Placement and Orientation of an Accelerometer Sensor Attached to the Human Incus in Hearing Implants

Abstract In this study a method for determining the best placement and optimal orientation of the implantable piezoelectric accelerometer attached to the short process of the incus is developed. The accelerometer is intended to be used as a replacement for an external microphone to enable totally implantable cochlea implants or as part of a totally implantable hearing aid. The best location is determined to be near the incudomalleolar joint. The optimal orientation of the sensor at the determined location is obtained using two criteria - maximum voltage sum and minimum loudness level sum. The method described in the paper can be used to further optimize the design and the performance of the accelerometer.