Thermal management of prostheses

Abstract

An apparatus comprising an inductive power transfer device, wherein the apparatus comprises a dedicated heat transfer arrangement configured to transfer heat generated when transferring power using the apparatus away from the apparatus, and the apparatus is configured to inductively transfer power into a human body. The apparatus can be a hearing prosthesis component.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 086,356, filed October 1, 2020, entitled HEAT MANAGEMENT OF PROSTHESES, inventor Guilhem Yvan VAVELIN (Mougins, France), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Technology

[0003] Over the past few decades, medical devices have provided a wide range of therapeutic benefits to recipients. Medical devices can include internal or implantable components / devices, external or wearable components / devices, or combinations thereof (e.g., devices having an external component that communicates with the implantable component). Medical devices, such as conventional hearing aids, partially or fully implantable hearing prostheses (e.g., bone conduction devices, mechanical stimulators, cochlear implants, etc.), pacemakers, defibrillators, functional electrical stimulation devices, and other medical devices, have been successful for many years in performing life-saving and / or lifestyle improvement functions and / or recipient monitoring.

[0004] Over the years, the types of medical devices and the range of functions they perform have increased. For example, many medical devices, sometimes referred to as “implantable medical devices,” now typically include one or more instruments, devices, sensors, processors, controllers, or other functional mechanical or electrical components that are permanently or temporarily implanted into a recipient’s body. These functional devices are typically used to diagnose, prevent, monitor, treat, or manage diseases / injuries or their symptoms, or to study, replace, or modify anatomical structures or physiological processes. Many of these functional devices utilize power and / or data received from an external device that is part of or operates in conjunction with the implantable component. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to an exemplary embodiment, there is an apparatus that includes an inductive power transmission device, wherein the apparatus includes a dedicated heat transfer arrangement configured to transfer heat generated when the device is used to transmit power away from the device, and the device is configured to transmit inductive power percutaneously into the human body.

[0006] According to another exemplary embodiment, there is a method comprising placing a percutaneous power delivery device on the surface of the skin near a location of an implantable medical device; delivering power from the device to the implantable medical device; and transferring heat away from the location while delivering power from the device to the medical device or cooling at least one of the percutaneous power delivery devices before delivering power from the device to the medical device.

[0007] In another exemplary embodiment, there is a method comprising obtaining a device configured to percutaneously charge and / or power an implanted prosthesis implanted in a recipient, the device having a rechargeable power storage component, drawing power from the rechargeable power storage component to charge and / or power the implanted prosthesis, the power storage component having a state of charge less than fully charged; and recharging the power storage component to improve the state of charge of the power storage component, wherein the device is actively cooled during the recharging action such that the temperature of the outer surface of the device at the interface with the human skin is lower than the temperature in the absence of active cooling during the charging and / or powering of the implanted prosthesis.

[0008] In another exemplary embodiment, there is an apparatus comprising an inductive power transmission subsystem configured to deliver power to an implantable medical device, a skin interface surface, and a cooling subsystem configured to cool the skin interface surface.

[0009] In another exemplary embodiment, there is an apparatus that includes a battery charging device and a cooling device, wherein the apparatus is a dedicated prosthetic component charging device configured to recharge a power storage portion of the prosthetic component while cooling the component, the power storage portion being separate from the component.

[0010] In another exemplary embodiment, there is a head component of a hearing prosthesis, the head component comprising: a DC battery; an inductive power driver including a transistor configured to use the transistor to convert the DC power from the battery into AC power; a magnet; and an inductor coil extending around the magnet, wherein the inductor coil is in electrical communication with the inductive power driver such that the inductor coil receives AC power and generates an inductive field to power the implantable hearing prosthesis, wherein the inductor coil is made of a metal heat pipe configured to fluidly transfer heat away from the coil, the heat being generated when inductive power is transferred using the coil. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0012] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of an exemplary hearing prosthesis, wherein at least some of the teachings detailed herein apply;

[0013] Figure 1A It is a perspective view of an exemplary vision prosthesis, wherein at least some of the teachings herein apply;

[0014] Figure 2 Another exemplary hearing prosthesis is illustrated schematically, in which at least some of the teachings detailed herein apply;

[0015] Figure 3 Another exemplary hearing prosthesis is illustrated schematically, in which at least some of the teachings detailed herein apply;

[0016] Figure 4 Another exemplary hearing prosthesis is illustrated schematically, in which at least some of the teachings detailed herein apply;

[0017] Figure 5 Another exemplary hearing prosthesis is illustrated schematically, in which at least some of the teachings detailed herein apply;

[0018] Figure 6 Another exemplary hearing prosthesis is illustrated schematically, in which at least some of the teachings detailed herein apply;

[0019] Figures 7 to 9 Functional diagrams associated with some implementation schemes are depicted;

[0020] Figure 10 It is a cross-section of the device used in some implementation schemes;

[0021] Figures 11 to 13 and Figure 16 An additional exemplary hearing prosthesis is illustrated schematically, wherein at least some of the teachings detailed herein apply;

[0022] Figure 14 An exemplary flowchart of an exemplary method is presented;

[0023] Figure 15 It presents a schematic diagram of a human head;

[0024] Figure 17 , Figure 18 and Figure 19 An additional exemplary flowchart of the exemplary method is presented; and

[0025] Figure 20 and Figure 21 An exemplary charging device for a prosthetic device is depicted. Detailed Implementation

[0026] For ease of description only, the techniques presented herein are described primarily with reference to illustrative medical devices (i.e., cochlear implants). However, it should be understood that the techniques presented herein can also be used with a variety of other medical devices that can benefit from the teachings used in these other devices while providing a wide range of therapeutic benefits to recipients, patients, or other users. For example, any technique described herein for a type of hearing prosthesis (such as a cochlear implant) corresponds to the disclosure of another embodiment using such teachings with another hearing prosthesis, including bone conduction devices (percutaneous, active percutaneous, and / or passive percutaneous), middle ear hearing prostheses, direct sound stimulators, and also using these with other electro-analogous hearing prostheses (e.g., auditory brain stimulators), etc. The techniques presented herein can be used with implantable / implantable microphones (whether or not they are used as part of a hearing prosthesis (e.g., body noise or other monitors, whether or not they are part of a hearing prosthesis)). The techniques presented herein can also be used with vestibular devices (e.g., vestibular implants), sensors, seizure devices (e.g., devices for monitoring and / or treating epileptic events, where applicable), sleep apnea devices, electroporation, etc. Therefore, any disclosure herein is a disclosure for using such devices in conjunction with the teachings herein, provided that this is permitted in the art. It should also be noted that, in exemplary embodiments, the teachings herein can be used with retinal implant devices. Therefore, any disclosure herein corresponds to disclosures that extend functionality to include the functionality of a retinal implant, and, for example, any disclosure of a cochlear implant processor corresponds to a light processor. In other embodiments, the techniques presented herein can be used with air purifiers or air sensors (e.g., automatically adjusting to environmental conditions), hospital beds, identification (ID) tags / bands, or other hospital equipment or instruments, where this depends on a behind-the-ear device.

[0027] As an example, any technology associated with a component implanted in a recipient's body, as detailed herein, can be combined with the information delivery technologies disclosed herein (such as devices that evoke auditory perception and / or visual perception) to convey information to the recipient. By way of example only and not limitation, a sleep apnea implant can be combined with a device that evokes auditory perception to provide the recipient with information such as status information. In this regard, the various sensors and output devices detailed herein can be combined with such a non-sensory prosthesis or any other non-sensory prosthesis including an implantable component to realize a user interface, as described herein, that enables information to be conveyed to the recipient in association with the implant.

[0028] Furthermore, the implementation scheme does not necessarily require providing input or status information to the recipient. Instead, the various sensors detailed herein can be used in conjunction with the non-sensory implants detailed herein to enable control or performance tuning of the implanted component. For example, an implementation scheme utilizing sensors and associated logic circuitry systems combined with a sleep apnea device can be used to enable the recipient to input commands to control the implant. This is also possible with the like, such as a bionic arm or bionic leg. In this regard, the implementation scheme can implement a user interface that allows the recipient to provide input to the prosthesis to control it without utilizing any artificial external parts. For example, the implementation scheme can utilize only the recipient's voice and / or only the recipient's hand / finger for input. Thus, the implementation scheme can achieve control of such a prosthesis using only the recipient's hand and / or only the recipient's voice. Therefore, at least some exemplary implementation schemes can combine hearing prosthesis technology with the innovations detailed herein and other implantation technologies to enable control without the need for other artificial devices.

[0029] Therefore, the teachings detailed herein are implemented in sensory prostheses (such as hearing devices, specifically including hearing implants, and generally, neurostimulation devices). Other types of sensory prostheses may include retinal implants. Therefore, unless otherwise stated, any teachings herein concerning sensory prostheses correspond to the disclosure of using these teachings in hearing implants and / or retinal implants, provided that this is feasible in the art. For clarity, any teachings herein concerning a particular sensory prosthesis correspond to the disclosure of using these teachings in any of the aforementioned hearing prostheses, and vice versa. It is inferred that at least some of the teachings detailed herein can be implemented in somatosensory implants and / or chemosensory implants. Therefore, any teachings herein concerning sensory prostheses correspond to the disclosure of using these teachings in somatosensory implants and / or chemosensory implants.

[0030] While the teachings detailed herein are primarily described with respect to hearing prostheses, it should be noted, consistent with the foregoing, that any disclosure herein regarding hearing prostheses corresponds to a disclosure in another embodiment utilizing the associated teachings relative to any other prosthesis mentioned herein (whether a hearing prosthesis or a sensory prosthesis, such as a retinal prosthesis). In this respect, unless explicitly indicated and / or unless it is not possible to achieve this in the art, any disclosure herein regarding the arousal of auditory perception corresponds to a disclosure in other embodiments regarding the arousal of other types of neural perception (such as visual / sight perception, tactile perception, olfactory perception, or gustatory perception). Any disclosure herein regarding means, systems, and / or methods for or resulting in the final stimulation of the auditory nerve corresponds to a disclosure regarding similar stimulation of the optic nerve utilizing similar components / methods / systems. All of these may be done individually or in combination.

[0031] The implementations detailed herein focus on providing status and information to a recipient using a hearing prosthesis. It should be understood that in some implementations, a retinal prosthesis may be used to provide visual input to the recipient. By way of example only and not limitation, in exemplary implementations, the retinal prosthesis may be configured to produce visual artificial images, which may correspond to speech, etc., and speech, etc., may correspond to the state of the prosthesis. Therefore, any disclosure herein associated with providing sound-based or hearing-based information to a recipient also corresponds to disclosures of providing visual-based information to a recipient, and vice versa.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a fully implantable cochlear implant, referred to as cochlear implant 100, implanted in the body of a recipient. Some embodiments and / or variations thereof detailed herein are applicable to this fully implantable cochlear implant. In some embodiments, the fully implantable cochlear implant 100 is part of system 10, which may include external components, as detailed below. It should be noted that in at least some embodiments, the teachings detailed herein apply to any type of hearing prosthesis with an implantable microphone. In at least some embodiments, the teachings detailed herein also apply to any type of hearing prosthesis without an implantable microphone, and therefore to non-fully implantable hearing prostheses.

[0033] It should be noted that, in alternative implementations, the teachings detailed herein and / or variations thereof may be applicable to other types of hearing prostheses, such as bone conduction devices (e.g., active percutaneous bone conduction devices), direct acoustic cochlear implants (DACI), etc. Implementations may include any type of hearing prosthesis that can utilize the teachings detailed herein and / or variations thereof. It should also be noted that, in some implementations, the teachings detailed herein and / or variations thereof may be utilized by other types of prostheses besides hearing prostheses.

[0034] The recipient has an outer ear 101, a middle ear 105, and an inner ear 107. The components of the outer ear 101, middle ear 105, and inner ear 107 are described below, followed by a description of the cochlear implant 100.

[0035] In a fully functional ear, the outer ear 101 includes an auricle 110 and an ear canal 102. Sound pressure, or sound wave 103, is collected by the auricle 110, introduced into, and passes through the ear canal 102. A tympanic membrane 104, which vibrates in response to the sound wave 103, is located at the distal end of the ear canal 102. This vibration is coupled to an elliptical or oval window 112 via three bones in the middle ear 105, collectively referred to as ossicles 106, and including a malleus 108, an incus 109, and a stapes 111. The bones 108, 109, and 111 of the middle ear 105 filter and amplify the sound wave 103, thereby causing the elliptical window 112 to pivot or vibrate in response to the vibration of the tympanic membrane 104. This vibration generates fluid motion waves in the perilymph within the cochlea 140. This fluid motion then activates tiny hair cells (not shown) within the cochlea 140. Activation of hair cells enables the generation of appropriate nerve impulses, which are transmitted to the brain (not shown) via spiral ganglion cells (not shown) and auditory nerve 114. These nerve impulses are perceived as sound in the brain.

