Implantable remote control

• US 9,854,370 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Original Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Inventors: Meskens, Werner
• Primary Examiner(s): WEHRHEIM, LINDSEY GAIL
• Application Number:
  US15/445,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20170232256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 301 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36038 Cochlear stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37217 characterised by the communication link, e.g. acoustic or tactile
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37252 Details of algorithms or data aspects of communication system, e.g. handshaking, transmitting specific data or segmenting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/51 Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/67 Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/405 by combining a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/604 of acoustic or vibrational transducers

Abstract

The present application discloses systems, methods, and articles of manufacture for controlling one or more functions of a device utilizing one or more tags. In one example, a method for controlling one or more functions of a medical device includes scanning a data interface of the medical device for signals induced wirelessly by one or more gestures made with one or more tags associated with a recipient of the medical device and controlling one or more functions of the medical device based on the wirelessly induced signals.

Claims

1. A hearing system, comprising:

a first portion configured to be implanted in a recipient of the hearing system, wherein the first portion includes a data interface and a processor; and

a second portion configured to be disposed on or worn by the recipient, wherein the second portion includes a passive circuit, wherein the second portion is powered by wireless signals,

wherein the data interface is configured to receive a set of signals consisting of signal(s) wirelessly induced by the passive circuit while the passive circuit is within about 4 centimeters or less of the data interface, and

wherein the processor is configured to perform a function of the hearing system in response to the set of wirelessly induced signals.

2. The hearing system of claim 1, wherein the passive circuit includes a piezoelectric material.

3. The hearing system of claim 1, wherein the data interface includes one or more antennas.

4. The hearing system of claim 1, wherein the second portion includes a biocompatible protective layer that allows electrical and magnetic fields to be transmitted therethrough.

5. The hearing system of claim 1, wherein the passive circuit includes at least one inductor and at least one capacitor.

6. The hearing system of claim 1, further comprising one or more microphones configured to receive acoustic signals and an output signal interface configured to transmit output signals to the recipient of the hearing system, wherein the processor is further configured to encode the acoustic signals to produce the output signals.

7. The hearing system of claim 6, wherein the processor being configured to perform a function of the hearing system includes the processor being configured to operate the hearing system, in response to the set of wirelessly induced signals, in an omnidirectional microphone mode or in a directional microphone mode.

8. The hearing system of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to operate the hearing system in the directional microphone mode by processing acoustic signals received by the one or more microphones from a particular direction to produce the output signals, and wherein the processor is configured to operate the hearing system in the omnidirectional microphone mode by processing acoustic signals received omnidirectionally by the one or more microphones to produce the output signals.

9. A method, comprising:

operating a first component of a hearing system without a power source directly coupled thereto;

scanning, by a second component of the hearing system, for signals induced wirelessly by the first component while the first component is within about 4 centimeters or less of the second component; and

controlling the second component based on the wirelessly induced signals, wherein the second component is implanted in a recipient of the second component.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the scanning includes the second component generating signal pulses that interact with the first component to generate the wirelessly induced signals.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second component includes one or more antennas, and wherein the scanning includes the one or more antennas generating the signal pulses that interact with the first component to generate the wirelessly induced signals.

12. The method of claim 11, further wherein the first component includes a passive circuit, and wherein the generated signal pulses interact with the passive circuit to generate the wirelessly induced signals.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the passive circuit includes a piezoelectric material, and wherein the generated signal pulses interact with the piezoelectric material to generate the wirelessly induced signals.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the passive circuit includes an LC circuit, and wherein the generated signal pulses interact with the LC circuit to generate the wirelessly induced signals.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the hearing system includes one or more microphones and an output signal interface, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the one or more microphones, acoustic signals; and

processing the acoustic signals to produce output signals, wherein the output signal interface is configured to transmit the output signals to the recipient of the hearing system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein controlling the second component based on the wirelessly induced signals includes controlling the second component to operate in an omnidirectional microphone mode or in a directional microphone mode.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein controlling the second component to operate in the directional microphone mode includes processing acoustic signals received by the one or more microphones from a particular direction to produce the output signals, and wherein controlling the second component to operate in the omnidirectional microphone mode includes processing acoustic signals received omnidirectionally by the one or more microphones to produce the output signals.