Análise experimental da adaptação de um aparelho auditivo convencional para aplicações em condução óssea

Abstract

Hearing loss affects millions of people worldwide, driving the development of technologies that expand the available alternatives for hearing rehabilitation. Among these technologies, bone conduction devices stand out by transmitting sound to the inner ear through mechanical vibrations applied to the skull, providing an alternative to conventional sound amplification systems. In this context, this work proposes an experimental approach to investigate the adaptation of a conventional hearing aid for bone conduction applications through the modification of its electronic circuit and the comparative evaluation of different vibrational transducers. To achieve this, studies were conducted on the operating principles of bone conduction and conventional hearing aid amplification systems, followed by the electrical characterization of the transducers and experimental tests involving impedance, phase angle, voltage gain, and electrical power measurements. The results showed that the electromagnetic transducers achieved better power transfer performance due to their lower impedance and predominantly resistive behavior. In contrast, the piezoelectric transducer, although presenting high voltage gain, exhibited high impedance and predominantly capacitive behavior, resulting in low active power delivered to the device. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the interaction between sound amplification circuits and different transducer technologies, providing support for future research on the development of bone conduction hearing devices.