Optical electro-mechanical hearing devices with combined power and signal architectures

• US 8,396,239 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2009
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EarLens Corporation
• Original Assignee: EarLens Corporation
• Inventors: Fay, Jonathan P., Puria, Sunil, Felsenstein, Lee, Stone, James, Pluvinage, Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Huyen D
• Application Number:
  US12/486,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20100034409A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381/314, 381/315, 381/322, 381/323, 381/326, 381/328, 381/380, 381/190, 600/25, 607/55, 607/56, 607/57
• US Class Current: 381/326
• 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 25/606 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

An audio signal transmission device includes a first light source and a second light source configured to emit a first wavelength of light and a second wavelength of light, respectively. The first detector and the second detector are configured to receive the first wavelength of light and the second wavelength of light, respectively. A transducer electrically coupled to the detectors is configured to vibrate at least one of an eardrum or ossicle in response to the first wavelength of light and the second wavelength of light. The first detector and second detector can be coupled to the transducer with opposite polarity, such that the transducer is configured to move with a first movement in response to the first wavelength and move with a second movement in response to the second wavelength, in which the second movement opposes the first movement.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting an audio signal to a user, the user having an ear comprising an eardrum and an ear canal, the method comprising:

emitting at least one wavelength of light from at least one light source, wherein the at least one wavelength is pulse width modulated to provide a pulse width modulated light output signal, wherein the pulse width modulated light output signal corresponds to a positive component or an opposing negative component of a dual component signal;

detecting the at least one wavelength of light with at least one detector, wherein the at least one detector receives the light output signal and converts the light output signal comprising the positive component or the opposing negative component into electrical energy;

vibrating the eardrum of the user with at least one transducer electrically coupled to the at least one detector in response to the at least one wavelength, wherein the at least one transducer is coupled to the eardrum from the ear canal and driven with the electrical energy from the light output signal such that the at least one detector is capable of driving the at least one transducer in response to the at least one wavelength without active circuitry.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the transducer is electrically coupled to the at least one detector without active circuitry to drive the at least one transducer in response to the at least one wavelength.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the eardrum is vibrated with energy from each pulse of the at least one wavelength.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the pulse width modulated signal corresponds to the opposing negative component of the dual component signal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the optical signal corresponds to the negative sound amplitude of the dual component signal and wherein the negative sound amplitude is transmitted with light pulses.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a second optical signal corresponds to a positive sound amplitude and wherein the positive sound amplitude is transmitted with second light pulses.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pulse width modulated signal corresponds to the positive component of the dual component signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the positive component is representative of a first sound amplitude and the opposing negative component is representative of second sound amplitude opposite the first sound amplitude.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a processor determines the positive component and the negative component of the dual component signal and wherein the wherein the positive component is output from the processor.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a processor determines the positive component and the negative component of the dual component signal and wherein the wherein the negative component is output from the processor.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one light source comprises a single pulse width modulated light source and the at least one detector comprises a single detector and wherein the single detector is coupled to the single pulse width modulated light source.

12. A device to transmit an audio signal to a user, the user having an ear comprising an eardrum and an ear canal, the device comprising:

at least one light source configured to emit at least one wavelength of light;

pulse width modulation circuitry coupled to the at least one light source to pulse width modulate the at least one light source in response to the audio signal, the pulse width modulation circuitry configured to provide a pulse width modulated light output signal, wherein the pulse width modulated light output signal corresponds to a positive component or an opposing negative component of a dual component signal;

at least one detector configured to receive the at least one wavelength of light, wherein the at least one detector is configured to receive the light output signal and convert the light output signal comprising the positive component or the opposing negative component into electrical energy;

at least one transducer electrically coupled to the at least one detector, the at least one transducer configured to vibrate the eardrum in response to the at least one wavelength, wherein the at least one transducer is configured to couple to the eardrum from the ear canal and drive the eardrum with the electrical energy from the light output signal such that the at least one detector is capable of driving the at least one transducer in response to the at least one wavelength without active circuitry.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the pulse width modulated signal corresponds to the opposing negative component of the dual component signal.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the optical signal corresponds to the negative sound amplitude of the dual component signal and wherein the negative sound amplitude is transmitted with light pulses.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein a second optical signal corresponds to a positive sound amplitude and wherein the positive sound amplitude is transmitted with second light pulses.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the pulse width modulated signal corresponds to the positive component of the dual component signal.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the positive component is representative of a first sound amplitude and the opposing negative component is representative of second sound amplitude opposite the first sound amplitude.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein a processor determines the positive component and the negative component of the dual component signal and wherein the wherein the positive component is output from the processor.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein a processor determines the positive component and the negative component of the dual component signal and wherein the wherein the negative component is output from the processor.

