ENERGY HARVESTING COCHLEAR IMPLANT
First Claim
1. A method for converting acoustic waves to voltage outputs which is used to stimulate auditory nerves in a cochlear implant,wherein the cochlear implant comprises a transducer and a cochlear electrode connecting the transducer to the auditory nerve wherein the transducer comprising:
- at least one base attached onto a vibrating element of a auditory system that vibrates under the influence of the incoming acoustic waves,an army of cantilever beams each with one free end and one fixed end attached to the base, and each having a predetermined natural frequency,a piezoelectric piece bonded to each of the cantilever beams andat least one harvester electrode associated with every cantilever beam to harvest voltages produced by the piezoelectric pieces and connected to the cochlear electrode to transmit and the voltage to the cochlear electrode;
the method for converting acoustic waves to voltage outputs comprising the steps ofexposing the cantilever beams to vibrations produced on the vibrating element of the auditory system under the influence of the incoming acoustic waves andgenerating the voltage outputs due to piezoelectricity, at the piezoelectric pieces associated with every vibrating cantilever beam,wherein each of the piezoelectric pieces are bonded on the surface of the cantilever beam and near the fixed end so that the piezoelectric pieces experience the maximum possible stresses,wherein the voltage outputs, generated by the piezoelectric pieces associated with each cantilever beam vibrating near its natural frequency, are higher than a threshold voltage value which is the threshold voltage value required to stimulate the auditory nerve,and in that the predetermined natural frequencies of the cantilever beams correspond to the frequencies that a patient is unable to perceive.
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Abstract
The invention is related to a totally implantable cochlear implant having a transducer which is a piezoelectric vibration energy harvester to be mounted on the ossicular chain or the tympanic membrane to detect the frequency of oscillations and generate the required voltage to stimulate the relevant auditory nerves. The invention enables patients'"'"' continuous access to sound, since it eliminates the outside components of conventional cochlear implants. The invention also eliminates the problem of battery need, since the transducer generates voltage required to stimulate auditory nerves from the vibrations of ossicular chain. The transducer is fabricated using Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) fabrication techniques. The invention incorporates of two main parts, a transducer acting both as a frequency detector and an energy harvester, and electrodes to stimulate the auditory nerve inside the cochlea.
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Citations
6 Claims
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1. A method for converting acoustic waves to voltage outputs which is used to stimulate auditory nerves in a cochlear implant,
wherein the cochlear implant comprises a transducer and a cochlear electrode connecting the transducer to the auditory nerve wherein the transducer comprising: -
at least one base attached onto a vibrating element of a auditory system that vibrates under the influence of the incoming acoustic waves, an army of cantilever beams each with one free end and one fixed end attached to the base, and each having a predetermined natural frequency, a piezoelectric piece bonded to each of the cantilever beams and at least one harvester electrode associated with every cantilever beam to harvest voltages produced by the piezoelectric pieces and connected to the cochlear electrode to transmit and the voltage to the cochlear electrode; the method for converting acoustic waves to voltage outputs comprising the steps of exposing the cantilever beams to vibrations produced on the vibrating element of the auditory system under the influence of the incoming acoustic waves and generating the voltage outputs due to piezoelectricity, at the piezoelectric pieces associated with every vibrating cantilever beam, wherein each of the piezoelectric pieces are bonded on the surface of the cantilever beam and near the fixed end so that the piezoelectric pieces experience the maximum possible stresses, wherein the voltage outputs, generated by the piezoelectric pieces associated with each cantilever beam vibrating near its natural frequency, are higher than a threshold voltage value which is the threshold voltage value required to stimulate the auditory nerve, and in that the predetermined natural frequencies of the cantilever beams correspond to the frequencies that a patient is unable to perceive. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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Specification