Patent ID: 8600089
Filing Date: 2013-12-03
Classification: H04R,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A hearing aid device for a hearing impaired human having an at least partially functional cochlea, the device comprising a pulsed light source capable of producing pulsed irradiation of a wavelength of 200 nm to 1500 nm at pulse duration of fs to 1 μs, a control unit coupled to the pulsed light source for controlling and modulating the frequency of pulsed irradiation to produce the irradiation of a wavelength of 200 nm to 1500 nm at pulse duration of fs to 1 μs, and at least one optical fibre optically coupled to the pulsed light source for reception of pulsed irradiation produced by the pulsed light source, wherein the pulsed light source and the optical fibre form an optical path terminating in an output surface adapted to emit pulsed irradiation from the end section of the optical fibre opposite the pulsed light source, and wherein the optical fibre is dimensioned for termination in the output surface adjacent to and spaced from an at least partially functional element of the natural vibration transduction pathway for transmission of irradiation from the output surface to the functional element of the natural vibration transduction pathway, which functional element is functionally coupled for transduction of vibration to the cochlea and is selected from the group comprising the skull, the tympanic membrane, the hammer, the incus, the stapes, the outside of the cochlea, the otic capsule, the round window membrane, and the oval window membrane.