Systems and methods for photo-mechanical hearing transduction
US7867160B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 11, 2005 |
| Grant date | Jan 11, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 14, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04R2225/67
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Hearing systems for both hearing impaired and normal hearing subjects comprise an input transducer and a separate output transducer. The input transducer will include a light source for generating a light signal in response to either ambient sound or an external electronic sound signal. The output transducer will comprise a light-responsive transducer component which is adapted to receive light from the input transducer. The output transducer component will vibrate in response to the light input and produce vibrations in a component of a subject's hearing transduction pathway, such as the tympanic membrane, a bone in the ossicular chain, or directly on the cochlea, in order to produce neural signals representative of the original sound.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.