Implantable hearing aid transducer with advanceable actuator to facilitate coupling with the auditory system

• US 20040147804A1
• Filed: 01/27/2003
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otologics, LLC (Cochlear Limited)
• Original Assignee: Otologics, LLC (Cochlear Limited)
• Inventors: Schneider, Robert Edwin, Kasic, James Frank II, Miller, Scott Allan III
• Granted Patent: US 7,278,963 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/67 Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606
• 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 hearing aid transducer that includes an actuator advanceable relative to the transducer to couple with a middle ear component. In one aspect of the invention, the actuator is a separate structure from the transducer that is insertable into an aperture defined between a first and second end of the transducer. This permits separate connection of the actuator to the middle ear component and the transducer to improve coupling of the transducer to the middle ear component, e.g., minimizing loads on the middle ear component.

Claims

1. An implantable hearing aid transducer comprising:

a transducer body having an aperture extending through a first side thereof;

an actuator advanceable relative to the transducer body through the aperture to couple with a middle ear component; and

a driver to drive the actuator in response to transducer drive signals.

2. The transducer of claim 1, wherein the aperture extends through a second side of the transducer body.

3. The transducer of claim 2, wherein the aperture coaxially extends through the first and second sides of the transducer body.

4. The transducer of claim 1, wherein the actuator is a separate structure from the transducer and is insertable into the aperture of the transducer body.

5. The transducer of claim 2, comprising:

a coupler for connecting the actuator within the aperture of the transducer body.

6. The transducer of claim 5, wherein the coupler is selectively activatable to connect and disconnect the actuator within the aperture of the transducer body.

7. The transducer of claim 6, wherein the selectively activatable coupler comprises:

a shape memory metal.

8. The transducer of claim 5, wherein the coupler comprises:

an adhesive.

9. The transducer of claim 5, wherein the coupler comprises:

a reshapeable material.

10. The transducer of claim 5, wherein the coupler comprises:

a clamp.

11. The transducer of claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises:

a unitary elongated member.

12. The transducer of claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises:

a first actuator member connectable to the middle ear component;

a second actuator member connectable within the aperture; and

a connector to connect the first and second actuator members.

13. The transducer of claim 5, comprising:

a tube extending through the aperture from the first side to the second side of the transducer body;

a first bellows member connected between a first end of the tube and the first side of the transducer body; and

a second bellows member connected between a second end of the tube and the second side of the transducer body.

14. The transducer of claim 13, wherein the actuator is advanceable relative to the transducer body through the tube and the coupler connects the actuator to the tube.

15. The transducer of claim 14, wherein the driver drives the tube and connected actuator member relative to the transducer body to acoustically stimulate the middle ear component.

58. The method of claim 5,7 the method comprising:

connecting the actuator to the tube.

16. An implantable hearing aid transducer comprising:

a transducer body having an aperture extending through a first side thereof;

a tube connected within the aperture;

an actuator advanceable within the tube relative to the transducer body to couple with a middle ear component; and

a driver to drive the actuator in response to transducer drive signals.

17. The transducer of claim 16, wherein the aperture extends through a second side of the transducer body.

18. The transducer of claim 17, comprising:

a first sealing member connected between a first end of the tube and the first side of the transducer body; and

a second sealing member connected between a second end of the tube and the second side of the transducer body.

19. The transducer of claim 18, wherein the first and second sealing members comprise:

a first and second bellows member.

20. The transducer of claim 16, wherein the actuator is a separate structure from the transducer and is insertable into the tube.

21. The transducer of claim 16, comprising:

a coupler to connect the actuator to the tube.

22. The transducer of claim 21, wherein the coupler is selectively activatable to connect and disconnect the actuator.

23. The transducer of claim 22 wherein the selectively activatable coupler comprises:

a shape memory metal.

24. The transducer of claim 21, wherein the coupler comprises:

an adhesive.

25. The transducer of claim 21, wherein the coupler comprises:

a reshapeable material.

26. The transducer of claim 21, wherein the coupler comprises:

a clamp.

27. The transducer of claim 16, wherein the actuator comprises:

a unitary elongated member.

28. The transducer of claim 16, wherein the actuator comprises:

a first actuator member connectable to the middle ear component;

a second actuator member connectable to the tube; and

a connector to connect the first and second actuator members.

29. An implantable hearing aid transducer comprising:

a transducer body having an aperture extending through a first side thereof;

a tube within the aperture;

a first bellows member connecting a first end of the tube and the first side of the transducer body; and

a driver to vibrate the tube in response to transducer drive signals.