[0036] As shown in the figure, the cochlear implant 100 includes one or more components that are temporarily or permanently implanted in the recipient's body. Figure 1 The image shows a cochlear implant 100 with an external device 142, which (together with the cochlear implant 100) is part of a system 10. The external device is configured, as described below, to provide power to the cochlear implant, which includes a battery that is charged from the power supplied by the external device 142. Figure 1 In the illustrative arrangement, the external device 142 may include a power source (not shown) disposed in the behind-the-ear (BTE) unit 126. The external device 142 also includes components of a transcutaneous power delivery link, referred to as an external power delivery assembly. The transcutaneous power delivery link is used to deliver power and / or data to the cochlear implant 100. Various types of power delivery (such as infrared (IR), electromagnetic, capacitive, and inductive delivery) can be used to deliver power and / or data from the external device 142 to the cochlear implant 100. Figure 1 In the illustrative embodiment, the external power transfer assembly includes an external coil 130 that forms part of an inductive radio frequency (RF) communication link. The external coil 130 is typically a wired antenna coil consisting of multiple turns of electrically insulated single or multiple strands of platinum or gold wire. The external device 142 also includes a magnet (not shown) positioned within the turns of the external coil 130. It should be understood that... Figure 1 The external devices shown are merely illustrative, and other external devices may be used in conjunction with embodiments of the present invention.

[0037] The cochlear implant 100 includes an internal power delivery assembly 132, which is positionable within a recess of the temporal bone adjacent to the auricle 110 of a recipient. As detailed below, the internal power delivery assembly 132 is a component of a percutaneous power delivery link and receives power and / or data from an external device 142. In an illustrative embodiment, the power delivery link includes an inductive RF link, and the internal power delivery assembly 132 includes a primary internal coil 136. The internal coil 136 is typically a wired antenna coil consisting of multiple turns of electrically insulated single or multiple strands of platinum or gold wire.

[0038] The cochlear implant 100 also includes a primary implantable component 120 and an elongated electrode assembly 118. In some embodiments, the internal power delivery assembly 132 and the primary implantable component 120 are hermetically sealed within a biocompatible housing. In some embodiments, the primary implantable component 120 includes an implantable microphone assembly (not shown) and a sound processing unit (not shown) to convert sound signals received by the implantable microphone in the internal power delivery assembly 132 into data signals. That is, in some alternative embodiments, the implantable microphone assembly may be located in a separate implantable component (e.g., having its own housing assembly, etc.), which communicates signalingly with the primary implantable component 120 (e.g., via a lead between the separate implantable component and the primary implantable component 120, etc.). In at least some embodiments, the teachings detailed herein and / or variations thereof can be used with any type of implantable microphone arrangement. Some additional details associated with the implantable microphone assembly 137 will be detailed below.

[0039] The main implantable component 120 also includes a stimulator unit (not shown) that generates an electrical stimulation signal based on a data signal. The electrical stimulation signal is delivered to the recipient via an elongated electrode assembly 118.

[0040] An elongated electrode assembly 118 has a proximal end connected to a main implantable component 120 and a distal end implanted in the cochlea 140. The electrode assembly 118 extends from the main implantable component 120 through the mastoid bone 119 into the cochlea 140. In some embodiments, the electrode assembly 118 may be implanted at least in the basal region 116, and sometimes deeper. For example, the electrode assembly 118 may extend toward the apex of the cochlea 140, referred to as the cochlear apex 134. In some cases, the electrode assembly 118 may be inserted into the cochlea 140 via a cochleostomy 122. In other cases, the cochleostomy may be formed via a round window 121, an elliptical window 112, a promontory 123, or through a apical rotation 147 of the cochlea 140.

[0041] Electrode assembly 118 includes an array 146 of electrodes 148 arranged longitudinally aligned and extending distally along its length. As noted, the stimulator unit generates a stimulation signal, which is applied by the electrodes 148 to the cochlea 140, thereby stimulating the auditory nerve 114.

[0042] As described above, the cochlear implant 100 includes a fully implantable prosthesis capable of operating for at least a period of time without the external device 142. Therefore, the cochlear implant 100 may also include a rechargeable power source (not shown) for storing power received from the external device 142. The power source may include, for example, a rechargeable battery. During operation of the cochlear implant 100, the power stored by the power source is distributed as needed to various other implanted components. The power source may be located in the main implantable component 120 or disposed in a separate implantation site.

[0043] It should be noted that the teachings detailed herein and / or variations thereof may be used with non-fully implantable prostheses. That is, in alternative embodiments of the cochlear implant 100, the cochlear implant 100 is a conventional hearing prosthesis.

[0044] In some exemplary embodiments, the signal sent to the stimulator of the cochlear implant can originate from an external microphone (in which case the system is referred to as a semi-implantable device) or from an implantable microphone, which refers to a fully implantable device. DCIs and other types of implants can also use implantable microphones and are therefore fully implantable devices. Fully implantable devices can be practical by presenting an improved appearance, having improved immunity to certain noises (e.g., wind noise), having little chance of being lost or damaged, and being at least sometimes more resistant to blockages such as debris or water. DCIs are practical by keeping the ear canal open, which reduces the likelihood of ear canal infections that would otherwise be moist, frequently blocked by earwax, and inflamed due to the tight fit required by non-implantable hearing aids.

[0045] Figure 1A Exemplary embodiments of neural prostheses are presented in general, and retinal prostheses and their usage environments are presented in particular. In some embodiments of the retinal prosthesis, a retinal prosthesis sensor-stimulator 108 is positioned near the retina 110. In an exemplary embodiment, photons entering the eye are absorbed by a microelectronic array of the sensor-stimulator 108, which is mixed with a glass sheet 112 comprising, for example, an array of embedded microfilaments. This glass may have a curved surface conforming to the inner diameter of the retina. The sensor-stimulator 108 may include a microelectronic imaging device, which may be made of thin silicon containing an integrated circuit system that converts incident photons into electrical charges.

[0046] Image processor 102 communicates with sensor-stimulator 108 via cable 104, which extends through surgical incision 106 across the eye wall (although in other embodiments, image processor 102 communicates wirelessly with sensor-stimulator 108). In exemplary embodiments, image processor 102 is similar to the sound processor / signal processor of the auditory prosthesis detailed herein, and for this purpose, any disclosure herein regarding the latter corresponds to the disclosure herein regarding the former in alternative embodiments. Image processor 102 processes inputs to sensor-stimulator 108 and provides control signals back to sensor-stimulator 108, thus enabling the device to provide processed outputs to the optic nerve. That is, in alternative embodiments, this processing is performed by components close to or integrated with sensor-stimulator 108. The charge generated by the conversion of incident photons is converted into a proportional amount of current, which is input to the nearby retinal cell layer. The cells are excited, and the signal is sent to the optic nerve, thus triggering visual perception.

[0047] Retinal prostheses may include external devices disposed in a behind-the-ear (BTE) unit or a pair of glasses, or any other type of component that may have practical value. Retinal prostheses may include external light / image capturing devices (e.g., located in / on a BTE device or a pair of glasses), while, as described above, in some embodiments, a sensor-stimulator 108 captures light / images and is implanted in the recipient's body.

[0048] For the sake of brevity, any disclosure herein regarding microphones or sound capture devices corresponds to similar disclosures regarding light / image capture devices (such as charge-coupled devices). By extension, any disclosure herein regarding stimulator units that generate electrical stimulation signals or otherwise energize tissue to induce auditory perception corresponds to similar disclosures regarding stimulator devices for retinal prostheses. Any disclosure herein regarding sound processors or processing of captured sound, etc., corresponds to similar disclosures regarding light processors / image processors that have similar functionality to retinal prostheses and process captured images in a similar manner. In fact, any disclosure herein regarding devices for hearing prostheses corresponds to disclosures regarding devices for retinal prostheses that have similar functionality to retinal prostheses. Any disclosure herein regarding the placement of hearing prostheses corresponds to disclosures regarding the placement of retinal prostheses using similar actions. Any disclosure herein regarding methods of using or operating hearing prostheses or otherwise working with hearing prostheses corresponds to disclosures regarding the use or operation of retinal prostheses or otherwise working with retinal prostheses in a similar manner.

[0049] Figure 2An exemplary embodiment of a percutaneous bone conduction device 400 according to an embodiment is depicted, the percutaneous bone conduction device including an external device 440 and an implantable component 450. Figure 2 The percutaneous bone conduction device 400 is an active percutaneous bone conduction device because the vibratory electromagnetic actuator 452 is located in the implantable component 450. Specifically, the vibratory element in the form of the vibratory electromagnetic actuator 452 is located in the housing 454 of the implantable component 450. In an exemplary embodiment, much like the vibratory electromagnetic actuator 342 described above with respect to the percutaneous bone conduction device 300, the vibratory electromagnetic actuator 452 is a device that converts electrical signals into vibrations.

[0050] External component 440 includes a sound input element 126 that converts sound into electrical signals. Specifically, the percutaneous bone conduction device 400 provides these electrical signals to a vibratory electromagnetic actuator 452 or to a sound processor (not shown) that processes the electrical signals, and then provides these processed signals to an implantable component 450 that passes through the recipient's skin via a magnetic induction link. In this regard, a transmitter coil 442 of external component 440 transmits these signals to an implantable receiver coil 456 located in a housing 458 of implantable component 450. Components (not shown) in housing 458, such as a signal generator or implantable sound processor, then generate an electrical signal to be delivered to the vibratory electromagnetic actuator 452 via an electrical lead assembly 460. The vibratory electromagnetic actuator 452 converts the electrical signals into vibrations.

[0051] The vibratory electromagnetic actuator 452 is mechanically coupled to the housing 454. The housing 454 and the vibratory electromagnetic actuator 452 together form the vibration device 453. The housing 454 is substantially rigidly attached to the bone fixation device 341.

[0052] The implantable component 450 may include a battery or other power storage device and may be rechargeable.

[0053] The above implementations of implantable components are examples, and at least some of the above components may be the same as or correspond to other implantable devices (such as middle ear implants or DAS). Figure 2 The actuator of the device can be a proxy for the actuator of the middle ear implant. Coil 456 can be a proxy for the coil of the DACS. Therefore, unless otherwise stated, any element disclosed herein with respect to one implant may be present in another implant, or similar components may be located therein, provided that this is permitted by the art.

[0054] The above examples of implantable devices are those powered and / or charged by a transcutaneous inductive link. Power is transferred from an external component to the implantable / implantable component via the inductive link. Implementations include their external components / parts that generate an inductive field for powering and / or charging the implant, as will now be detailed.

[0055] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of an exemplary external component 540 is depicted, which corresponds to a component that can be used as... Figure 1 External component 142 or, for example Figure 4 The external component 440 in the embodiments, or any other external component that can be used with the various prostheses detailed herein. In an exemplary embodiment, the external component 540 has all the functions detailed above with respect to external component 142 or external component 440, etc.

[0056] External component 540 includes a first sub-component 550 and a second sub-component 560. It should be briefly noted that, for ease of explanation, the terminal lines have been eliminated in some cases. It should also be noted that, unless otherwise stated, Figure 3 The components are rotationally symmetrical about axis 599, although this is not necessarily the case in other embodiments.

[0057] In an exemplary embodiment, the external component 540 is a so-called off-ear sound processor. In this respect, Figure 3 In an exemplary embodiment, the external component 540 includes a sound capture device 526, which may correspond to the sound capture device 126 detailed above, and also includes a sound processor device 556 that communicates with the printed circuit board 554, is located on the printed circuit board, or is otherwise integrated into the printed circuit board. Furthermore, as... Figure 3 As can be seen, an electromagnetic interference shield 554 is inserted between the coil 542 and the PCB 554 and / or the sound processor 556. In an exemplary embodiment, the shield 552 is a ferrite shield. These components are housed in or otherwise supported by a sub-component 550. The sub-component 550 further houses or otherwise supports the RF coil 542. The coil 542 may correspond to the coil 442 detailed above. In an exemplary embodiment, sound captured by a sound capture device 526 is provided to the sound processor 556, which converts the sound into a processed signal provided to the RF coil 542. In an exemplary embodiment, the RF coil 542 is an inductor. The inductor is excited by the signal provided from the processor 556. The excited coil generates an electromagnetic field received by an implantable coil in the implantable component 450, which is used by the implantable component 450 as the basis for evoking auditory perception, as detailed above.

