US 11,938,319 B2
Cylindrical implant magnet optimized for MRI
Martin Zimmerling, Patsch (AT)
Assigned to MED-EL ELEKTROMEDIZINISCHE GERAETE GMBH, Innsbruck (AT)
Appl. No. 17/281,888
Filed by MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH, Innsbruck (AT)
PCT Filed Oct. 28, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/058249
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 31, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/092185, PCT Pub. Date May 7, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/751,756, filed on Oct. 29, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0386999 A1, Dec. 16, 2021
Int. Cl. A61N 1/36 (2006.01); A61N 1/08 (2006.01); A61N 1/375 (2006.01); H04R 25/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61N 1/36038 (2017.08) [A61N 1/086 (2017.08); A61N 1/375 (2013.01); H04R 25/606 (2013.01); H04R 2225/67 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A hearing implant device comprising:
signal processing circuitry configured for receiving an implant communications signal transmitted by an external transmitting coil through overlying skin of a patient, wherein the hearing implant device includes an outermost surface adapted to lie between the overlying skin and underlying skull bone of the patient;
a magnet case contained within the hearing implant device and having a central case axis of symmetry perpendicular to the outermost surface, wherein the magnet case is configured to be rotatable within the hearing implant device about the central case axis of symmetry;
an implant magnet contained within the magnet case and configured to cooperate with an external holding magnet in an external device located over the overlying skin to magnetically hold the external device against the overlying skin, wherein the implant magnet consists of a single cylindrical magnet having a magnet axis of symmetry perpendicular to the central case axis of symmetry, and wherein the implant magnet is configured to be rotatable within the magnet case about the magnet axis of symmetry; and
a pair of gravity masses configured to lie on opposing sides of the implant magnet equally offset from the magnet axis of symmetry and offset from the central case axis of symmetry to shift a center of gravity of the magnet case and the implant magnet away from the central case axis of symmetry, the pair of gravity masses further configured to keep the magnet axis of symmetry in a vertical orientation aligned with a gravitational direction when no external magnetic field is applied in a plane of the magnet case.