Implantable microphone and hearing aid device

Abstract

The invention provides an implantable microphone and hearing aid equipment. The implantable microphone and hearing aid equipment comprises a shell, a first sub-microphone and a second sub-microphone, wherein the first sub-microphone and the second sub-microphone are arranged in the shell; the first sub-microphone is arranged close to the near-skin end of the shell so as to be configured to receive a transcutaneous sound signal and convert the transcutaneous sound signal into a corresponding first electric signal; and the second sub-microphone is arranged close to the skull near end of the shell so as to be configured to receive the physiological noise signal of the user and convert the physiological noise signal into a corresponding second electric signal. Through the design of the two sub-microphones, one sub-microphone collects percutaneous sound signals, the other sub-microphone collects human physiological noise signals, the signal-to-noise ratio of the signals can be increased after subsequent signal processing, pure sound signals are obtained, and more comfortable hearing experience is provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular to an implantable microphone and a hearing aid. Background Art

[0002] The human ear is the main organ of hearing, where sound waves captured by the outer ear are guided by the external auditory canal to the eardrum, which transmits its vibrations to a system formed by three ossicles in the middle ear: the malleus, incus, and stapes. The ossicular chain further transmits the signal to the organs of the inner ear, and ultimately the cochlea converts the signal into neural stimulation that is transmitted by the auditory nerve to the brain and interpreted as sound.

[0003] Dysfunction of one or more parts of the ear can cause hearing loss, leading to partial or complete deafness. Hearing aids are a common means for hearing-impaired users to improve their hearing, including: air conduction hearing aids, bone conduction hearing aids, middle ear implants, cochlear implants, etc.

[0004] Hearing aids generally consist of an external part and an implanted part, and realize functions including sound signal acquisition and processing, signal communication (emission, transmission and reception, etc.), signal amplification (hearing aids) or coded stimulation (cochlear implants), and require a power supply to provide energy.

[0005] The sound signal is usually picked up by sound sensors and sensor arrays, most commonly microphones or microphone arrays. In order to achieve good sound collection effects and considering the capacity and life of the battery, the sound sensor and battery are usually integrated into the external device to obtain more realistic sound and facilitate battery replacement.

[0006] The existence of external earphones brings a lot of inconvenience to users: external earphones are a symbol of hearing disability, affecting users' normal social activities; their fixing method and design restrict users' daily and sports activities: they are easy to fall off or damaged after being hit during intense sports such as basketball, and cannot be worn when bathing or swimming; users often find it inconvenient to wear external earphones when sleeping, making it difficult to use them 24 hours a day; external earphones may also be stained, damaged, or lost during use and storage. The solution to these problems is to develop fully implantable substitutes, the most important of which is implantable microphones.

[0007] Envoy has developed the Acclaim system, which includes a sound sensor that captures sound by setting up sensors in the middle ear ossicular chain to pick up vibrations, and then sends the collected signals to the inner ear after processing. The location of the sensor in the middle ear increases the difficulty of surgery. When the user has diseases in the middle and outer ears, such as microtia, the sound may not be effectively transmitted to the middle ear, and its use has certain limitations.

[0008] Cochlear has developed an implantable microphone for hearing prosthesis, including: a housing, in which a diaphragm chamber is formed, and a hole extending from the outer surface of the housing to the chamber; the diaphragm is outside the housing to seal the hole, vibrating in response to sound signals; the sensor is positioned near the end of the chamber opposite to the diaphragm, detecting the vibration of the diaphragm and generating an electrical signal; and the housing area outside the sensor and the diaphragm is basically filled with reinforcing material, which has an elastic modulus that can basically resist deformation and reduce the impact of body noise. However, in order to reduce the interference of body noise, the implantable microphone needs to be filled with elastic material outside the sensor, but the provision of elastic material is not necessary, and its presence will also increase the volume of the entire implantable microphone.

[0009] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background technology section of the invention is only intended to deepen the understanding of the general background technology of the invention, and should not be regarded as an admission or suggestion in any form that the information constitutes prior art already known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0010] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an implantable microphone and a hearing aid device. Through the design of two sub-microphones, one collects transcutaneous sound signals and the other collects human physiological noise signals. After subsequent signal processing, the signal-to-noise ratio can be improved, a relatively pure sound signal can be obtained, and a more comfortable listening experience can be provided.

[0011] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides an implantable microphone, comprising a shell and a first sub-microphone and a second sub-microphone arranged in the shell; the first sub-microphone is arranged near the skin end of the shell, so as to be configured to receive a transcutaneous sound signal and convert the transcutaneous sound signal into a corresponding first electrical signal; the second sub-microphone is arranged near the skull end of the shell, so as to be configured to receive a user's own physiological noise signal and convert the physiological noise signal into a corresponding second electrical signal.

[0012] Optionally, the first sub-microphone includes a first diaphragm, a first chamber and a first sound sensor, the skin-proximal end of the shell has an opening, the first diaphragm is arranged at the opening to cover the entrance of the first chamber, the first diaphragm is configured to receive a transcutaneous sound signal to generate vibration and drive the gas pressure in the first chamber to change; the first chamber is configured to transmit the gas pressure change generated by the vibration of the first diaphragm to the first sound sensor, and the first sound sensor is configured to convert the transcutaneous sound signal into a corresponding first electrical signal according to the sensed gas pressure change.

