Miniaturised Wireless Power Transfer Systems for Neurostimulation: A Review

In neurostimulation, wireless power transfer is an efficient technology to overcome several limitations affecting medical devices currently used in clinical practice. Several methods were developed over the years for wireless power transfer. In this review article, we report and discuss the three most relevant methodologies for extremely miniaturised implantable neurostimulator: ultrasound coupling, inductive coupling and capacitive coupling. For each powering method, the discussion starts describing the physical working principle. In particular, we focus on the challenges given by the miniaturisation of the implanted integrated circuits and the related ad-hoc solutions for wireless power transfer. Then, we present recent developments and progresses in wireless power transfer for biomedical applications. Last, we compare each technique based on key performance indicators to highlight the most relevant and innovative solutions suitable for neurostimulation, with the gaze turned towards miniaturisation

Past, Present and Future Trends of Non-Radiative Wireless Power Transfer

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Wireless Power Transfer For Biomedical Applications

In this research wireless power transfer using near-field inductive coupling is studied and investigated. The focus is on delivering power to implantable biomedical devices. The objective of this research is to optimize the size and performance of the implanted wireless biomedical sensors by: (1) proposing a hybrid multiband communication system for implantable devices that combines wireless communication link and power transfer, and (2) optimizing the wireless power delivery system. Wireless data and power links are necessary for many implanted biomedical devices such as biosensors, neural recording and stimulation devices, and drug delivery and monitoring systems. The contributions from this research work are summarized as follows: 1. Development of a combination of inductive power transfer and antenna system. 2. Design and optimization of novel microstrip antenna that may resonate at different ultra-high frequency bands including 415 MHz, 905 MHz, and 1300MHz. These antennas may be used to transfer power through radiation or send/receive data. 3. Design of high-frequency coil (13.56 MHz) to transfer power and optimization of the parameters for best efficiency. 4. Study of the performance of the hybrid antenna/coil system at various depths inside a body tissue model. 5. Minimizing the coupling effect between the coil and the antenna through addressed by optimizing their dimensions. 6. Study of the effects of lateral and angular misalignment on a hybrid compact system consisting of coil and antenna, as well as design and optimize the coilâs geometry which can provide maximum power efficiency under misalignment conditions. 7. Address the effects of receiver bending of a hybrid power transfer and communication system on the communication link budget and the transmitted power. 8. Study the wireless power transfer safety and security systems

Near-field baseband communication system for use in biomedical implants

This thesis introduces the reader to the near-field baseband pulse radio communication for biomedical implants. It details the design and implementation of the complete communication system with a particular emphasis on the antenna structure and waveform coding that is compatible with this particular technology. The wireless communication system has great employability in small pill-sized biomedical diagnostic devices offering the advantages of low power consumption and easy integration with SoC and lab-in-a-pill technologies. The greatest challenge was the choice of antenna that had to be made to effectively transmit the pulses. A systematic approach has been carried out in arriving at the most suitable antenna for efficient emanation of pulses and the fields around it are analysed electromagnetically using a commercially available software. A magnetic antenna can be used to transmit the information from inside a human body to the outside world. The performance of the above antenna was evaluated in a salt solution of different concentrations which is similar to a highly conductive lossy medium like a human body. Near-field baseband pulse transmission is a waveform transmission scheme wherein the pulse shape is crucial for decoding information at the receiver. This demands a new approach to the antenna design, both at the transmitter and the receiver. The antenna had to be analysed in the time-domain to know its effects on the pulse and an expression for the antenna bandwidth has been proposed in this thesis. The receiving antenna should be able to detect very short pulses and while doing so has to also maintain the pulse shape with minimal distortion. Different loading congurations were explored to determine the most feasible one for receiving very short pulses. Return-to-zero (RZ), Non-return-zero (NRZ) and Manchester coded pulse waveforms were tested for their compatibility and performance with the near-field baseband pulse radio communication. It was concluded that Manchester coded waveform are perfectly suited for this particular near-field communication technology. Pulse interval modulation was also investigated and the findings suggested that it was easier to implement and had a high throughput rate too. A simple receiver algorithm has been suggested and practically tested on a digital signal processor. There is further scope for research to develop complex signal processing algorithms at the receiver

Wireless Technologies for Implantable Devices

Wireless technologies are incorporated in implantable devices since at least the 1950s. With remote data collection and control of implantable devices, these wireless technologies help researchers and clinicians to better understand diseases and to improve medical treatments. Today, wireless technologies are still more commonly used for research, with limited applications in a number of clinical implantable devices. Recent development and standardization of wireless technologies present a good opportunity for their wider use in other types of implantable devices, which will significantly improve the outcomes of many diseases or injuries. This review briefly describes some common wireless technologies and modern advancements, as well as their strengths and suitability for use in implantable medical devices. The applications of these wireless technologies in treatments of orthopedic and cardiovascular injuries and disorders are described. This review then concludes with a discussion on the technical challenges and potential solutions of implementing wireless technologies in implantable devices

A Novel Power-Efficient Wireless Multi-channel Recording System for the Telemonitoring of Electroencephalography (EEG)

