CONTROL CIRCUIT FOR A BASE STATION FOR TRANSMITTING ENERGY TO A RECEIVER BY MEANS OF AN ELECTRIC RESONANT CIRCUIT, EVALUATION DEVICE, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20180131230A1
• Filed: 11/30/2015
• Published: 05/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2014
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Nyxoah SA
• Original Assignee: Nyxoah SA
• Inventors: Meller, Carsten, Koch, Timo
• Application Number:
  US15/533,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20180131230A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00029 externally powered, e.g. wireless
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36125 Details of circuitry or electric components
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37223 Circuits for electromagnetic coupling
• 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 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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: H02M 1/0058 by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/01 Resonant DC/DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/015 with means for adaptation of resonance frequency, e.g. by modification of capacitance or inductance of resonance circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33571 Half-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/4818 with means for adaptation of resonance frequency, e.g. by modification of capacitance or inductance of resonance circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments relate to a control circuit (202) for a base station (204) for transmitting energy to a receiver (206) by means of an electric resonant circuit (208; 300). The control circuit (202) comprises an evaluation device (210) which is designed to compare energy that has been transmitted to a receiver resonant circuit (212) of the receiver (206) with an energy set value. The control circuit (202) is designed to alter the energy input into the receiver resonant circuit (212) of the receiver (206) by altering a resonant frequency of the resonant circuit (208; 300) on the basis of the result of the comparison.

Claims

1-37. -37. (canceled)

38. A control circuit for a base station for transmission of energy to a recipient using an electrical oscillating circuit, the control circuit comprising:

an evaluation device, which is designed to compare the energy transmitted to a recipient oscillating circuit of the recipient with a desired energy value;

wherein the evaluation device is further designed to determine the energy transmitted based on a modulation property of a reverse coupling signal coupled with the electrical oscillating circuit; and

wherein the control circuit is designed to execute a modified energy entry in the recipient oscillating circuit of the recipient owing to a change, which is based on a result of the comparison, in a resonance frequency of the electrical oscillating circuit.

39. The control circuit of claim 38, wherein the recipient includes a medical implant.

40. The control circuit of claim 38 is designed to work against, at least partially, a change in coupling of the electrical oscillating circuit in the recipient oscillating circuit owing to a change in the resonance frequency of the electrical oscillating circuit.

41. The control circuit of claim 40 is designed to approximate the resonance frequency of the electrical oscillating circuit to a natural frequency of the recipient oscillating circuit if the transmitted energy is less than the desired energy value.

42. The control circuit of claim 40 is designed to take the resonance frequency of the electrical oscillating circuit away from a natural frequency of the recipient oscillating circuit if the transmitted energy is greater than the desired energy value.

43. The control circuit of claim 40 is designed to change the resonance frequency due to a change in an electric resistance in the electrical oscillating circuit.

44. The control circuit of claim 43 is designed to change the electric resistance by varying an excitation current, wherein the electric resistance is an effective resistance of the electrical oscillating circuit.

45. The control circuit of claim 44 is designed to change the electric resistance within a predefined time interval, wherein the predefined time interval is less than the oscillation period of the excitation current.

46. The control circuit of claim 45, further comprising:

a series circuit of a first electrical part and a second electrical part;

wherein the electrical oscillating circuit is coupled with an electricity conductive connection between the first electrical part and the second electrical part so that the excitation current is achieved by a first input signal of the first electrical part and/or a second input signal of the second electrical part.

47. The control circuit of claim 46, further comprising at least a first voltage source that is designed to generate the first input signal such that the first input signal has alternating rising or falling progression in a time interval and has a constant progression in another time interval.

48. The control circuit of claim 47, further comprising:

at least a second voltage source that is designed to generate the first second signal such that the second input signal has alternating rising or falling progression in a time interval and has a constant progression in another time interval;

wherein the rising progression of the first input signal coincides with the falling progression of the second input signal or the rising progression of the second input signal coincides with the falling progression of the first input signal.

49. The control circuit of claim 46 is designed such that the first electrical part is the first amplifier, the second electrical part is the second amplifier, the first input signal is the first input voltage, and the second input signal is the second input voltage.

50. The control circuit of claim 46 is designed such that the first electrical part is the first transistor, the second electrical part is the second transistor, the first input signal is the first control voltage, and the second input signal is the second control voltage.

51. The control circuit of claim 46, further comprising:

a series circuit of a third electrical part and a fourth electrical part;

wherein the electrical oscillating circuit is coupled with a bridge branch between an electricity conductive connection between the first electrical part and the second electrical part and a electricity conductive connection between the third electrical part and the fourth electrical part so that the excitation current is achieved by a first input signal, the second input signal, a third input signal of the third electrical part, and/or a fourth input signal of the fourth electrical part.

55. A system, comprising the recipient of claim 38 and the base station of claim 53, wherein the recipient is designed to receive the energy signal and send the reverse coupling signal.

56. An evaluation device to determine energy transmitted by an electrical oscillating circuit of a base station to a recipient oscillating circuit of a medical implant, the evaluation device comprising:

an analyser that is designed to determine a modulation property of a signal arising in the electrical oscillating circuit of the base station and to determine the energy transmitted to the recipient oscillating circuit based on this modulation property.

57. The evaluation device of claim 56, wherein the analyser includes a demodulator that is designed to determine the modulation property of the signal with the help of demodulation.