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US 10,321,247 B2Granted
External component with inductance and mechanical vibratory functionality
AssigneeCochlear Limited
InventorsRishubh Verma, Jan Vermeiren, Kristof Buytaert
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device including an inductive radio frequency communication coil and a platform apparatus configured to be secured or coupled to an actuator such that the actuator can induce vibration in the skull inducing hearing percepts, and the RF coil can deliver communication allowing an implantable stimulator to also induce hearing percepts.
Claims33
A transcutaneous radio frequency (RF) communication system, comprising:
- an external component including:
- a first RF communication apparatus;
- a transducer configured to at least one of convert electrical input into mechanical output or convert mechanical input into electrical output;
- and
- a first magnetic apparatus;
- and
- an implantable component including:
- a second RF communication apparatus;
- and
- a second magnetic apparatus, wherein
- the system is configured to hold the external component to skin of a recipient of the implantable component the recipient via magnetic attraction between the first magnetic apparatus and the second magnetic apparatus with a force of between and including about 0.75N to about 1.05N when the first magnetic apparatus is separated from the second magnetic apparatus by about 1 mm to about 10 mm of human skin.
8 more elements
A method, comprising:
- evoking a first hearing percept in a recipient via electrical stimulation of a first cochlea thereof based on a transcutaneous transmitted RF signal;
- and
- evoking a second hearing percept in the recipient via bone conduction stimulation of the first cochlea based on a transcutaneously transmitted mechanical vibration, wherein
- the transcutaneously transmitted mechanical vibration and the transcutaneously transmitted RF signal enter the skin of the recipient at least at locations that are proximate one another.
1 more element
A device, comprising:
- an inductive radio frequency (RF) communication coil;
- and
- a platform apparatus configured to at least one of be secured to or be coupled to an apparatus comprising an actuator so as to establish a vibrational path, when the platform apparatus is secured and/or coupled to the apparatus comprising the actuator, from the apparatus comprising the actuator to a skin interface portion of the platform apparatus, wherein
- the coil is proximate the skin interface portion.
1 more element
A method, comprising:
- generating RF signals extracutaneously to a recipient and evoking a first hearing percept in the recipient via electrical stimulation based on the RF signals;
- and
- generating mechanical vibration signals extracutaneously to the recipient and evoking a second hearing percept in the recipient via bone conduction based on the mechanical vibration signals, wherein
- the method is executed by limiting the generated vibrations to about 2000 Hz and below.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.