Using wireless power transfer coils for inductive telemetry
The present disclosure generally relates to wireless power transfer systems, and more specifically, relates to using a wireless power system for inductive telemetry communications. Accordingly, the present disclosure describes providing an inductive telemetry control signal to the wireless power coils associated with a transcutaneous energy transfer system to generate a telemetry communication signal. The transcutaneous energy transfer system includes a wireless power transfer transmit coil and a wireless power transfer receive coil. The telemetry communication signal may be transmitted from the wireless power transfer receive coil to the wireless power transfer transmit coil, as well as from the wireless power transfer transmit coil to the wireless power transfer receive coil for bidirectional communication.
1 . A method, comprising:
providing a telemetry control signal to a transmit circuitry of a controller associated with a transcutaneous energy transfer system for an implantable device, wherein the telemetry control signal is a voltage;
generating the telemetry control signal to a wireless power transfer receive coil of the transcutaneous energy transfer system to induce a resonant voltage in the wireless power transfer receive coil, wherein the induced resonant voltage generates an inductive telemetry communication signal; and
transmitting the inductive telemetry communication signal from the wireless power transfer receive coil to a wireless power transfer transmit coil of the transcutaneous energy transfer system, wherein power is transferred between the wireless power transfer transmit coil and the wireless power transfer receive coil at a frequency, and wherein the inductive telemetry communication signal is transmitted from the wireless power transfer receive coil to the wireless power transfer transmit coil at a harmonic of the frequency.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising detecting an operating state of the transcutaneous energy transfer system.
3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising providing the telemetry control signal to the transmit circuitry of the controller based, at least in part, on the operating state of the transcutaneous energy transfer system.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the telemetry control signal is in a range between 0.5 volts to 5 volts.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the controller is associated with the implantable device.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the telemetry control signal is provided to the transmit circuitry of the controller based, at least in part, on a detected operating state of the implantable device.
7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the telemetry control signal is provided to the transmit circuitry of the controller based, at least in part, on a detected operating state of a communication system associated with the implantable device.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said providing the telemetry control signal to the transmit circuitry includes the telemetry control signal being selected from a group consisting of a step voltage, a ramp voltage, and a piecewise linear edge voltage.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said transmitting the inductive telemetry communication signal from the wireless power transfer receive coil to the wireless power transfer transmit coil includes the inductive telemetry communication signal being a bi-directional inductive telemetry communication signal.
10 . A transcutaneous energy transfer system for an implantable device, comprising:
a wireless power transfer transmit coil;
a wireless power transfer receive coil; and
a controller associated with the wireless power transfer receive coil, the controller associated with the transcutaneous energy transfer system including a transmit circuitry and a receive circuitry, the controller configured to
generate a telemetry control signal to the wireless power transfer receive coil to induce a resonant voltage in the wireless power transfer receive coil, wherein the telemetry control signal is a voltage, the induced resonant voltage generating an inductive telemetry communication signal; and
transmit the inductive telemetry communication signal from the wireless power transfer receive coil to the wireless power transfer transmit coil, wherein power is transferred between the wireless power transfer transmit coil and the wireless power transfer receive coil at a frequency, and wherein the inductive telemetry communication signal is transmitted from the wireless power transfer receive coil to the wireless power transfer transmit coil at a harmonic of the frequency.
11 . The transcutaneous energy transfer system of claim 10 , wherein the telemetry control signal is in a range between 0.5 volts to 5 volts.
12 . The transcutaneous energy transfer system of claim 10 , wherein the controller detects an operating state of the transcutaneous energy transfer system.
13 . The transcutaneous energy transfer system of claim 10 further comprising a processing system associated with the wireless power transfer transmit coil for processing the inductive telemetry communication signal.
14 . The transcutaneous energy transfer system of claim 10 wherein the wireless power transfer transmit coil is configured to transmit a second inductive telemetry communication signal to the wireless power transfer receive coil in response to a second telemetry control signal being received by the controller associated with the wireless power transfer transmit coil.
15 . The transcutaneous energy transfer system of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to generate the telemetry control signal to the wireless power transfer receive coil to induce the resonant voltage in the wireless power transfer receive coil, wherein the telemetry control signal is selected from a group consisting of a step voltage, a ramp voltage, and a piecewise linear edge voltage.
16 . A method, comprising:
detecting an operating state of a communication system associated with an implantable device, the implantable device having a transcutaneous energy transfer system, the transcutaneous energy transfer system including a wireless power transfer transmit coil and a wireless power transfer receive coil;
in response to detecting the operating state of the communication system, providing a telemetry control signal to a transmit circuitry of a controller associated with the transcutaneous energy transfer system,
wherein the telemetry control signal is a voltage;
generating the telemetry control signal to the wireless power transfer receive coil to induce a resonant voltage in the wireless power transfer receive coil, wherein the induced resonant voltage generates an inductive telemetry communication signal; and
transmitting the inductive telemetry communication signal from the wireless power transfer receive coil to the wireless power transfer transmit coil, wherein power is transferred between the wireless power transfer transmit coil and the wireless power transfer receive coil at a frequency, and wherein the inductive telemetry communication signal is transmitted from the wireless power transfer receive coil to the wireless power transfer transmit coil at a harmonic of the frequency.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the telemetry control signal is in a range between 0.5 volts to 5 volts.
18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the telemetry control signal is provided to the transmit circuitry of the controller based, at least in part, on a detected operating state of the implantable device.
19 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising providing the inductive telemetry communication signal to a processing system associated with the implantable device.
20 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising causing a wireless transfer of the power between the wireless power transfer transmit coil and the wireless power transfer receive coil to cease when the inductive telemetry communication signal is transmitted from the wireless power transfer receive coil to the wireless power transfer transmit coil.