KR102239695B1 - Fluid friction generator with built-in human body - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a fluid-frictional generator embedded in a human body to supply power to a medical device embedded in the human body. According to the present invention, the fluid-frictional generator embedded in a human body comprises: an inner tube in which a first fluid or a second fluid can be injected into the inner space thereof, an electrode covered with a non-conductive material is installed, and the inner space is repeatedly contracted and expanded according to expansion and contraction of a blood vessel; and an outer tube surrounding the inner tube and having a fluid bladder capable of receiving or discharging a second fluid. The fluid bag is connected to the inner tube so that the second fluid discharged from the inner tube is injected or discharged to the inner tube according to the reduction and expansion of the inner space. The first fluid flows according to the contraction and expansion of the inner space and the non-conductive material causes friction with the first fluid according to the flow of the first fluid, and thus an electric charge is induced in the electrode by friction between the first fluid and the non-conductive material.

Description

Fluid friction generator with built-in human body}

The present invention relates to an energy harvesting device (energy harvesting device), and more particularly to a fluid friction generator in a human body.

In today's modern society, there is increasing interest in technology that can overcome the limitations of organ supply that the organ transplant method has. Accordingly, various types of artificial organs or medical auxiliary devices have been developed so far that can replace actual organ functions. Among these artificial organs or medical auxiliary devices, devices that must perform a role of replacing or assisting a central organ must always be continuously operated, so most of them are built into the human body and operate.

For example, devices built into the human body to assist central organs include medical devices such as an electrocardiogram sensor or an artificial pacemaker. These human-embedded medical devices are of high medical value because they continuously assist organs that play a pivotal role in human biological activity.

In general, human body-embedded medical devices are supplied with power through their own built-in batteries having a lifespan of about 5 years without external power charging, and they stop working when the life of the battery is over. Therefore, in order to continuously operate the internal medical device, the battery of the internal medical device inserted in the patient's body needs to be replaced or replaced with another power supply source. That is, since the patient who is using the internal medical device by inserting it into the body must periodically undergo an operation for replacing the battery, there is a problem in that there is a lot of inconvenience and risks associated with the operation.

Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1001288 (2010.12.08)

The present invention is embedded in the human body to supply power to a medical device embedded in the human body, and using the principle of fluid friction power generation, an internal fluid that generates power by rubbing the fluid against a solid according to repetitive contraction and expansion of blood vessels It is intended to provide a friction generator.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a body-embedded fluid friction generator is disclosed.

In the body-embedded fluid friction generator according to an embodiment of the present invention, a first fluid or a second fluid can be injected into an internal space, and an electrode covered with a non-conductor is installed, surrounding a blood vessel and expanding and contracting the inside of the blood vessel. An inner tube in which the space is repeatedly reduced and expanded, and an outer tube surrounding the inner tube and having a fluid bag capable of introducing or discharging the second fluid, wherein the fluid bag is connected to the inner tube, and the The second fluid discharged from the inner tube is injected or the second fluid is discharged to the inner tube according to the contraction and expansion of the inner space, and the first fluid flows according to the contraction and expansion of the inner space, The nonconductor causes friction with the first fluid according to the flow of the first fluid, and electric charges are induced to the electrode due to friction between the first fluid and the nonconductor.

As the blood vessel expands and contracts repeatedly, the first fluid in the inner tube repeats contact and separation with the non-conductor, thereby generating an alternating current to generate electricity.

When the blood vessel contracts and the inner space in the inner tube expands, the non-conductor and the first fluid that have been in contact with each other are separated, resulting in electrical unbalance, and negative charges are released from the electrode to maintain electrical equilibrium. 1 Current is generated.

The second fluid is injected from the fluid bag into the inner tube by a volume in which the inner space is expanded according to the contraction of the blood vessel.

When the blood vessel expands and the inner space in the inner tube is reduced, the non-conductor and the first fluid contact and a negative charge flows into the electrode to achieve electrical equilibrium, so that a second current in a direction opposite to the first current is Occurs.