[0013] Optionally, the first sub-microphone also includes a functional material layer, which is arranged on a side of the first diaphragm close to the first sound sensor, and the functional material layer is configured to drive the first diaphragm to bend in the opposite direction when the first diaphragm bottoms out inward or bulges outward so that the first diaphragm returns to its original state or close to its original state.

[0014] Optionally, the diameter of the first diaphragm is less than 20 mm, the thickness of the first diaphragm is 20 μm to 200 μm, the maximum inner diameter of the first chamber is less than 15 mm, the maximum outer diameter of the first chamber is less than 20 mm, and the depth of the first chamber is 30 μm to 200 μm.

[0015] Optionally, the second sub-microphone includes a second diaphragm, a second chamber and a second sound sensor, the entrance of the second chamber is arranged toward the proximal skull end of the shell, the second diaphragm covers the entrance of the second chamber, the second diaphragm is configured to receive the user's own physiological noise signal to generate vibration, and drive the gas pressure in the second chamber to change; the second chamber is configured to transmit the gas pressure change generated by the vibration of the second diaphragm to the second sound sensor, and the second sound sensor is configured to convert the physiological noise signal into a corresponding second electrical signal according to the sensed gas pressure change.

[0016] Optionally, the second sub-microphone also includes a mass load, which is arranged on a side of the second diaphragm away from the second sound sensor, and there is a gap between the mass load and the proximal skull end of the shell, and the mass load is configured to adjust the vibration frequency of the second diaphragm.

[0017] Optionally, the diameter of the second diaphragm is less than 18 mm, the thickness of the second diaphragm is 20 μm to 200 μm, the maximum inner diameter of the second chamber is less than 15 mm, the maximum outer diameter of the second chamber is less than 18 mm, and the depth of the second chamber is 30 μm to 200 μm.

[0018] Optionally, the second sub-microphone includes a vibration sensor, and the vibration sensor abuts against the proximal skull end of the shell.

[0019] Optionally, a radial dimension of the first sub-microphone is greater than a radial dimension of the second sub-microphone, and at least a partial area of ​​the first sub-microphone and at least a partial area of ​​the second sub-microphone are staggered in the radial direction of the shell inside the shell.

[0020] Optionally, the implantable microphone further includes a feedthrough, which is disposed on the shell, and the feedthrough is configured to achieve electrical connection between the first sub-microphone and the second sub-microphone and a signal processing module located outside the shell.

[0021] Optionally, the implantable microphone also includes a circuit module, which is disposed in the shell, and the first sub-microphone and the second sub-microphone are electrically connected to the circuit module, and the circuit module is configured to provide power and / or signal conversion for the first sub-microphone and the second sub-microphone.

[0022] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention also provides a hearing aid device, which includes the implantable microphone described above and a signal processing module connected to the implantable microphone, and the signal processing module is configured to process the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal to obtain a pure sound signal.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the implantable microphone and hearing aid provided by the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

[0024] The implantable microphone provided by the present invention includes a shell and a first sub-microphone and a second sub-microphone arranged in the shell; the first sub-microphone is arranged near the skin end of the shell to be configured to receive a transcutaneous sound signal and convert the transcutaneous sound signal into a corresponding first electrical signal; the second sub-microphone is arranged near the skull end of the shell to be configured to receive a physiological noise signal of the user and convert the physiological noise signal into a corresponding second electrical signal. Thus, the present invention sets two sub-microphones, the first sub-microphone and the second sub-microphone, one for collecting transcutaneous sound signals and the other for collecting human physiological noise signals. After subsequent signal processing, the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal can be improved to obtain a relatively pure sound signal, thereby providing a more comfortable auditory experience for the user. In addition, by adopting the implantable microphone provided by the present invention, the external sound receiving part of the hearing aid device can be transferred to the body, eliminating the inconvenience caused by the user wearing an external device, allowing the user to live closer to normal people, reducing the user's movement restrictions, so that the user does not have to worry about the hearing aid device being lost during exercise, and making the hearing aid device more adaptable to special weather such as rain, and can achieve a longer standby time throughout the day. In addition, the present invention collects human body noise signals by setting a second sub-microphone, and no additional elastic material is needed to be filled, so that the volume of the entire implantable microphone will not be increased. In addition, the present invention sets both the first sub-microphone and the second sub-microphone in the shell, so that the shell can not only provide mechanical support for the first sub-microphone and the second sub-microphone, promoting the compatibility of the implantable microphone provided by the present invention with the organism, but also provide sealing protection for the first sub-microphone and the second sub-microphone to prevent liquid leakage, and the shell can also provide a related physical interface for signal transmission.