This research introduces the development of a novel EEG recording system that is modular, batteryless, and wireless (untethered) with the supporting theoretical foundation in wireless communications and related design elements and circuitry. Its modular construct overcomes the EEG scaling problem and makes it easier for reconfiguring the hardware design in terms of the number and placement of electrodes and type of standard EEG system contemplated for use. In this development, portability, lightweight, and applicability to other clinical applications that rely on EEG data are sought. Due to printer tolerance, the 3D printed cap consists of 61 electrode placements. This recording capacity can however extend from 21 (as in the international 10-20 systems) up to 61 EEG channels at sample rates ranging from 250 to 1000 Hz and the transfer of the raw EEG signal using a standard allocated frequency as a data carrier. The main objectives of this dissertation are to (1) eliminate the need for heavy mounted batteries, (2) overcome the requirement for bulky power systems, and (3) avoid the use of data cables to untether the EEG system from the subject for a more practical and less restrictive setting. Unpredictability and temporal variations of the EEG input make developing a battery-free and cable-free EEG reading device challenging. Professional high-quality and high-resolution analog front ends are required to capture non-stationary EEG signals at microvolt levels. The primary components of the proposed setup are the wireless power transmission unit, which consists of a power amplifier, highly efficient resonant-inductive link, rectification, regulation, and power management units, as well as the analog front end, which consists of an analog to digital converter, pre-amplification unit, filtering unit, host microprocessor, and the wireless communication unit. These must all be compatible with the rest of the system and must use the least amount of power possible while minimizing the presence of noise and the attenuation of the recorded signal A highly efficient resonant-inductive coupling link is developed to decrease power transmission dissipation. Magnetized materials were utilized to steer electromagnetic flux and decrease route and medium loss while transmitting the required energy with low dissipation. Signal pre-amplification is handled by the front-end active electrodes. Standard bio-amplifier design approaches are combined to accomplish this purpose, and a thorough investigation of the optimum ADC, microcontroller, and transceiver units has been carried out. We can minimize overall system weight and power consumption by employing battery-less and cable-free EEG readout system designs, consequently giving patients more comfort and freedom of movement. Similarly, the solutions are designed to match the performance of medical-grade equipment. The captured electrical impulses using the proposed setup can be stored for various uses, including classification, prediction, 3D source localization, and for monitoring and diagnosing different brain disorders. All the proposed designs and supporting mathematical derivations were validated through empirical and software-simulated experiments. Many of the proposed designs, including the 3D head cap, the wireless power transmission unit, and the pre-amplification unit, are already fabricated, and the schematic circuits and simulation results were based on Spice, Altium, and high-frequency structure simulator (HFSS) software. The fully integrated head cap to be fabricated would require embedding the active electrodes into the 3D headset and applying current technological advances to miniaturize some of the design elements developed in this dissertation

Wireless powering efficiency assessment for deep-body implantable devices

Several frequency-dependent mechanisms restrict the maximum achievable efficiency for wireless powering implantable bioelectric devices. Similarly, many mathematical formulations have been proposed to evaluate the effect of these mechanisms as well as predict this maximum efficiency and the corresponding optimum frequency. However, most of these methods consider a simplified model, and they cannot tackle some realistic aspects of implantable wireless power transfer. Therefore, this paper proposed a novel approach that can analyze the efficiency in anatomical models and provide insightful information on achieving this optimum operation. First, this approach is validated with a theoretical spherical wave expansion analysis, and the results for a simplified spherical model and a bidimensional human pectoral model are compared. Results have shown that even though a magnetic receiver outperforms an electric one for near-field operation and both sources could be equally employed in far-field range, it is in mid-field that the maximum efficiency is achieved, with an optimum frequency between 1-5 GHz, depending on the implantation depth. In addition, the receiver orientation is another factor that affects the efficiency, with a maximum difference between the best and worst-case scenarios around five times for an electric source and over 13 times for the magnetic one. Finally, this approach is used to analyze the case of a wirelessly powered deep-implanted pacemaker by an on-body transmitter and to establish the parameters that lead to the maximum achievable efficiency

State-of-the-Art Developments of Acoustic Energy Transfer

Acoustic energy transfer (AET) technology has drawn significant industrial attention recently. This paper presents the reviews of the existing AETs sequentially, preferably, from the early stage. From the review, it is evident that, among all the classes of wireless energy transfer, AET is the safest technology to adopt. Thus, it is highly recommended for sensitive area and devices, especially implantable devices. Though, the efficiency for relatively long distances (i.e., >30 mm) is less than that of inductive or capacitive power transfer; however, the trade-off between safety considerations and performances is highly suitable and better than others. From the presented statistics, it is evident that AET is capable of transmitting 1.068 kW and 5.4 W of energy through wall and in-body medium (implants), respectively. Progressively, the AET efficiency can reach up to 88% in extension to 8.6 m separation distance which is even superior to that of inductive and capacitive power transfer

Ultrasound data communication system for bioelectronic medicines

PhD ThesisThe coming years may see the advent of distributed implantable devices to support bioelectronic medicinal treatments. Such treatments could be complementary and, in some cases, may even prove superior to pharmaceutical treatments for certain chronic disease conditions. Therefore, a significant research effort is being undertaken in the bioelectronics domain. Target conditions include diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, and arthritis. Modern active medical implantable devices require communications to transmit information to the outside world or other implantable sub-systems. This can include physiological data, diagnostics, and parameters to optimise the therapeutic protocol. However, the communication scheme can be very challenging especially for deeper devices. Challenges include absorption and scattering by tissue, and the need to ensure there are no undesirable heating effects. Wired connectivity is undesirable and tissue absorption of traditional radio frequency and optical methods mean that ultrasound communications have significant potential in this niche. In this thesis, a reliable and efficient ultrasonic communication telemetry is presented. An omnidirectional transducer has been employed to implement intra body communication inside a model of the human body. A prototype has been implemented to evaluate the system performance in saline and up to 30 distance between the transmitter and receiver. Short pulses sequences with guard intervals have been employed to minimise the multipath effect that leads to an increase in the bit and thus packet error rates with distance. Error detection and correction code have been employed to improve communication at a low signal to noise ratio. The data rate is limited to 0.6 due to the necessary guard intervals. Energy per bit and current consumption for the transmitter and receiver main parts are presented and discussed in terms of battery life. Transmission can be achieved at an energy cost of 642 per bit data packet using on/off power cycling in the electronics