Powering an Implantable Minipump with a Multi-layered Printed Circuit Coil for Drug Infusion Applications in Rodents

We report the use of a multi-layer printed coil circuit for powering (36–94 mW) an implantable microbolus infusion pump (MIP) that can be activated remotely for use in drug infusion in nontethered, freely moving small animals. This implantable device provides a unique experimental tool with applications in the fields of animal behavior, pharmacology, physiology, and functional brain imaging. Two different designs are described: a battery-less pump usable when the animal is inside a home-cage surrounded by a primary inductive coil and a pump powered by a rechargeable battery that can be used for studies outside the home-cage. The use of printed coils for powering of small devices by inductive power transfer presents significant advantages over similar approaches using hand-wound coils in terms of ease of manufacturing and uniformity of design. The high efficiency of a class-E oscillator allowed powering of the minipumps without the need for close physical contact of the primary and secondary coils, as is currently the case for most devices powered by inductive power transfer.

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