[0025] Since the hearing aid device provided by the present invention includes the implantable microphone provided by the present invention, the hearing aid device provided by the present invention has at least all the beneficial effects of the implantable microphone provided by the present invention. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the beneficial effects of the implantable microphone provided by the present invention in the above text, so it will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an implantable microphone provided in a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of an implantable microphone provided in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of an implantable microphone provided in a third embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4A cross-sectional view of an implantable microphone provided in a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a logic diagram of sound signal transmission of a hearing aid device provided in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] The reference numerals are as follows:

[0032] Implantable microphone - 100;

[0033] Housing-110; first sub-housing-111; second sub-housing-112;

[0034] first sub-microphone-120; first diaphragm-121; first chamber-122; first main chamber-1221; first sound transmission hole-1222; first sound sensor-123; functional material layer-124;

[0035] second sub-microphone-130; second diaphragm-131; second chamber-132; second main chamber-1321; second sound transmission hole-1322; second sound sensor-133; mass load-134; vibration sensor-135;

[0036] Feedthrough-140; Circuit module-150;

[0037] Signal processing module-200. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The implantable microphone and hearing aid device proposed by the present invention are further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. According to the following description, the advantages and features of the present invention will be more clear. It should be noted that the drawings are in a very simplified form and are not in precise proportions, which are only used to conveniently and clearly assist in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention. In order to make the purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, please refer to the drawings. It should be noted that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc. illustrated in the drawings of this specification are only used to match the contents disclosed in the specification for people familiar with this technology to understand and read, and are not used to limit the limiting conditions for the implementation of the present invention. Any modification of the structure, change of the proportional relationship or adjustment of the size, under the same or similar conditions as the effects and purposes that can be achieved by the present invention, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed by the present invention. The specific design features of the present invention disclosed herein include, for example, specific dimensions, directions, positions and shapes, which will be determined in part by the specific environment to be applied and used. And, in the embodiments described below, sometimes the same figure mark is used in common between different drawings to represent the same part or part with the same function, and its repeated description is omitted. In this specification, similar reference numerals and letters are used to refer to similar items, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures. In addition, if the method described herein includes a series of steps, the order of these steps presented herein is not necessarily the only order in which these steps can be performed, and some of the steps described may be omitted and / or some other steps not described herein may be added to the method.

[0039] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "including one..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements. The singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents, the term "or" is generally used in a sense including "and / or", the term "several" is generally used in a sense including "at least one", the term "at least two" is generally used in a sense including "two or more", and the term "plurality" is generally used in a sense including "at least two".

[0040] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "install", "connect", "connect", and "fix" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances. In addition, in the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0041] The core idea of ​​the present invention is to provide an implantable microphone and a hearing aid device. Through the design of two sub-microphones, one channel collects transcutaneous sound signals, and the other channel collects human physiological noise signals. After subsequent signal processing, the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal can be improved, a relatively pure sound signal can be obtained, and a more comfortable auditory experience can be provided. It should be noted that, as can be understood by those skilled in the art, the "near skin end" referred to in the present invention refers to the end close to the user's skin, and the "near skull end" refers to the end close to the user's skull.

[0042] To realize the above idea, the present invention provides an implantable microphone, please refer to Figure 1 , which is a cross-sectional view of an implantable microphone provided by a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 1As shown, the implantable microphone 100 provided in this embodiment includes a shell 110 and a first sub-microphone 120 and a second sub-microphone 130 arranged in the shell 110; the first sub-microphone 120 is arranged near the skin end of the shell 110, so as to be configured to receive a transcutaneous sound signal and convert the transcutaneous sound signal into a corresponding first electrical signal; the second sub-microphone 130 is arranged near the skull end of the shell 110, so as to be configured to receive a user's own physiological noise signal and convert the physiological noise signal into a corresponding second electrical signal.

[0043] Therefore, the present invention sets two sub-microphones, the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130, one for collecting transcutaneous sound signals and the other for collecting physiological noise signals of the human body (such as physiological noise signals generated by chewing, breathing, blood flow, etc.). After subsequent signal processing, the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal can be improved to obtain a relatively pure sound signal, thereby providing a more comfortable auditory experience for the user. In addition, by adopting the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention, the external sound receiving part of the hearing aid device can be transferred to the body, eliminating the inconvenience caused by the user wearing an external device, allowing the user to live closer to a normal life, reducing the user's movement restrictions, so that the user does not have to worry about the hearing aid device being lost during exercise, and making the hearing aid device more adaptable to special weather such as rain, and can be in standby for a longer time throughout the day. In addition, the present invention collects human noise signals by setting the second sub-microphone 130, without the need to additionally fill elastic materials, thereby not causing an increase in the volume of the entire implantable microphone 100. In addition, the present invention arranges the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130 in the shell 110, so that the shell 110 can not only provide mechanical support for the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130 to promote the compatibility of the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention with the organism, but also provide sealing protection for the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130 to prevent liquid leakage, and the shell 110 can also provide a relevant physical interface for signal transmission.

