Delivering optical power to subcutaneous implanted devices

In this paper, a new, easy-to-implement, and MRI-compatible approach for delivering power to implantable devices is presented. The idea is to harvest the energy of light within the therapeutic window wavelengths, where the optical absorption is small, by using subcutaneous photovoltaic (PV) cells. Depending on the application, this energy can then be used to directly drive the embedded electronics of an implanted device or recharge its battery. To show the feasibility of this system, a CMOS chip based on this concept has been implemented and tested. The experimental results demonstrate that μW's of power in ambient light conditions can be harvested using mm2-size PV cells. This amount of power is sufficient to address the needs of many low-power applications.

[1]  Maysam Ghovanloo,et al.  A Wide-Band Power-Efficient Inductive Wireless Link for Implantable Microelectronic Devices Using Multiple Carriers , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers.

[2]  Gregory K. Chen.  Millimeter-scale nearly perpetual sensor system , 2010 .

[3]  Howard A. Frank,et al.  Long-Term Electric Stimulation of the Heart for Stokes-Adams Disease , 1961 .

[4]  H. E. Stephenson,et al.  Energy transport through tissue by inductive coupling. , 1967, American journal of surgery.

[5]  J. Rabaey,et al.  A 1mm3 2Mbps 330fJ/b transponder for implanted neural sensors , 2011, 2011 Symposium on VLSI Circuits - Digest of Technical Papers.

[6]  J.D. Meindl,et al.  A monolithic signal processor for a neurophysiological telemetry system , 1985, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[7]  W. Ko,et al.  Intracranial Pressure Telemetry System Using Semicustom Integrated Circuits , 1986, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[8]  Peng Cong,et al.  New interfaces to the body through implantable-system integration , 2011, 2011 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference.

[9]  Dennis D. Roscoe,et al.  An Externally Powered, Multichannel, Implantable Stimulator for Versatile Control of Paralyzed Muscle , 1987, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[10]  K. König,et al.  Multiphoton microscopy in life sciences , 2000, Journal of microscopy.

[11]  Tayfun Akin,et al.  A wireless implantable multichannel digital neural recording system for a micromachined sieve electrode , 1998, IEEE J. Solid State Circuits.

[12]  B. Hooper.  Optical-thermal response of laser-irradiated tissue , 1996 .

[13]  G. Vermeeren,et al.  Path loss model for in-body communication in homogeneous human muscle tissue , 2009 .

[14]  J W Knutti,et al.  Integrated power controllers and RF data transmitters for totally implantable telemetry. , 1979, Biotelemetry and patient monitoring.

[15]  Jamil Y. Khan,et al.  Wireless Body Sensor Network Using Medical Implant Band , 2007, Journal of Medical Systems.

[16]  D. J. Segelstein.  The complex refractive index of water , 1981 .

[17]  Eric Soenen,et al.  A photovoltaic-driven and energy-autonomous CMOS implantable sensor , 2011, 2011 Symposium on VLSI Circuits - Digest of Technical Papers.

[18]  이태형,et al.  An Implantable Multichannel Stimulating Circuit for Neural Stimulator , 2009 .