[0058] External component 540 also includes a magnet 564 housed in sub-component 560. Sub-component 560 is removably replaceable to or from sub-component 550. Figure 3 In an exemplary implementation, when with Figure 3 When used in combination with the above embodiments, magnet 564 forms a percutaneous magnetic link together with ferromagnetic material (such as a magnet as part of implantable component 450) implanted in the recipient's body. This percutaneous magnetic link holds the external component 540 against the recipient's skin. In this respect, the external component 550 includes a skin interface side 544 and an opposing side 546 opposite to the skin interface side 544, which is configured to interface with the recipient's skin. That is, when the external component 540 is held against the recipient's skin via the magnetic link, such as when it is held against a skin holding external component 540 covering the mastoid bone, where the implantable component is located in or otherwise attached to the mastoid bone, side 546 is what an observer viewing the recipient wearing the external component 540 can see (i.e., in a scenario where the external component 540 is held against the mastoid bone and the observer is viewing the side of the recipient's head, side 546 will be what the observer of the external component 540 sees).

[0059] Still referencing Figure 3 The skin interface side 544 includes skin interface surfaces 592 and 594. Skin interface surface 592 corresponds to the bottommost surface of sub-component 560, and skin interface surface 594 corresponds to the bottommost surface of sub-component 550. These surfaces together form surface assembly 596. Surface assembly 596 corresponds to the skin interface surface of outer component 540. It should be briefly noted that in some exemplary embodiments, the outer component 540 is arranged such that sub-component 560 can be inserted into sub-component 550, such that bottom surface 592 is recessed relative to bottom surface 594, and therefore surface 592 may not necessarily be concave or otherwise interface with the recipient. It should also be briefly noted that in some alternative exemplary embodiments, the outer component 540 is arranged in the opposite manner, wherein surface 594 does not contact the recipient, because surface 592 remains convex to surface 594 after sub-component 560 is inserted into sub-component 550.

[0060] It should be noted briefly that, as used herein, sub-component 550 is referred to simply as external component 540. That is, the presence of external component 540 is irrelevant to whether sub-component 560 is located within sub-component 550 or otherwise attached to sub-component 550.

[0061] exist Figure 3In one embodiment, the external component 550 is configured such that the sub-component 560, and therefore the magnet 564 and the housing containing the magnet 564 (housing 562), can be mounted into the external component 540 (i.e., from the sub-component 550) from the skin interface side 544, and thus can be mounted into the housing 548 from the skin interface side. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the sub-component 560 is detachable from the external component 550. Still referring to... Figure 3 As can be seen, external component 540 includes battery 580. In an exemplary embodiment, battery 580 powers sound processor 556 and / or RF coil 542. Figure 3 As can be seen, the battery 580 is positioned between the sub-component 560 and thus the magnet 564 and the side 546 of the outer component 540, which is opposite to the side 544 configured to interface with the skin.

[0062] Figure 4 Alternative embodiments of an external component (BTE device 1040) of an external device are depicted, which can be used to replace the external component detailed above, and have its functionality in at least some exemplary embodiments. More specifically, Figure 4 A perspective view of a BTE device for a hearing prosthesis is depicted. The BTE device 1040 includes one or more microphones 1026 and may also include an audio signal located beneath a cover 220 on the spine 330 of the BTE device 1040. It should be noted that in some other embodiments, one or both of these components (microphones 1026 and / or jacks) may be located in other locations on the BTE device 1040, such as the side of the spine 330 (opposite to the back of the spine 330, e.g.) Figure 4 (as depicted), ear hook 290, etc. Figure 4 The image also depicts a battery 252 (i.e., a rechargeable battery) and an ear hook 290 that is detachably attached to the spine 330.

[0063] In an exemplary embodiment, external component 1040 includes a sound processor, etc., located in spine 330. The sound processor communicates electronically with head component 1041 via cable 348. Head component 1041 may include an RF coil, such as the RF coil detailed above. Accompanying the teachings detailed above regarding the sound processors of various other embodiments detailed herein, sound captured by microphone 1026 is converted into an electrical signal, which is supplied directly or indirectly to the sound processor. In at least some exemplary embodiments, the sound processor processes the signal and converts it into a signal or otherwise processes the signal to output the signal via cable 348 to the RF coil located in head component 1041, wherein the RF coil functions according to the teachings detailed above.

[0064] The head component 1041 includes a magnet device 351. This magnet device may have the functions of the sub-component 550 detailed above.

[0065] Although Figure 4 The implementation described herein utilizes cable 348 to establish communication between spine 330 and head component 1041, but in an alternative implementation, a wireless link is used for communication between spine 330 and head component 1041.

[0066] Figure 5 A sectional view of the head component 1041 is depicted. Here, Figure 5 Presented as detailed above Figure 3 The reference numerals are the same. For ease of communication of concept, the same reference numerals have been used in some cases. As can be seen, head component 1041 includes sub-components 1050 and 1060. In an exemplary embodiment, the sub-components conceptually correspond to sub-components 550 and 560 detailed above, respectively. In this regard, sub-component 550 includes a housing 1148 that contains an RF coil 542. Housing 1148 includes two sub-housings joined together at a seam 505. Sub-component 1050 includes a cable jack 1181 configured to connect a cable 348 to head component 1041.

[0067] Sub-component 1060 includes a housing 1162 containing a magnet 1064. In an exemplary embodiment, Figure 5 The functions of the components described herein can correspond to Figure 4 The functions of similar components are presented in the text. In this regard, some of these functions will be described in detail below. It should be noted briefly that... Figure 5 The implementation scheme makes the housing 1148 have a size smaller than Figure 4 The housing height of the implementation scheme is 548. Figure 5 In the exemplary embodiment depicted, there is no battery and sound processor in the head component 1041 (because these components can be located in the spine 330, where the head component 1041 communicates with them via cable jack 1181). Therefore, the housing can be thinner.

[0068] exist Figure 5 In the implementation scheme, the sub-components interface with each other and are connected in a manner that allows them to communicate with each other. Figure 3 The implementation schemes are in the same or similar manner as each other and are detachable and / or attachable, and additional details of this situation will be provided again below.

[0069] Given Figure 5 In accordance with the implementation scheme, it should be understood that, in the exemplary implementation scheme, there are components configured to interact with implanted parts within the recipient's body (e.g., Figure 3Implantable components 450 or Figure 1 The implantable component can communicate percutaneously with body parts such as the head (1041). (Note that in some alternative embodiments, the teachings detailed herein and / or variations thereof may be applied to components other than the head, such as the torso and / or limbs.) Reference Figure 5 As can be seen, the body part includes an RF coil 542 and a magnet device in the form of a sub-component 1060. As can be seen, the RF coil is located on a first side of the body part relative to the opposite side of the body part. In this respect, the RF coil 542 will be fully positioned and / or a large portion of the RF coil 542 will be located on one side of a plane that bisects the geometry established by the head component 1041 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 599 (a plane passing through the geometric center of the head component 1041). Here, the sides of the body part can be sides 544 and 546, which are opposite each other. It should also be noted that in the exemplary embodiment, the RF coil 542 will be fully positioned and / or a large portion of the RF coil 542 will be located on one side of a plane that bisects the center of mass established by the sub-component 1050 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 599 (i.e., without the sub-component 1040, which would have its center of mass shifted to one side due to the weight of the magnet 1064). In other words, in the alternative implementation, the plane that divides the center of mass established by the entire head component 1041 in two relative to the longitudinal axis 599 (and, relative to) Figure 4 The implementation scheme (in which the external component 550 also corresponds to the body part) divides the center of mass of the entire external component 540 into a plane, and the RF coil 542 is fully positioned and / or most of the RF coil 542 is located on one side of this plane.

[0070] With the same Figure 3 Consistent with related teachings, Figure 5 The implementation scheme makes the aforementioned first side a skin interface side (side 544) including both the first and second structures. Here, the first structure may correspond to the bottom sub-component of housing 1148 and / or 548 (e.g., relative to...). Figure 4 In one embodiment, sub-component 547 has a surface 594. Further, a second structure may be established by magnet device 1060 (or 560), wherein the bottom of the housing 1162 of magnet device 1060 (corresponding to housing 562 of magnet device 560) has a surface 592. In this exemplary embodiment, the first structure established by housing 1148 accommodates or otherwise includes RF coil 542, and the second structure established by housing 1162 accommodates or otherwise includes magnet 1064.

[0071] Figure 6Another exemplary embodiment of the external component 640 is depicted, which corresponds to the external component 540 described above, except that the magnet device is not removable, and in an alternative embodiment, the magnet device is detached from the opposite side 546 (the battery may be a toroidal battery to allow the magnet device to move through, or the external component may be configured such that the battery is removable to access the magnet device), which is opposite to the skin interface side 544. This creates a skin interface surface 696 that is seamless and otherwise uniform and unbroken from one side of the external component to the other relative to the skin interface side 544. In the exemplary embodiment, Figure 6 Any one or more of the features of the implementation scheme may be present in the details described above. Figure 5 In the head component of the embodiment. In this respect, the skin interface side 544 of the head component 1050 may be seamless or otherwise undamaged, as... Figure 5 The implementation details.

[0072] Figures 1 to 6 An implementation scheme is a device that delivers electricity to the implanted device in some form. In some cases (such as implementations where the implant is a fully implantable prosthesis, such as a fully implantable hearing prosthesis), the implanted portion includes some form of power storage device, such as a rechargeable battery. Utilizing an inductive link from an external component of the implantable part, the external device can be used to charge / recharge the battery. In this respect, Figures 1 to 5Any implementation corresponding to a universal implant charger may be characterized in that the external component does not have one or more of the sound processor or other features detailed above, but is designed to recharge the implant independently. In at least some exemplary embodiments, the external component may be characterized by a battery (whether rechargeable or disposable) and an inductor coil as part of an inductive communication system configured to generate an inductive field that can communicate with / transfer power to the implant, and some form of circuitry that may include logic or control circuitry, such as an inductor coil drive circuitry. Some implementations may include additional functional components unrelated to this, but other implementations may be precisely limited to this (in some such implementations there may be on / off switches and other components such as recharge switches (enabling recharging of the battery (in some implementations, an external component) – in other implementations there may be logic for detecting when the battery is recharged, and therefore a dedicated recharge switch may not necessarily be present), but this will be related to the function of recharging the implant / transferring power to the implant so that the implant can be recharged – this is the opposite of volume controls or microphones, which are unrelated to the function of recharging the implant or recharging the battery of an external component so that it can be used to recharge the implant).

[0073] As described above, in some other embodiments, the external component is a device that controls or otherwise provides data (rather than simply electricity) to the implant. It should be noted that providing data and providing electricity are not mutually exclusive. In this regard, in exemplary embodiments of the external component of partially implantable hearing prostheses (such as partially implantable cochlear implants (not fully implantable hearing prostheses)) detailed above, the external component provides electricity and data / electricity and control signals, which are received by the implant and, for all intents and purposes, are immediately used to provide stimulation to the recipient (e.g., powering the cochlear electrode array to provide current to the recipient's tissue, which is applied in a controlled manner to evoke the desired hearing perception).

[0074] In at least some embodiments, the teachings of this document are utilized with respect to two types of external components—a limited external charger and a broader range of external data source devices (which may include, but are by way of example only, external devices including a sound processor as detailed herein, and not as a limitation, but may also include devices with an external sound processor and devices simply having a microphone or other sound capture device or other data capture device, which then provides a signal to the implant based thereon, wherein the implant processes the signal, etc., to evoke the desired auditory perception). It should also be noted that the functionality of these two types of external components is not mutually exclusive—an external device may have the functionality of an external sound processor as detailed herein, and may also have the functionality of recharging an implantable power storage device.

[0075] During the recharging of an implantable prosthesis (and therefore the recharging of an implantable / implantable power storage device—any disclosure herein regarding the recharging of an implantable prosthesis corresponds to a disclosure regarding the recharging of an implantable / implantable battery, and vice versa), the transfer of power from an external component to the implantable component can cause the temperature of at least some portions of the external component to rise relative to other conditions (e.g., because the external component is in, for example, sunlight, or because it is hot outside and the recipient has just moved from an air-conditioned environment to an un-air-conditioned environment (e.g., outside, a factory floor, a warehouse, etc.). In some scenarios, this temperature rise may be entirely within comfortable and / or safe levels, but in other scenarios, this may not be the case. The temperature rise can cause the temperature of skin interface surfaces (such as skin interface surface 594 and / or skin interface surface 592 and / or surface component 596 and / or skin interface surface 690) to rise to uncomfortable and / or unsafe levels. Hereinafter, for the sake of linguistic economy, these surfaces will be referred to herein as skin interface surfaces. Unless otherwise stated, any reference to this skin interface surface corresponds to a reference to one or more of the aforementioned surfaces.

[0076] The teachings herein prevent overheating of external components and / or skin interface surfaces, enabling the device to meet the requirements / guidance of EN60601-1: "Prevention of excessive temperatures and other hazards." This requirement / guidance includes a table of temperature limits applicable to medical devices operating under worst-case conditions, including the ambient operating temperatures specified in the technical specifications and / or ISO14708-1 / -7, which details that the outer surface of the implantable portion of an active implantable medical device must not exceed 2°C above the normal ambient body temperature of 37°C during implantation. Furthermore, when the active implantable medical device is under normal operation or any single fault condition and / or ISO 14708-3, it details the physical temperature-time limits for heated tissue given by CEM43, where the temperature of the implanted metal must be kept below 43°C.