20. The device of claim 12, wherein the at least one light source comprises a single pulse width modulated light source and the at least one detector comprises a single detector and wherein the single detector is coupled to the single pulse width modulated light source.

21. A device to transmit an audio signal to a user, the user having an ear comprising an eardrum and an ear canal, the device comprising:

at least one light source configured to emit at least one wavelength of light;

pulse width modulation circuitry coupled to the at least one light source to pulse width modulate the at least one light source in response to the audio signal, the pulse width modulation circuitry configured to provide a pulse width modulated light output signal, wherein the pulse width modulated light output signal corresponds to a positive component or an opposing negative component of a dual component signal;

an output transducer assembly optically coupled to the at least one light source and configured to vibrate the eardrum in response to the at least one wavelength, the transducer assembly comprising at least one transducer electrically coupled to at least one detector and wherein the transducer assembly is configured to couple to the eardrum from the ear canal and drive the eardrum with the electrical energy from the light output signal such that the at least one detector is capable of driving the at least one transducer in response to the at least one wavelength without active circuitry.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the transducer assembly is supported with the eardrum.

23. A method of transmitting an audio signal to a user, the user having an ear comprising an eardrum and an ear canal, the method comprising:

emitting at least one wavelength of light from at least one light source, wherein the at least one wavelength is pulse modulated to provide a pulse modulated light output signal, wherein the pulse modulated light output signal corresponds to a positive component or an opposing negative component of a dual component signal;

detecting the at least one wavelength of light with at least one detector, wherein the at least one detector receives the light output signal and converts the light output signal comprising the positive component or the opposing negative component into electrical energy;

vibrating the eardrum of the user with at least one transducer electrically coupled to the at least one detector in response to the at least one wavelength, wherein the at least one transducer is coupled to the eardrum from the ear canal and driven with the electrical energy from the light output signal such that the at least one detector is capable of driving the at least one transducer in response to the at least one wavelength without active circuitry.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the pulse modulated signal corresponds to the opposing negative component of the dual component signal.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the optical signal corresponds to the negative sound amplitude of the dual component signal and wherein the negative sound amplitude is transmitted with light pulses.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein a second optical signal corresponds to a positive sound amplitude and wherein the positive sound amplitude is transmitted with second light pulses.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the pulse modulated signal corresponds to the positive component of the dual component signal.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the positive component is representative of a first sound amplitude and the opposing negative component is representative of second sound amplitude opposite the first sound amplitude.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein a processor determines the positive component and the negative component of the dual component signal and wherein the wherein the positive component is output from the processor.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein a processor determines the positive component and the negative component of the dual component signal and wherein the wherein the negative component is output from the processor.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one light source comprises a single pulse modulated light source and the at least one detector comprises a single detector and wherein the single detector is coupled to the single pulse modulated light source.

32. A device to transmit an audio signal to a user, the user having an ear comprising an eardrum and an ear canal, the device comprising:

at least one light source configured to emit at least one wavelength of light;

modulation circuitry coupled to the at least one light source to modulate the at least one light source in response to the audio signal, the modulation circuitry configured to provide a pulse modulated light output signal, wherein the pulse modulated light output signal corresponds to a positive component or an opposing negative component of a dual component signal;

at least one detector configured to receive the at least one wavelength of light, wherein the at least one detector is configured to receive the light output signal and convert the light output signal comprising the positive component or the opposing negative component into electrical energy;

at least one transducer electrically coupled to the at least one detector, the at least one transducer configured to vibrate the in response to the at least one wavelength, wherein the at least one transducer is configured to couple to the eardrum from the ear canal and drive the eardrum with the electrical energy from the light output signal such that the at least one detector is capable of driving the at least one transducer in response to the at least one wavelength without active circuitry.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein the pulse modulated signal corresponds to the opposing negative component of the dual component signal.

34. The device of claim 33, wherein the optical signal corresponds to the negative sound amplitude of the dual component signal and wherein the negative sound amplitude is transmitted with light pulses.

35. The device of claim 34, wherein a second optical signal corresponds to a positive sound amplitude and wherein the positive sound amplitude is transmitted with second light pulses.

36. The device of claim 32, wherein the pulse modulated signal corresponds to the positive component of the dual component signal.

37. The device of claim 32, wherein the positive component is representative of a first sound amplitude and the opposing negative component is representative of second sound amplitude opposite the first sound amplitude.

38. The method of claim 32, wherein a processor determines the positive component and the negative component of the dual component signal and wherein the wherein the positive component is output from the processor.

39. The method of claim 32, wherein a processor determines the positive component and the negative component of the dual component signal and wherein the wherein the negative component is output from the processor.

40. The device of claim 32, wherein the at least one light source comprises a single pulse modulated light source and the at least one detector comprises a single detector and wherein the single detector is coupled to the single pulse modulated light source.