Methods and apparatus for power conversion and data transmission in implantable sensors, stimulators, and actuators
View Patent ↗Implantable devices and/or sensors can be wirelessly powered by controlling and propagating electromagnetic waves in a patient's tissue. Such implantable devices/sensors can be implanted at target locations in a patient, to stimulate areas such as the heart, brain, spinal cord, or muscle tissue, and/or to sense biological, physiological, chemical attributes of the blood, tissue, and other patient parameters. In some embodiments, the implantable devices can include power management schemes that have one or more AC-DC conversion chains arranged and configured to rectify the induced alternating current or voltage into one or more energy domains. Methods of use are also described.
1. A wireless power system, comprising:
an external power transmitting module configured to manipulate evanescent fields outside of tissue to control propagating fields inside the tissue generating a spatially focusing and adaptive steering field inside the tissue; and
an implantable module configured to receive wireless power from the external power transmitting module via the spatially focusing and adaptive steering field, the implantable module including:
a coupler configured to induce an alternating current or voltage in the presence of electromagnetic fields or oscillating sound pressure waves;
a first AC-DC conversion chain configured to rectify the induced alternating current or voltage into a first DC current or voltage in a first energy domain;
a first DC load coupled to the first AC-DC conversion chain;
a second AC-DC conversion chain arranged in parallel with the first AC-DC conversion chain and configured to rectify the induced alternating current or voltage into a second DC current or voltage in a second energy domain; and
a second DC load coupled to the second AC-DC conversion chain.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first or second AC-DC conversion chain comprises a rectifier stage.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first or second AC-DC conversion chain comprises two or more rectifier stages.
4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first or second AC-DC conversion chain comprises a rectifier stage in series with a DC-DC conversion circuit.
5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first or second AC-DC conversion chain comprises two or more rectifier stages in series with a DC-DC conversion circuit.
6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first or second AC-DC conversion chain comprises a rectifier stage in parallel with a capacitor and a DC-DC conversion circuit, with a battery connected to an output of the DC-DC conversion circuit.
7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first or second AC-DC conversion chain comprises two or more rectifier stages in parallel with a capacitor and a DC-DC conversion circuit, with a battery connected to an output of the DC-DC conversion circuit.
8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first or second AC-DC conversion chain comprises a rectifier stage in series with a DC-DC conversion circuit and a battery.
9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first or second AC-DC conversion chain comprises two or more rectifier stages in series with a DC-DC conversion circuit and a battery.
10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first or second AC-DC conversion chain comprises a rectifier stage in series with a DC-DC conversion circuit, a battery, and a second DC-DC conversion circuit.
11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first or second AC-DC conversion chain comprises two or more rectifier stages in series with a DC-DC conversion circuit, a battery, and a second DC-DC conversion circuit.
12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first DC current or voltage in the first energy domain is optimized for the first DC load.
13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the second DC current or voltage in the first energy domain is optimized for the second DC load.
14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the first energy domain comprises a low-voltage domain.
15. The device of claim 13 , wherein the first DC load comprises sensor circuitry, digital logic, a data transceiver, an analog oscillator, or an analog clock.
16. The device of claim 14 , wherein the second energy domain comprises a high-voltage domain.
17. The device of claim 15 , wherein the second DC load comprises a battery, a stimulator, or an actuator.
18. The device of claim 1 , wherein the external power transmitting module includes one or more sub-wavelength structures configured to manipulate the evanescent fields outside the tissue to generate the spatially focusing and adaptive steering field inside the tissue.