Design study of a miniaturized displacement transducer (MDT) for an active middle ear implant system.

Abstract

People suffering from moderate to severe hearing loss can be treated with active middle ear implants. A new approach in this field is to implant an electromechanical transducer onto the round window membrane in order to improve coupling and be able to treat patients with middle-ear problems. In this paper the design study for a miniaturized displacement transducer (MDT) for the round window is presented. Based on a requirement analysis, the basic principle and analytical modeling of the actuator is shown. A parameter variation study results in an optimized actuator configuration that is able to generate an amplification of 110 dB SPL theoretically. As a next step this actuator has to be manufactured and tested.

• Authors: D Kaltenbacher, J Schächtele, E Goll, C Burkhardt, H Arnold, E Dalhoff, H-P Zenner
• Journal: Biomedical microdevices (Biomed Microdevices) Vol. 16 Issue 6 Pg. 805-14 (Dec 2014) ISSN: 1572-8781 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 25034230 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Topics

• Humans
• Models, Theoretical
• Ossicular Prosthesis
• Prosthesis Design