Study on a transcutaneous energy transmission system that suppresses high-frequency leakage current flowing from a transcutaneous transformer to the human body

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K04423
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 21010:Power engineering-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Science
• Principal Investigator: Shiba Kenji 東京理科大学, 先進工学部電子システム工学科, 准教授 (10343112)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 経皮電力伝送 / 寄生容量 / ワイヤレス電力伝送 / 患者漏れ電流 / 人体抵抗 / 高周波絶縁トランス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Transcutaneous power transmission is a powerful method of wireless power supply to medical devices such as implantable ventricular assist devices with high efficiency using the magnetic field. These transmitting coils are placed on the skin and the receiving coils are implanted inside the body (transcutaneous transformer). The transcutaneous transformer is waterproofed and insulated with insulating resin. However, since a high frequency voltage of 100k to 20MHz is applied, the high frequency current leaks into the human body through the capacitive component in the insulating resin. In this study, we named this high-frequency patient leakage current, and clarified the current source, current route, electrical equivalent circuit including the human body, and technology to reduce it below the safety threshold through the electromagnetic analysis and experiments.

Free Research Field

電気機器学，生体工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

経皮電力伝送システム（TETS）の電磁安全性はまだわかっていないことが多い．本研究により，15W時には10mAを超える高周波患者漏れ電流Ipが存在していること，その周波数は伝送周波数だけでなく，その70倍近い高調波まで含まれていることが，世界で初めて実験及び解析から明らかにした．人体に装着したTETSの等価回路も作ることができ，さらには，Ipの低減方法として，高周波絶縁トランスの設計・試作も行い，Ip を実際に10mA以下に抑制することにも成功した．