SUMMARY
UCLA researchers in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have developed a successive approximation scheme for energy-harvesting implantable medical devices that offers real-time adaptability to ever-changing dielectric environments and loading conditions while operating in a low (µW) power range.
BACKGROUND
Wireless power transfer has emerged as a ubiquitous tool for charging devices. This technology is particularly powerful when applied to charging inaccessible devices such as implantable medical devices (IMDs). Traditional IMDs consume high power (mW to W) and require invasive techniques to facilitate re-charging, which makes lower energy consuming devices more attractive for enhanced patient care. However, low power IMDs suffer from vulnerability to resonance variations introduced through normal usage such as body movement, varying loading conditions, and buildup of scar tissue. Therefore, there is a need to adapt IMDs to changing environment conditions while operating in the low (µW) power regime.
INNOVATION
UCLA researchers in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have developed a 13.56 MHz inductive power receiver system-on-a-chip to drive implantable medical devices (IMDs). The system addressed the challenges of resonance variations in energy-harvesting, while operating IMDs at a low power consumption (few-µW to hundreds-µW). The system-on-a-chip had a cascaded approach to overcome the power-consuming resonance variations. The system rapidly reached optimal capacitance compensation with negligible power consumption overhead. The real-time adaptability of the scheme could improve the power link efficiency of IMDs by orders of magnitude while responding to ever-changing dielectric conditions in the body.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
ADVANTAGES
STATUS OF DEVELOPMENT
Prototype demonstrated.