Transcutaneous energy transfer with circuitry arranged to avoid overheating
AssigneeThoratec Corporation
InventorsAlexander Dolgin, Thomas C. Rintoul
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device, system and method for transcutaneous energy transfer (TET). Implanted circuitry suitable for conditioning the power delivered transcutaneously may be constructed in planar fashion, may be located in or near an implanted coil, and may be oriented such that the plane of the circuitry is substantially tangent to the lines of magnetic flux. The orientation of the circuitry may reduce eddy currents and their potentially harmful effects.
Claims28
A device for use in transcutaneous energy transfer, comprising:
- a coil for subcutaneous placement within a human, and
- circuitry that is electrically connected to the coil, and configured to conduct current induced in the coil,
- wherein a major plane of the circuitry is oriented substantially perpendicular to a major plane of the coil, thereby reducing the generation of eddy currents within the circuitry while current is conducting in the coil.
A transcutaneous energy transfer system, comprising
- a primary coil for placement external to the skin, the coil suitable for carrying a time-varying current,
- a current source arranged in series with the primary coil, comprising a power supply and power circuitry capable of delivering an electric current to the primary coil to produce magnetic flux,
- a secondary coil for subcutaneous placement, the coil suitable for carrying a current induced by the magnetic flux, and
- substantially planar conditioning circuitry that is electrically coupled to the secondary coil and conducts current induced in the secondary coil,
- wherein the plane of the conditioning circuitry is oriented substantially perpendicular to the a major plane of the secondary coil.
A method for delivering energy transcutaneously, the method comprising:
- placing a primary coil external to the skin, the primary coil being electrically coupled to a power supply capable of delivering time-varying current to the primary coil,
- determining the orientation of magnetic flux lines principally caused by time-varying current circulating in the primary coil,
- constructing conditioning circuitry in substantially planar fashion, and
- placing a secondary coil beneath the skin, the secondary coil being electrically connected to the conditioning circuitry and the conditioning circuitry oriented substantially tangent to the lines of magnetic flux.
The method of 25, further comprising encapsulating the secondary coil and the conditioning circuitry within a casing composed of biocompatible material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.