Development of Unified Transcutaneous Transformer for Energy and Information Transmission for a Totally-Implantable Artificial Heart

Abstract

In order to realize an artificial heart that enables high quality of life (QOL) for patients, it is necessary to develop a transcutaneous energy and information transmission system that can transmit driving energy and control information to the implanted heart in a non-invasive manner. In this study, we investigate the use of electromagnetic coupling for unifying the transformers used for the simultaneous transmission of energy and information. We studied the transmission of energy and information by wearing a unified transcutaneous transformer. In this system, it is important to minimize the electromagnetic coupling between the energy and information transmissions. Therefore, we ensured that the magnetic fluxes generated by the transformer coils used for the energy and information transmissions were orthogonal. We developed a silicone-coated unified transcutaneous transformer for energy and information transmission that could be used practically, and we evaluated its transmission characteristics.