[0077] Figure 7 A high-level functional schematic diagram of an inductive recharging system and / or inductive communication system is depicted, which generates an inductive field to charge and / or power an implantable component and a DC battery 777. Inductor coil 542 may correspond to any inductor coil detailed herein, and as can be seen, the coil includes a lead portion 710 linked to a lead 730 of coil driver 720. In an exemplary embodiment, the coil driver induces alternating current in coil 542 and utilizes coil tuning device 730 to thus generate an inductive field that can be used to recharge or power the implant via an inductive link linked thereto. In this respect, Figure 7 Functional schematics depicting the components and / or variations thereof of the external device detailed herein are provided.

[0078] The coil driver 720 includes a circuit system configured to convert DC power from battery 777 into AC power (e.g., by using switching diodes, etc.), and then apply the AC power to coil 542 to generate an inductive field. The coil driver may include circuitry to alter the inductive field or otherwise change the amount of current flowing through coil 542 and / or the voltage flowing through coil 542, thereby altering or otherwise controlling the electrical forces delivered from an external component to the implant (e.g., reducing recharge time). In exemplary embodiments, the driver is a power conversion unit that can utilize one or two or more push-pull switches / transistors to convert DC current to AC current. In some embodiments, two half-bridges are used to establish a full-bridge driver and allow full AC conversion. This full bridge may be driven by a controller (the circuitry configured to do so), which can ensure that the different switches used are fully synchronized, thereby minimizing (including preventing) energy waste. Such devices are used, for example, in motor drivers, but more recently in wireless chargers.

[0079] In an exemplary embodiment, battery 777 corresponds to any of the batteries detailed above regarding external components. Battery 777 may be a rechargeable battery or a disposable battery. In an exemplary embodiment, Figure 7 The arrangement is reflected in a single dedicated external charging device (such as an ear-mounted device) in the form of an off-ear device. Figure 3 Device or Figure 6 In an exemplary embodiment, Figure 7 The arrangement is embodied in a single dedicated external charging device (such as a BTE device with a head component) in the form of a head component. Figure 4 In the device, battery 252 corresponds to battery 777, and the coil driver is located in the spine 330, and the coil is located in the head component 1041. Nevertheless, in other embodiments, Figure 7 The arrangement can be manifested as an external sound processor or a combination thereof.

[0080] The heating of external components can be a result of coil and / or driver and / or battery discharge. The teachings of this paper can utilize techniques to mitigate the thermal effects.

[0081] Implementations may include the use of heat pipes, such as ultra-thin and / or flat heat pipes, and / or small thermoelectric coolers (TECs) and miniature fans. In some cases, implementations utilize heat pipes to extract heat from one side of an external component (such as the skin interface side) and transfer / transfer the heat to the other side, thereby cooling that side relative to a situation where such heat transfer would not exist.

[0082] Exemplary embodiments utilize heat pipes (such as flat heat pipes) as charging coil 542. In exemplary embodiments, the coil may be constructed from a flexible tube made of pure copper or a copper alloy, or any other suitable material suitable for use in high-quality inductor coils. This allows heat to be extracted at the location where heat is generated / produced. Indeed, for implantable devices, heating typically occurs around the charging coil on the implant and skin. In some embodiments, the distance from the skin interface surface to the coil is less than or equal to 0.25 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.35 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.45 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.9 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.25 mm, 1.5 mm, 1.75 mm, 2 mm, 2.5 mm, 3 mm, 3.5 mm, 4 mm, 4.5 mm, 5 mm, 5.5 mm, 6 mm, 6.5 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm, or 10 mm, or any value or range of values ​​in increments of 0.01 mm. Extracting heat from the portion that transfers electricity to the implant is useful for ensuring or otherwise achieving rapid charging or at least charging within a reasonably short timeframe, as this mitigates overheating in some embodiments. In exemplary embodiments, the height of the heat pipe can be less than or equal to any value or range of 0.5 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.9 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.1 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.3 mm, 1.4 mm, 1.5 mm, 1.6 mm, or 1.7 mm, or in increments of 0.1 mm, and the width can be less than or equal to any value or range of 0.5 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.9 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.1 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.3 mm, 1.4 mm, 1.5 mm, 1.6 mm, or 1.7 mm, or in increments of 0.1 mm. In exemplary embodiments, it can be a Cooler Master Slim heat pipe or a Petra-flex heat pipe.

[0083] Figure 8An exemplary embodiment is depicted utilizing a heat pipe (and for this purpose, a flat heat pipe) as a coil 842 in a lead 810. In this exemplary embodiment, the heat pipe is a conductive heat pipe relative to the coil portion and the lead portion. A coil driver is electrically connected to the heat pipe via an electrical lead 730. A conduit 840 is fluidly connected to the lead 810 to allow fluid to flow from the coil 842 and the lead 810 to the radiator 850 (described further later). In this exemplary embodiment, the conduit 840 is non-conductive, thus allowing the coil 842 to be electrically decoupled from the rest of the heat transfer system. In exemplary embodiments, this is not the case—the conduit and / or the radiator may also be conductive. In some embodiments, a portion of 840 may be a heat pipe, while in others it is simply a conduit for transferring fluid, thus transferring heat via mass transfer.

[0084] As described above, in some embodiments, a portion of the conduit may be conductive. In fact, the thermally conductive side of the system may be grounded. As an example, radiator 850 may be the ground plane of an inductive system. In an exemplary embodiment, the conduit between element 810 and radiator 850 may be conductive. In an exemplary embodiment, the conduit may be the ground plane.

[0085] In an exemplary embodiment, a tuner cap / tuning cap, etc., for the tuning system is placed "between" coil 842 and the area from which heat is transferred from the coil (relative to the electrical and / or thermal transfer path) / the path from the tuning device is attached between the coil and the area from which heat is transferred from the coil. This is relative to... Figure 8 The situation shown places the tuner in Figure 8 The other lead in the implementation plan is the opposite of 730.

[0086] Note briefly that, although Figure 8 The arrangement shown depicts a loop for fluid flow around the fluid, but in alternative embodiments, at least relative to... Figure 8 In this view, there is no true loop. In an exemplary embodiment, fluid can flow back and forth within a heat pipe. By rough analogy, from a distance, Lionel's train on a train platform will travel along... Figure 8 The loop is similar to a circular railway (like a circular train track), and from a distance, the ski lift will also follow the same "back and forth" path described earlier. Figure 8A This system is described.

[0087] In any case, in the exemplary embodiment, the heat transfer fluid can flow into the heat pipe through the conduit 840 and transfer the heat generated by the inductor coil into the fluid. The fluid can then be delivered to the radiator 850, where the heat is then radiated out of the system. The fluid then continues to flow back to the coil through the loop, and the process is repeated.

[0088] Radiator 850 can be any type of radiator capable of implementing the teachings detailed herein. In exemplary embodiments, a fan or the like can be cold-positioned or otherwise connected to the outer surface of the radiator to enhance heat transfer from the radiator. In exemplary embodiments, the radiator can be a thermoelectric cooler and / or can be in conductive heat transfer communication with a thermoelectric cooler. In exemplary embodiments, DC current can be directly or indirectly utilized from battery 777 and / or obtained from another power source, which can be used to achieve the Peltier effect, thereby transferring heat from one side of the device to the other.

[0089] In another exemplary embodiment, the radiator may be positioned to conduct heat transfer to a radiator and / or the radiator may be a radiator that expands relative to the heat pipe. In at least some exemplary embodiments, any means, systems, and / or methods that can enhance heat extraction from the heat pipe / fluid flow path may be utilized.

[0090] Figure 9 A schematic diagram depicting the heat flow into coil 742, indicated by arrow 970 (eight arrows pointing to coil 742). Figure 9 A schematic diagram depicting the heat flow from the radiator 850, indicated by arrow 980, is also presented.

[0091] In an exemplary implementation, Figures 1 to 6 The coil of the implementation scheme and Figure 8 The coils of the implementation scheme are used together, and / or Figure 8 The layout and Figures 1 to 6 The coil driver can be used in conjunction with the implementation schemes of those schemes, at least in part.

[0092] Figure 10 A cross-section of an exemplary flat heat pipe 742 is shown. Here, two channels are present: a vapor channel 1001 and a liquid flow channel 1099. These channels are used to transfer heat from an area close to the recipient's skin to other locations on the external component. In this respect, Figure 11 Depicting the above Figure 6 An exemplary external component 1140 is arranged in parallel. Here, it can be seen that the inductor coil 742 is in the form of a heat pipe. In this embodiment, Figure 6 In the proposed implementation, coil 542 has been replaced by coil 742 in the form of a heat pipe. Figure 11 The non-conductive conduit 840, as detailed above, can also be seen. The conduit 840 is depicted as transitioning from a flat arrangement to a circular arrangement at a distance from the plane of the coil. That is, in the exemplary embodiment, the arrangement of the flat heat pipe can exist relative to the conduit 840. As shown, the conduit 840 extends to a radiator 850, which is positioned away from the skin interface side 544. In this embodiment, the radiator is above the battery 850, but in other embodiments, the radiator can be located on the side of the battery, etc. In at least some exemplary embodiments, any arrangement that will enable the teachings detailed herein can be utilized. As shown, convective airflow is also used to enhance heat transfer. Here, an inlet 1123 and an outlet 1124 are present. A fan 1122 is located in or near the outlet, but it can be located in or near the inlet, and / or two or more fans can be utilized, one fan at the inlet and one fan at the outlet. Furthermore, fans can be positioned in other locations. In at least some exemplary embodiments, any means, system, and / or method that enables the airflow 1198 throughout the radiator 850 to enhance heat transfer can be utilized. In this embodiment, the fan is powered by a battery 580. In another exemplary embodiment, the fan may be powered by a solar cell or the like. In an exemplary embodiment, a micro-fan, such as a fan with a housing of 15mm × 15mm × 4mm, may be utilized, which utilizes a current source between 2 volts and 3 volts (e.g., 2.4 volts, 2.5 volts, or 2.6 volts).

[0093] Furthermore, at least some embodiments do not necessarily utilize an electric fan. In exemplary embodiments, a manually operated system can be used to generate a pressure differential to pull or push air throughout the radiator. By way of example and not limitation, a diaphragm arrangement can be used that would allow a recipient to repeatedly deform the diaphragm using his or her fingers, thereby generating a pressure differential to produce an airflow throughout the radiator 850. In this respect, the device can be considered a finger-actuable manual air pump. The diaphragm can extend above the radiator between the inlet and outlet—in fact, this arrangement would cause the two components to alternately become the inlet and outlet when the diaphragm is pressed down and then released—pressing down expels air from the housing, thus making both the inlet and outlet—releasing the diaphragm and returning the diaphragm spring to its rest position would then create a lower pressure inside the housing, which would then draw air in through the inlet and outlet.

[0094] Figure 11A and Figure 11B An exemplary embodiment of this implementation is depicted. Here, the upper housing wall has been replaced by a diaphragm 1155 having a resting position in an arcuate configuration. Figure 11BThe diaphragm 1155 is depicted in a depressed position, reducing the volume inside the housing and thus forcing air inside the housing out through inlet 1123 and outlet 1124 (which may here be referred to as openings, as they both function as outlets in this embodiment), as indicated by arrow 1111. This depressurization of the diaphragm 1155 can be achieved by a recipient pressing the diaphragm with his or her fingers. When the force on the diaphragm is relieved, for example by removing the recipient's fingers, the diaphragm 1155 springs back to its resting position, as shown... Figure 11B As can be seen, air is drawn into the housing in the opposite direction to arrow 1111. By repeatedly pressing the diaphragm and allowing it to return to its resting position, airflow can be generated in and out of the housing and thus throughout the radiator 850 due to natural principles.

[0095] As described above, a manually operated fan can be used. For example, repeatedly pressing the spring-loaded component may cause the fan to rotate, thus forcing air through the housing and then throughout the radiator.

[0096] Although Figures 11 to 11B The implementation has shown the use of heat pipes in the radiator 850, but in some cases, implementations configured to allow airflow through / into / out of the housing can be used without heat pipes. Figure 11C This exemplary embodiment is depicted. Here, there is an inlet 1124 and an outlet 1133. The inlet 124 is located on the top of the housing near the diaphragm 1155, while the outlet 1133 is located near the coil 542. As can be seen, valves 1122 and 1177 are located at the inlet and outlet, respectively. This arrangement operates such that when the diaphragm 1155 is pressed down, valve 1122 closes and valve 1133 opens, allowing air to flow down from the top of the housing through the coil 542 and out of the outlet 1133. Conversely, when the diaphragm is released and springs back toward its rest position, valve 1177 closes and valve 1122 opens, allowing air to be drawn into the housing through the inlet 1124. Repeated actuation of the diaphragm 1155 causes airflow through the housing, and thus, in addition, generates convective cooling of the components therein. Note that this arrangement can also be used with the heat pipe arrangement described above. Any apparatus, system and / or method disclosed herein may be combined with any other apparatus, system and / or method, provided that it is of practical value and that this is permissible in the art.

