External component with inductance and mechanical vibratory functionality

• US 10,321,247 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2016
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Original Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Inventors: Verma, Rishubh, Vermeiren, Jan, Buytaert, Kristof
• Primary Examiner(s): Matthews, Christine H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lannu, Joshua Daryl D
• Application Number:
  US15/163,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20170156010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36038 Cochlear stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37211 Means for communicating with stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/51 Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/67 Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/606 acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window

Abstract

A device including an inductive radio frequency communication coil and a platform apparatus configured to be secured or coupled to an actuator such that the actuator can induce vibration in the skull inducing hearing percepts, and the RF coil can deliver communication allowing an implantable stimulator to also induce hearing percepts.

Claims

1. A transcutaneous radio frequency (RF) communication system, comprising:

an external component including;

a first RF communication apparatus;

a transducer configured to at least one of convert electrical input into mechanical output or convert mechanical input into electrical output; and

a first magnetic apparatus; and

an implantable component including;

a second RF communication apparatus; and

a second magnetic apparatus, wherein

the system is configured to hold the external component to skin of a recipient of the implantable component the recipient via magnetic attraction between the first magnetic apparatus and the second magnetic apparatus with a force of between and including about 0.75N to about 1.05N when the first magnetic apparatus is separated from the second magnetic apparatus by about 1 mm to about 10 mm of human skin.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first magnetic apparatus is a neodymium magnet having a magnetic field strength of between about 900 mT to about 1600 mT.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

an input/output path of the transducer is at least approximately concentric with the first magnetic apparatus; and

the first RF communication apparatus includes a first RF coil that extends about the first magnetic apparatus and is at least approximately concentric with the first magnetic apparatus.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the transducer is an actuator of a bone conduction device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the external component is configured to vibrate, thereby evoking a hearing percept.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the implantable component further comprises a receiver/stimulator of a cochlear implant, of which the second RF communication apparatus is apart, wherein the receiver/stimulator is configured to use signals received by the second RF communication apparatus generated by the first RF communication apparatus as a basis upon which to generate an electrical current to evoke an electrical based hearing percept.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first RF communication apparatus includes a first RF coil that is concentric with the first magnetic apparatus;

the second RF communication apparatus includes a second RF coil that is concentric with the second magnetic apparatus; and

the system is configured such that an input/output path of the transducer is at least approximately concentric with the first magnetic apparatus and the second magnetic apparatus, and the first RF coil is at least approximately concentric with the second RF coil when the external component is adhered to the recipient via the magnetic attraction.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the external component is a button sound processor including a sound processor and the transducer.

9. A method, comprising:

evoking a first hearing percept in a recipient via electrical stimulation of a first cochlea thereof based on a transcutaneous transmitted RF signal; and

evoking a second hearing percept in the recipient via bone conduction stimulation of the first cochlea based on a transcutaneously transmitted mechanical vibration, wherein

the transcutaneously transmitted mechanical vibration and the transcutaneously transmitted RF signal enter the skin of the recipient at least at locations that are proximate one another.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the transcutaneously transmitted mechanical vibration and the transcutaneously transmitted RF signal enter the skin of the recipient at the same location.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the transcutaneously transmitted RF signal is generated by an inductance field, and

the transcutaneously transmitted mechanical vibration enters the skin of the recipient at a location that is at least approximately concentric with the generated inductance field.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the recipient includes a second cochlea, and the transcutaneously transmitted mechanical vibration and the transcutaneously transmitted RF signal enter the skin of the recipient at locations closer to the first cochlea than to the second cochlea.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the recipient includes a second cochlea, and the transcutaneously transmitted mechanical vibration and the transcutaneously transmitted RF signal enter the skin of the recipient at locations closer to the second cochlea than to the first cochlea.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the transcutaneously transmitted mechanical vibration is no higher than about 2000 Hz.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating the transcutaneously transmitted mechanical vibration using a bone conduction system based on inputs into a sound capture system of the bone conduction system, wherein

the mechanical vibration includes mechanical vibrations below about 2000 Hz and above about 2000 Hz, based on respective inputs of the sound capture system, and

