Eye-mounted hearing aid
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsAmos Cahan, Katsuyuki Sakuma
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method of stimulating a cornea. A non-limiting example of the method includes capturing a sound with a microphone. A non-limiting example of the method also includes transducing the sound to an electric signal by a microprocessor. A non-limiting example of the method also includes stimulating a piezo-electric element adjacent to a receptor of the cornea, wherein the piezo-electric element is positioned on an eye lens with an electric signal. A non-limiting example of the method also includes mechanically stimulating a receptor of the cornea with the stimulated piezo-electric element.
Claims8
A method of stimulating a cornea, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of piezo-electric elements positioned upon an eye lens, each of the plurality of piezo-electric elements comprising a piezoelectric structure that vibrates at a different resonant frequency;
- capturing a sound with a microphone;
- providing a microprocessor in electrical communication with the plurality of piezo-electric elements;
- identifying, with the microprocessor, a frequency in the sound;
- determining, with the microprocessor, a resonant frequency associated with the frequency;
- selectively stimulating a first piezo-electric element of the plurality of piezo-electric elements based on the resonant frequency, the first piezo-electric element adjacent to a receptor of the cornea;
- and
- mechanically stimulating the receptor of the cornea with the stimulated first piezo-electric element.
A method of treating a hearing impairment, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of piezo-electric elements positioned upon an eye lens, each of the plurality of piezo-electric elements comprising a piezoelectric structure that vibrates at a different resonant frequency;
- receiving to a microphone in communication with the eye lens a sound associated with a frequency;
- providing a microprocessor in electrical communication with the plurality of piezo-electric elements;
- identifying, with the microprocessor, the frequency in the sound;
- determining, with the microprocessor, a resonant frequency associated with the frequency;
- selectively activating a first piezo-electric element of the plurality of piezo-electric elements based at least in part upon the frequency of the sound and the resonant frequency;
- stimulating a cornea receptor with the activated first piezo-electric element;
- and
- transmitting a signal to a brain of a patient by the stimulated cornea receptor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.