[0097] The device can be arranged to automatically provide the recipient with an indication that cooling is required. This could be an audible beep or a voice instruction, which can be integrated into a hearing prosthesis arrangement for such embodiments, such that the indication generates an auditory perception artificially generated by the hearing prosthesis. When the recipient is indicated to need cooling, the recipient can use the device just detailed to “pump” air through the housing. In this regard, thermocouples or thermometers or temperature sensors (one or more) can be located in the housing and / or a component that generates heat, and these sensors can communicate signals with a processor or some form of logic circuitry that enables the determination that a high temperature condition or temperature rise has occurred, which will guarantee active action for heat transfer. This determination can be communicated, or more precisely, the result of this determination can be communicated to the recipient or other caregiver, so that he or she can participate in the active action that causes heat transfer based on the teachings detailed herein and / or variations thereof and / or any other condition that will lead to active action for heat transfer.

[0098] Figure 12 Alternative exemplary embodiments of the external component 1240 are provided, wherein the heat pipe 1140 is used in conjunction with a standard RF inductor coil 542. Or more precisely, there is an external device that utilizes the standard RF inductor coil 542 and also utilizes a tube arrangement to transfer heat from a region near the skin interface side. In this respect, the embodiments are not limited to replacing the standard RF inductor coil with a heat pipe. In some exemplary embodiments, both can be used in the same device.

[0099] Figure 13 An exemplary arrangement of heat pipe 1399 for transferring heat from the skin interface side 544 in general, and specifically, the skin interface surface 696, to the opposite side 546 of external component 1340 is depicted. We again see the dual use of the heat pipe and a conventional standard RF inductor coil in the same external component. In this exemplary embodiment, heat pipe 1399 is in fluid communication with a region adjacent to thermoelectric cooler 1350, which may be a Peltier thermoelectric cooling device powered by battery 580. Thermoelectric cooler 1350 may have a “cold” side in direct contact with heat pipe 1399, which extends upward from skin interface side 544 to the opposite side 546 (extension not shown). This can enhance heat transfer from heat pipe 1399, and thus further enhance heat transfer from skin interface side 544 overall, and, in addition, otherwise cool skin interface surface 696. In the exemplary embodiment, the thermoelectric cooler used herein may be, for example, a small thermoelectric cooler, and may be a single-stage 1MD02 thermoelectric cooler.

[0100] It should be noted that in some implementations, an electric motor or some other device may be used to induce flow within the channels of the heat pipe, or in addition, to increase the flow rate within the channels.

[0101] In view of the foregoing, embodiments include devices, such as external components of a prosthesis (whether charging devices or integral components of the prosthesis), which include inductive power transmission equipment, wherein the device includes a dedicated heat transfer arrangement configured to transfer heat generated when power is transferred from the device. "Dedicated heat transfer arrangement" refers to the presence of an identifiable structure in or on the device, which will be recognized by those skilled in the art for heat transfer purposes. This contrasts with structures inherently transferring heat due to the presence of the device. In an exemplary embodiment, the inductive power transmission equipment is configured to transfer inductive power to the human body.

[0102] In exemplary embodiments, the inductive power transmission device includes a resonant circuit of a tightly coupled inductive link in a wireless power transmission system, and in some exemplary embodiments, the inductive power transmission device includes a heat pipe that is part of the resonant circuit of the tightly coupled inductive link in the wireless power transmission system. Consistent with the above teachings, in exemplary embodiments, the inductive power transmission device includes an inductor coil as a heat pipe. Furthermore, as seen above, in exemplary embodiments, the device is at least part of an external component of a prosthetic system (whether for a charger for a fully implantable prosthesis or for an external component of a partially implantable prosthesis) that powers the implanted component using transcutaneous inductive power transmission, whether such power supply is for direct operation of the implanted component or for recharging a power storage device that is part of the implanted component.

[0103] As described above, in at least some exemplary embodiments, the external component may be a dedicated charger, while in other embodiments, in addition to having the ability to deliver power to the implanted component, the external component may also be a data transmission device. Therefore, in exemplary embodiments, the inductive power transmission device may be an inductive communication device.

[0104] Furthermore, referring to the above-described embodiments configured to utilize airflow to enhance heat transfer, in an exemplary embodiment, the device is configured to cause air movement through the device that exceeds the movement that occurs due to normal convection, thereby enhancing heat transfer from the dedicated heat transfer arrangement.

[0105] Consistent with the foregoing teachings, in exemplary embodiments, there exists a device, such as an external component of a prosthesis, comprising an inductive power transmission subsystem configured to deliver power to an implantable medical device and a skin interface surface. The device also includes a cooling subsystem configured to cool the skin interface surface. Furthermore, consistent with the teachings detailed above, in some embodiments, the cooling subsystem is integrated with the inductive power transmission subsystem. In this respect, as seen above, in some embodiments, the device is configured to transfer heat using the portion that also transmits power, thereby cooling the skin interface surface. Conversely, also consistent with the teachings detailed above, in some embodiments, the cooling subsystem is not integrated with the inductive power transmission subsystem.

[0106] In some cases, the device is an off-ear charging device (e.g., without a sound processor component). Figure 11 Implementation schemes) or off-ear sound processors (e.g., Figure 11A The implementation plan—note that, Figure 11 The implementation scheme may include Figure 11A The sound processor component, and Figure 11A The implementation may be an electric chair device—some implementations allow any component of any implementation to be combined with another implementation, and any component to be removed from the implementation, provided that this is permitted in the art—and the cooling subsystem is configured to transfer heat from the skin interface.

[0107] In an exemplary implementation, if the sound processor, etc., is disassembled, then Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 11 , Figure 11A , Figure 11B , Figure 11C , Figure 12 , Figure 13 and Figure 16 Any device can represent an off-ear implant charger, if such a situation exists. Note that an off-ear sound processor can also be used as an implant charger. The phrase "implant charger" implies that it is a dedicated charger without other functions.

[0108] In some embodiments, the device is a behind-the-ear (BTE) device, and the skin interface is located at the head component of the BTE device. In this regard, it should be noted that a behind-the-ear device can be a dedicated charger, where the ear is used to support the battery and other components, rather than utilizing a transcutaneous magnetic link to support the battery. In at least some embodiments, this allows for the use of larger and / or heavier batteries compared to other cases. In this embodiment, the BTE device has only the function of charging the implant. Nevertheless, in other embodiments, the BTE device can be a sound processor / having the functionality of a sound processor. In both arrangements, there may be practical value regarding the utilization of a cooling subsystem. Regarding embodiments utilizing a BTE device, a heat pipe can extend from the head component to the spine of the BTE device. The heat pipe can extend through cable 348, and a heat exchanger can be located in the spine 330. The heat pipe allows cooling fluid to flow from the head component to the heat exchanger and then back to the head component in a manner similar to the operation detailed above. In alternative embodiments, cable 348 can be a heat exchange device. The cable may be ribbed or may include ribbed sections, which will enhance heat transfer radiation and / or convection, exceeding the case for cylindrical smooth cables.

[0109] It should also be noted that in some embodiments, there may be scenarios where the body of the BTE device (spine, battery, and / or ear hook) may experience temperatures higher than expected. In this regard, embodiments include BTE devices in which the heat transfer and / or cooling arrangements described herein are implemented in the BTE device body and / or otherwise used to reduce the temperature of the skin-contacting surfaces of the BTE device body relative to situations without such implementations. As an example, the battery 252 may become hot during discharge (or charging—described more later), and / or a coil driver located in the spine 330, or any other component located in the BTE device body, may generate heat, thus providing practical value regarding the cooling of the skin interface. In exemplary embodiments, heat pipes may be located near the outer surface of the battery 252 and / or the outer surface of the spine 330 and / or the outer surface of the ear 290, which are in contact with the skin during normal use.

[0110] The implementation plan also includes methods. For example, Figure 14 An exemplary flowchart of an exemplary method—method 1400—is presented. Method 1400 includes method action 1410, which involves placing a percutaneous power delivery device (e.g., an external component detailed herein, whether a dedicated power recharging device or a similarly power-delivering data communication device) on the surface of the skin near a location adjacent to an implantable medical device. This can be at a location away from the recipient's ear. This can correspond to placing a head component (e.g., 1140) on... Figure 15The location shown should be considered relative to the proportion of men or women aged 40 born in the United States as of August 26, 2020, in the field of human factors engineering. Figure 15 An exemplary placement of the external component 1140 against the receiver's head is depicted from the perspective of an observer viewing the receiver's right side, where the receiver is looking forward ("right side" means the receiver's right-hand side). For reference purposes, Figure 15 The image shows the auricle of the recipient and the ear canal of recipient 106. A transverse axis 94 and a longitudinal axis 99 are centered on the center of the external opening of the ear canal 106. The transverse axis 94 corresponds to the horizontal line of gravity, while the longitudinal axis 99 is parallel to the direction of gravity. The distance on the X-axis and / or Y-axis from the center position of the ear canal 106 and the external component 140 can be any of 2 inches, 2.25 inches, 2.5 inches, 2.75 inches, 3 inches, 3.25 inches, 3.5 inches, 3.75 inches, 4 inches, 4.25 inches, 4.5 inches, 4.75 inches, or 5 inches or greater, or any value or range of values ​​in increments of 0.01 inches.

[0111] In the discussed implementation, the act of placing the head component against the recipient's skin causes the inductor coil of the head component to be effectively centered as an implantable inductor coil implanted under the recipient's skin. The spacing between the two coils can be less than, greater than or equal to 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm, 10 mm, 11 mm, 12 mm, 13 mm, 14 mm, 15 mm, 16 mm, 17 mm, 18 mm, 19 mm, or 20 mm or greater, or any value or range of values ​​in increments of 0.1 mm.

[0112] Method 1400 also includes method action 1420, which includes transferring power from the device to the implantable medical device. In this embodiment, this is accomplished via an inductive link established through an external component and an implanted component. This can correspond to transferring power only to the implanted device or transferring both power and data to the implanted device, the latter being, for example, in partially implantable cochlear implants.

[0113] Method 1400 also includes method action 1430, which includes removing heat from the location while transferring power from the device to the medical device, or cooling at least one of the transdermal power transfer devices before transferring power from the device to the medical device. This can be achieved using the teachings detailed above (such as using a cooling subsystem, such as one of the teachings detailed above as an example). Additional details regarding the latter feature will be described below. However, in short, the practical value of reducing the temperature of external components relative to the temperature in the absence of active cooling of the device is preferred so that the total heat released ultimately results in a lower overall temperature of the skin interface surface relative to the temperature under otherwise identical conditions, and thus effectively achieves a practical result similar to that achieved using the cooling subsystem detailed herein. This will be described in more detail below. We first focus on the action of removing heat from the location.

[0114] In an exemplary embodiment, the action of transferring heat away from this location is performed by moving fluid from a location inside the device near the surface where the device's surface meets the skin to a location inside the device away from that location. This can be achieved by utilizing the details described above. Figure 11 An example of a pipe implementation scheme is provided. Note that fluid movement within the pipe can be a result of convection and / or can be caused by utilizing a device that generates a pressure differential within the heat pipe. This can also be achieved by utilizing... Figure 11C An example of this arrangement is provided, in which a conduit extends from inlet 1124 to a location near the skin interface side 544, such that airflow passes over the inner surface of the established skin interface surface 690 of the wall before exiting outlet 1133. Note that fins or other heat transfer enhancement devices may be located on the inner surface of the established skin interface surface 690 of the wall to enhance cooling.

[0115] Consistent with the teachings above, in an exemplary embodiment, thermoelectric cooling is used to perform method action 1430. This can be achieved as seen above. Figure 13 This can be achieved through arrangement. Figure 16 This is achieved through the arrangement seen in the text. In this respect, Figure 16An exemplary external component 1640 is presented. As can be seen, thermoelectric cooling devices 1616 are located on the bottom wall of the housing, which establishes a skin interface surface 696. These devices may be Peltier devices 1616, having a "cold side" facing the bottom wall and a hot side facing away from the bottom wall. These may be powered by DC current from the battery 580. For clarity, a heat sink 1661 is shown in dashed lines. These are connected to a heat sink 1671, which corresponds to a radiator device. In this exemplary embodiment, the heat sink 1661 may extend through the battery or may extend around the battery to reach the opposite side 546. The housing-facing side of the heat sink 1671 may be above the top surface of the housing to allow for increased airflow between the two components. Ribs or other devices that increase heat transfer may be located on the outer side of the housing of the external component 1640 on the opposite side 546.

