Energy harvesting mechanism for medical devices

摘要

Embodiments of the invention provide apparatus, systems and methods for harvesting energy from bio-kinetic events to power various implanted medical devices. One embodiment provides an energy harvesting mechanism for a cardiac pacemaker comprising an energy converter and a signal path component. The energy converter is positionable inside a human body and configured to generate electric power signals in response to a bio-kinetic event of the human body such as a heart beat, respiration or arterial pulse. The converter can comprise a piezoelectric material which generates electricity in response to mechanical deformation of the converter. The converter can also have a power generation characteristic that is matched to the frequency of the bio-kinetic event. For heart beat powered applications, the power generation characteristic can be matched to the physiologic range of pulse rates.

主权项

1. An energy harvesting mechanism for a cardiac pacemaker, the mechanism comprising:
a deformable energy converter positionable inside a human body to generate electric power signals in response to a bio-kinetic event of the human body, a portion of the energy converter being at least partially formed by a material which directly converts mechanical deformation of the converter caused by the bio-kinetic event into the electric power signals, the energy converter having a stiffness/flexibility which varies over a length of the energy converter so that the energy converter provides a resonant frequency within a normal physiological range of the bio-kinetic event when the converter is deformed; and a signal path component structured to enable the power signals to be carried from the energy converter to the cardiac pacemaker.