Implantable Wireless Power Device Anchored Through Tissue
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical implants face challenges in maintaining a secure and fixed position within the body for efficient energy transfer and operation, particularly due to the need for subcutaneous placement to minimize distance from external energy sources.
Innovation Solution
An implantable medical device design featuring a first and second portion with a connecting portion that engages tissue, preventing movement through a hole in the tissue, and utilizing a flange or protruding elements for secure positioning, along with wireless energy reception and transmission capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If the implanted device is placed subcutaneously close to the skin, then the distance between the external energy transmitter and the implanted device is minimized, but the device cannot be kept in a relatively fixed position
Solution Approach 1:
The implantable device is divided into multiple portions (first portion, second portion, and connecting portion) that can be distributed across different tissue layers. The first portion is placed subcutaneously close to the skin for energy reception, while the second portion is anchored deeper in the tissue to provide stability. The connecting portion links these segments together, allowing the device to maintain both close proximity to the skin and fixed positioning simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The device utilizes the third dimension (depth into the tissue) to resolve the contradiction. By extending the device from the subcutaneous layer deeper into the tissue, the system achieves both goals: the first portion remains close to the skin surface for efficient wireless energy transfer, while the second portion anchors at depth to prevent displacement. This dimensional extension allows simultaneous optimization of both energy transfer efficiency and positional stability.
2Measurement precision
If the implanted device is kept in a fixed position for accurate energy transfer, then energy transfer accuracy is improved, but the device requires complex anchoring structures
Solution Approach 1:
The anchoring function is segmented from the main device body and implemented through a simple connecting portion with protruding elements that engage with tissue. This segmentation allows the device to achieve fixed positioning through a relatively simple anchoring mechanism rather than a complex overall structure, maintaining energy transfer accuracy while minimizing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting portion with protruding elements is designed to self-anchor into the tissue through its geometric configuration. The protruding elements naturally engage with the tissue matrix, providing stable fixation without requiring additional anchoring components or complex mechanisms. This self-service anchoring approach achieves accurate fixed positioning while keeping the device structure simple.
3Ease of manufacture
If the connecting portion has a smaller cross-sectional area to pass through tissue, then insertion is easier, but the device may move through the hole
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into portions with different cross-sectional characteristics. The connecting portion has a smaller cross-sectional area optimized for passing through the tissue hole, while the first and second portions have larger cross-sectional areas that prevent them from passing through the hole. This segmentation allows easy insertion through the smaller connecting portion while ensuring reliable retention of the larger portions on both sides of the tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire device narrow for insertion and accepting reduced stability, the invention inverts the approach by making the main device portions (first and second portions) larger for stability and only the connecting portion smaller for insertion. The larger portions are strategically positioned to be retained by the tissue, effectively using the tissue hole as a retention mechanism rather than just an insertion path.
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 device is securely held in place, facilitating accurate energy transfer and operation while allowing for wireless energy management, enhancing the stability and functionality of implanted medical devices.
Implementation Method 1
the third cross-sectional area is smaller than the second and fourth cross-sectional areas, such that the first portion, second portion and connecting portion are prevented from travelling through the hole in the tissue portion
Implementation Method 2
the connecting portion comprises a flange comprising the fourth cross-sectional area, such that the flange is prevented from travelling through the hole in the tissue portion
Implementation Method 3
the connecting portion comprises at least one protruding element comprising the fourth cross-sectional area, such that the at least one protruding element is prevented from travelling through the hole in the tissue portion
Implementation Method 4
a first surface configured to face a first tissue surface of the first side of the tissue portion, a second surface configured to engage a second tissue surface of the second side of the tissue portion
Data Source
AI summary
An implantable energized medical device configured to be held in position by a tissue portion of a patient, the medical device comprising: a first portion configured to be placed on a first side of the tissue portion, the first portion having a first cross-sectional area in a first plane and comprising a first surface configured to face a first tissue surface of the first side of the tissue portion, a second portion configured to be placed on a second side of the tissue portion, the second side opposing the first side, the second portion having a second cross-sectional area in a second plane and comprising a second surface configured to engage a second tissue surface of the second side of the tissue portion, and a connecting portion configured to be placed through a hole in the tissue portion extending between the first and second sides of the tissue portion, the connecting portion having a third cross-sectional area in a third plane and a third surface configured to engage the first tissue surface of the first side of the tissue portion, wherein the connecting portion is configured to connect the first portion to the second portion, wherein: the first, second, and third planes are parallel to each other, and the third cross-sectional area is smaller than the first and second cross-sectional areas, such that the first portion, second portion and connecting portion are prevented from travelling through the hole in the tissue portion in a direction perpendicular to the first, second and third planes.