[0116] It should be noted that, in an alternative embodiment, the radiator 1671 may additionally or alternatively extend around the outer periphery of the outer component 1640 (which may be a band extending concentrically around axis 599), the component being in thermal communication with the Peltier device 1616 via the radiator.

[0117] It should also be noted that air can be blown across the hot side of the Peltier device 1616 in order to transfer heat from these devices.

[0118] Of course, method action 1430 can be performed using a heat pipe.

[0119] In an exemplary embodiment, method action 1420 is performed during a fast-charging operation of an implanted prosthesis with an implantable energy storage device. This differs from normal charging. The temperature of external components increases relative to conditions utilizing a less rapid charging state due to the resulting rapid discharge of the battery and / or due to a higher load on the coil driver.

[0120] Exemplary embodiments of the exemplary method also include an action of charging the implanted prosthesis during a non-fast charging action. During this action, the action of transferring heat away from the location is not performed during the non-fast charging action. In this respect, in the exemplary embodiments, the teachings herein can be applied in a controlled or otherwise restricted manner when “necessary” (a very loose term relative to some embodiments or other scenarios), and otherwise not utilized when not necessary. The inference that follows is that in at least some exemplary embodiments, the action of transferring heat away from the location (method action 1430) is automatically performed in response to determining that a variable indicating skin temperature and / or the rate of change of skin temperature has changed by a predetermined amount. By way of example only and not limitation, this could correspond to the use of a thermocouple or temperature sensor at or near the skin interface surface 690. The predetermined amount can be any amount in which they may have practical value. The variable can also be a potential variable. In fact, the aforementioned sensor near the skin interface surface can be embedded inside the bottom housing wall and spaced apart from the recipient's skin. Therefore, the data from it is not necessarily related to skin temperature. Furthermore, the temperature of the inner surface of the wall can also be measured, and an estimate of the skin temperature can be obtained based on calculated and / or empirical and / or modeled data. In at least some exemplary embodiments, any apparatus, system, and / or method that can implement the teachings detailed herein for determining skin temperature characteristics can be utilized, provided that this is permitted by the art.

[0121] The teachings detailed in this article enable the use of charging and / or electrical technologies in relatively high ambient temperatures (such as during heat waves in the southeast or southwest of the United States), where the recipient of the prosthesis is external and, at least for a considerable period of time. In an exemplary embodiment, the method, apparatus, and system are used in a shaded or sunny environment before the commencement of power transfer, after the recipient and / or external device have been in the surrounding environment for at least 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours, 2.5 hours, 3 hours, 3.5 hours, 4 hours, 4.5 hours, 5 hours, 5.5 hours, 6 hours, 7 hours, or 8 hours. The ambient temperature is higher than 35 degrees Celsius, 36 degrees Celsius, 37 degrees Celsius, 38 degrees Celsius, 39 degrees Celsius, 40 degrees Celsius, 41 degrees Celsius, 42 degrees Celsius, 43 degrees Celsius, 44 degrees Celsius, or 45 degrees Celsius at the time the power transfer begins, and has been sustained for at least 0.5 hours, 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours, 2.5 hours, 3 hours, 3.5 hours, 4 hours, 4.5 hours, 5 hours, 5.5 hours, 6 hours, 7 hours, or 8 hours prior to this.

[0122] In this regard, prior to the commencement of the charging operation, the temperature around the location is above any of the aforementioned temperatures for at least 0.5 hours, 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours, 2.5 hours, 3 hours, 3.5 hours, 4 hours, 4.5 hours, 5 hours, 5.5 hours, 6 hours, 7 hours, or 8 hours, and the temperature at the location is maintained below 41 degrees Celsius throughout the entire time of transferring power from the device to the medical device, for a period of at least 0.1 hours, 0.2 hours, 0.3 hours, 0.4 hours, 0.5 hours, 0.6 hours, 0.7 hours, 0.8 hours, 0.9 hours, 1 hour, 1.25 hours, 1.5 hours, 1.75 hours, 2 hours, 2.25 hours, 2.5 hours, 2.75 hours, 3 hours, 3.25 hours, or 3.5 hours, or any value or range of values ​​in increments of 0.01 hours.

[0123] Some exemplary embodiments include performing one or more of the implant charging actions detailed herein while maintaining the skin temperature at the power delivery site below 43°C, 42°C, 41°C, 40°C, 39°C, 37°C, 36°C, or 35°C throughout the charging process. In exemplary embodiments, any one or more of the method actions detailed herein begin at a skin temperature less than, greater than, or equal to 29°C, 30°C, 31°C, 32°C, 33°C, 34°C, 35°C, 36°C, 37°C, or 38°C, or any value or range of values ​​in increments of 0.1°. Starting from this skin temperature, the method actions detailed herein can be performed to recharge the implant while maintaining the skin temperature at the aforementioned temperature at the beginning of this paragraph.

[0124] In exemplary embodiments, the teachings detailed herein can be used to increase charging time / increase the amount of time that external components can be used to charge the implanted component / implanted battery. In this regard, in exemplary embodiments, during charging operations, the use of a device without the active heat transfer action detailed herein may result in the recipient's skin temperature reaching 39°C, 40°C, 41°C, 42°C, or 43°C or higher. These temperatures can be dangerous and / or uncomfortable. A recipient of a charging prosthesis may tend to stop the charging process because the skin heating is uncomfortable. That is, in some embodiments, the device may automatically shut off or otherwise stop charging or otherwise reduce the charging rate because the device senses that the skin temperature is rising to an unacceptable and / or undesirable level (this is detected by a direct skin temperature sensor that is part of an external component, utilizing latent variables such as sensors that can detect the temperature of a portion of the external component and infer or otherwise derive an estimated skin temperature). Therefore, in at least some exemplary embodiments, by utilizing the heat transfer teachings detailed herein, the skin temperature will not reach these unacceptable or uncomfortable temperatures, and thus the external component can be used to charge the implant for a longer period of time (while maintaining the existing charging rate, such as for at least 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, or 60 minutes or longer during charging—in contrast to reducing the rate used to lower the temperature), thus enabling the implant to charge "more" and / or faster than in other cases, all other things being equal.

[0125] In practice, in exemplary embodiments, the action of charging the implant is performed such that, during the recharging time, the charging rate does not deviate from the average charging rate (mean, median, and / or mode) of the charging process by more than 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, or 30%, excluding ramp-up or ramp-down periods for battery life preservation, etc., for more than 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, or 30% of the total time the external device is in contact with the recipient's skin. Therefore, in exemplary embodiments, there is a charging method where the transmitted power is not intentionally interrupted or limited due to temperature (or may be limited for other reasons).

[0126] In exemplary embodiments, while satisfying the parameters detailed herein, the method detailed herein can be performed 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 125, or 150 or more times using the same apparatus.

[0127] As described above, there is practical value in cooling at least the head component of the external component used to charge the implanted device, relative to the case where charging of the implanted device begins. Here, in this embodiment, the external component will start at a temperature lower than the temperature under other conditions due to environmental conditions, so the heat generated by the recharging of the external component will be "absorbed" by the fact that the external component starts at a cooler temperature than under other conditions.

[0128] Figure 17 A flowchart of another exemplary method—method 1700—according to an exemplary embodiment is presented. Method 1700 includes method action 1710, which includes obtaining a device configured to percutaneously charge and / or power an implanted prosthesis, the device having a rechargeable power storage component, drawing power from the rechargeable power storage component to charge and / or power the implanted prosthesis, the power storage device having a charge state less than fully charged. In the exemplary embodiment, this could be any external device detailed above that enables the practice of this method. By way of example only, the device could be... Figure 1 or Figure 6 or Figure 11 External devices.

[0129] Method 1700 includes method action 1720, which includes recharging the power storage component to improve the state of charge of the power storage component, wherein the device is actively cooled during the recharging action such that the temperature of the outer surface of the device at the interface with human skin is lower than the temperature in the absence of active cooling during charging and / or powering of the implanted prosthesis.

[0130] Here, there is a practical value regarding the following: cooling or otherwise preventing the temperature of an external component from reaching a certain level, or reducing the temperature of the external component relative to other situations, such that when the external component is placed against the recipient's skin to recharge the implant, the temperature of the device is lower than in other situations, this can result in safer and / or more comfortable use of the component relative to other situations. In an exemplary use case, the recipient has an external device that has lost its charge or is insufficient to power or otherwise provide power to the implant, and the recipient needs at least a partially charged external component. The recipient also needs to achieve this as early as possible. Therefore, for example, fast charging is used to charge the external device, which could be a charger for a fully implantable hearing prosthesis. Fast charging will potentially raise the temperature of the external component, and may potentially raise the temperature of the external component to an unsafe level, or at least make it uncomfortable to use. The implementation of method action 1720 therefore limits the amount of temperature rise.

[0131] Therefore, there may be practical value in using the teachings detailed herein to charge external devices relatively faster than in other cases, so that the external device can be used in a short period of time without having to wait for the device to cool down before placing it against the recipient's skin.

[0132] Therefore, in an exemplary embodiment, the recharging of method action 1720 is performed such that the state of charge of the battery of the obtained component is no longer than or equal to 0.1 hours, 0.2 hours, 0.3 hours, 0.4 hours, 0.5 hours, 0.6 hours, 0.7 hours, 0.8 hours, 0.9 hours, 1 hour, 1.25 hours, 1.5 hours, 1.75 hours, 2 hours, 2.25 hours, 2.5 hours, 2.75 hours, 3 hours, 3.25 hours, or 3.5 hours. The battery has an increase of at least or equal to 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or 100% or any value or range of values ​​in increments of 1% over a period of time, or between any values ​​or ranges of values, in increments of 0.01 hours, and the battery has a value greater than or equal to 50 mAh, 55 mAh, 60 mAh, 65 mAh, 70 mAh, or 100% in increments of 1%. 75 mA / h, 80 mA / h, 85 mA / h, 90 mA / h, 95 mA / h, 100 mA / h, 110 mA / h, 120 mA / h, 130 mA / h, 140 mA / h, 150 mA / h, 160 mA / h, 170 mA / h, 180 mA / h, 190 mA / h, 200 mA / h, 210 mA / h, 220 mA / h, 230 mA / h, 240 mA / h, 250 mA / h, 2 New ratings of 60 mAh, 270 mAh, 280 mAh, 290 mAh, 300 mAh, 325 mAh, 350 mAh, 375 mAh, 400 mAh, 425 mAh, 450 mAh, 475 mAh, 500 mAh or more, or any value or range of values ​​in increments of 1 mAh, including (e.g., 265 mAh, 444 mAh, 111 mAh to 33 mAh). In some embodiments, this range is 50 mAh to 250 mAh, or 70 mAh to 225 mAh, or 90 mAh to 200 mAh, or any value or range of values ​​in increments of 1 mAh.

[0133] In exemplary embodiments, the apparatus, systems, and methods of this document enable the transfer of power within a range of any value or value of at least or equal to 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100% of the charging time, or the time increments of 1% therebetween, in the absence of the cooling arrangement described herein, while maintaining the same temperature at the skin interface of the device and / or preventing the temperature from exceeding 35°C, 36°C, 37°C, 38°C, 39°C, 40°C, or 41°C. In the case of a rate of at least and / or equal to 1.5 times, 1.75 times, 2 times, 2.25 times, 2.5 times, 2.75 times, 3 times, 3.25 times, 3.5 times, 3.75 times, 4 times, 4.5 times, 5 times, 5.5 times, 6 times, 6.5 times, 7 times, 7.5 times, 8 times, 8.5 times, 9 times, 10 times, 11 times, 12 times, 13 times, 14 times, 15 times, 16 times, 17 times, 18 times, 19 times, 20 times, 21 times, 22 times, 23 times, 24 times, 25 times, 26 times, 27 times, 28 times, 29 times, or 30 times or more, or any value or range of values ​​in increments of 0.05 times, wherein the ambient air temperature is within 10 degrees of this temperature, and all other conditions are the same. In exemplary embodiments, a battery is provided for use with the prosthesis described herein, having a standard charging rate of XYZmAh. In some embodiments, charging may be performed at any value or range of at least or equal to 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or 100% charging time, or in 1% increments, at times of 1.5x, 1.75x, 2x, 2.25x, 2.5x, 2.7x, or 100% charging time. The rate is 5 times, 3 times, 3.25 times, 3.5 times, 3.75 times, 4 times, 4.5 times, 5 times, 5.5 times, 6 times, 6.5 times, 7 times, 7.5 times, 8 times, 8.5 times, 9 times, 10 times, 11 times, 12 times, 13 times, 14 times, 15 times, 16 times, 17 times, 18 times, 19 times, 20 times, 21 times, 22 times, 23 times, 24 times, 25 times, 26 times, 27 times, 28 times, 29 times or 30 times or more, or any value or range of values ​​in increments of 0.05 times XYZ.