According to the expansion of the blood vessel, the second fluid is discharged from the inner tube to the fluid bag by a reduced volume of the inner space.

The electrode covered with the non-conductor is attached to the outside of the inner tube inside the inner tube.

A film through which the first fluid does not pass and the second fluid passes is formed at a connection portion between the fluid bag and the inner tube.

The first fluid is a liquid, the second fluid is air, and the film is formed of a Gore-tex material.

The body-embedded fluid friction generator further includes an adhesive tape coupled to one end of the outer tube in a direction in which the body-embedded fluid friction generator is wound around the blood vessel, wherein the adhesive tape is attached to the other end of the outer tube, The internal fluid friction generator can be fixed to the blood vessel.

The body-embedded fluid friction generator is formed as a rectangular plate-shaped tube bent to surround the blood vessel, and becomes a cylindrical shape when surrounded by the blood vessel and coupled.

The outer tube is a bent silicone tube having elasticity, and the body-embedded fluid friction generator covers the inside of the silicone tube with a plastic film having elasticity and the inner tube defined by the inner surface of the silicone tube and the vinyl film. To form.

The internal fluid friction generator according to an embodiment of the present invention is built into the human body, and using the principle of fluid friction power generation, the fluid is rubbed against a solid according to the repetitive contraction and expansion of blood vessels to generate power. By supplying power to the medical device, it is possible to replace the battery of the medical device embedded in the human body, so that the internal medical device can be operated semi-permanently without requiring a separate battery or replacing the battery.

1 is a view illustrating the concept of a human body-embedded medical system to which a body-embedded fluid friction generator according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a body-embedded fluid friction generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the internal body type fluid friction generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing an example of a power supply circuit for supplying the power generated by the internal fluid friction generator according to an embodiment of the present invention to the internal medical device.
5 is a view showing a process of generating a body-embedded fluid friction generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Singular expressions used in the present specification include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present specification, terms such as “consisting of” or “comprising” should not be construed as necessarily including all of the various elements or various steps described in the specification, and some of the elements or some steps It may not be included, or it should be interpreted that it may further include additional components or steps. In addition, terms such as "... unit" and "module" described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented as hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software. .

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a diagram illustrating the concept of an in-body medical system to which an in-body fluid friction generator according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

Referring to FIG. 1, in the in-body medical system to which the in-body fluid friction generator according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, when an abnormal rhythm of the heart 10 is detected, the heart 10 is regularly and beating in time, The internal body type fluid that is installed surrounded by the heart pacemaker 20 and the blood vessel 11 that electrically stimulates the heart 10 through a special wire inserted into the heart 10 and supplies the power to the pacemaker 20 It may be configured to include a friction generator (100).

In general, blood flows in the blood vessel 11 according to the beat of the heart 10, and when the heart contracts, the blood vessel expands, and when the heart relaxes, the blood vessel contracts, and the blood vessel expands and contracts repeatedly. Appears as a pulse.

The internal fluid friction generator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted so as to surround the outside of the blood vessel 11 in order to generate fluid friction using the expansion and contraction of such blood vessels. As an embodiment, the blood vessel 11 may be an aorta.

Power generation using friction is a technology that harvests energy by using triboelectric and static induction occurring between two different materials, and among these technologies, fluid friction power generation is a technology that generates power by friction between a fluid and a non-conductor.

The in-body fluid friction generator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured to surround the blood vessel 11, so that the fluid flows according to the expansion and contraction of the blood vessel, and friction with the non-conductor is generated according to the flow of the fluid. , Can produce electricity.

2 is a perspective view of an internal fluid friction generator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of an internal fluid friction generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a configuration of the internal body type fluid friction generator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

First, referring to FIG. 2, the internal fluid friction generator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be formed as a rectangular plate-shaped tube bent to surround the blood vessel 11, and the blood vessel 11 When enclosed and combined, it can be in a cylindrical shape.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the internal fluid friction generator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an inner tube 110, an outer tube 120, and an adhesive tape 130.

