Removable Bone Conduction Coupling Limiting Skin Deformation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with conductive hearing loss often do not benefit from traditional acoustic hearing aids and require alternative methods to perceive sound, as their mechanical pathways to the cochlea are impaired, necessitating a solution that bypasses these damaged pathways.
Innovation Solution
A bone conduction device with an external component that vibrates in response to sound signals, transferring these vibrations through the skin and skull to the cochlea, utilizing a coupling mechanism that attaches to the skin without applying significant static pressure, allowing for effective sound perception without implantable components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a bone conduction device is removably attached to the skin, then the device can be easily installed and removed, but the attachment may cause skin deformation beyond what results from the device mass alone
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling portion is designed to change its attachment characteristics by adjusting parameters such as adhesive strength, magnetic force, or mechanical engagement force. This allows the device to be easily attached and removed while limiting the force applied to the skin to approximately equal to or less than the force from the device mass alone, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and skin deformation.
2Reliability
If traditional acoustic hearing aids are used, then air conduction pathways are utilized, but they do not provide sufficient benefit for individuals with conductive hearing loss
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the acoustic air conduction system with a mechanical vibration system. Instead of using air conduction through the ear canal (which fails in conductive hearing loss), the device converts sound signals into mechanical vibrations that are transmitted directly through the skull bone to the cochlea, providing reliable hearing assistance without requiring implantable components.
3Reliability
If the external component applies significant static pressure to attach to the skin, then secure attachment is achieved, but skin deformation increases beyond acceptable levels
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling portion acts as an intermediary between the external component and the skin. It uses mechanisms such as adhesive layers, magnetic fields, or friction-based interfaces to achieve secure attachment without requiring significant static pressure on the skin. The coupling portion absorbs and distributes forces, ensuring reliable attachment while limiting skin deformation to levels approximately equal to or less than the device mass alone.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The bone conduction device enables sound perception by converting sound signals into mechanical vibrations that are transmitted through the skin and bone, providing an effective alternative for individuals with conductive hearing loss, particularly those who do not benefit from traditional hearing aids.
Implementation Method 1
a vibratory portion configured to vibrate in response to a sound signal to evoke a hearing percept via bone conduction
Data Source
AI summary
An external component including a vibratory portion configured to vibrate in response to a sound signal to evoke a hearing percept via bone conduction and including a coupling portion configured to removably attach the external component to an outer surface of skin of a recipient of the hearing prosthesis while imparting deformation to the skin of the recipient at a location of the attachment, in a one-gravity environment, of an amount that is about equal to or equal to that which results from the external component having mass.