An Out-of-Phase Wireless Power Transfer System for Implantable Medical Devices to Reduce Human Exposure to Electromagnetic Field and Increase Power Transfer Efficiency

Abstract

For the wireless power transfer (WPT) system in implantable medical devices (IMDs), human tissue is positioned between the transmitting and receiving coils which are different from general WPT systems. Because this space is where the strongest electromagnetic field (EMF) occurs, it is essential to reduce the EMF at the interspace to reduce human exposure to the EMF. In this paper, an out-of-phase coupled WPT system for IMDs is proposed to reduce human exposure to EMF. Considering the EMF exposure and power transfer efficiency (PTE) of the proposed system, a design procedure for determining the phase difference of each capacitor is analyzed and presented. Based on the equivalent circuit model analysis of the proposed system, the EMF and PTE characteristics of the WPT system depending on the design variables are comprehensively analyzed. The proposed system is compared with conventional systems through simulation and measurements. It is verified that the proposed system can reduce the EMF by 41.05% and increase the PTE by 9.62% compared to the conventional system. In addition, through simulation, human exposure to EMFs is assessed considering the exposure environment and electrical properties of human tissues. As a result, the current density, induced electric field, and specific absorption rate were reduced by 44.10%, 38.90%, and 63.82%, respectively.