For example, the outer tube 120 may be a bent silicone tube having elasticity. In addition, the inner tube 110 may be formed between the outer tube 120 and the vinyl film 115 by covering the inner side of the outer tube 120 with a vinyl film 115 having elasticity. All materials of the internal fluid friction generator 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be made of a material having great flexibility, and accordingly, the blood vessel itself is wound and fixed using adhesive tape without performing a separate operation. It is possible to give.

The first fluid is injected into the inner space of the inner tube 110 and the electrode 111 covered with the non-conductor 112 is installed. The inner tube 110 may be surrounded by direct contact with the outside of the blood vessel 11 when the internal fluid friction generator according to the embodiment of the present invention is mounted on the blood vessel 11.

For example, the electrode 111 covered with the non-conductor 112 may be attached from the inner tube 110 to the outer side (the outer tube 120 side) of the inner tube 110, as shown in FIG. , The first fluid 113 injected into the inner space of the inner tube 110 may flow while contacting or separating the non-conductor 112. The non-conductor 112 may be formed to have a very thin thickness, and may be formed of a material that has waterproof properties and is located in a high order in the charging table.

The inner tube 110 is compressed by the blood vessel 11 or returned to its original shape according to the expansion and contraction of the blood vessel 11, so that the internal space is repeatedly reduced and expanded. Accordingly, the first fluid 113 injected into the inner space of the inner tube 110 may flow in the inner space.

For example, when the blood vessel 11 expands, the inner space of the inner tube 110 is reduced and the injected first fluid 113 fills the inner space and the contact area with the non-conductor 112 becomes wider. In addition, when the blood vessel 11 contracts, it expands to generate a free space, and thus the contact area with the non-conductor 112 may be reduced. Therefore, the first fluid 113 may flow while occupying most of the volume of the inner space due to the reduction of the inner space, or the second fluid may flow into the inner space together with the first fluid 113 due to the expansion of the inner space. have.

At this time, the non-conductor 112 causes friction with the first fluid 113 according to the flow of the first fluid 113, and electric charges are induced to the electrode 111 due to friction between the first fluid 113 and the non-conductor 112 do.

The outer tube 120 surrounds the outer side of the inner tube 110, and the outer tube 120 includes a fluid bag 121 therein. The fluid bag 121 may be an empty space formed in the outer tube 120.

A second fluid may be injected together with the first fluid 113 into the inner space of the inner tube 110. For example, the first fluid may be water and the second fluid may be air. That is, the second fluid may be injected into the inner space of the inner tube 110 to occupy a free space generated by the expansion of the inner space of the inner tube 110. And, when the inner space of the inner tube 110 is reduced, the second fluid is discharged to the outside of the inner tube 110 so that the first fluid 113 occupies most of the volume, and again, the inner tube 110 When the inner space of is expanded, the second fluid may be injected into the free space created by the expansion of the inner space.

The fluid bag 121 may be in communication with the inner tube 110 to introduce or discharge the second fluid. That is, the second fluid may enter and exit the inner space of the inner tube 110 and the fluid bag 121 according to the repetition of expansion and contraction of the inner space of the inner tube 110.

A membrane 125 through which only the second fluid does not pass through the first fluid 113 is formed at the connection portion between the fluid bag 121 and the inner tube 110. Through this, when the first fluid 113 occupies most of the volume of the inner space due to the reduction of the inner space of the inner tube 110, it overflows and leaves the inner space and is injected into the fluid bag 121 to be an electrode ( 111) can be prevented from being located behind.

For example, when the first fluid 113 is a liquid and the second fluid is air, the film 125 may be formed of a Gore-tex material through which gas and liquid cannot pass.

The adhesive tape 130 is coated with an adhesive, and is coupled to one end of the outer tube 120 in a direction in which the internal fluid friction generator 100 is wound around the blood vessel 11.