[0044] It should be noted that, as can be understood by those skilled in the art, the first sub-microphone 120 is placed under the skin of the user and is mainly responsible for collecting external sound signals, and the second sub-microphone 130 is fixed near the temporal bone behind the human ear and is mainly responsible for collecting human physiological noise signals (for example, physiological noise signals generated by chewing, breathing, blood flow, etc.). It should also be noted that, as can be understood by those skilled in the art, the transcutaneous sound signals collected by the first sub-microphone 120 include both external sound signals and human physiological noise signals, wherein the external sound signals are the desired sound signals, and the human physiological noise signals are the noise signals that need to be removed. Therefore, in the subsequent signal processing process, the electrical signals related to the human physiological noise signals in the first electrical signals formed by the conversion of the transcutaneous sound signals collected by the first sub-microphone 120 can be removed based on the second electrical signals formed by the conversion of the physiological noise signals collected by the second sub-microphone 130, thereby obtaining a pure sound signal.

[0045] Specifically, the material of the housing 110 may be, but is not limited to, titanium or titanium alloy with good biocompatibility and high strength. Further, the housing 110 may be provided with a plurality of hole structures or slot structures on its circumference to facilitate fixing it to the user's skull by a suitable fixing method (such as screw fixing).

[0046] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 ,like Figure 1 As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the first sub-microphone 120 includes a first diaphragm 121, a first chamber 122 and a first sound sensor 123. The skin-proximal end of the shell 110 has an opening, and the first diaphragm 121 is arranged at the opening to cover the entrance of the first chamber 122. The first diaphragm 121 is configured to receive transcutaneous sound signals to generate vibrations and drive the gas pressure in the first chamber 122 to change; the first chamber 122 is configured to transmit the gas pressure changes generated by the vibrations of the first diaphragm 121 to the first sound sensor 123, and the first sound sensor 123 is configured to convert the vibrations of the first diaphragm 121 into corresponding first electrical signals according to the sensed gas pressure changes. Specifically, the first chamber 122 is filled with gas (e.g., air), the first diaphragm 121 contacts the user's skin and receives sound energy (i.e., transcutaneous sound) passing through the skin and vibrates, thereby driving the gas (e.g., air) in the first chamber 122 to expand or compress and reach the sound receiving hole of the first sound sensor 123, so that the first sound sensor 123 can convert the transcutaneous sound signal into a corresponding first electrical signal.

[0047] Specifically, the first sound sensor 123 may be a microphone unit in the prior art, including but not limited to a digital or analog silicon microphone, an electret microphone, an optical microphone, a piezoelectric microphone, etc. The material of the first diaphragm 121 may be but not limited to titanium or titanium alloy with good biocompatibility and good elastic linearity.

[0048] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 ,like Figure 1 As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the first chamber 122 includes a first main chamber 1221 and a first sound transmission hole 1222 that are interconnected, and the inner diameter of the first sound transmission hole 1222 is smaller than the minimum inner diameter of the first main chamber 1221. Therefore, when the first diaphragm 121 receives sound energy (i.e., transcutaneous sound signal) passing through the skin and vibrates, the gas (e.g., air) in the first main chamber 1221 can be driven to expand or compress, and reach the sound receiving hole of the first sound sensor 123 through the first sound transmission hole 1222.

[0049] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 ,like Figure 1 As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the first main chamber 1221 is cylindrical, that is, the inner diameter of the first main chamber 1221 is equal along its axial direction. Therefore, by setting the first main chamber 1221 to be cylindrical, it is not only convenient to process but also can meet the requirements of miniaturization.

[0050] In some exemplary embodiments, the maximum inner diameter of the first chamber 122 is less than 15 mm, the maximum outer diameter of the first chamber 122 is less than 20 mm, and the depth of the first chamber 122 is 30 μm to 200 μm. Therefore, the first chamber 122 of such a size can not only ensure that the first sub-microphone 120 can smoothly collect external sound signals, but also can be conducive to the miniaturization of the size of the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention.

[0051] In some exemplary embodiments, the diameter of the first diaphragm 121 is less than 20 mm, and the thickness of the first diaphragm 121 is 20 μm to 200 μm. Therefore, the first diaphragm 121 of such size can not only cover and seal the first chamber 122, but also ensure the sensitivity of the first sub-microphone 120 in receiving sound signals.

[0052] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 ,like Figure 1As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the second sub-microphone 130 includes a second diaphragm 131, a second chamber 132 and a second sound sensor 133. The entrance of the second chamber 132 is arranged toward the proximal skull end of the shell 110, and the second diaphragm 131 covers the entrance of the second chamber 132. The second diaphragm 131 is configured to receive the user's own physiological noise signal to generate vibration and drive the gas pressure in the second chamber 132 to change; the second chamber 132 is configured to transmit the gas pressure change generated by the vibration of the second diaphragm 131 to the second sound sensor 133, and the second sound sensor 133 is configured to convert the vibration of the second diaphragm 131 into a corresponding second electrical signal according to the sensed gas pressure change. Specifically, the second chamber 132 is filled with gas (such as air), and the physiological noise generated by the user's physiological activities is transmitted to the second diaphragm 131 through the shell 110, causing the second diaphragm 131 to vibrate, thereby driving the gas in the second chamber 132 (for example) to expand or compress and reach the sound receiving hole of the second sound sensor 133, so that the second sound sensor 133 can convert the physiological noise into a corresponding second electrical signal.

