Implantable interferometer microphone
AssigneeCochlear Limited
InventorsJames Dalton, Allira Gofers
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A prosthetic hearing device comprising a biocompatible housing having a surface that vibrates in response to sound waves traveling through tissue; and an interferometer mounted in the housing, the interferometer is constructed and arranged to generate a light beam that impinges on a reflective interior surface of the vibrating surface, and to receive light reflected from the reflective interior surface. The device detects ambient sound by impinging a light beam on a portion of the vibrating surface; receiving light reflected from the reflective portion; measuring the movement of the vibrating surface based on an interference pattern of the impinging and reflected light; and determining at least a frequency of the incident sound wave based on the interference pattern.
Claims30
A prosthetic hearing device comprising:
- a biocompatible housing comprising a surface configured to vibrate in response to sound waves when the housing is implanted in a recipient, wherein the vibrating surface comprises an exterior surface and a reflective interior surface;
- and
- a first interferometer, mounted in said housing, configured to generate a first light beam that impinges on said reflective interior surface of said vibrating surface, and to detect one frequency range of the sound waves via light reflected from said reflective interior surface;
- and
- a second interferometer, mounted in said housing, configured to generate a second light beam that impinges on said reflective interior surface of said vibrating surface, and to detect another frequency range of the sound waves via light reflected from said reflective interior surface.
A totally implantable interferometer microphone comprising:
- a biocompatible housing comprising a surface configured to vibrate in response to sound waves when the housing is implanted in a recipient, wherein the vibrating surface comprises an exterior surface and a reflective interior surface;
- and
- a first interferometer, mounted in said housing, configured to generate a first light beam that impinges on said reflective interior surface of said vibrating surface, and to detect one frequency range of the sound waves via light reflected from said reflective interior surface;
- and
- a second interferometer, mounted in said housing, configured to generate a second light beam that impinges on said reflective interior surface of said vibrating surface, and to detect another frequency range of the sound waves via light reflected from said reflective interior surface.
A method for detecting ambient sound in a prosthetic hearing device comprising a housing, the method comprising:
- allowing an implanted surface of the housing to vibrate in response to the incidence of an ambient sound wave on the vibrating surface;
- impinging a first light beam on a reflective interior portion of said vibrating surface using a first interferometer mounted in the housing;
- impinging a second light beam on said reflective interior portion using a second interferometer mounted in the housing;
- detecting, via light reflected from said reflective interior portion, one frequency range of the sound waves using said first interferometer;
- and
- detecting, via light reflected from said reflective interior portion, another frequency range of the sound waves using said second interferometer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.