[0134] In an exemplary embodiment, the maximum and / or average outer diameter of the inductor coil of the external device is less than or equal to any value or range of values ​​in increments of 0.1 mm or greater, such as 15 mm, 16 mm, 17 mm, 18 mm, 19 mm, 20 mm, 21 mm, 22 mm, 23 mm, 24 mm, 25 mm, 26 mm, 27 mm, 28 mm, 29 mm, 30 mm, 31 mm, 32 mm, 33 mm, 34 mm, or 35 mm. The single-strand wire diameter can be a standard diameter for cochlear implants. The coil arrangement can be as described in Nucleus 7 as of August 26, 2020. TM The coil arrangement used is approved for sale and is being sold in the United States.

[0135] In exemplary embodiments, the apparatus, systems, and methods of this document enable the transmission of electricity at least and / or equal to 50 mA / h, 55 mA / h, 60 mA / h, 65 mA / h, 70 mA / h, 75 mA / h, 80 mA / h, 85 mA / h, 90 mA / h, 95 mA / h, 100 mA / h, 110 mA / h, 120 mA / h, 130 mA / h, 140 mA / h, 150 mA / h, 160 mA / h, 170 mA / h, and 180 mA / h. Rates of 190 mA / h, 200 mA / h, 210 mA / h, 220 mA / h, 230 mA / h, 240 mA / h, 250 mA / h, 260 mA / h, 270 mA / h, 280 mA / h, 290 mA / h, 300 mA / h, 325 mA / h, 350 mA / h, 375 mA / h, 400 mA / h, 425 mA / h, 450 mA / h, 475 mA / h, and 500 mA / h are transmitted, while achieving the performance goals of this paper.

[0136] In some embodiments, the outermost diameter of the head portion is greater than the outermost diameter of the coil by 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 7mm, 8mm, 9mm, 10mm, 11mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, or 15mm, or any value or range thereof in increments of 0.1mm. In some embodiments, the total height of the head portion is less than or equal to 15mm, 16mm, 17mm, 18mm, 19mm, 20mm, 21mm, 22mm, 23mm, 24mm, 25mm, 26mm, 27mm, 28mm, 29mm, or 30mm, or any value or range thereof in increments of 0.1mm. In some implementations, the weight of the head component of the battery is less than or equal to 15 grams, 16 grams, 17 grams, 18 grams, 19 grams, 20 grams, 21 grams, 22 grams, 23 grams, 24 grams, 25 grams, 26 grams, 27 grams, 28 grams, 29 grams, 30 grams, 31 grams, 32 grams, 33 grams, 34 grams, 35 grams, 36 grams, 37 grams, 38 grams, 39 grams, 40 grams, 41 grams, 42 grams, 43 grams, 44 grams, 45 grams, 46 grams, 47 grams, 48 ​​grams, 49 grams, or 50 grams, or any value or range of values ​​in increments of 0.1 grams.

[0137] Figure 18 Another exemplary method—method 1800—is presented, which includes performing method 1700. This method also includes method action 1820, which involves placing the device on the recipient's skin while the device is at a temperature generated due to active cooling and charging and / or powering the implanted prosthesis. In an exemplary embodiment, the action of placing the device on the skin is performed within a time period of less than or equal to 0.1 minutes, 0.2 minutes, 0.3 minutes, 0.4 minutes, 0.5 minutes, 0.6 minutes, 0.7 minutes, 0.8 minutes, 0.9 minutes, 1 minute, 1.25 minutes, 1.5 minutes, 1.75 minutes, 2 minutes, 2.25 minutes, 2.5 minutes, 2.75 minutes, 3 minutes, 3.25 minutes, 3.5 minutes, 4 minutes, 4.5 minutes, 5 minutes, 5.5 minutes, or 6 minutes, or any value or range of values ​​in increments of 0.01 minutes, starting from a point in time from the end of charging of the device and / or from the point from the point from the point from the point from the point from the point from the point from the point from the point from the point from the point from the point from the point from the point from the point from the point from the point from the point from the point of the point from ... In exemplary embodiments, these time periods will be the periods during which the device will become hot, including overheating for comfort and / or safety in contact with human skin, but not as hot as it would normally be for active cooling. Therefore, in exemplary embodiments, even after a charging state, the device has a temperature falling within various standards for medical devices that would otherwise cause the device to be at a temperature violating those standards.

[0138] In an exemplary embodiment, after one or more of the above-described recharging scenarios, the skin interface surface is at a temperature at least or equal to 0.5°C, 1°C, 1.5°C, 2°C, 2.5°C, 3°C, 3.5°C, 4°C, 4.5°C, 5°C, 5.5°C, 6°C, 6.5°C, 7°C, 8°C, 9°C, 10°C, 11°C, 12°C, 13°C, 14°C, 15°C, 16°C, 17°C, 18°C, 19°C, 20°C, 21°C, 22°C, 23°C, 24°C, 25°C, 26°C, 27°C, 28°C, 29°C, or 30°C, or any value or range of values ​​in increments of 0.1°C, all other conditions being equal.

[0139] Figure 19 This is a flowchart of method 1900. Method 1900 includes method action 1910, which includes performing method 1700. Method 1900 also includes method action 1920, which includes placing the device on the recipient's skin while the device is at a temperature generated due to active cooling and charging and / or powering the implanted prosthesis (in some embodiments, this includes rapid charging of the implanted prosthesis). In this method, during the charging and / or powering of the implanted prosthesis, the highest temperature of the skin interface surface of the device does not meet or exceed the temperature corresponding to the temperature in the absence of active cooling for at least a specific time period after the start of charging, wherein the specific time period is at least or equal to 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 6 minutes, 7 minutes, 8 minutes, 9 minutes, 10 minutes, 11 minutes, 12 minutes, 13 minutes, 14 minutes, 15 minutes, 16 minutes, 17 minutes, 18 minutes, 19 minutes, 20 minutes, 21 minutes, 22 minutes, 23 minutes, 24 minutes, 25 minutes, 26 minutes, 27 minutes, 28 minutes, 29 minutes, 30 minutes, 35 minutes, 40 minutes, 45 minutes, 50 minutes, 55 minutes, or 60 minutes or more, or any value or range of values ​​in increments of 0.1 minutes. In an exemplary embodiment, after one or more of the above-described implant recharging scenarios, the skin interface surface is at a temperature at least or equal to 0.5°C, 1°C, 1.5°C, 2°C, 2.5°C, 3°C, 3.5°C, 4°C, 4.5°C, 5°C, 5.5°C, 6°C, 6.5°C, 7°C, 8°C, 9°C, 10°C, 11°C, 12°C, 13°C, 14°C, 15°C, 16°C, 17°C, 18°C, 19°C, 20°C, 21°C, 22°C, 23°C, 24°C, 25°C, 26°C, 27°C, 28°C, 29°C, or 30°C, or any value or range of values ​​in increments of 0.1°C, all other conditions being equal.

[0140] In an exemplary embodiment, the cooling of the charging device causes the skin interface surface to be at a temperature not exceeding or at least equal to 25°C, 26°C, 27°C, 28°C, 29°C, 30°C, 31°C, 32°C, 33°C, 34°C, or 35°C, or any value or range thereof in increments of 0.1°C, wherein the ambient temperature at the location where recharging occurs is at least 3°C, 4°C, 5°C, 6°C, 7°C, 8°C, 9°C, 10°C, 11°C, 12°C, 13°C, 14°C, or 15°C, or higher, than this temperature.

[0141] It should be briefly noted that while the teachings detailed herein involve transferring heat away from external components during recharging, other implementations may include cooling already charged components. By way of example only and not limitation, a charging device may be charged and ready for use, and this may be maintained for two, three, or four hours, or even a day, two days, or longer, before the charging device is needed or otherwise used to charge the implant. However, due to environmental conditions or the desire for very rapid charging of the implant, there may be practical value in cooling the charging device before using it to charge the implant. The goal is to avoid overheating of the skin at the site of charging. Therefore, anything that avoids this can have practical value.

[0142] In exemplary embodiments, the heat transfer / cooling teachings detailed herein can cause the charging device to be used to charge the implant at a charging rate of at least 1.5 times, 2 times, 2.5 times, 3 times, 3.5 times, 4 times, 4.5 times, 5 times, 5.5 times, or 6 times or greater than the charging rate under other conditions, all other conditions being equal, while maintaining the skin temperature at the location where the charging device contacts the skin below a skin temperature of 43°C, 42°C, 41°C, 40°C, 39°C, 38°C, 37°C, 36°C, or 35°C, wherein charging is performed for at least 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes, 35 minutes, 40 minutes, 45 minutes, 50 minutes, 55 minutes, or 60 minutes.

[0143] Figure 20 An exemplary device 2000 is provided, which is capable of implementing some of the teachings detailed herein during the charging of an external component for charging or otherwise providing power to an implantable component, such as external component 640, which is provided as an example only and not a limitation. Figure 20The external component is shown in the charging device 2000 in a position for charging. The charging device 2000 is configured to inductively charge the external component using an inductive coil charging device 2042, which may correspond to or otherwise have a component similar to or analogous to that used by the external component to charge the implant. That is, in alternative embodiments, a hard-wired system including a plug inserted into the external component 640 may be used to charge the external component 640. In other words, inductive charging is merely an option, and in some other embodiments, more conventional charging methods utilizing the direct electron flow of the external component's battery may be employed. Furthermore, it should be noted that the coil used for inductive communication with the implant may not necessarily be used for recharging. In some embodiments, a second coil is present for recharging and / or an additional circuit system is used to convert AC current to DC current (allowing for the use of, for example, different recharging frequencies (from power transfer to implantation frequency)). The additional coil may be located in the same position as the delivery coil or may be positioned away from the coil (e.g., on the opposite side of the head component—in which case the external component 640 will be...). Figure 2 (The image shown is inverted).

[0144] In an exemplary embodiment, the device is configured to recharge a power storage portion of the prosthetic component. The power storage portion may be a battery cell configured for recharging. In an exemplary embodiment, the prosthetic component is a battery, such as… Figure 4 The battery 252 of the BTE device 1040. In an exemplary embodiment, the prosthetic component is generally an external part of the hearing prosthesis (e.g., as...). Figure 20 Component 640 (as seen in the previous example), and in another exemplary embodiment, it is a prosthesis charging device (overall), such as a device for charging a fully implantable hearing prosthesis, such as Figure 6 Variations of the implementation scheme (where the sound capture element 526 and sound processor are absent—the device is purely configured to charge the implanted portion) or Figure 11 Variations of the implementation scheme (by way of example only). The device is configured to separate the cooling and power storage components (e.g., the components of battery 252, the components of the ear charger, etc.).

[0145] Some embodiments of the charging device are configured to charge one or more of the aforementioned external components and / or batteries according to one or more of the various recharge conditions detailed herein. The charging device 2000 can be configured to be plugged into a standard AC outlet to obtain power for operation of the charging device. The charging device 2000 is equipped with a cover 2020 that isolates the interior of the charging device from the surrounding environment. This may have practical value with respect to a particular embodiment, in which the charging device 2000 is unique in that it is also able to cool the external component 640 during charging and / or when the external component is located within the charging device. In this respect, Figure 20 The exemplary charging device 2000 shown includes three thermoelectric coolers 2016. As seen, two of these thermoelectric coolers have heat sinks 2061 leading to the radiator device 2071 to transfer heat from the interior of the housing to the exterior, thus cooling the external component 640. It can be seen that the bottom thermoelectric cooler 2016 extends through the housing wall and does not have a heat sink itself. As seen, a support base 2022 is located at the bottom of the charging device 2000, allowing air to flow beneath the bottom of the thermoelectric coolers 2016. For clarity, in Figure 20 In the illustrated embodiment, the "cold side" of the thermoelectric cooler is positioned facing the external component 640, while the "hot side" of the thermoelectric cooler is positioned away from the external component and facing the exterior of the housing. This allows heat to be transferred from the external component or from the interior of the housing to the exterior of the housing, thereby effectively cooling the interior of the charging device.

[0146] It can also be seen that, Figure 20 The charging device includes a fan 2002, which can be used to transfer heat from the external component 640. In an exemplary embodiment, the charging device may be configured with an air inlet and an air outlet, allowing airflow through the housing to be enhanced or otherwise initiated. That is, in alternative embodiments, such as where the housing is in a semi-sealed configuration (similar to how a refrigerator housing is sealed), the fan 2002 can be used to move air within the housing, creating an airflow throughout the "cold side" of the thermoelectric cooling device.

