Implantable Hearing Prosthesis Modular Upgrade Architecture
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current implantable hearing prostheses, particularly for sensorineural hearing loss, are ineffective in delivering suitable stimulation to individuals with damaged inner ears or nerve pathways, as they rely on mechanical motion rather than electrical stimulation.
Innovation Solution
A totally implantable hearing prosthesis comprising an implantable microphone, an upgrade module for pre-processing sound signals, and a separate main module for sound processing and stimulation, which converts audio signals into electrical stimulation signals and delivers them to the recipient's auditory system via an electrode assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If mechanical motion stimulation is used for hearing loss treatment, then conductive hearing loss can be treated, but sensorineural hearing loss cannot be effectively treated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical motion stimulation with electrical stimulation to treat sensorineural hearing loss. The cochlear implant uses electrical signals to directly stimulate the auditory nerve, bypassing the damaged hair cells that cannot transduce mechanical motion into neural signals. This substitution of stimulation modality (from mechanical to electrical) enables effective treatment of sensorineural hearing loss while maintaining treatment capability for conductive hearing loss.
2Reliability
If cochlear implants are used to deliver electrical stimulation, then sensorineural hearing loss can be treated, but the device requires external components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the external components (microphone, speech processor, and transmitter) into a single totally implantable device. The implantable microphone captures sound, the implantable speech processor converts sound to electrical stimulation signals, and the implantable transmitter delivers these signals to the cochlea. This integration eliminates the need for external components while maintaining the electrical stimulation capability for treating sensorineural hearing loss.
3Ease of operation
If acoustic hearing aids are used for conductive hearing loss, then mechanical motion of cochlea fluid can be generated, but the device is not totally implantable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges all components into a single implantable unit, eliminating external hearing aid components. The implantable microphone and speech processor are integrated with the stimulator, creating a totally implantable device that maintains acoustic-to-electrical conversion capability while eliminating external components.
4Adaptability or versatility
If modular design with separate upgrade module and main module is implemented, then device adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the implantable device into two separate modules: an upgrade module containing the implantable microphone and implantable speech processor, and a main module containing the implantable transmitter and stimulator. This segmentation allows independent upgrading of the audio processing components without replacing the entire device, enabling adaptability improvements while managing complexity through modular architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
An implantable hearing prosthesis comprising an implantable upgrade module including a pre-processing unit configured to generate audio signals based on microphone information; and a implantable main module, physically separate from and electrically connected to the upgrade module. The implantable main module comprises a sound processing unit configured to generate stimulation information based on the audio signals received from the pre-processing unit, and a stimulator unit configured to generate stimulation signals based on the stimulation information. The hearing prosthesis also comprises a stimulation module configured to deliver the stimulation signals to a recipient.