In-Vitro Platform to study Ultrasound as Source for Wireless Energy Transfer and Communication for Implanted Medical Devices

A platform to study ultrasound as a source for wireless energy transfer and communication for implanted medical devices is described. A tank is used as a container for a pair of electroacoustic transducers, where a control unit is fixed to one wall of the tank and a transponder can be manually moved in three axes and rotate using a mechanical system. The tank is filled with water to allow acoustic energy and data transfer, and the system is optimized to avoid parasitic effects due to cables, reflection paths and cross talk problems. A printed circuit board is developed to test energy scavenging such that enough acoustic intensity is generated by the control unit to recharge a battery loaded to the transponder. In the same manner, a second printed circuit board is fabricated to study transmission of information through acoustic waves.