Efficient Wireless Power Transfer System With a Miniaturized Quad-Band Implantable Antenna for Deep-Body Multitasking Implants

Abstract

Passive operation and battery-charging of deep-body implants can be insured through wireless power transfer (WPT) technologies. However, the power transfer efficiency (PTE) is constrained by device miniaturization and implantation depth. This study proposes a complete WPT system consisting of a patterned WPT transmitter (Tx), an efficient rectifier, and an antenna integrated with the system. The WPT Tx had a size of 6 cm $\times$ 6 cm and was optimized to focus the power on the deep-tissue implants at 1470 MHz. The voltage doubler was optimized at 1470 MHz, had a small size of 5 mm $\times$ 10 mm, and exhibited a high radio frequency (RF)-to-direct current (dc) conversion efficiency of 90% at 2-dBm RF input power. Moreover, the implantable antenna occupies a small volume of 8.43 mm3 and supports quad-band operations: telemetry at 403 and 915 MHz, WPT at the midfield band of 1470 MHz, and control signaling at 2.4 GHz. First, the fabricated prototypes were measured individually in minced pork, in the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) model, and in the saline-filled 3-D head phantom. While operating collectively as an integrated system, the PTE of the system was measured. Additionally, to enhance the PTE of the WPT system, a high-dielectric matching layer ( $\varepsilon _{r} = 78$ ) was used between the WPT Tx and the phantom. Furthermore, to demonstrate the PTE of the WPT system, the voltage doubler was integrated with the implantable antenna, encapsulated in a 3-D-printed capsule endoscope, and its PTE was measured in a saline solution and minced pork. Finally, the compliance of the WPT system with the human safety standards was analyzed and found that the system solely satisfied the safety limits. It is evident from the experimental results that the system can transfer 6.7-mW power to millimeter-sized implants located 5-cm deep in tissues.