Robust and Precise Alignment Monitoring of Electrode Arrays for Capacitive Energy Supply and Signal Transmission

Chronic active implanted medical devices rely on a robust transcutaneous energy supply and signal transmission. A robust and precise alignment of the external communication unit to the subcutaneous counterpart is crucial in multichannel transceiver systems. In this work, we present a method for an active alignment monitoring that can be easily integrated. The system consists of three insulated electrodes in a triangular configuration with electrical connecting tracks. Transcutaneous signal transmission to the middle electrode leads to output signals at the other electrodes, which can be measured extracorporeally. Ultrapure water served as first in vitro model for human skin. This simple model was validated with means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy with human skin samples for an ex situ alignment characterization of the proposed system. The results suggest that the proposed approach can reliably achieve alignment in the sub-mm region.