MEMS Transducer for Hearing Aid Device

A study of implantable middle ear MEMS piezoelectric transducer for hearing aids was developed. The physical vibration deflection at the tip of the transducer is simulated using finite element method. Further, a study of thermoelastic damping effect of four designed MEMS mirrors used as resonators is presented. An optical measurement system based on Mach-Zehnder interferometer i

Design and analysis of a flextensional piezoelectric actuator for incus-body driving type middle ear implant

In order to decrease the power consumption of current piezoelectric stack actuator for incus-body driving type middle ear implant (MEI), a new MEI’s piezoelectric actuator with a flextensional amplifier was proposed. To aid the design process of this actuator, a human middle-ear mechanical model, which incorporated the viscoelastic properties of middle ear soft tissues, was established using finite element method. And the validation of this model was confirmed by comparing the model-predicted results with temporal bone experimental data. Then, based on this model, a coupling mechanical model of the flextensional piezoelectric actuator and the human ear was constructed and used to study the equivalent sound pressure level and power consumption of the actuator. The results show that the hearing compensation performance of the piezoelectric actuator was improved by introducing the flextensional amplifier, and the power consumption of the actuator was reduced significantly

Passive and active middle ear implants

Besides eradication of chronic middle ear disease, the reconstruction of the sound conduction apparatus is a major goal of modern ear microsurgery. The material of choice in cases of partial ossicular replacement prosthesis is the autogenous ossicle. In the event of more extensive destruction of the ossicular chain diverse alloplastic materials, e.g. metals, ceramics, plastics or composits are used for total reconstruction. Their specialised role in conducting sound energy within a half-open implant bed sets high demands on the biocompatibility as well as the acoustic-mechanic properties of the prosthesis. Recently, sophisticated titanium middle ear implants allowing individual adaptation to anatomical variations are widely used for this procedure. However, despite modern developments, hearing restoration with passive implants often faces its limitations due to tubal-middle-ear dysfunction. Here, implantable hearing aids, successfully used in cases of sensorineural hearing loss, offer a promising alternative. This article reviews the actual state of affairs of passive and active middle ear implants

Design and fabrication of an air-bridge microphone

Today\u27s hearing aids have many shortcomings: they are susceptible to environmental damage, cannot be worn while sleeping or in wet environments, are obtrusive and are expensive. New technologies are being developed which allow most all of these shortcomings to be addressed by placing a portion of the hearing aid within the middle ear. These new technologies require size reductions in several of the aid components, one of these being the microphone. Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) has already developed technologies that can be used to construct these microphones. Most microphones constructed using MEMS techniques employ a dual wafer design. the microphone membrane is constructed on one wafer and attached to a second wafer containing bonding pads and possibly additional sensing elements. The use of two wafers to manufacture one microphone reduces the yield of the process and requires an additional alignment and bonding step. Further, the methods used for fabrication are non-traditional and do not allow appropriate electronics to be easily fabricated with the microphone. An alternative approach is being investigated by this thesis. Here a single wafer and standard microelectronic processing techniques are used to fabricate the diaphragm, sensing elements and bonding pads. This approach will simplify construc tion and allow the possibility of including appropriate signal processing electronics on the microphone die. Equations are developed to predict the static and dynamic deflec tion and natural frequency of the microphone system. Optimal design strategies are used to minimize the microphone diaphragm area subject to electrical and mechanical constraints. A first generation microphone was fabricated. However, unanticipated processing constraints on the microphone design rendered the microphones inoperable. Several design modifications are noted to solve these problems and promote the successful fabrication of second generation microphones

Ultra-low-power circuits and systems for wearable and implantable medical devices

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-231).Advances in circuits, sensors, and energy storage elements have opened up many new possibilities in the health industry. In the area of wearable devices, the miniaturization of electronics has spurred the rapid development of wearable vital signs, activity, and fitness monitors. Maximizing the time between battery recharge places stringent requirements on power consumption by the device. For implantable devices, the situation is exacerbated by the fact that energy storage capacity is limited by volume constraints, and frequent battery replacement via surgery is undesirable. In this case, the design of energy-efficient circuits and systems becomes even more crucial. This thesis explores the design of energy-efficient circuits and systems for two medical applications. The first half of the thesis focuses on the design and implementation of an ultra-low-power, mixed-signal front-end for a wearable ECG monitor in a 0.18pm CMOS process. A mixed-signal architecture together with analog circuit optimizations enable ultra-low-voltage operation at 0.6V which provides power savings through voltage scaling, and ensures compatibility with state-of-the-art DSPs. The fully-integrated front-end consumes just 2.9[mu]W, which is two orders of magnitude lower than commercially available parts. The second half of this thesis focuses on ultra-low-power system design and energy-efficient neural stimulation for a proof-of-concept fully-implantable cochlear implant. First, implantable acoustic sensing is demonstrated by sensing the motion of a human cadaveric middle ear with a piezoelectric sensor. Second, alternate energy-efficient electrical stimulation waveforms are investigated to reduce neural stimulation power when compared to the conventional rectangular waveform. The energy-optimal waveform is analyzed using a computational nerve fiber model, and validated with in-vivo ECAP recordings in the auditory nerve of two cats and with psychophysical tests in two human cochlear implant users. Preliminary human subject testing shows that charge and energy savings of 20-30% and 15-35% respectively are possible with alternative waveforms. A system-on-chip comprising the sensor interface, reconfigurable sound processor, and arbitrary-waveform neural stimulator is implemented in a 0.18[mu]m high-voltage CMOS process to demonstrate the feasibility of this system. The sensor interface and sound processor consume just 12[mu]W of power, representing just 2% of the overall system power which is dominated by stimulation. As a result, the energy savings from using alternative stimulation waveforms transfer directly to the system.by Marcus Yip.Ph.D

Modelling, Simulation and Data Analysis in Acoustical Problems

Modelling and simulation in acoustics is currently gaining importance. In fact, with the development and improvement of innovative computational techniques and with the growing need for predictive models, an impressive boost has been observed in several research and application areas, such as noise control, indoor acoustics, and industrial applications. This led us to the proposal of a special issue about “Modelling, Simulation and Data Analysis in Acoustical Problems”, as we believe in the importance of these topics in modern acoustics’ studies. In total, 81 papers were submitted and 33 of them were published, with an acceptance rate of 37.5%. According to the number of papers submitted, it can be affirmed that this is a trending topic in the scientific and academic community and this special issue will try to provide a future reference for the research that will be developed in coming years

Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes, supplement 142

This bibliography lists 256 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in May 1975 for aerospace medicine and biology