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

• US 8,824,715 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2012
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• 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:
  US13/678,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20130287239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381/314, 381/315, 381/322, 381/323, 381/326, 381/328, 381/380, 381/190, 381/77, 381/79, 381 941- 948, 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 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• 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 or 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 device to transmit an audio signal to a user, the device comprising:

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

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

a transducer assembly comprising at least one light responsive material configured to vibrate at least one of an eardrum, an ossicle, or a cochlea of the user;

circuitry coupled to the first light source to emit first light pulses and to the second light source to emit second light pulses and wherein the circuitry is configured to adjust at least one of an energy or a timing of the first light pulses relative to the second light pulses to decrease noise of the audio signal transmitted to the user.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the circuitry is configured to adjust at least one of an energy or a timing of the first light pulses relative to the second light pulses to increase output of the audio signal transmitted to the user when the noise is decreased.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the transducer assembly is configured to move in a first direction in response to the first light pulses and move a second direction opposite the first direction in response the second light pulses.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the circuitry is configured to adjust the timing of the first pulses relative to the second pulses.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the transducer assembly is configured to move in the first direction with a first delay in response to each of the first light pulses and configured to move in the second direction with a second delay in response to each of the second light pulses, the first delay different from the second delay.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the circuitry is configured to adjust the timing to inhibit noise corresponding to the first delay different from the second delay.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the transducer assembly comprises a first detector and a second detector, wherein the first detector comprises a silicon detector and the second detector comprises an InGaAs detector and wherein a difference between the first delay and the second delay is within a range from about 100 ns to about 10 us.

8. The device of claim 3 wherein the circuitry comprises a buffer configured to store the first signal to delay the first signal.

9. The device of claim 3 wherein the circuitry comprises filter circuitry comprising at least one of an inductor, a capacitor or a resistor to delay the first signal.

10. The device of claim 3 wherein the circuitry is configured to adjust first energies of the first light pulses relative to second energies of the light second pulses to inhibit the noise.

11. A method of transmitting an audio signal to a user, the method comprising:

emitting first pulses comprising a first at least one wavelength of light from a first light source;

emitting second pulses comprising a second at least one wavelength of light from a second light source; and

receiving the first pulses and the second pulses with a transducer assembly to vibrate at least one of an eardrum, an ossicle, or a cochlea of the user, wherein at least one of an energy or a timing of the first pulses is adjusted relative to the second pulses to decrease noise of the audio signal transmitted to the user.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the circuitry adjusts the at least one of the energy or the timing of the first light pulses relative to the second light pulses to increase output of the audio signal transmitted to the user when the noise is decreased.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the transducer assembly is moved in a first direction in response to the first pulses and moved in a second direction in response to the second pulses, the second direction opposite the first direction.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the timing of the first pulses is adjusted relative to the second pulses.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the transducer assembly moves in the first direction with a first delay in response to each of the first pulses and moves in the second direction with a second delay in response to each of the second pulses, the second delay different from the first delay.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the timing is adjusted to inhibit noise corresponding to the first delay different from the second delay.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the transducer assembly comprises a first detector and a second detector, wherein the first detector comprises a silicon detector and the second detector comprises an InGaAs detector and wherein a difference between the first delay and the second delay is within a range from about 100 ns to about 10 us.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein first energies of the first light pulses are adjusted relative to second energies of the second light pulses to inhibit the noise.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein a first intensity of the first pulses is adjusted relative to a second intensity of the second pulses to inhibit the noise.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein first widths of the first pulses is adjusted relative to second widths of the second pulses to inhibit the noise.