Bone Conduction Hearing Aid with Magnetic Mass and Electromagnet
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bone conduction hearing aids face issues such as discomfort, reduced high-frequency sensitivity, feedback problems, skin penetration complications, and risks associated with surgical implantation and MRI compatibility, particularly in patients with unilateral hearing loss or middle ear disorders.
Innovation Solution
A bone implant with a magnetic mass suspended within a housing, coupled to the temporal bone using elastic members, and an in-ear component with an electromagnet that drives the magnetic mass to vibrate, providing efficient sound transmission without skin penetration and minimizing surgical risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a bone anchor penetrates through the skin to provide good coupling between the vibrator unit and the skull, then the coupling efficiency is improved, but the skin penetration site requires lifelong daily care and may lead to infections and granulation tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into two separate components: a skin-level anchor that provides stable attachment without penetrating deep into the bone, and a separate vibrator unit that couples to the skull through the skin-level anchor. This segmentation allows the skin to remain intact while still achieving reliable bone conduction coupling.
Solution Approach 2:
A skin-level anchor acts as an intermediary component between the external vibrator unit and the skull bone. This intermediary provides a stable attachment point on the skin surface that transmits vibrations to the bone without requiring the vibrator to penetrate through the skin, thereby eliminating infection risks while maintaining coupling efficiency.
2Reliability
If the external unit is held in place by a strong magnet, then the coupling stability is improved, but the magnet compression leads to skin irritation and potentially pressure sores
Solution Approach 1:
The magnetic coupling system is segmented into a permanent magnet embedded in the skin-level anchor and a separate electromagnet in the vibrator unit. This allows the magnetic force to be applied locally at the anchor-vibrator interface rather than compressing the skin, maintaining coupling stability without causing skin irritation.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical compression system (using a strong magnet to press the external unit against the skull) is replaced with a magnetic attraction system where the magnet is embedded in the skin-level anchor. The vibrator unit is attracted to the anchor through magnetic force without requiring skin compression, thereby eliminating pressure sores while maintaining stable coupling.
3Ease of manufacture
If a large volume of bone is removed to create a cavity for the implanted unit, then the implantation is simplified, but the temporal bone is weakened and the risk of facial nerve or vestibular damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vibrator unit is extracted from the bone and placed externally, with only a small skin-level anchor remaining in the bone. This eliminates the need to create a large bone cavity, simplifying the surgical procedure while significantly reducing the risk of damaging the facial nerve or vestibular system.
Solution Approach 2:
The implantation procedure is segmented into two stages: first, a small skin-level anchor is implanted in the bone (minimal surgery); second, the vibrator unit is attached externally to the anchor. This segmentation avoids the need for large bone cavity creation while ensuring secure implantation.
4Ease of operation
If the skin is replaced over the implanted unit, then no part of the device penetrates the skin, but the area of skin overlying the implanted unit must be kept free of hair requiring regular shaving
Solution Approach 1:
A skin-level anchor acts as an intermediary that sits on the skin surface without requiring full skin replacement. This anchor provides a stable base for the vibrator unit while allowing the surrounding skin to remain natural, eliminating the need for regular shaving while maintaining comfort and social acceptance.
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 solution offers improved comfort, enhanced high-frequency sensitivity, reduced risk of skin complications, and compatibility with MRI scans, while providing effective sound transmission to the cochlea, suitable for patients with unilateral hearing loss.
Implementation Method 1
an in-ear component for insertion into the ear canal and comprising an electromagnet; and a bone implant for mounting in bone bordering the ear canal, the bone implant comprising a housing and a magnetic mass suspended within the housing such that vibrations of the magnetic mass along a first axis are mechanically coupled into the housing; wherein the in-ear component is configured to drive its electromagnet so as to, when the in-ear component is located in an ear canal with the electromagnet adjacent to the bone implant, cause the magnetic mass to vibrate along the first axis within the housing
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for assisting hearing, the apparatus comprising: an in-ear component for insertion into the ear canal and comprising an electromagnet; and a bone implant for mounting in the temporal bone bordering the ear canal, the bone implant comprising a housing and a magnetic mass suspended within the housing such that vibrations of the magnetic mass are mechanically coupled into the housing; wherein the in-ear component is configured to drive its electromagnet so as to, when the in-ear component is located in an ear canal with the electromagnet adjacent to the bone implant, cause the magnetic mass to vibrate within the housing.