Patent ID: 7599743
Filing Date: 2009-10-06
Classification: A61N

Abstract:
1. A transcutaneous energy transfer (TET) system for communicating energy from the exterior of a patient to an internal implant, comprising: a) an external primary power supply; b) an external primary resonant circuit energized by the primary power supply and including an annular primary coil in electrical communication with capacitance to form a resonant tank circuit having peak resonance at or below 100 kHz, the annular primary coil further comprising: c) an internal electrical load comprising a device implantable within the patient; and d) an internal secondary resonant circuit implantable within the patient and including an annular secondary coil in electrical communication with the annular primary coil to form a resonant tank circuit having peak resonance at or below 100 kHz and to receive TET power from the annular primary coil for powering the internal electrical load, the annular secondary coil further comprising: wherein when the annular secondary coil is implanted within the patient with the exterior secondary diameter substantially parallel to and spaced internally away from the skin, the annular primary coil and the elongate ferrite core are oriented above the skin of the patient with the longitudinal axis of the elongate ferrite core oriented substantially coaxially with the primary center axis of the annular primary coil and with the secondary center axis of the implanted annular secondary coil, and with the annular primary coil and the annular secondary coil substantially perpendicularly aligned with the longitudinal axis, and the annular primary coil is energized to communicate directly with the implanted annular secondary annular coil via an elliptical toroidal electromagnetic energy field, wherein the elongate ferrite core elongates the elliptical toroidal electromagnetic energy field above and below the annular primary coil and along the longitudinal axis to transfer energy directly to the annular secondary coil and the energy transfer is optimized by the elongation of the toroidal electromagnetic energy field to maximize the power transmission and to maximize implant depth for operative transfer of energy from the external annular primary coil to the annular secondary coil when the annular secondary coil is implanted in a patient.