External Wireless Power Coil Housing for Misalignment Heat Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Transcutaneous energy transfer systems face inefficiencies and increased heat emission when external and internal coils become misaligned, affecting power transfer to implantable medical devices like blood pumps.
Innovation Solution
An external coil system with a housing containing a thermal insulating base and thermally conductive plastic, where the external coil is sandwiched or enclosed between these components, along with temperature sensors and a garment alignment fabric layer, to enhance alignment and heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the external coil and internal coil are misaligned, then power transfer efficiency decreases, but heat emission from the external coil increases
Solution Approach 1:
A thermal coupling member is introduced as an intermediary between the external coil and the housing. This mediator facilitates heat transfer from the coil to the housing while maintaining proper coil alignment, thereby resolving the contradiction between power transfer efficiency and heat emission by providing a dedicated thermal management pathway.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal coupling member changes the thermal conductivity parameter of the interface between the external coil and the housing. By using a material with high thermal conductivity, the system efficiently conducts heat away from the coil, reducing harmful heat emission while maintaining alignment for optimal power transfer.
2Loss of energy
If the external coil is constrained to maintain alignment, then power transfer efficiency improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing incorporates a flexible or compliant structure that can accommodate minor misalignments while maintaining thermal contact between the external coil and the thermal coupling member. This flexibility reduces the need for complex rigid alignment mechanisms, thereby maintaining power transfer efficiency without significantly increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal coupling member creates a thermally equipotential interface that ensures consistent thermal contact regardless of minor positional variations. This allows the system to maintain both alignment and thermal management effectiveness without requiring overly complex constraint mechanisms.
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
Improves energy transfer efficiency and reduces heat emission by maintaining coil alignment and effective heat management, ensuring reliable power delivery to implantable medical devices.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal insulating base, the external coil being partially disposed within the thermal insulating base
Implementation Method 2
a thermally conductive plastic, the external coil being partially disposed within the thermally conductive plastic
Implementation Method 3
an external coil coupled to a battery, which transfers power through the skin of the patient toward an aligned internal coil implanted within the patient
Data Source
AI summary
An external coil system for a transcutaneous energy transfer system (TETS), the external coil being configured to transfer energy sufficient to power and implantable blood pump. The system includes a housing containing the external coil, the housing includes a thermal insulating base, the external coil being partially disposed within the thermal insulating base and a thermally conductive plastic, the external coil being partially disposed within the thermally conductive plastic.