[0053] Specifically, the second sound sensor 133 may be a microphone unit in the prior art, including but not limited to a digital or analog silicon microphone, an electret microphone, an optical microphone, a piezoelectric microphone, etc. The material of the second diaphragm 131 may be but not limited to titanium or titanium alloy with good biocompatibility and good elastic linearity.

[0054] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 ,like Figure 1 As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the second sub-microphone 130 further includes a mass load 134, which is disposed on a side of the second diaphragm 131 away from the second sound sensor 133, and a gap is formed between the mass load 134 and the near-skull end of the housing 110, and the mass load 134 is configured to adjust the vibration frequency of the second diaphragm 131. Thus, by setting the mass load 134 to adjust the vibration frequency of the second diaphragm 131, the response sensitivity of the second sub-microphone 130 to human physiological noise can be increased.

[0055] Specifically, the physiological noise generated by the user's physiological activities is transmitted to the mass load 134 through the housing 110. The mass load 134 drives the second diaphragm 131 to vibrate under the action of inertia, thereby driving the gas in the second chamber 132 to expand or compress, and then reaches the sound receiving hole of the second sound sensor 133. At the same time, the skin will also drive the first diaphragm 121 of the first sub-microphone 120 to vibrate under the drive of inertia, and drive the gas in the first chamber 122 to expand or compress, and then reach the sound receiving hole of the first sound sensor 123.

[0056] Furthermore, the material of the mass load 134 may be, but is not limited to, a metal with high density, such as platinum, tungsten, gold, etc. The mass load 134 is preferably cylindrical and is coaxially disposed with the second diaphragm 131 .

[0057] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 ,like Figure 1 As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the second chamber 132 includes a second main chamber 1321 and a second sound transmission hole 1322 that are interconnected, and the inner diameter of the second sound transmission hole 1322 is smaller than the minimum inner diameter of the second main chamber 1321. Therefore, when the second diaphragm 131 receives the user's physiological noise and vibrates, it can drive the gas (such as air) in the second main chamber 1321 to expand or compress, and reach the sound receiving hole of the second sound sensor 133 through the second sound transmission hole 1322.

[0058] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 ,like Figure 1 As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the second main chamber 1321 is cylindrical, that is, the inner diameter of the second main chamber 1321 is equal along its axial direction. Therefore, by setting the second main chamber 1321 to be cylindrical, it is not only convenient to process but also can meet the requirements of miniaturization.

[0059] In some exemplary embodiments, the maximum inner diameter of the second chamber 132 is less than 15 mm, the maximum outer diameter of the second chamber 132 is less than 18 mm, and the depth of the second chamber 132 is 30 μm to 200 μm. Therefore, the second chamber 132 of such a size can not only ensure that the second sub-microphone 130 can smoothly collect human physiological noise signals, but also can be conducive to the miniaturization of the size of the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention.

[0060] In some exemplary embodiments, the diameter of the second diaphragm 131 is less than 18 mm, and the thickness of the second diaphragm 131 is 20 μm to 200 μm. Therefore, the second diaphragm 131 of such size can not only cover and seal the second chamber 132, but also ensure the sensitivity of the second sub-microphone 130 in receiving sound signals.

[0061] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 ,like Figure 1 As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the housing 110 includes a first sub-housing 111 and a second sub-housing 112 connected to each other, at least a portion of the first sub-housing 111 overlaps with at least a portion of the second sub-housing 112, and the first sub-microphone 120 is located in the first sub-housing 111, and the second microphone is located in the second sub-housing 112. Thus, this arrangement can not only reduce the overall size of the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention, but also make it easier to implant the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention into the user's body.

[0062] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 ,like Figure 1 As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the radial dimension of the first sub-microphone 120 is larger than the radial dimension of the second sub-microphone 130. Thus, by setting the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130 to be larger and smaller, the space utilization of the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention can be effectively increased.

[0063] It should be noted that, as those skilled in the art can understand, when the radial dimension of the first sub-microphone 120 is greater than the radial dimension of the second sub-microphone 130 , the radial dimension of the first sub-housing 111 is greater than the radial dimension of the second sub-housing 112 .

[0064] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 ,like Figure 1 As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, at least a portion of the first sub-microphone 120 and at least a portion of the second sub-microphone 130 are staggered in the radial direction of the housing 110. Thus, by staggering at least a portion of the first sub-microphone 120 (specifically the first sound sensor 123) and at least a portion of the second sub-microphone 130 (specifically the second sound sensor 133) in the housing 110, the overall thickness of the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention can be reduced, thereby achieving miniaturization of the size of the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention.

[0065] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 ,like Figure 1 As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the implantable microphone 100 further includes a circuit module 150, which is disposed in the housing 110, and the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130 are both electrically connected to the circuit module 150, and the circuit module 150 is configured to power the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130 and / or perform signal conversion (such as analog-to-digital conversion ADC, digital-to-analog conversion DAC). Thus, by providing the circuit module 150 to power the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130, it is convenient to realize that an external power supply provides electrical energy to the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130; by providing the circuit module 150 to perform signal conversion (such as analog-to-digital conversion ADC, digital-to-analog conversion DAC) on the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130, it is more convenient to perform subsequent signal processing. In addition, by providing the same circuit module 150 to realize power supply and / or signal conversion for the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130, the overall structure of the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention can be effectively simplified, which is conducive to further miniaturizing the size of the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention.

