JPS62102771A - Apparatus for charging machinery embedded in living body - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a charging device for an implantable device in a living body, and particularly to a charging device for an implantable device in a living body that easily and efficiently supplies light energy. .

(Prior Art) Some in-vivo implantable devices have various functions and are used for various purposes depending on their functions. An example of this is a cardiac pacemaker. Generally, a mercury battery or a lithium battery is used as a power source, but the lifespan of these batteries is often only two years at most.For this reason, it is necessary to anticipate the lifespan of the battery and replace it regularly. Each time it becomes necessary to perform an incision, an incisional surgery must be performed, which imposes unnecessary pain on the patient.

To deal with this situation, a method of using a rechargeable battery as a power source for a pacemaker and charging it periodically has been considered, but a light energy transmission device to realize such a method has been developed. A conventional example is shown in Fig. 4,
This optical energy transmission device 1 is composed of an optical fiber 2 provided with a condensing lens 3 at the input side end, and a silicone rubber protective film 4 covering the optical fiber 2 and the condensing lens 3. ing.

The input side end of the energy transmission device 10 is placed near the epidermis 6 of the human body. On the other hand, the output end of the energy transfer device 1 is connected to a power source (such as a solar battery) 5 of a pacemaker 8 implanted in the heart, for example. Reference numeral 9 denotes an infrared lamp as a source of light energy from outside the epidermis 6 of the human body. Then, when the infrared lamp 9 is turned on.

Infrared energy is collected by a condenser lens 3 and transmitted through an optical fiber 2 to a power source 5 where it is stored.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in such conventional energy transmission methods and devices, the light energy irradiated from the light source passes through the epidermis 6, the condensing lens 3, and then the optical Since the light is configured to reach the power source 5 through the fiber 2, when comparing the amount of light emitted by the infrared lamp 9 with the amount of light reaching the power source 5, the loss of light energy becomes extremely large. Also, pacemaker 8
Since a structure including a condensing lens 3 and an optical fiber 2 is required in addition to a power source, there is a problem in that the entire apparatus for supplying optical energy to the pacemaker 8 becomes large-scale.

The present invention has been made in view of these conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide a charging device for an implantable device in a living body that has a simple configuration and can easily and efficiently supply light energy. (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is a device that is implanted in a living body and photoelectrically converts light from a light energy supply device outside the living body. In a charging device for an implantable device in which the photoelectric charger is configured to generate photoelectric energy, a reflective surface is provided in close proximity to a light receiving surface of a photoelectric conversion means provided in the implantable device, By providing a photodetector on the supplying device side and detecting the amount of reflected light from the reflecting surface using the photodetector.

This device is characterized in that it is constructed so that light can be accurately projected onto the light receiving surface from the optical energy supply device.

(Function) The charging device for an in-vivo implantable device according to the present invention does not have the above-described configuration, and the supply of optical energy from the optical energy supply device to the in-vivo implantable device is The energy supply section is placed so as to face the light-receiving surface of the photoelectric conversion element of the in-vivo implanted device through the epidermis. A part of the light energy is reflected by a reflective surface provided close to the light receiving surface, and the amount of reflected light energy is detected by a photodetector provided on the light energy supply device.Based on this detected value, Therefore, the optical energy supply device is positioned with respect to the light receiving surface so that the optical energy can be supplied most efficiently.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a charging device for an implantable device employed in the present invention.

In this figure, reference numeral 13 denotes a pacemaker used as an example of an in-vivo implant device, and this pacemaker 13 has a power storage device 18 provided near the part (shallow part) on the side closer to the epidermis 15, and a photoelectric converter. It has separate reflecting mirrors 19 for forming reflective surfaces provided at both end portions of the element 17, and
It is embedded within 4. Reference numeral 11 denotes a manipulator used as a light energy supply device, and this manipulator 11 has an outer cylinder 2 whose tip abuts against the outside of the epidermis 15.
0, and the inner cylinder 21 that was placed inside the outer cylinder 20 and loaded into Chiaki.
, a convex lens 24 fixedly attached inside the outer cylinder 20 by a fixing ring 22, a concave lens 23 fixed inside the inner cylinder 21, and a convex lens 24, which is also located on the tip side of the outer cylinder 20. The light-receiving sensor 25 is attached to the fixing ring 22, and the display lamp 26 is turned on when the light-receiving sensor 25 receives the same amount of reflected light from each of the separate reflecting mirrors 19.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outer tube 20 has a trumpet-like shape that gradually expands from the proximal end to the distal end, and its open end is placed against the epidermis 15. The inner cylinder 21 is
It is loaded into the outer cylinder 20 and can be slid in the axial direction. Further, the optical lens system 12 is formed by the concave lens 23 and the convex lens 24, and the focal length of the optical lens system 12 can be changed by sliding the inner tube 21 with respect to the outer tube 20.

