Robust voltage-controlled transcutaneous energy transfer system for artificial anal sphincter

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Implantable Devices

Background:

• Artificial anal sphincter (AAS) systems treat fecal incontinence (FI) using transcutaneous energy transfer (TET).
• Coil misalignment during TET causes unstable power reception, affecting charging efficiency and safety.
• Achieving consistent and safe voltage charging for AAS is a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a wireless charging control system for AAS that maintains stable voltage despite coil misalignment.
• To improve charging efficiency and thermal safety in TET systems for implantable devices.

Main Methods:

• Proposed an LCC-S resonant network with phase shift control for real-time voltage adjustment.
• Utilized a PI controller and a neural network (multilayer perceptron) to rapidly adjust phase-shift angles.
• Evaluated dynamic performance under various misalignment conditions.

Main Results:

• The multilayer perceptron system demonstrated superior performance over the PI controller.
• Achieved an average receiver load voltage error of 0.007V under complex misalignment.
• Reported an average settling time of 960ms and a receiver-side temperature of 40.4°C.

Conclusions:

• The proposed system effectively mitigates TET misalignment issues during charging.
• Ensures constant voltage charging and thermal safety for the artificial anal sphincter.
• Demonstrates a viable solution for reliable power delivery to implantable medical devices.