The adhesive tape 130 fixes the internal fluid friction generator 100 coupled to the blood vessel 11. That is, the adhesive tape 130 is attached to the other end of the outer tube 120 when the human body-embedded fluid friction generator 100 is wound around the blood vessel 11 to connect the human body built-in fluid friction generator 100 to the blood vessel 11. Can be fixed.

For example, an adhesive of a component harmless to the human body may be applied to the adhesive tape 130, and the adhesive is an adhesive force that exceeds the resilience force due to contraction and expansion of the blood vessel 11 and the restoring force of the internal fluid friction generator 100 Can have.

However, other than the adhesive tape 130, it can be seen that various fixing means may be used as long as it is not limited thereto and can be coupled to and fixed to both ends of the outer tube 120.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a power supply circuit for supplying power generated by an internal body type fluid friction generator to an internal body type medical device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the power supply circuit may include a bridge rectifier 30 composed of four diodes and a capacitor 40.

The bridge rectifier 30 converts the alternating current of the power generated by the internal fluid friction generator 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention into a direct current and transmits it to the capacitor 40.

The capacitor 40 receives DC current from the bridge rectifier 30 to charge power, and supplies the charged power to the pacemaker 20.

At this time, in order to separate charging and discharging of the capacitor 40, a switch may be provided between the bridge rectifier 30 and the capacitor 40 and between the capacitor 40 and the pacemaker 20, respectively.

5 is a view showing a process of generating a body-embedded fluid friction generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 5, a process of generating electric power by repetitive expansion and contraction of the blood vessel 11 by the internal fluid friction generator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

5A shows a state in which the blood vessel 11 expands and the inner space of the inner tube 110 is reduced so that the first fluid 113 occupies most of the inner space, and the non-conductor 112 and the first fluid (113) is in contact and electrical equilibrium is achieved.

Next, FIG. 5B shows a state in which the blood vessel 11 contracts and the inner space of the inner tube 110 is expanded to generate a free space, and the non-conductor 112 and the first fluid 113 that have been in contact are separated. And electrical imbalance occurs. Accordingly, in order to maintain electrical equilibrium, negative charges (electrons) are released from the electrode 111, thereby generating a first current.

At this time, according to the contraction of the blood vessel 11, the second fluid is transferred from the fluid bag 121 to the inner tube 110 by the reduced volume of the blood vessel 11 (or the volume of the inner space of the inner tube 110 expanded). Is injected.

Next, FIG. 5C shows a state in which the blood vessel 11 expands and the inner space of the inner tube 110 is reduced so that the first fluid 113 occupies most of the volume of the inner space. In order to achieve electrical equilibrium by increasing the contact area of the first fluid 113, negative charges are introduced into the electrode 111, thereby generating a second current in a direction opposite to the first current generated in FIG. 5B).

At this time, according to the expansion of the blood vessel 11, the second fluid is released from the inner tube 110 to the fluid bag 121 by the increased volume of the blood vessel 11 (or the volume in which the inner space of the inner tube 110 is reduced). do.

Next, FIG. 5D is a state in which the blood vessel 11 contracts and the inner space of the inner tube 110 is expanded to generate a free space, as shown in FIG. 5B. Since the first fluid 113 is separated, electrical imbalance occurs. Accordingly, in order to maintain electrical equilibrium, negative charges (electrons) are released from the electrode 111, thereby generating a first current.

At this time, according to the contraction of the blood vessel 11, the second fluid is injected from the fluid bag 121 to the inner tube 110 by the decreased volume of the blood vessel 11 (or the volume of the inner space of the inner tube 110 increased) do.

In this way, as the blood vessel 11 repeats expansion and contraction, the first fluid 113 repeats contact and separation with the non-conductor 112 in the inner space of the inner tube 110, thereby generating electricity and generating an alternating current. Can be.

Meanwhile, the constituent elements of the above-described embodiment can be easily grasped from a process perspective. That is, each component can be identified as a respective process. Also, the process of the above-described embodiment can be easily grasped from the viewpoint of the components of the device.

