External Heart Pump Drive Heat Spreader for Motor Overheating

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing heart assist devices face issues with motor overheating due to ineffective heat dissipation, particularly when operated in enclosed environments, posing health risks and malfunction risks, and existing cooling solutions are cumbersome and difficult to clean.

Innovation Solution

An external drive unit for an implantable heart assist pump that transfers heat generated by the motor to the patient's tissue through a thermally conductive heat spreader, eliminating the need for cooling fins and allowing for efficient and reliable heat management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If cooling fins are added to the motor housing to improve heat dissipation, then heat dissipation efficiency is improved, but device complexity and difficulty of cleaning increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat dissipation efficiencyVSAvoidhousing structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the harmful heat generated by the motor into a beneficial effect by using it to warm the patient's tissue. The heat spreader is in thermal contact with both the motor and the patient's skin, transferring motor-generated heat to the tissue. This eliminates the need for cooling fins while maintaining safe operating temperatures and providing a therapeutic warming effect.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of trying to cool the motor by dissipating heat to the surrounding air (conventional approach), the patent inverts the approach by using the motor's heat to warm the patient's tissue. The heat spreader reverses the typical heat management strategy, turning a thermal problem into a therapeutic benefit.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Temperature

If cooling fins are added to the motor housing to improve heat dissipation, then heat dissipation efficiency is improved, but ease of cleaning deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat dissipation efficiencyVSAvoidease of cleaning

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the harmful heat generated by the motor into a beneficial effect by using it to warm the patient's tissue. The heat spreader is in thermal contact with both the motor and the patient's skin, transferring motor-generated heat to the tissue. This eliminates the need for cooling fins while maintaining safe operating temperatures and providing a therapeutic warming effect.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of trying to cool the motor by dissipating heat to the surrounding air (conventional approach), the patent inverts the approach by using the motor's heat to warm the patient's tissue. The heat spreader reverses the typical heat management strategy, turning a thermal problem into a therapeutic benefit.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Volume of moving object

If the motor is placed close to the patient's body to improve portability, then device compactness is improved, but safety deteriorates due to overheating risk

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice compactnessVSAvoidoverheating risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the harmful heat generated by the motor into a beneficial effect by using it to warm the patient's tissue. The heat spreader is in thermal contact with both the motor and the patient's skin, transferring motor-generated heat to the tissue. This eliminates the need for cooling fins while maintaining safe operating temperatures and providing a therapeutic warming effect.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The heat spreader acts as an intermediary component between the motor and the patient's tissue. It facilitates controlled thermal transfer, allowing the motor to be placed close to the body while safely managing heat transfer to benefit the patient rather than harm them.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Temperature

If conventional heat dissipation methods are used in enclosed environments, then heat dissipation to air is improved, but heat dissipation effectiveness deteriorates when operated under duvet or surgical drapery

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat dissipation to airVSAvoidheat dissipation effectiveness in enclosed environments

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the harmful heat generated by the motor into a beneficial effect by using it to warm the patient's tissue. The heat spreader is in thermal contact with both the motor and the patient's skin, transferring motor-generated heat to the tissue. This eliminates the need for cooling fins while maintaining safe operating temperatures and providing a therapeutic warming effect.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The heat spreader acts as an intermediary component between the motor and the patient's tissue. It facilitates controlled thermal transfer, allowing the motor to be placed close to the body while safely managing heat transfer to benefit the patient rather than harm them.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution ensures safe and efficient operation by effectively dissipating heat to the patient's tissue, preventing motor overheating, and providing a compact, easy-to-clean design suitable for various application scenarios.

Implementation Method 1

The contact surface is connected or connectable with the motor in a thermally-conductive manner to transfer heat generated by the motor to tissue of the patient

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentUS20260077164A1External drive unit for an implantable heart assist pump

Publication Date: 2026.03.19 ECP ENTWICKLUNGSGMBH

AI summary

The application relates to an external drive unit (7) for an implantable heart assist pump. The proposed drive unit (7) comprises a motor (35) for driving the heart assist pump, wherein the motor (35) is connectable to the heart assist pump via a transcutaneous drive shaft (3). The drive unit (7) further comprises a heat spreader (19) comprising a contact surface configured to contact and/or directly contact and/or lie flat against a skin of a patient. The contact surface is connected or connectable with the motor (35) in a thermally-conductive manner to transfer heat generated by the motor (35) to tissue of the patient.