Coplanar energy transfer

• US 9,343,224 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leviticus Cardio Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Leviticus Cardio Ltd.
• Inventors: Zilbershlag, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thienvu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Baxter, Brian K
• Application Number:
  US13/588,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20130043736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8243 by induction
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/148 in line with a blood vessel using resection or like techniques, e.g. permanent endovascular heart assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/178 drawing blood from a ventricle and returning the blood to the arterial system via a cannula external to the ventricle, e.g. left or right ventricular assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/873 specially adapted for wireless or transcutaneous energy transfer [TET], e.g. inductive charging
• 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: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10

Abstract

An external transmitter inductive coil can be provided in, on, or with a belt designed to be placed externally around a part of a body of a patient. An implantable device (such as a VAD or other medical device) that is implanted within the patient'"'"'s body has associated with a receiver inductive coil that gets implanted within that part of the patient'"'"'s body along with the device. The externally-located transmitter inductive coil inductively transfers electromagnetic power into that part of the body and thus to the receiver inductive coil. The implanted receiver inductive coil thus wirelessly receives the inductively-transferred electromagnetic power, and operates the implant.

Claims

1. A system for wirelessly powering an implantable ventricular assist device (VAD), comprising:

a transmitter inductive coil configured to be disposed externally around a part of a body of a patient within which the VAD is implanted and to inductively transfer electromagnetic power into that part of the body;

a receiver inductive coil associated with the VAD and configured to be implanted within that part of the patient'"'"'s body along with the VAD to wirelessly receive the inductively-transferred electromagnetic power and provide that received power to the VAD; and

a DC-to-DC converter configured to be implanted within the patient'"'"'s body along with the receiver inductive coil and the VAD, wherein the DC-to-DC converter automatically adjusts to provide a substantially constant and optimum load to the receiver inductive coil.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one capacitor is associated with the transmitter inductive coil to form a transceiver resonance structure.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one capacitor is associated with the receiver inductive coil to form a receiver resonance structure.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the transmitter inductive coil comprises a transceiver capable of both transmitting and receiving.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the DC-to-DC converter is located between a motor of the VAD and the receiver inductive coil.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the receiver inductive coil uses a coil of the VAD to adjust to an ideal working point of the receiver inductive coil.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a second receiver inductive coil and wherein the two receiver inductive coils are coupled in series and function together as a single receiver inductive coil.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the receiver inductive coil comprises a stent and wherein the stent is disposed in the aorta of the patient.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a circuit associated with the receiver inductive coil and wherein the circuit detects the resonance frequency of the receiver inductive coil and locks the resonance frequency of the transmitter inductive coil to the resonance frequency of the receiver inductive coil.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising a circuit associated with the transmitter inductive coil and wherein the circuit compensates and keeps the resonance frequency of the transmitter inductive coil locked to the resonance frequency of the receiver inductive coil when the shape and thus the impedance of the transmitter inductive coil changes.

11. A system for wirelessly powering an implantable ventricular assist device (VAD), comprising:

a transmitter inductive coil configured to be disposed externally around a part of a body of a patient within which the VAD is implanted and to inductively transfer electromagnetic power into that part of the body; and

a receiver inductive coil associated with the VAD and configured to be implanted within that part of the patient'"'"'s body along with the VAD to wirelessly receive the inductively-transferred electromagnetic power and provide that received power to the VAD, wherein the receiver inductive coil is disposed in the pericardium and under the heart of the patient.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein at least one capacitor is associated with the transmitter inductive coil to form a transceiver resonance structure.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein at least one capacitor is associated with the receiver inductive coil to form a receiver resonance structure.

14. The system of claim 11 further comprising a second receiver inductive coil and wherein the two receiver inductive coils are coupled in series and function together as a single receiver inductive coil.

15. The system of claim 11 further comprising a circuit associated with the receiver inductive coil and wherein the circuit detects the resonance frequency of the receiver inductive coil and locks the resonance frequency of the transmitter inductive coil to the resonance frequency of the receiver inductive coil.

16. The system of claim 11 further comprising a circuit associated with the transmitter inductive coil and wherein the circuit compensates and keeps the resonance frequency of the transmitter inductive coil locked to the resonance frequency of the receiver inductive coil when the shape and thus the impedance of the transmitter inductive coil changes.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the transmitter inductive coil comprises a transceiver capable of both transmitting and receiving.

18. A system for wirelessly powering an implantable ventricular assist device (VAD), comprising:

a transmitter inductive coil configured to be disposed externally around a part of a body of a patient within which the VAD is implanted and to inductively transfer electromagnetic power into that part of the body; and

a receiver inductive coil associated with the VAD and configured to be implanted within that part of the patient'"'"'s body along with the VAD to wirelessly receive the inductively-transferred electromagnetic power and provide that received power to the VAD, wherein the receiver inductive coil is disposed in the pleural cavity of the patient.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein at least one capacitor is associated with the transmitter inductive coil to form a transceiver resonance structure.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein at least one capacitor is associated with the receiver inductive coil to form a receiver resonance structure.