[0066] Specifically, the circuit module 150 may be a printed circuit board PCB or a flexible printed circuit board FPC, and the circuit module 150 is connected to the pins of the first sound sensor 123 and the second sound sensor 133. Further, the pins of the first sound sensor 123 and the second sound sensor 133 may be fixed to the circuit module 150 by a suitable packaging process, such as reflow soldering.

[0067] Furthermore, when the pin of the first sound sensor 123 and its sound receiving hole are on the same side, it is necessary to drill a hole on the corresponding side of the circuit module 150, such as Figure 1 As shown by the dotted line in the figure, the air path is kept unobstructed; when the pin of the first sound sensor 123 and its sound receiving hole are not on the same side, it is not necessary to drill a hole on the corresponding side of the circuit module 150. Similarly, when the pin of the second sound sensor 133 and its sound receiving hole are on the same side, it is necessary to drill a hole on the corresponding side of the circuit module 150, such as Figure 1 As shown by the dotted line in the figure, the air path is kept unobstructed; when the pin of the second sound sensor 133 and its sound receiving hole are not on the same side, there is no need to drill a hole on the corresponding side of the circuit module 150.

[0068] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 ,like Figure 1 As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the implantable microphone 100 further includes a feedthrough 140, which is disposed on the housing 110, and the feedthrough 140 is configured to realize the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130 and the signal processing module 200 (see Figure 5 Specifically, the signal processing module 200 includes an external power supply and a digital signal processing chip DSP, and thus, by setting the feedthrough 140 to realize the electrical connection between the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130 and the signal processing module 200, the power supply of the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130 and the transmission of electrical signals can be realized.

[0069] Specifically, the feedthrough 140 and the shell 110 can be sealed by a suitable process, the outer lead of the feedthrough 140 is connected to the signal processing module 200 (including an external power supply and a digital signal processing chip DSP), and the internal lead is connected to the circuit module 150 to realize power supply and signal transmission of the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130.

[0070] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 ,like Figure 1As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the first sub-housing 111 is substantially aligned with the second sub-housing 112 on one radial side. Thus, this arrangement can leave space on the other radial side for placing the feed-through 140.

[0071] Please continue to refer to Figure 2 , which is a cross-sectional view of an implantable microphone provided by a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, the difference between the implantable microphone 100 provided in this embodiment and the microphone provided in the first embodiment is that, in this embodiment, the first main chamber 1221 of the first chamber 122 and the second main chamber 1321 of the second chamber 132 are both arranged in a truncated cone shape, and the maximum inner diameter of the first main chamber 1221 gradually increases in the direction toward the first diaphragm 121, and the maximum inner diameter of the second main chamber 1321 gradually increases in the direction toward the second diaphragm 131. Therefore, by designing the first main chamber 1221 of the first chamber 122 in a truncated cone shape, the first diaphragm 121 can be easily restored to its original state after the external air pressure returns to normal after touching the bottom; by designing the second main chamber 1321 of the second chamber 132 in a truncated cone shape, the second diaphragm 131 can be easily restored to its original state after touching the bottom.

[0072] Please continue to refer to Figure 3 , which is a cross-sectional view of an implantable microphone provided by a third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 As shown, the difference between the implantable microphone 100 provided in this embodiment and the microphone provided in the first embodiment is that, in this embodiment, the second sub-microphone 130 includes a vibration sensor 135, and the vibration sensor 135 is in contact with the proximal end of the housing 110. Therefore, by using the vibration sensor 135 to collect the user's own physiological noise signal and convert the physiological noise signal into a corresponding second electrical signal, the overall structure of the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention can be effectively simplified, which helps to miniaturize the size of the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention. Specifically, the vibration sensor 135 can be, but is not limited to, an acceleration sensor.

[0073] Please continue to refer to Figure 4 , which is a cross-sectional view of an implantable microphone 100 provided in a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4As shown, the difference between the implantable microphone 100 provided in this embodiment and the microphone provided in the first embodiment is that, in this embodiment, the first main chamber 1221 of the first chamber 122 and the second main chamber 1321 of the second chamber 132 are both arranged in a truncated cone shape, and the maximum inner diameter of the first main chamber 1221 gradually increases in the direction toward the first diaphragm 121, and the maximum inner diameter of the second main chamber 1321 gradually increases in the direction toward the second diaphragm 131, and the first sub-microphone 120 also includes a functional material layer 124, which is arranged on a side of the first diaphragm 121 close to the first sound sensor 123, and the functional material layer 124 is configured to drive the first diaphragm 121 to bend in the opposite direction when the first diaphragm 121 bottoms out inward or bulges outward so that the first diaphragm 121 returns to its original state or close to its original state. Therefore, by providing the functional material layer 124, the adaptability of the first sub-microphone 120 to the external air pressure change can be enhanced, thereby effectively improving the sound pickup effect of the first sub-microphone 120 and effectively avoiding the problem that the first diaphragm 121 cannot return to its original state after touching the bottom and cannot output the sound signal normally.

