Temperature sensing of implanted wireless recharge coil

A transcutaneous energy transfer system (TETS), comprising:

• an external transmission coil in communication with an external controller;
• an implantable controller including an internal power supply, the implantable controller configured to be implanted at a first location within a patient;
• an implantable receiving coil configured to be implanted at a second location within a patient that is separate from the first location, the implantable receiving coil electrically coupled to the implantable controller by a cable, wherein the implantable receiving coil is configured to be inductively powered through the patient's skin by the external transmission coil disposed on the outside/exterior of the patient's body and to electrically recharge the internal power supply of the implantable controller through the cable while the implantable receiving coil is being inductively powered;
• and
• a hermetically sealed package in contact with the implantable receiving coil and coupled to the implantable controller by the cable, the hermetically sealed package including:
• a plurality of tuning capacitors;
• at least one temperature sensor, the at least one temperature sensor being configured to measure a temperature of the hermetically sealed package;
• scavenging circuitry being configured to scavenge power from the plurality of tuning capacitors to power a temperature measuring circuit;
• and
• the temperature measuring circuit in communication with the at least one temperature sensor and the scavenging circuitry,
• wherein the temperature measuring circuit is configured to transmit the temperature measured by the at least one temperature sensor to the implantable controller through the cable.

A transcutaneous energy transfer system (TETS), comprising:

• an external transmission coil in communication with an external controller;
• an implantable controller including an internal power supply, the implantable controller configured to be implanted at a first location within a patient;
• an implantable receiving coil configured to be implanted at a second location within a patient that is separate from the first location, the implantable receiving coil electrically coupled to the implantable controller by a cable, wherein the implantable receiving coil is configured to be inductively powered through the patient's skin by the external transmission coil disposed on the outside/exterior of the patient's body and to electrically recharge the internal power supply of the implantable controller through the cable while the implantable receiving coil is being inductively powered;
• and
• a hermetically sealed package in contact with the implantable receiving coil and coupled to the implantable controller by the cable, the hermetically sealed package being composed of at least one selected from a group including glass, titanium, sapphire, and ceramic materials, the hermetically sealed package including:
• a plurality of tuning capacitors;
• at least one temperature sensor being configured to measure a temperature of the hermetically sealed package, the temperature of the hermetically sealed package measured by the at least one temperature sensor is indicative of a degree of alignment between the implantable receiving coil and the external transmission coil;
• scavenging circuitry being configured to scavenge power from the plurality of tuning capacitors to power a temperature measuring circuit;
• and
• a temperature measuring circuit in communication with the at least one temperature sensor and the scavenging circuitry,
• wherein the temperature measuring circuit is configured to transmit through the cable the temperature measured by the at least one temperature sensor to the implantable controller on an RF modulated carrier signal, the RF modulated carrier signal having at least one frequency band selected from the group including ISM frequency bands and MICS frequency bands, wherein the selected at least one frequency band being higher than a power transfer frequency between the implantable receiving coil and an external transmission coil,
• the implantable controller being further configured to perform at least one operation selected from a group including:
• reduce battery charging, disable battery charging, and transmit an alert to the external controller, when the temperature measured by the at least one temperature sensor of the hermetically sealed package exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature between 43° C. and 65° C., the alert being at least one selected from a group including an audible alert notification, a visual alert notification, and a tactile alert notification to correct the degree of alignment between the implantable receiving coil and the external transmission coil.