In addition, the above-described technical contents may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be specially designed and configured for the embodiments, or may be known and usable to those skilled in computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magnetic media such as floptical disks. -A hardware device specially configured to store and execute program instructions such as magneto-optical media, and ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those produced by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware device may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

The above-described embodiments of the present invention are disclosed for the purpose of illustration, and those skilled in the art who have ordinary knowledge of the present invention will be able to make various modifications, changes, and additions within the spirit and scope of the present invention. It should be seen as falling within the scope of the following claims.

10: heart
11: blood vessels
20: pacemaker
100: internal body type fluid friction generator
110: inner tube
111: electrode
112: non-conductor
113: first fluid
120: outer tube
121: fluid bag
125: membrane
130: adhesive tape

Claims (12)

In the internal body type fluid friction generator,
An inner tube in which a first fluid or a second fluid may be injected into the inner space, an electrode covered with a non-conductor is installed, and the inner tube is surrounded by a blood vessel and the inner space is repeatedly reduced and expanded according to the expansion and contraction of the blood vessel; And
Comprising an outer tube surrounding the inner tube and having a fluid bag capable of introducing or discharging the second fluid,
The fluid bag is connected to the inner tube, and the second fluid discharged from the inner tube is injected or the second fluid is discharged to the inner tube according to the reduction and expansion of the inner space,
The first fluid flows according to the contraction and expansion of the inner space,
Wherein the non-conductor causes friction with the first fluid according to the flow of the first fluid, and electric charges are induced to the electrode due to friction between the first fluid and the non-conductor.
The method of claim 1,
As the blood vessels repeat expansion and contraction, the first fluid in the inner tube repeats contact and separation with the non-conductor, thereby generating an alternating current to generate electricity.
The method of claim 2,
When the blood vessel contracts and the inner space in the inner tube expands, the non-conductor and the first fluid that have been in contact with each other are separated to generate electrical imbalance, and negative charges are released from the electrode to maintain electrical equilibrium. 1 Built-in fluid friction generator, characterized in that the current is generated.
The method of claim 3,
The internal fluid friction generator, characterized in that the second fluid is injected from the fluid bag into the inner tube by a volume in which the inner space is expanded according to the contraction of the blood vessel.
The method of claim 3,
When the blood vessel expands and the inner space in the inner tube is reduced, the non-conductor and the first fluid contact and a negative charge flows into the electrode to achieve electrical equilibrium, so that a second current in a direction opposite to the first current is A fluid friction generator built into the human body, characterized in that generated.
The method of claim 5,
The internal fluid friction generator, characterized in that the second fluid is discharged from the inner tube to the fluid bag by a volume in which the inner space is reduced according to the expansion of the blood vessel.
The method of claim 1,
The electrode covered with the non-conductor is a built-in fluid friction generator, characterized in that attached to the outside of the inner tube inside the inner tube.
The method of claim 1,
A body-embedded fluid friction generator, characterized in that a membrane through which the first fluid does not pass and the second fluid passes is formed at a connection portion between the fluid bag and the inner tube.
The method of claim 8,
The first fluid is a liquid, the second fluid is air,
The membrane is a built-in fluid friction generator, characterized in that formed of a Gore-tex material.
The method of claim 1,
The internal body type fluid friction generator,
Further comprising an adhesive tape coupled to one end of the outer tube in a direction in which the body-embedded fluid friction generator is wound around the blood vessel,
Wherein the adhesive tape is attached to the other end of the outer tube to fix the internal fluid friction generator to the blood vessel.
The method of claim 1,
The internal body fluid friction generator,
A body-embedded fluid friction generator, characterized in that it is formed in a rectangular plate-shaped tube bent to surround the blood vessel, and becomes a cylindrical shape when surrounded by the blood vessel and coupled.
The method of claim 1,
The outer tube is a bent silicone tube having elasticity,
The internal body type fluid friction generator,
The internal body of the fluid friction generator, characterized in that by covering the inside of the silicone tube with an elastic vinyl film to form the inner surface of the silicone tube and the inner tube defined by the vinyl film.

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