[0074] Specifically, in actual application, when the environmental pressure outside the first diaphragm 121 increases, the first diaphragm 121 is concave inward, and the functional material layer 124 and the first diaphragm 121 are bent and deformed at the same time, and as the pressure increases, the deformation of the first diaphragm 121 and the functional material layer 124 continues to increase until it touches the bottom. At this time, the first sub-microphone 120 cannot respond to the external sound stimulation, and the user will not be able to "hear" the sound. However, during the bending and deformation of the functional material layer 124, the charge related to the size of the external environmental pressure can be sensed in real time. When the charge amount accumulates to a certain value, the first diaphragm 121 touches the bottom (that is, when the charge amount accumulates to a certain value, the first diaphragm 121 touches the bottom), the power supply unit in the trigger signal processing module 200 supplies power to the functional material layer 124. After the functional material layer 124 is stimulated by power supply, it drives the first diaphragm 121 to bend in the opposite direction to offset the deformation caused by the change in environmental pressure. In the best state, the first diaphragm 121 can be restored to its original state. When the external environmental pressure returns to normal, the electrical excitation to the functional material layer 124 is stopped, and the first diaphragm 121 returns to the original state or a state close to the original state, so that the first diaphragm 121 can freely vibrate with the change of the external sound. It should be noted that, as can be understood by those skilled in the art, when the external pressure decreases, the first diaphragm 121 will bulge outward, and by supplying power to the functional material layer 124, the outward bulge of the first diaphragm 121 can be reduced (non-linearly reduced).

[0075] Furthermore, electrodes are provided on the front side (surface close to the first diaphragm 121) and the back side (surface away from the first diaphragm 121) of the functional material layer 124, and the electrodes are connected to the signal processing module 200 through electrode wires. Thus, by providing electrodes on the front side and the back side of the functional material layer 124, an electrical circuit can be formed, so that the power supply unit in the signal processing module 200 can smoothly supply power to the functional material layer 124.

[0076] Specifically, the material of the electrode may be, but not limited to, gold, silver, nickel, chromium, etc. Further, the electrodes may be formed on the front and back sides of the functional material layer 124 by, but not limited to, sputtering, sintering, and other methods.

[0077] It should be noted that, as those skilled in the art can understand, the functional material used in the functional material layer 124 is a functional material having an electromechanical coupling effect, including but not limited to piezoelectric materials and electrostrictive materials. It should also be noted that, as those skilled in the art can understand, the number of layers of the functional material layer 124 of the first sub-microphone 120 can be one or more layers, which can be set according to actual needs, and the present invention is not limited to this.

[0078] It should be noted that, as can be understood by those skilled in the art, in order to avoid redundancy, only the differences between the implantable microphone 100 provided in the second embodiment, the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment and the implantable microphone 100 provided in the first embodiment are described herein, and the similarities between the implantable microphone 100 provided in the second embodiment, the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment and the implantable microphone 100 provided in the first embodiment are not described repeatedly, and specific adaptation understanding can be made by referring to the implantable microphone 100 provided in the first embodiment. It should also be noted that, as can be understood by those skilled in the art, in some other embodiments, the housing 110 can also be configured to include a structure including two independently configured first sub-housings 111 and second sub-housings 112, in which case a circuit module 150 can be respectively disposed in the first sub-housing 111 and the second sub-housing 112, and a feedthrough 140 can be respectively disposed on the first sub-housing 111 and the second sub-housing 112.

[0079] To realize the above idea, the present invention also provides a hearing aid device, please refer to Figure 5 , which is a logic diagram of sound signal transmission of a hearing aid device provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5As shown, the hearing aid device provided by the present invention includes the implantable microphone 100 provided by any of the above embodiments and a signal processing module 200 connected to the implantable microphone 100, and the signal processing module 200 is configured to process the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal to obtain a pure sound signal. Since the hearing aid device provided by the present invention includes the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention, the hearing aid device provided by the present invention at least has all the beneficial effects of the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the beneficial effects of the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention in the above text, so it will not be repeated here.

[0080] In summary, compared with the prior art, the implantable microphone 100 and the hearing aid device provided by the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

[0081] (1) The present invention provides two sub-microphones, namely a first sub-microphone 120 and a second sub-microphone 130, one for collecting transcutaneous sound signals and the other for collecting human physiological noise signals. After subsequent signal processing, the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal can be improved to obtain a relatively pure sound signal, thereby providing the user with a more comfortable listening experience.

[0082] (2) By adopting the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention, the external sound receiving part of the hearing aid device can be transferred to the inside of the body, eliminating the inconvenience caused by the user wearing an external device, allowing the user to live a life closer to that of a normal person, reducing the user's movement restrictions, so that the user does not have to worry about losing the hearing aid device during exercise, and making the hearing aid device more adaptable to special weather such as rain, and can be on standby for a longer period of time throughout the day.

