Powered case for electro-active medical device battery management

• US 9,931,515 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2015
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Novartis Ag
• Inventors: Campin, John Alfred, Mattes, Michael F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Skibinski, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/973,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20170173344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 307154, 307104, 320103, 320107, 320108, 320110-115
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0219 of externally powered implanted units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6846 specially adapted to be brought in contact with an internal body part, i.e. invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/1613 having special lens configurations, e.g. multipart lenses; having particular optical properties, e.g. pseudo-accommodative lenses, lenses having aberration corrections, diffractive lenses, lenses for variably absorbing electromagnetic radiation, lenses having variable focus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8256 being integrated in the case or housing of the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/142 Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3931 Protecting, e.g. back-up systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3968 Constructional arrangements, e.g. casings A61N1/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3975 Power supply A61N1/378 takes precedence
• 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 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A powered case is provided that includes a case, configured to hold an electroactive medical device with an integrated battery; an energizing system, configured to provide electric energy; and an energy transfer system, configured to receive energy from the energizing system; and to transfer the received energy to the integrated battery of the electroactive medical device. Further, a medical device system is provided that can include an electroactive medical device, including an integrated battery; and a powered case, including a case, configured to hold the electroactive medical device with the integrated battery; an energizing system, configured to provide electric energy; and an energy transfer system, configured to receive energy from the energizing system; and to transfer the received energy to the integrated battery of the electroactive medical device.

Claims

1. A powered medical device storage case, comprising:

a case, configured to hold an implantable electroactive medical device with an integrated battery after manufacture of the implantable electroactive medical device and before implantation of the implantable electroactive medical device;

an energizing system, configured to provide electric energy; and

an energy transfer system, configured

to receive energy from the energizing system; and

to transfer the received energy to the integrated battery of the implantable electroactive medical device; and

an energizing controller, configured to control the transfer of energy from the energizing system by the energy transfer system to the integrated battery of the implantable electroactive medical device to at least partially compensate a discharging of the integrated battery after manufacture and before implantation of the implantable electroactive medical device.

2. The powered case of claim 1, the energizing system comprising:

a battery.

3. The powered case of claim 1, the energizing system comprising:

a rechargeable battery, configured to be recharged from an external energy source.

4. The powered case of claim 1, the energizing system comprising:

an energy receiving system, configured to receive energy from an external energy source by at least one of a contact and a non-contact energy transfer.

5. The powered case of claim 1, wherein:

the energy transfer system is at least one of

a contact energy transfer system, and

a non-contact energy transfer system.

6. The powered case of claim 1, wherein:

the energizing controller is configured to control the energy transfer system to charge the integrated battery of the electroactive medical device to at least partially compensate a predetermined discharging characteristics of the integrated battery according to a continuous charging protocol over one or more extended time intervals.

7. The powered case of claim 1, wherein:

the energizing controller is configured to control the energy transfer system to charge the integrated battery of the electroactive medical device to at least partially compensate a predetermined discharging characteristics of the integrated battery according to an intermittent charging protocol.

8. The powered case of claim 1, comprising:

a battery monitor, coupled to the integrated battery and to the energizing controller, configured

to monitor a discharging characteristics of the integrated battery of the electroactive medical device, and

to generate a corresponding monitoring signal for the energizing controller.

9. The powered case of claim 8, wherein:

the energizing controller is configured to control the energy transfer system to charge the integrated battery of the electroactive medical device according to the monitoring signal received from the battery monitor.

10. The powered case of claim 9, wherein:

the energizing controller is configured to control the energy transfer system to charge the integrated battery of the electroactive medical device by at least one of

an intermittent charging protocol; and

a continuous charging protocol over one or more time intervals.

11. The powered case of claim 1, wherein:

the electroactive medical device includes an integrated battery monitor, configured to monitor a discharging characteristics of the integrated battery of the electroactive medical device, and

to generate a corresponding monitoring signal for the energizing controller; and

the energizing controller is configured

to receive the monitoring signal from the integrated battery monitor, and

to control the energy transfer system to charge the integrated battery of the electroactive medical device according to the monitoring signal received from the integrated battery monitor.

12. The powered case of claim 11, wherein:

the energizing controller is configured to receive the monitoring signal from the integrated battery monitor by at least one of

a contact signaling, and

a non-contact signaling.

13. The powered case of claim 11, wherein:

the energizing controller is configured to control the energy transfer system to charge the integrated battery of the electroactive medical device by at least one of

an intermittent charging protocol; and

a continuous charging protocol over one or more time intervals.

14. A medical device system, comprising:

an implantable electroactive medical device, including an integrated battery; and

a powered medical device storage case, including

a case, configured to hold the electroactive medical device with the integrated battery after manufacture of the electroactive medical device and before implantation of the electroactive medical device;

an energizing system, configured to provide electric energy; and

an energy transfer system, configured

to receive energy from the energizing system; and

to transfer the received energy to the integrated battery of the electroactive medical device; and

an energizing controller, configured to control the transfer of energy from the energizing system by the energy transfer system to the integrated battery of the implantable electroactive medical device to at least partially compensate a discharging of the integrated battery after manufacture and before implantation of the implantable electroactive medical device.

15. The medical device system of claim 14, wherein:

the implantable electroactive medical device is one of an electroactive Intra Ocular Lens, a pacemaker, an implantable drug delivery system, a neuro-stimulator, an in-vivo sensor, and a medical device with a rechargeable battery.