Dual-Material Bone Conduction Skin Interface for Hearing Prostheses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conductive hearing loss individuals often do not benefit from traditional air-conduction hearing aids and may not derive sufficient benefit from cochlear implants, as these devices rely on mechanical pathways that can be impaired, necessitating alternative methods to transmit sound effectively.
Innovation Solution
A bone conduction device with a skin interface apparatus comprising different material portions for direct contact with the skin, utilizing a support assembly to react against retention forces and a drive assembly to vibrate in response to sound, transferring mechanical vibrations through the skin to evoke a hearing percept without penetrating the skin with a solid object.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single material is used for the skin interface apparatus, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the vibration transmission effectiveness and feedback reduction are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The skin interface apparatus uses different materials for different portions: a first portion made of a first material and a second portion made of a second material. This local differentiation allows each portion to be optimized for its specific function - one portion for vibration transmission and another for feedback reduction - thereby resolving the contradiction between simple manufacturing and functional effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface apparatus combines multiple materials with different properties to create a composite structure. The first material and second material are selected to have different characteristics that complement each other, enabling the apparatus to simultaneously achieve effective vibration transmission and feedback reduction, which cannot be accomplished with a single material.
2Reliability
If traditional air-conduction hearing aids are used, then the device structure is simple, but it does not provide sufficient benefit to individuals with conductive hearing loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the air-conduction mechanical pathway with a bone conduction system. Instead of using air to transmit sound waves through the ear canal, the device uses mechanical vibrations transmitted directly through the skin and bone to the cochlea. This substitution provides effective sound transmission for conductive hearing loss while maintaining reasonable device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The skin interface apparatus acts as an intermediary between the sound source and the cochlea. It converts acoustic signals into mechanical vibrations that travel through the skin and bone, serving as a mediator that bypasses the impaired air conduction pathway while delivering sound effectively to the hearing organ.
3Reliability
If a solid object penetrates the skin for bone conduction, then vibration transmission is effective, but the comfort and skin integrity are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The skin interface apparatus uses flexible, skin-compatible materials that can conform to the skin surface without penetrating it. The first and second portions are made from materials that maintain skin integrity while effectively transmitting vibrations, eliminating the need for invasive solid objects and thereby resolving the contradiction between vibration transmission and skin comfort.
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 device effectively transduces sound signals into mechanical vibrations, allowing for sound perception in individuals with conductive hearing loss by utilizing a dual-skin interface system with varying material properties to enhance vibration transmission and reduce feedback, thereby providing an alternative solution for sound perception.
Implementation Method 1
transducing a captured sound signal into mechanical vibrations using an external component of the hearing prosthesis
Implementation Method 2
transferring the mechanical vibrations into skin of a recipient, thereby evoking a hearing percept
Data Source
AI summary
A skin interface apparatus configured as an interface of a prosthesis with skin of a recipient, including a first portion configured for direct contact with skin of the recipient, and a second portion configured for direct contact with skin of the recipient, wherein the portions have different material properties. In an exemplary embodiment, the first portion is a part of a holding plate pad of a hearing prosthesis and the second portion is part of a driving plate pad of the hearing prosthesis.