[0147] It should be noted that, although Figure 20 The charging device relies on thermoelectric cooling and / or convective heat transfer, but in alternative implementations, a refrigeration system can be used to replace or supplement it. Figure 20In the embodiments seen, the refrigeration system utilizes compressed and expanded gases (carrier refrigeration cycle). It should also be noted that in some embodiments, a technically simpler arrangement of the external components can be utilized. In an exemplary embodiment, a pre-cooling substance (such as an ice pack) can be placed inside the housing to cool the housing or otherwise extract heat from the external component 640. In an exemplary embodiment, the ice pack can be a pre-formed component (e.g., not a bag of ice, but a plastic container containing a substance that can be easily and repeatedly cooled), which can be placed in or otherwise held in a freezer and then removed and used when recharging is about to be achieved. In an exemplary embodiment, the ice pack can be placed on top of a lid, and the lid can have a pre-formed structure that can receive the ice pack, and vents through the lid can draw air from outside the housing into the housing. As the air passes over / around the ice pack, it is cooled, thereby drawing cold air into the housing and thus cooling the external component 640 during charging.

[0148] Therefore, in an exemplary embodiment, there is a method comprising performing method 1700, which has the additional action of: gaining access to a charging device configured to interface with a device (external component) to be recharged and to recharge a power storage component, wherein the charging device is used to perform the action of recharging the power storage component, the charging device is configured to actively cool the device during and / or before charging, and the charging device is used to actively cool the device. Here, the charging device for which access is gained may be... Figure 20 The device. Therefore, in some embodiments, the charging device that gains access includes a container. In this regard, the method may also include methods of placing the device to be charged into the container such that the device is completely enclosed in the container and reducing the temperature of the device while it is in the container.

[0149] In some implementations, while the device being charged is inside the charging container, the interior of the container is cooled to 33°C, 32°C, 31°C, 30°C, 29°C, 28°C, 27°C, 26°C, 25°C, 24°C, 23°C, 22°C, 21°C, 20°C, 19°C, 18°C, 17°C, 16°C, 15°C, 14°C, 13°C, 12°C, 11°C, or 10°C or higher. Low, and indeed for at least 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, or 180 minutes or longer.

[0150] Figure 21 Another exemplary embodiment of a charger 2100 for an external component (here, external component 2140) is presented. In this embodiment, as shown, the charger 2100 includes a heat sink 2155 extending from a thermoelectric cooler 2016. As shown, the size and dimensions of the heat sink 2155 are configured to fit the external component 2140. In this respect, the external component includes a coupling for detachable attachment to the external component, a separate heat transfer device. This coupling interfaces with the heat sink 2155. Heat can be transferred directly from the external component 2140 (including from within the external component) to the heat sink 2155. This can enhance heat transfer during charging. This heat transfer can be performed during charging. In the exemplary embodiment, a magnet can be detached from the external component 2140 to provide access to the coupling.

[0151] It should be noted that external components without a heat transfer / cooling system are not included in this specification and should be considered prior art. Therefore, embodiments include devices for inductive power transfer communication, which include, for example, an inductor coil established by a heat pipe, and because conventional / prior art inductive power transfer communication does not form part of the innovative features, but is modified / used with the innovative features herein, devices for inductive power transfer communication do not include these prior art devices. The same applies to heat transfer devices / equipment / systems—the fact that any device can transfer heat does not correspond to heat transfer devices, etc.

[0152] In an exemplary embodiment, devices serving as dedicated prosthetic charging devices are configured such that when they are inductively coupled to a prosthetic charging component to inductively charge that component, these devices can, within a time period shorter than the availability of functions (such as the availability of the charging device's function) in the absence of the detailed heat transfer arrangement described herein, charge the prosthetic component at a rate of at least 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, or 70%, or any value or range thereof in increments of 1%, from at least 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%. The component is fully recharged from a battery state of 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or 100% depletion, all other conditions being equal, such that, under cool, still air conditions, when the ambient temperature of the device is at least 35°C, 36°C, 37°C, 38°C, 39°C, 40°C, 41°C, or 42°C, or any value or range thereof in increments of at least 0.1°C, the skin interface component does not exceed 37°C, 38°C, 39°C, 40°C, 41°C, 42°C, or 43°C at the end of the time period.

[0153] In an exemplary embodiment, the charging device includes a circuit system, such as a microprocessor, configured to realize the relationship between fast charging and standard charging (they are configured to realize both—the device is configured to utilize the circuit system to achieve such a charging condition).

[0154] It should be noted that any method detailed herein also corresponds to the disclosure of an apparatus and / or system configured to perform one or more or all of the method actions associated with the apparatus and / or system detailed herein. In an exemplary embodiment, this apparatus and / or system is configured to perform one or more or all of the method actions automatically. That is, in an alternative embodiment, the apparatus and / or system is configured to perform one or more or all of the method actions upon prompting. It should also be noted that any disclosure of the apparatus and / or system detailed herein corresponds to methods of making and / or using the apparatus and / or system, including methods of using the apparatus according to the functions detailed herein.

[0155] It should also be noted that any disclosure of the apparatus and / or system detailed herein corresponds to additional disclosure of the apparatus and / or system provided herein.

[0156] It should also be noted that any disclosure herein regarding any process for manufacturing and / or providing an apparatus corresponds to the resulting apparatus and / or system. It should also be noted that any disclosure herein regarding any apparatus and / or system corresponds to the disclosure of methods for producing or otherwise providing or otherwise manufacturing such apparatus and / or system.

[0157] Unless expressly instructed and / or unless this cannot be achieved in the art, any embodiment or feature disclosed herein may be combined with any one or more other embodiments and / or features disclosed herein. Unless expressly instructed to combine them and / or unless this exclusion cannot be achieved in the art, any embodiment or feature disclosed herein may be expressly excluded from use with any one or more other embodiments and / or features disclosed herein.

[0158] While various embodiments of the invention have been described above, it should be understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example only and not as limitations. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An electric power transmission device, comprising: An inductive power transmission device, comprising an inductive coil, the inductive coil being used to transmit inductive power percutaneously to an implantable medical device within the human body; as well as A dedicated heat transfer arrangement, comprising heat pipes configured to transfer heat generated during the power transfer process from the power transfer device. The heat pipe also serves as the inductor coil.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The heat pipe is part of the resonant circuit of a tightly coupled inductive link in a wireless power transmission system.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein: The power delivery device is at least part of the external components of the prosthesis system, which uses transcutaneous inductive power delivery to power the implanted component.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein: The power transfer device is configured to cause air movement through it, exceeding the movement that occurs due to normal convection, thereby enhancing heat transfer from the dedicated heat transfer arrangement.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein: The inductive power transmission device is also an inductive communication device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein: The heat transfer arrangement includes a connection point for detachably attaching the power transfer device to a separate heat transfer device.

7. A method for transmitting electricity, comprising: The transdermal electrical transfer device is placed on the surface of the skin near the first location of the implanted medical device; Power is transferred from the device to the implantable medical device by using an inductor coil; Using a heat pipe to perform at least one of the transdermal power delivery devices is to transfer heat away from the first location while transferring power from the device to the medical device, or to cool the transdermal power delivery device before transferring power from the device to the medical device. as well as The heat pipe is also used as the inductor coil.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein: The action of transferring heat away from the first location is performed by moving the fluid from a second location inside the device and close to the surface of the device to a location away from the second location inside the device, the surface of which is at the interface with the surface of the skin.

9. The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein: Thermoelectric cooling is used to perform the action of transferring heat away from the first location.

10. The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein: Perform the action of transferring power during the rapid charging action of an implanted prosthesis with an implantable power storage device; and The method further includes charging the implanted prosthesis during a non-fast charging operation, wherein no action is performed to transfer heat away from the first location during the non-fast charging operation.

11. The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein: In response to the determination that a variable indicating skin temperature and / or the rate of change of skin temperature has changed by a predetermined amount, an action to transfer heat away from the first location is automatically performed.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein: Before a fast or non-fast charging operation begins, the temperature around the first location is above 41 degrees Celsius for at least one hour. as well as During the entire time that power is transferred from the device to the medical device, the temperature at the first location is maintained below 41 degrees Celsius for at least half an hour.

13. A method for transmitting electricity, comprising: A device is obtained that is configured to percutaneously charge and / or power an implanted prosthesis implanted in a recipient, the device having a rechargeable power storage component from which power is drawn to charge and / or power the implanted prosthesis, the power storage component having a charge state less than a full charge. as well as The state of charge of the power storage device is improved by recharging it using an inductor coil, wherein... The device is actively cooled via a heat pipe during recharging, such that the temperature of the outer surface of the device at the interface with human skin is lower during charging and / or powering of the implanted prosthesis than it would be in the absence of such active cooling. The heat pipe is also used as the inductor coil.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: Gaining access to a charging device configured to interface with the device and recharge the power storage component, wherein the charging device is used to perform the recharging action of the power storage component, and wherein the charging device is configured to actively cool the device during and / or before the charging, and the charging device is used to actively cool the device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein: The charging device includes a container; The method further includes placing the device into the container, thereby completely enclosing the device within the container; and The method further includes reducing the temperature of the device when the device is in the container.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein: The interior of the container is cooled to 33 degrees Celsius or lower.

17. The method of claim 13, 14, 15 or 16, further comprising: The device is placed on the recipient's skin while being subjected to temperatures generated by the active cooling and charging and / or powering of the implanted prosthesis.

18. The method of claim 13, 14, 15 or 16, further comprising: The device is placed on the recipient's skin while being subjected to temperatures generated by the active cooling and rapid charging of the implanted prosthesis, wherein... During the charging and / or powering of the implanted prosthesis, the highest temperature of the skin interface surface of the device does not meet or exceed the temperature corresponding to the temperature in the absence of active cooling for at least ten minutes after the start of rapid charging.

19. The method of claim 13, 14, 15 or 16, wherein: The device is an ear-mounted implantable charger.

20. An electric power transmission device, comprising: An inductive power transmission subsystem configured to deliver power to an implantable medical device; Skin interface surface; and A cooling subsystem configured to cool the skin interface surface; The inductive power transmission subsystem includes an inductor coil, which also functions as a heat pipe.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein: The system for cooling the skin interface surface is an apparatus for cooling the skin interface surface.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 or 21, wherein: The power transmission device is configured such that power can be transmitted at at least twice the rate in the absence of a system for cooling the skin interface surface while maintaining it at the same temperature, all other things being equal.

23. The apparatus of claim 20 or 21, wherein: The cooling subsystem is integrated with the inductive power transmission subsystem.

24. The apparatus of claim 20 or 21, wherein: The power transmission device is configured to use a portion that also transmits electricity to transfer heat, thereby cooling the skin interface surface.

25. The apparatus of claim 20 or 21, wherein: The power delivery device is an in-ear charging device or an in-ear sound processor; and The cooling subsystem is configured to transfer heat from the skin interface surface to a location on the power transfer device opposite the skin interface surface.

26. The apparatus of claim 20 or 21, wherein: The power transmission device is a behind-the-ear device, and the skin interface is located on the head component of the behind-the-ear device.

27. An electric power transmission device, comprising: Battery charging equipment; and Cooling device, in which The power delivery device is a dedicated prosthetic component charging device, which is configured to recharge the power storage portion of the prosthetic component using an inductor coil while the component is cooled by a heat pipe. The power storage portion is separate from the component. The heat pipe is also used as the inductor coil.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein: The power transmission device is a dedicated charging device for hearing prostheses.

29. The apparatus of claim 27 or 28, wherein: The power transmission device includes means for cooling the prosthetic component.

30. The apparatus of claim 27 or 28, wherein: The power delivery device is a fast charger for implant chargers used in fully implantable cochlear implants.

31. The apparatus of claim 27 or 28, wherein: The power delivery device includes a compartment whose size and dimensions are configured to receive the prosthetic component; and The power transmission device is configured to reduce the air temperature inside the compartment by at least 5 degrees Celsius relative to the ambient air temperature of the air in which the power transmission device is located.

32. The apparatus of claim 27 or 28, wherein: The prosthetic component is inductively coupled to the power transmission device; and The power delivery device is configured to fully recharge the prosthetic component from a battery state of at least 90% depletion for a period of time at least 30% shorter than the period in which the cooling device is unavailable, all other conditions being equal, such that at the end of the period, when the ambient air temperature of the power delivery device is at least 35 degrees Celsius under cool, still air conditions, the skin interface component is not higher than 41 degrees Celsius.

33. A head component of a hearing prosthesis, comprising: DC battery; An inductive power driver, the inductive power driver including a transistor, the inductive power driver being configured to use the transistor to convert direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) from the battery; magnet; and An inductor coil extending around the magnet, wherein the inductor coil is electrically in communication with the inductive power driver, such that the inductor coil receives the alternating current and generates an inductive field to power an implantable hearing prosthesis. The inductor coil is made of a metal heat pipe configured to transfer heat fluidly away from the coil, the heat being generated when the coil is used to transmit inductive power.

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