31. The transducer of claim 29, wherein the aperture extends through a second side of the transducer body.

32. The transducer of claim 31, comprising:

a second bellows connecting a second end of the tube and the second side of the transducer body.

30. The transducer of claim 30, comprising:

an actuator advanceable within the tube to couple with a middle ear component.

33. The transducer of claim 30, wherein the actuator is a separate structure from the transducer and is insertable into the tube.

34. The transducer of claim 30, comprising:

a coupler to connect the actuator to the tube.

35. The transducer of claim 34, wherein the coupler is selectively activatable to connect and disconnect the actuator to the tube.

36. The transducer of claim 35, wherein the selectively activatable coupler comprises:

a shape memory metal.

37. The transducer of claim 34, wherein the coupler comprises:

an adhesive.

38. The transducer of claim 34, wherein the coupler comprises:

a reshapeable material.

39. The transducer of claim 34, wherein the coupler comprises:

a clamp.

40. The transducer of claim 30, wherein the actuator comprises:

a unitary elongated member.

41. The transducer of claim 30, wherein the actuator comprises:

a first actuator member connectable to the middle ear component;

a second actuator member connectable to the tube; and

a connector to connect the first and second actuator members.

42. A method for implanting a hearing aid transducer within a patient, the method comprising the steps of:

mounting a transducer body subcutaneously within the patient;

aligning an aperture in a first side of the transducer body with a desired interface point on a middle ear component;

securing the transducer body in the aligned position relative to the desired interface point; and

advancing an actuator through the aperture toward the middle ear component.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the aperture extends through a second side of the transducer body.

44. The method of claim 43, the method comprising:

prior to the advancing step, using the aligned aperture to form an interface at the desired interface point on the middle ear component.

45. The method of claim 43, the method comprising:

prior to the advancing step, inserting the actuator into the aperture.

46. The method of claim 42, the method comprising:

coupling a distal end of the actuator to the middle ear component.

47. The method of claim 42, wherein the aligning step comprises:

axially advancing the transducer body relative to the desired interface point using a carrier assembly; and

laterally positioning the transducer body relative to the desired interface point using a swivel assembly.

48. The method of claim 43, wherein the aligning step comprises:

inserting a guide through the aperture; and

aligning the aperture with the desired interface point on the middle ear component using the guide.

49. The method of claim 46, wherein the coupling step comprises:

coupling a first actuator member to the middle ear component;

advancing a second actuator member through the aperture; and

connecting the first and second actuator members.

50. The method of claim 46, the method comprising:

connecting the actuator within the aperture.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the connecting step comprises:

connecting the actuator within the aperture in a detachable manner.

52. The method of claim 50, wherein the connecting step comprises:

connecting the actuator within the aperture with an adhesive.

53. The method of claim 50, wherein the connecting step comprises:

connecting the actuator within the aperture with a shape memory metal.

54. The method of claim 50, wherein the connecting step comprises:

connecting the actuator within the aperture with a reshapeable material

55. A method for implanting a hearing aid transducer within a patient, the method comprising the steps of:

mounting a transducer body subcutaneously within the patient;

aligning an aperture extending through first and second sides of the transducer body with a desired interface point on a middle ear component; and

securing the transducer body in the aligned position relative to the desired interface point; and

inserting an actuator through the aperture to couple the actuator with the middle ear component.

56. The method of claim 55, the method comprising:

coupling the actuator to the middle ear component.

57. The method of claim 55, wherein the inserting step comprises:

inserting the actuator through a tube extending through the aperture.

59. The method of claim 55, wherein the aligning step comprises:

inserting a guide through the aperture; and

aligning the aperture and the desired interface point on the middle ear component using the guide.

60. A method for operating an implantable transducer, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving transducer drive signals in the transducer;

processing the drive signals to axially vibrate a tube movably connected within an aperture defined in the transducer between first and second sides thereof; and

axially vibrating, with the tube, an actuator connected to the tube to stimulate a middle ear component.

61. A hearing aid comprising:

an acoustic signal receiver to receive acoustic sound and generate acoustic response signals;

a signal processor to process the acoustic response signals to generate transducer drive signals;

a transducer to process the transducer drive signals to stimulate a middle ear component, the transducer comprising;

a body having an aperture extending through a first side thereof;

an actuator advanceable through the aperture to couple with the middle ear component; and

a driver to drive the actuator in response to the transducer drive signals.