparatus configured to transfer wireless power through tissue, comprising:
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a substrate; at least one sub-wavelength structure disposed on the substrate, wherein the at least one sub-wavelength structure includes one of a patch structure, a slot structure, a cross slot structure, a circular slot structure, and a half slot structure; at least one radio-frequency port coupled to the at least one sub-wavelength structure, a voltage or current source coupled to the at least one radio-frequency port; and a controller configured to manage excitation of the at least one radio-frequency port and sub-wavelength structure with the voltage or current source to manipulate evanescent fields outside of tissue to generate propagating fields inside the tissue and thereby generate a spatially focused field in the tissue. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. An apparatus configured to transfer wireless power through tissue, comprising:
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a substrate; multiple sub-wavelength structures disposed on the substrate, wherein the multiple sub-wavelength structures include circular slot structures; multiple radio-frequency ports respectively coupled to the multiple sub-wavelength structures; a voltage or current source coupled to the multiple radio-frequency ports; and a controller configured to manage excitation of the multiple radio-frequency ports and sub-wavelength structures with the voltage or current source to manipulate evanescent fields outside of tissue to generate propagating fields inside the tissue and thereby generate a spatially focused field in the tissue. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. An apparatus configured to transfer wireless power through tissue, comprising:
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a flexible substrate configured to conform to a patient body surface; at least one sub-wavelength structure disposed on the flexible substrate; at least one radio-frequency port coupled to the at least one sub-wavelength structure; a voltage or current source coupled to the at least one radio-frequency port; and a controller configured to manage excitation of the at least one radio-frequency port and sub-wavelength structure with the voltage or current source to manipulate evanescent fields outside of tissue to generate propagating fields inside the tissue and thereby generate a spatially focused field in the tissue. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. An apparatus configured to transfer wireless power through tissue, comprising:
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a substrate; at least one sub-wavelength structure disposed on the substrate; at least one radio-frequency port coupled to the at least one sub-wavelength structure; a voltage or current source coupled to the at least one radio-frequency port; and a controller configured to manage excitation of the at least one radio-frequency port and sub-wavelength structure with the voltage or current source to manipulate evanescent fields outside of tissue to generate propagating fields inside the tissue and thereby generate a spatially focused field in the tissue; and a receiver circuit configured to receive information about a quantity of power received by an implanted device from the apparatus, wherein the controller is configured to manage the excitation of the at least one radio-frequency port and sub-wavelength structure based on the received information about the quantity of power. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
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Specification