[0083] (3) The present invention arranges the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130 in the shell 110, so that the shell 110 can not only provide mechanical support for the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130 to promote the compatibility of the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention with the organism, but also provide sealing protection for the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130 to prevent liquid leakage, and the shell 110 can also provide a relevant physical interface for signal transmission.

[0084] (4) The present invention can increase space utilization and reduce the overall size of the implantable microphone 100 provided by the present invention by designing the sizes of the first sub-microphone 120 and the second sub-microphone 130 differently, thereby providing users with a better implant experience.

[0085] (5) The present invention collects human body noise signals by providing the second sub-microphone 130 , without the need for additional filling of elastic material, thereby not causing an increase in the volume of the entire implantable microphone 100 .

[0086] It should be noted that, in the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, unless they are contradictory.

[0087] It should also be noted that the above description is only a description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not any limitation on the scope of the present invention. Any changes and modifications made by a person skilled in the art in the field of the present invention based on the above disclosure are within the scope of protection of the present invention. Obviously, a person skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, if these modifications and variations fall within the scope of the present invention and its equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. An implantable microphone, characterized in that: The invention comprises a shell and a first sub-microphone and a second sub-microphone arranged in the shell; the first sub-microphone is arranged near the skin end of the shell to be configured to receive a transcutaneous sound signal and convert the transcutaneous sound signal into a corresponding first electrical signal; the second sub-microphone is arranged near the skull end of the shell to be configured to receive a user's own physiological noise signal and convert the physiological noise signal into a corresponding second electrical signal.

2. The implantable microphone according to claim 1, characterized in that The first sub-microphone includes a first diaphragm, a first chamber and a first sound sensor. The skin-proximal end of the shell has an opening. The first diaphragm is arranged at the opening to cover the entrance of the first chamber. The first diaphragm is configured to receive a transcutaneous sound signal to generate vibration and drive the gas pressure in the first chamber to change; the first chamber is configured to transmit the gas pressure change generated by the vibration of the first diaphragm to the first sound sensor, and the first sound sensor is configured to convert the transcutaneous sound signal into a corresponding first electrical signal according to the sensed gas pressure change.

3. The implantable microphone according to claim 2, characterized in that The first sub-microphone also includes a functional material layer, which is arranged on a side of the first diaphragm close to the first sound sensor. The functional material layer is configured to drive the first diaphragm to bend in the opposite direction when the first diaphragm bottoms out or bulges outward so that the first diaphragm returns to its original state or close to its original state.

4. The implantable microphone according to claim 2, characterized in that The diameter of the first diaphragm is less than 20 mm, the thickness of the first diaphragm is 20 μm to 200 μm, the maximum inner diameter of the first chamber is less than 15 mm, the maximum outer diameter of the first chamber is less than 20 mm, and the depth of the first chamber is 30 μm to 200 μm.

5. The implantable microphone according to claim 1, characterized in that The second sub-microphone includes a second diaphragm, a second chamber and a second sound sensor. The entrance of the second chamber is arranged toward the proximal skull end of the shell. The second diaphragm covers the entrance of the second chamber. The second diaphragm is configured to receive the user's own physiological noise signal to generate vibration and drive the gas pressure in the second chamber to change; the second chamber is configured to transmit the gas pressure change generated by the vibration of the second diaphragm to the second sound sensor, and the second sound sensor is configured to convert the physiological noise signal into a corresponding second electrical signal according to the sensed gas pressure change.

6. The implantable microphone according to claim 5, characterized in that The second sub-microphone also includes a mass load, which is arranged on a side of the second diaphragm away from the second sound sensor, and there is a gap between the mass load and the proximal skull end of the shell, and the mass load is configured to adjust the vibration frequency of the second diaphragm.

7. The implantable microphone according to claim 5, characterized in that The diameter of the second diaphragm is less than 18 mm, the thickness of the second diaphragm is 20 μm to 200 μm, the maximum inner diameter of the second chamber is less than 15 mm, the maximum outer diameter of the second chamber is less than 18 mm, and the depth of the second chamber is 30 μm to 200 μm.

8. The implantable microphone according to claim 1, characterized in that The second sub-microphone includes a vibration sensor, and the vibration sensor abuts against the proximal skull end of the housing.

9. The implantable microphone according to claim 1, characterized in that The radial dimension of the first sub-microphone is greater than the radial dimension of the second sub-microphone, and at least a partial area of ​​the first sub-microphone and at least a partial area of ​​the second sub-microphone are staggered in the radial direction of the housing.

10. The implantable microphone according to claim 1, characterized in that The implantable microphone further includes a feedthrough, which is disposed on the housing and configured to achieve electrical connection between the first sub-microphone and the second sub-microphone and a signal processing module located outside the housing.

11. The implantable microphone according to claim 1, characterized in that The implantable microphone also includes a circuit module, which is disposed in the shell. The first sub-microphone and the second sub-microphone are both electrically connected to the circuit module, and the circuit module is configured to provide power and / or signal conversion for the first sub-microphone and the second sub-microphone.

12. A hearing aid device, characterized in that: The invention comprises an implantable microphone according to any one of claims 1 to 11 and a signal processing module connected to the implantable microphone, wherein the signal processing module is configured to process the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal to obtain a pure sound signal.

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