Projects:2017s1-191 Power Electronics for Inductive Power Transfer (IPT)

Project team

Garth Fernandez (a1670552), Tuo Jiang (a1656056) and Delana Seneviratne (1670515)

Supervisor- Dr Andrew Allison

Advisor- Dr Said Al-Sarawi

Abstract

Conventional pacemaker technology currently relies on non-rechargeable batteries to power a cardiac pacemaker. This technology has resulted in patient deaths due to the invasive surgery component of replacing the non-rechargeable battery when battery capacity diminishes. The project explores the benefits of a wireless charging system to power a rechargeable battery inside the body. These benefits include longevity and a reduced need for repetitive surgery. The pacemaker will be treated as a black box. The system needs to provide desirable voltage and current characteristics to charge the battery efficiently, such that the patient doesn’t have to wear the transmitter coil for extended lengths. The wireless charging system consists of a set of transmitter and receiver coils, electronics and a rechargeable battery. The transmitter coil will sit on the skin near the left shoulder while a smaller receiver will be implanted at a distance of up to 1cm in the skin.