the mechanical vibrations generated at above about 2000 Hz are generated so as to have an amplitude for a respective amplitude of a respective input into the sound capture system that is at least about the same as or lower than the mechanical vibrations generated below about 2000 Hz for a respective amplitude of a respective input of the sound capture system.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating the transcutaneously transmitted mechanical vibration using a bone conduction system based on inputs into a sound capture system of the bone conduction system, wherein

the mechanical vibration includes vibrations below about 2000 Hz and above about 2000 Hz, based on respective inputs of the sound capture system, and

the bone conduction system is configured such that the mechanical vibrations generated at above about 2000 Hz are generated so as to have an amplitude for a respective amplitude of a respective input into the sound capture system that is at least about the same as or lower than the mechanical vibrations generated below about 2000 Hz for a respective amplitude of a respective input of the sound capture system.

17. A device, comprising:

an inductive radio frequency (RF) communication coil; and

a platform apparatus configured to at least one of be secured to or be coupled to an apparatus comprising an actuator so as to establish a vibrational path, when the platform apparatus is secured and/or coupled to the apparatus comprising the actuator, from the apparatus comprising the actuator to a skin interface portion of the platform apparatus, wherein

the coil is proximate the skin interface portion.

18. The device of claim 17, further comprising:

the actuator, wherein the actuator is complexly mechanically secured to the platform apparatus.

19. The device of claim 17, further comprising:

the apparatus comprising the actuator, wherein the apparatus comprising the actuator is simply mechanically coupled to the platform apparatus; and

the apparatus comprising the actuator is removably coupled to the platform apparatus.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein:

the platform apparatus includes a magnet configured to adhere the device to skin of a recipient via a magnetic attraction with an implanted magnet.

21. The device of claim 17, wherein:

the device is configured to generate vibrations to evoke a bone conduction hearing percept at the same time that an inductive RF data signal is outputted from the coil.

22. The device of claim 17, further comprising:

the device comprising the actuator, wherein the device is configured such that the platform apparatus is configured to vibrate to evoke a bone conduction hearing percept via transfer of vibrations from the platform apparatus to skin of a recipient.

23. The device of claim 17, wherein:

the device includes a bone conduction system including the apparatus comprising the actuator, wherein the apparatus comprising the actuator is configured to generate mechanical vibrations based on respective inputs into a sound capture system of the bone conduction system;

the bone conduction system is configured such that the apparatus comprising the actuator generates vibrations at below about 2000 Hz and above about 2000 Hz, based on respective inputs of the sound capture system; and

the bone conduction system is configured such that the generated mechanical vibrations generated at above about 2000 Hz are generated so as to have an amplitude for a respective amplitude of the respective input into the sound capture system that is at least about the same as or lower than that of the generated mechanical vibrations generated below about 2000 Hz for a respective amplitude of the respective input of the sound capture system.

24. The device of claim 17, wherein:

the coil is separate from the platform apparatus.

25. The device of claim 17, wherein:

the coil is part of the platform apparatus.

26. The device of claim 17, wherein:

the platform apparatus is part of a button sound processor.

27. The device of claim 17, wherein:

the skin interface portion has a closed at least substantially curved outer profile with respect to a plane normal to a skin interface surface of the skin interface portion.

28. The device of claim 17, wherein:

the platform apparatus is a component configured to interface with skin of a recipient at a location away from an ear of the recipient.

29. The device of claim 17, wherein:

the securing or coupling results in material of the platform apparatus being in direct contact with the apparatus comprising the actuator.

30. A method, comprising:

generating RF signals extracutaneously to a recipient and evoking a first hearing percept in the recipient via electrical stimulation based on the RF signals; and

generating mechanical vibration signals extracutaneously to the recipient and evoking a second hearing percept in the recipient via bone conduction based on the mechanical vibration signals, wherein

the method is executed by limiting the generated vibrations to about 2000 Hz and below.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein:

the RF signals are generated using an RF inductance coil;

the mechanical vibration signals are generated using an actuator; and

the RF inductance coil and the actuator are adhered to the recipient via a same magnet system.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein:

the RF signals are generated using an RF inductance coil;

the mechanical vibration signals are generated using an actuator; and

the RF inductance coil and the actuator are integrated into a button sound processor.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein:

the mechanical vibration signals are generated using a bone conduction system, wherein the bone conduction system is limited to generating vibrations of about 2000 Hz and below by at least one of structure, circuitry or programming.