Implantable microphone and implantable hearing aids utilizing same
First Claim
1. Implantable microphone for an implantable hearing aid which is used for excitation of hearing, comprising a microphone housing, a microphone capsule which is hermetically sealed on all sides within the microphone housing, and an electrical lead-in wire connector for routing at least one electrical connection from within the housing to outside thereof;
- wherein the housing has at least two legs which are arranged at an angle relative to one another, a first of said legs containing the microphone capsule and being provided with a sound inlet membrane, and a second of said legs containing the electrical lead-in wire connector and being set back relative to a plane of the sound inlet membrane.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Implantable microphone for implantable hearing aids, which is used for excitation of hearing, such as cochlear implants or hearing aids with mechanical stimulation of the middle or inner ear, with a microphone capsule which is accommodated in a hermetically sealed housing, and with an electrical lead-in wire connector for connecting an implant line to the microphone module. The housing has at least two legs which are oriented at an angle relative to one another, one leg holding the microphone capsule and being provided with a sound inlet membrane, and the other leg containing the electrical lead-in wire connector. As a result of the two-legged geometry of the microphone housing, the microphone can be implanted after a mastoidectomy in the mastoid cavity such that the leg which has the sound inlet membrane lies in a hole in the posterior wall of the auditory canal so that, by mechanical contact of the membrane with the closed skin of the auditory canal wall, an acoustic signal incident in the external auditory canal is acoustically received, while the leg of the microphone housing containing the electrical lead-in wire connector is in the area of the mastoid tip. Completely implantable hearing aids for electrical excitation of hearing using the implantable microphone, can have, on the implant side, a battery arrangement for power supply which can be recharged transcutaneously via an external charging device. The audiological implant functions can, likewise, be transcutaneously controlled via a remote control.
340 Citations
30 Claims
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1. Implantable microphone for an implantable hearing aid which is used for excitation of hearing, comprising a microphone housing, a microphone capsule which is hermetically sealed on all sides within the microphone housing, and an electrical lead-in wire connector for routing at least one electrical connection from within the housing to outside thereof;
- wherein the housing has at least two legs which are arranged at an angle relative to one another, a first of said legs containing the microphone capsule and being provided with a sound inlet membrane, and a second of said legs containing the electrical lead-in wire connector and being set back relative to a plane of the sound inlet membrane.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. Implantable hearing aid for electrical stimulation of an auditory path of a person for enabling rehabilitation of at least partial impairment of at least one hearing organ, said hearing aid having an electronic signal processing and power supply systems, an implantable microphone for picking up auditory signals and stimulation means for stimulation of hearing in response to signals from said microphone, wherein said implantable microphone comprises a microphone housing, a microphone capsule which is hermetically sealed on all sides within the microphone housing, and an electrical lead-in wire connector for routing at least one electrical connection from within the housing to outside thereof;
- wherein the housing has at least two legs which are arranged at an angle relative to one another, a first of said legs containing the microphone capsule and being provided with a sound inlet membrane, and a second of said legs containing the electrical lead-in wire connector and being set back relative to a plane of the sound inlet membrane.
- View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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23. Completely implantable hearing aid for electrical excitation of hearing comprising
a transcutaneously rechargeable implantable battery unit, an external charging device for supplying electrical power transcutaneously to the battery unit, a remotely controllable implantable electronic unit for audiological signal processing and for monitoring and controlling the implantable battery unit, an external wireless remote control unit for controlling the implantable electronic unit, an active electrode arrangement for electrical stimulation of hearing, an implantable microphone having a microphone capsule which is accommodated in a hermetically sealed microphone housing, and an electrical lead-in wire connector for routing at least one electrical connection from the interior of the microphone housing to the implantable electronic unit; wherein the microphone housing has at least two legs which are aligned at an angle relative to one another, one leg holding the microphone capsule and being provided with a sound inlet membrane, and the other of said two legs containing the electrical lead-in wire connector and being set back relative to a plane in which the sound inlet membrane is disposed. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
Specification