Abstract: The invention relates to an implantable electromechanical converter for receiving oscillations from an ear ossicle and for converting them into an electrical voltage, for use as a microphone for a cochlea implant or an implantable hearing aid, consisting of one or more piezoelectric converter elements (11) housed in a hermetically sealed hollow body (2) made of a biocompatible material. The converter is characterized in that the hollow body has a thin shell (9) which is connected with its interior side to the piezoelectric converter elements and which can be coupled with its exterior side to an ear ossicle, and which is held by a stable edge (10), whereby the stable edge can be coupled to a counter-support in the middle ear space.

Abstract: A method and system for an adaptive sigma-delta (&Sgr;-&Dgr;) modulator with one bit quantization that improves the signal-to-noise (SNR) of a &Sgr;-&Dgr; modulator is presented. A difference signal is produced representing the difference between an analog input signal x(n) and a first adaptive feedback signal z(n), the amplitude of the analog input x(n) within a first range [−a, +a]. The difference signal is accumulated to produce a first accumulated signal representing an accumulation of the difference signal. The first accumulated signal is then quantized, creating a first quantized digital signal y0(n). Based on the first quantized digital signal y0(n) a first digital output signal z0(n) is produced, such that the instantaneous magnitude of the first analog feedback signal z(n) is substantially kept within the first range [−a, +a] and greater than the analog input signal's x(n) instantaneous magnitude.