A hearing-aid device and a method for transmitting sound through
bone conduction are disclosed. The hearing-aid device comprises a piezoelectric-type
actuator, housing and connector. The piezoelectric
actuator is preferably a circular flextensional-type
actuator mounted along its
peripheral edge in a specifically designed circular structure of the housing. During operation, the bone-conduction
transducer is placed against the mastoid area behind the ear of the patient. When the device is energized with an alternating electrical
voltage, it flexes back and forth like a circular membrane sustained along its periphery and thus, vibrates as a consequence of the inverse piezoelectric effect. Due to the specific and unique designs proposed, these vibrations are directly transferred trough the
human skin to the
bone structure (the
skull) and provide a means for the sound to be transmitted for patients with hearing malfunctions. The housing acts as a holder for the actuators, as a pre-stress application platform, and as a
mass which tailors the
frequency spectrum of the device. The apparatus exhibits a performance with a very flat response in the
frequency spectrum 200 Hz to 10 kHz, which is a greater spectrum range than any other prior art devices disclosed for bone-conduction transduction which are typically limited to less than 4 kHz.