Low-Power Active Bone Conduction Device with Energy Recovery Circuit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bone conduction devices face challenges in power efficiency and energy management, leading to increased power consumption and potential tissue damage, especially in delivering vibrations for hearing restoration in individuals with conductive hearing loss.
Innovation Solution
The development of a low-power active bone conduction device featuring a subcutaneously implanted piezoelectric actuator with an energy recovery circuit and a sigma-delta converter that extracts and stores non-used energy, along with a scalable sigma-delta quantization threshold to limit pulse generation during low audio levels, reducing power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional bone conduction devices deliver mechanical vibrations to hard tissue for hearing restoration, then hearing function is improved, but power consumption increases and tissue damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an energy recovery circuit that captures and stores the electrical energy normally dissipated when the piezoelectric actuator returns to its neutral position. This recovered energy is stored in a capacitor and reused to power subsequent actuation cycles, directly reducing the power consumption of the bone conduction device while maintaining effective vibration delivery for hearing restoration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a control circuit that monitors the operational state of the piezoelectric actuator and dynamically adjusts drive signals to optimize power consumption. The feedback mechanism ensures that electrical energy is delivered only when needed for effective bone conduction, preventing unnecessary power consumption while maintaining hearing restoration effectiveness
2Reliability
If conventional bone conduction devices deliver continuous vibrations for hearing restoration, then hearing function is improved, but tissue damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the natural oscillatory behavior of the piezoelectric actuator, which inherently vibrates back and forth when electrical energy is applied. This periodic action delivers mechanical vibrations to the bone for hearing restoration while the brief duty cycle of each vibration pulse minimizes cumulative tissue exposure and potential damage
Solution Approach 2:
The piezoelectric actuator in the patent automatically returns to its neutral position after each actuation cycle, creating a self-limiting vibration pattern. This self-service mechanism ensures that vibrations are delivered in controlled bursts rather than continuous exposure, reducing tissue damage risk while maintaining effective hearing restoration through repeated cyclic stimulation
3Use of energy by moving object
If energy recovery circuit is added to bone conduction device, then power consumption is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the energy recovery circuit components (capacitor, diode, and control logic) into the existing driver circuit architecture of the bone conduction device. By merging the energy recovery function with the existing electrical circuitry rather than adding completely separate systems, the patent reduces power consumption while minimizing the increase in device complexity
4Use of energy by moving object
If sigma-delta converter with scaled quantization threshold is used, then power consumption is reduced, but audio signal precision may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic quantization threshold in the sigma-delta converter that adapts to the amplitude of the audio signal. For low-amplitude signals, a lower precision threshold suffices and consumes less power, while for high-amplitude signals, the converter automatically increases precision. This dynamic adjustment reduces overall power consumption while maintaining adequate audio signal precision across different listening conditions
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
This solution significantly reduces power consumption by up to 40-50% compared to conventional devices, enabling efficient vibration delivery while minimizing tissue damage and extending battery life, making it suitable for long-term use in hearing restoration.
Implementation Method 1
an actuator configured to be subcutaneously implanted within a recipient so as to deliver mechanical output forces to hard tissue of the recipient
Implementation Method 2
an energy recovery circuit configured to extract non-used energy from the actuator and to store the non-used energy for subsequent use by the actuator
Data Source
AI summary
Presented herein are low-power active bone conduction devices that comprise an actuator that is subcutaneously implanted within a recipient so as to deliver mechanical output forces to hard tissue of the recipient. The low-power active bone conduction devices include an energy recovery circuit configured to extract non-used energy from the actuator and to store the non-used energy for subsequent use by the actuator. The low-power active bone conduction devices may also include a multi-bit sigma-delta converter that operates in accordance with a scaled sigma-delta quantization threshold value to convert received signals representative of sound into actuator drive signals.