Furthermore, the light-receiving sensor 25 has a light-receiving surface 25a facing the opening side of the outer cylinder 20, and the manipulator 11 is connected to the outer skin 15.
The component irradiated with laser light 16 is detected.

In the optical energy supply device for an in-vivo implant device having the above configuration, in order to transmit energy to the pacemaker 13, the manipulator 11 is installed at a position on the epidermis 15 corresponding to the implanted part of the pacemaker 13. , as shown in FIG.
irradiate. This laser beam 16 is appropriately focused and diverged by an optical lens system 12 consisting of a concave lens 23 and a convex lens 24, and is directed toward a photoelectric conversion element 17 provided in a pacemaker 13. At this time, a portion 16a of the laser beam 16 hits the reflecting mirror 19 and is reflected. Then, the different reflected laser beams 16b reflected from the different reflecting mirrors 19 are made incident on both the light receiving sensors 25, and when the light amounts of the different reflected laser beams 16 substantially match, that is, When the optical axis of the laser beam 16 and the center of the light-receiving surface 17a of the photoelectric conversion element 17 match, the indicator lamp 26 lights up, indicating that the manipulator 11 is installed in the correct position. determines the correct location of the manipulator 11 relative to the pacemaker 13 in the groin by slightly shifting the manipulator 11 in the vertical and horizontal directions on the epidermis.

The laser beam 16 sent to the photoelectric conversion element 1T through the correctly installed manipulator 11 is converted into electrical energy, stored in the capacitor 18, and viewed.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the laser beam 16 is collimated by the lens system 12 and then directed to the photoelectric conversion element 17, as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the light may be focused on the photoelectric conversion element 17 by receiving a light condensing effect as shown in FIG. Such convergence and diffusion of the laser beam 16 is as follows:
It is adjusted by sliding the inner cylinder 21 in the axial direction with respect to the outer cylinder 20.

Note that, as shown in FIG.
In such a case, a light emitter for positioning the manipulator 11 is additionally attached to the fixing ring 22 or the inner wall of the outer cylinder 20 near the fixing ring 22, and the manipulator 11 is attached to the skin 15. The additional light emitting body may be used for positioning when the light is applied.

Note that Nd-YA, which has excellent transparency, is used as the laser beam.
It is recommended to use a G laser or the like.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, a device implanted in a living body has a built-in photoelectric conversion element, and
When supplying optical energy to the electrical conversion element from outside the body, the irradiation position can be accurately positioned with respect to the light receiving surface, making it possible to achieve a simple configuration and efficient use for implantable devices in the body. It has now become possible to provide a charging device for in-vivo implantable devices that can supply optical energy.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the main part configuration according to the usage state of an embodiment of the photoelectric device for implantable devices according to the present invention, FIG. FIG. 4 is a state diagram showing a collimated state, and FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the schematic configuration of a conventional optical energy transmission device to an implanted device. 11; Manipulator (light collection control means) 12; Optical lens system 13: Pacemaker (implanted device) 14; Living body 151 Epidermis 16; Laser light 17; Photo-electric conversion element 17a; Light receiving surface 18; Photoelectric device 19; Reflector 20 Outer cylinder 21; Inner cylinder 23: Concave lens 24; Convex lens 25; Light receiving sensor 261 indicator lamp Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a charging device for an implantable device that is implanted in a living body and that charges the charger by photoelectrically converting light from an optical energy supply device outside the living body, the charging device is installed in the implantable device. By providing a reflective surface close to the light receiving surface of the photoelectric conversion means, providing a photodetector on the side of the optical energy supply device, and detecting the amount of reflected light from the reflective surface with the photodetector, A charging device for an implantable device in a living body, characterized in that the light energy supply device can accurately supply light energy to the light receiving surface.