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Subcutaneous piezoelectric bone conduction hearing aid actuator and system

A piezoelectric sensor, hearing aid technology, applied in hearing aids, bone conduction transducers, hearing equipment, electrical components, etc., can solve the problems of sensorineural loss, hearing damage, incomplete middle ear and other problems

Inactive Publication Date: 2015-05-06
DALHOUSIE UNIV
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

While this approach is promising, where the middle ear is not complete for middle ear implants, the surgery is still quite difficult with mixed results
Another type of implantable hearing aid is the cochlear implant, but this is usually reserved only for sensorineural losses, not for conductive losses, as their implantation often results in destruction of residual hearing

Method used

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  • Subcutaneous piezoelectric bone conduction hearing aid actuator and system
  • Subcutaneous piezoelectric bone conduction hearing aid actuator and system
  • Subcutaneous piezoelectric bone conduction hearing aid actuator and system

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Embodiment Construction

[0026] The present invention provides a subcutaneous piezoelectric actuator as a device for producing bone conduction hearing. In contrast to BAHA-like inertial mass sensors, the present device elastically deforms the skull to create localized bending in the bone, which in turn produces vibrations in the bone that can be detected by the cochlea. Therefore, the device can be of very low mass and thickness and suitable for subcutaneous implantation. Tests on embalmed human heads showed that the device was able to elicit the same level of motion at the cochlear promontory as the BAHA with equivalent electrical power consumption and up to ten times higher using improvements in the impedance matching electronics. high efficiency.

[0027] Bone conduction hearing aids can be created by bonding or fixing piezoelectric actuators directly to the skull without bone-fixed joints or inertial motors. Because the piezoelectric elements are small and thin, they can be located entirely unde...

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Abstract

An implantable bone-conduction hearing actuator based on a piezoelectric element, such as a unimorph or bimorph cantilever bender, is described. Unlike other implantable bone conduction hearing actuators, the device is subcutaneous and once implanted is entirely invisible. The device excites bending in bone through a local bending moment rather than the application of a point force as with conventional bone-anchored hearing aids.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to subcutaneous actuators for exciting bone vibrations. In particular, the present invention relates to subcutaneous piezoelectric actuators for exciting bone vibrations for bone conduction hearing aids. Background technique [0002] Bone conduction is the mechanism used to transmit sound to the cochlea by sending vibrations through the skull instead of through the eardrum and middle ear as in normal air conduction hearing. For patients with conductive hearing loss due to disease or trauma, hearing aids using bone conduction offer a promising avenue to restore hearing. Although hearing aids relying on bone conduction have existed for many years, only implantable bone-fixed hearing aids ( ) before a reliable, effective and commercially successful accessory became available. The presence of BAHA has led to the expansion of the use of bone conduction to treat other hearing disorders. For example, bone conduction has rece...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Patents(China)
IPC IPC(8): A61F11/04A61F2/00H04R25/00
CPCH04R25/606H04R2460/13
Inventor 罗伯特·布鲁斯·亚历山大·亚当森杰里米·A·布朗马诺哈·班切阿希莱什·科提亚
Owner DALHOUSIE UNIV