Optical electro-mechanical hearing devices with separate power and signal components

• US 10,516,949 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2018
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EarLens Corporation
• Original Assignee: EarLens Corporation
• Inventors: Puria, Sunil, Fay, Jonathan P., Felsenstein, Lee, Stone, James, Killion, Mead C., Pluvinage, Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Matthews, Christine H
• Application Number:
  US15/926,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20180213335A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36038 Cochlear stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/31 Aspects of the use of accumulators in hearing aids, e.g. rechargeable batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 23/008 using optical signals for detecting or generating sound
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/602 of batteries
• 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 to transmit an audio signal comprises at least one light source configured to transmit the audio signal with at least one wavelength of light. At least one detector is configured to detect the audio signal and generate at least one electrical signal in response to the at least one wavelength of light. A transducer is supported with and configured to vibrate at least one of an eardrum, an ossicle or a cochlea. Active circuitry is coupled to the transducer to drive the transducer in response to the at least one electrical signal, so as to provide the user with high quality sound.

Claims

1. A device to transmit an audio signal, the device comprising:

at least one light source configured to transmit the audio signal using an optical signal;

at least one optical detector configured to detect the audio signal and generate at least one electrical signal in response to the detected audio signal;

an output transducer assembly supported with and configured to vibrate an eardrum wherein the output transducer assembly is driven in response to the at least one electrical signal;

circuitry configured to receive the audio signal and to transmit the audio signal with a pulse modulated signal, wherein power for the output transducer assembly is transmitted with the optical signal;

wherein the circuitry is further configured to determine a first energy of the audio signal and a second energy of the audio signal, the circuitry configured to provide a first bias to the pulse modulated signal in response to the first energy of the audio signal and to provide a second bias to the pulse modulated signal in response to the second energy of the audio signal, the first bias different from the second bias in order to accommodate substantially different power consumption of the output transducer assembly in response to the first energy different from the second energy.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one optical detector comprises at least one of crystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, micromorphous silicon, black silicon, cadmium telluride, copper indium, gallium selenide, or indium gallium arsenide.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the output transducer assembly comprises at least one of a piezo electric transducer, a flex tensional transducer, a wire coil, a magnet, or an acoustic speaker.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to receive the audio signal from an input transducer, and wherein the pulse modulated signal is a pulse width modulated signal.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the pulse width modulated signal comprises at least one of a delta PWM signal, a differential drive PWM signal, a delta-sigma PWM signal, or a differential delta-sigma PWM signal.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is coupled to an input configured to receive the audio signal, the circuitry is coupled to the at least one light source, and the circuitry is configured to adjust an output of the at least one light source to power the output transducer assembly in response to the audio signal.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the circuitry is configured measure the audio signal to determine one or more of the first energy or the second energy of the audio signal and to adjust an amount of energy transmitted with the at least one light source in response to the determined one or more of the first energy or the second energy of the audio signal.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the circuitry is configured to adjust at least one of a DC bias or an amplitude of pulses of the at least one light source in response to the audio signal to power the circuitry.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the at least one light source comprises a first light source configured to transmit the audio signal and a second light source configured to transmit the power for the output transducer assembly, and wherein the circuitry is configured to adjust an amount of power transmitted with the second light source in response to the audio signal.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the circuitry comprises a sound processor configured to measure the audio signal and to adjust the output of the at least one light source to power the circuitry in response to the audio signal.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the audio signal is transmitted with at least one wavelength of light comprising at least one of an ultraviolet light, a visible light, or an infrared light.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the first or second bias is increased in response to an increase in the first or second energy of the audio signal.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one optical detector converts light energy into electrical energy and the output transducer assembly converts the electrical energy into mechanical energy.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the mechanical energy is vibration.

15. A method of transmitting an audio signal having a first energy and a second energy different from the first energy, the method comprising:

receiving the audio signal with circuitry coupled to an input and at least one light source, wherein the circuitry determines the first energy of the audio signal and the second energy of the audio signal;

emitting at least one pulse modulated wavelength of light from the at least one light source using an optical signal and wherein the circuitry outputs a first amount of bias and a second amount of bias from the at least one light source;

detecting the at least one wavelength of light with at least one detector to generate an electrical signal; and

vibrating an eardrum with a transducer, the transducer being a part of an output transducer assembly, in response to the electrical signal, wherein the first amount of bias differs from the second amount of bias in order to accommodate substantially different power consumption of the transducer in response to the first energy different from the second energy and wherein power for the output transducer assembly is transmitted with the optical signal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the transducer is supported by the eardrum.

17. A method of stimulating a target tissue with an audio signal having a first energy and a second energy different from the first energy, the method comprising:

receiving the audio signal with circuitry coupled to an input and at least one light source, wherein the circuitry determines the first energy of the audio signal and the second energy of the audio signal;

emitting a pulse modulated light signal using an optical signal from the at least one light source and wherein the circuitry outputs a first amount of bias from the at least one light source and a second amount of bias from the at least one light source to power active circuitry;

detecting the pulse modulated light signal to generate an electrical signal in response to the pulse modulated light signal; and

stimulating the target tissue with a transducer in response to the electrical signal wherein the transducer is a part of an output transducer assembly;

wherein the first amount of bias differs from the second amount of bias in order to accommodate substantially different power consumption of the transducer in response to the first energy different from the second energy and wherein the output transducer assembly is transmitted with the optical signal.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the target tissue is stimulated with a vibration.