BACKGROUND

Hearing loss, which may be due to many different causes, is generally of two types: conductive and sensorineural. Sensorineural hearing loss is due to the absence or destruction of the hair cells in the cochlea that transduce sound signals into nerve impulses. Various hearing prostheses are commercially available to provide individuals suffering from sensorineural hearing loss with the ability to perceive sound. For example, cochlear implants use an electrode array implanted in the cochlea of a recipient to bypass the mechanisms of the ear. More specifically, an electrical stimulus is provided via the electrode array to the auditory nerve, thereby causing a hearing percept.

Conductive hearing loss occurs when the normal mechanical pathways that provide sound to hair cells in the cochlea are impeded, for example, by damage to the ossicular chain or the ear canal. Individuals suffering from conductive hearing loss may retain some form of residual hearing because the hair cells in the cochlea may remain undamaged.

Individuals suffering from conductive hearing loss typically receive an acoustic hearing aid. Hearing aids rely on principles of air conduction to transmit acoustic signals to the cochlea. In particular, a hearing aid typically uses an arrangement positioned in the recipient's ear canal or on the outer ear to amplify a sound received by the outer ear of the recipient. This amplified sound reaches the cochlea, causing motion of the perilymph and stimulation of the auditory nerve.

In contrast to hearing aids, which rely primarily on the principles of air conduction, certain types of hearing prostheses, commonly referred to as bone conduction devices, convert a received sound into vibrations. The vibrations are transferred through the skull to the cochlea, causing generation of nerve impulses, which results in the perception of the received sound. Bone conduction devices are suitable to treat a variety of types of hearing loss and may be suitable for individuals who cannot derive sufficient benefit from acoustic hearing aids.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment, there is a prosthesis, comprising an implantable component including an LC circuit, wherein a piezoelectric material forms at least a part of the capacitance portion of the LC circuit, the piezoelectric material expands and/or contracts upon the application of a variable magnetic field to an inductor of the LC circuit, and the piezoelectric material forms part of an actuator configured to impart energy into tissue of a recipient in which the implantable component is implanted.

In accordance with another embodiment, there is an auditory prosthesis, comprising an external assembly, including a first inductance coil, and an active electronic device in signal communication with the first inductance coil, and an implantable component made up of passive electronic components including a transducer configured to output mechanical energy when an electrical current is applied thereto, and a second inductance coil that is part of a first LC resonant circuit tuned to a frequency in the audio spectrum, wherein the first and second inductance coils form a transcutaneous coupled link.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, there is a hearing prosthesis, including an implantable passive resonant component including a vibratory electrical capacitive apparatus and an inductance coil, wherein the vibratory apparatus and the inductance coil are encased in a titanium housing, and the implantable component is configured such that a transcutaneous signal received by the inductance coil through the titanium housing activates the vibratory apparatus to evoke a hearing percept.

