Transducer management

• US 10,602,284 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2016
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Original Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Inventors: Nilsson, Soren
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Sean H
• Application Number:
  US15/212,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20180020299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: 381315
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/0216 BTE hearing aids having a receiver in the ear mould
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/61 Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/67 Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/305 Self-monitoring or self-testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/556 External connectors, e.g. plugs or modules H04R25/607 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/607 of earhooks

Abstract

A hearing prosthesis, including an actuator assembly, and a chassis supporting the actuator assembly, wherein the actuator assembly is configured to vibrate when an electrical current is applied to the actuator assembly such that a first apparatus of the actuator assembly vibrates relative to a second apparatus of the actuator assembly, the chassis is connected to the second apparatus, and the actuator assembly retains data related to an operational performance of the actuator assembly.

Claims

1. A hearing device, comprising:

a transducer including a machine readable memory device directly attached to the transducer, wherein

the transducer includes a seismic mass and a stationary structure to which the seismic mass is movably attached, wherein the memory device is directly attached to the stationary structure.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the transducer is an actuator.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the transducer is an actuator of a hearing prosthesis.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the device is a hearing prosthesis;

the memory device includes static data; and

the memory device includes dynamic data stored therein by the hearing prosthesis.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the transducer includes a seismic mass and a stationary structure to which the seismic mass is movably attached, wherein the memory device is directly attached to the stationary structure.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the transducer is configured to be removably mounted to a body interface component.

7. A mechanical output hearing prosthesis, comprising:

an actuator assembly; and

a chassis supporting the actuator assembly, wherein

the actuator assembly is configured to vibrate when an electrical current is applied to the actuator assembly such that a first apparatus of the actuator assembly vibrates relative to a second apparatus of the actuator assembly, the vibration evoking a hearing percept in a recipient when the hearing prosthesis is attached to the recipient,

the chassis is connected to the second apparatus, and

the actuator assembly retains data related to an operational performance of the actuator assembly.

8. The hearing prosthesis of claim 7, wherein:

the hearing prosthesis further includes a processor that is remote from the actuator assembly;

the actuator assembly is configured to electronically communicate with the processor; and

the hearing prosthesis is configured to enable the processor to read the data retained in the actuator assembly.

9. The hearing prosthesis of claim 8, wherein:

the hearing prosthesis is configured to at least one of adjust, select, or develop an operating regime of the processor based on the data.

10. The hearing prosthesis device of claim 7, wherein:

the hearing prosthesis is configured to control an energizement signal provided to the actuator assembly to cause the actuator assembly to vibrate based in part on the data.

11. The hearing prosthesis of claim 7, wherein:

the actuator assembly is removably connected to the chassis;

the actuator assembly is electrically connected to a component fixed to the chassis; and

the hearing prosthesis is configured such that the data is accessible from a location remote from the actuator assembly at least as far as beyond the chassis.

12. The hearing prosthesis of claim 7, wherein:

the hearing prosthesis is a bone conduction device.

13. A method for implementation in a medical device, comprising:

obtaining an assembly including a housing and a transducer having a memory storage device in which data is stored, wherein the transducer is located in the housing; and

operating the transducer in part based on the data.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

applying a control signal to the transducer to actuate the transducer, wherein the control signal is different from that which would be the case in the absence of the data, all other things being equal, wherein the transducer is an actuator.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

capturing a sound signal;

converting the captured sound to an electrical signal;

providing the electrical signal to operate the transducer, wherein

the provided electric signal is based in part on the captured sound, wherein the transducer is an actuator.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

capturing a sound signal;

converting the captured sound to an electrical signal;

providing the electrical signal to operate the the transducer such that the transducer vibrates to evoke a hearing percept at a plurality of frequencies, wherein

the provided electrical signal is produced based in part on the data such that the signal is different for different frequencies beyond that which would be the case without the data, and

wherein the transducer is an actuator.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the method is a method of remediating tolerance error in the transducer based on the data.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the transducer is a first transducer;

the action of obtaining the first transducer having a memory storage device in which data is stored comprises obtaining a hearing prosthesis including a sound processor, the hearing prosthesis having been fitted to a recipient;

the data is calibration data related to the transducer;

the method further comprises, subsequent to the action of operating the first transducer at least in part based on the data;

replacing the first transducer with a second transducer having a second memory storage device in which second calibration data related to the second transducer is stored;

accessing the second calibration data;

modifying an operating regime of the sound processor based on the second calibration data; and

operating the second transducer based on an output from the sound processor as modified based on the second calibration data.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the transducer is a first transducer;

the action of obtaining the first transducer having a memory storage device in which data is stored comprises obtaining a hearing prosthesis including a sound processor, the hearing prosthesis having been fitted to a recipient;

the method further comprises, subsequent to the action of operating the first transducer at least in part based on the data;

replacing the first transducer with a second transducer having a second memory storage device in which second calibration data related to the second transducer is stored; and

operating the hearing prosthesis by operating the second transducer without recalibrating the hearing prosthesis to account for the second transducer, wherein the second transducer responds differently to a given input than the first transducer, and wherein for a given sound captured by the hearing prosthesis, the output of the hearing prosthesis is the same when operating the second transducer as that which would have been the case with the first transducer for the given input even though the second transducer responds differently to the given input.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the transducer is an actuator.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the transducer is an actuator.