21. The system of claim 18 further comprising a second receiver inductive coil and wherein the two receiver inductive coils are coupled in series and function together as a single receiver inductive coil.

22. The system of claim 18 further comprising a circuit associated with the receiver inductive coil and wherein the circuit detects the resonance frequency of the receiver inductive coil and locks the resonance frequency of the transmitter inductive coil to the resonance frequency of the receiver inductive coil.

23. The system of claim 18 further comprising a circuit associated with the transmitter inductive coil and wherein the circuit compensates and keeps the resonance frequency of the transmitter inductive coil locked to the resonance frequency of the receiver inductive coil when the shape and thus the impedance of the transmitter inductive coil changes.

24. The system of claim 18 wherein the transmitter inductive coil comprises a transceiver capable of both transmitting and receiving.

25. A system for wirelessly powering an implantable ventricular assist device (VAD), comprising:

a transmitter inductive coil configured to be disposed externally around a part of a body of a patient within which the VAD is implanted and to inductively transfer electromagnetic power into that part of the body;

a receiver inductive coil associated with the VAD and configured to be implanted within that part of the patient'"'"'s body along with the VAD to wirelessly receive the inductively-transferred electromagnetic power and provide that received power to the VAD; and

a second receiver inductive coil, wherein one of the receiver inductive coils is disposed in a left pleural cavity of the patient and the other receiver inductive coil is disposed in a right pleural cavity of the patient.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein at least one capacitor is associated with the transmitter inductive coil to form a transceiver resonance structure.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein at least one capacitor is associated with the receiver inductive coil to form a receiver resonance structure.

28. The system of claim 25 further comprising a second receiver inductive coil and wherein the two receiver inductive coils are coupled in series and function together as a single receiver inductive coil.

29. The system of claim 25 further comprising a circuit associated with the receiver inductive coil and wherein the circuit detects the resonance frequency of the receiver inductive coil and locks the resonance frequency of the transmitter inductive coil to the resonance frequency of the receiver inductive coil.

30. The system of claim 25 further comprising a circuit associated with the transmitter inductive coil and wherein the circuit compensates and keeps the resonance frequency of the transmitter inductive coil locked to the resonance frequency of the receiver inductive coil when the shape and thus the impedance of the transmitter inductive coil changes.

31. The system of claim 25 wherein the transmitter inductive coil comprises a transceiver capable of both transmitting and receiving.

32. A system for wirelessly powering a ventricular assist device (VAD) implanted within a body of a patient, comprising:

a transmitter inductive coil configured to be disposed external to a part of the body of the patient, the transmitter inductive coil configured to inductively transfer electromagnetic power into that part of the body; and

a receiver inductive coil associated with the VAD and configured to be implanted within that part of the patient'"'"'s body to wirelessly receive the inductively-transferred electromagnetic power from the transmitter inductive coil and provide that received power to the VAD, wherein the receiver inductive coil is disposed in the pleural cavity of the patient or is disposed in the pericardium and under the heart of the patient.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein at least one capacitor is associated with the transmitter inductive coil to form a transceiver resonance structure.

34. The system of claim 32 wherein at least one capacitor is associated with the receiver inductive coil to form a receiver resonance structure.

35. The system of claim 32 further comprising a second receiver inductive coil and wherein the two receiver inductive coils are coupled in series and function together as a single receiver inductive coil.

36. The system of claim 32 further comprising a circuit associated with the receiver inductive coil and wherein the circuit detects the resonance frequency of the receiver inductive coil and locks the resonance frequency of the transmitter inductive coil to the resonance frequency of the receiver inductive coil.

37. The system of claim 32 further comprising a circuit associated with the transmitter inductive coil and wherein the circuit compensates and keeps the resonance frequency of the transmitter inductive coil locked to the resonance frequency of the receiver inductive coil when the shape and thus the impedance of the transmitter inductive coil changes.

38. The system of claim 32 wherein the transmitter inductive coil comprises a transceiver capable of both transmitting and receiving.

39. The system of claim 32 wherein the transmitter inductive coil is configured to be disposed externally around the part of the body of the patient.

40. The system of claim 32 further comprising a DC-to-DC converter configured to be implanted within the patient'"'"'s body along with the receiver inductive coil and the VAD, wherein the DC-to-DC converter automatically adjusts to provide a substantially constant and optimum load to the receiver inductive coil.

41. The system of claim 40 wherein the DC-to-DC converter is located between a motor of the VAD and the receiver inductive coil.

42. The system of claim 32 wherein the receiver inductive coil uses a coil of the VAD to adjust to an ideal working point of the receiver inductive coil.

43. The system of claim 32 further comprising a second receiver inductive coil, wherein one of the receiver inductive coils is disposed in a left pleural cavity of the patient and the other receiver inductive coil is disposed in a right pleural cavity of the patient.