Configuring a stimulation unit of a hearing device

• US 10,105,539 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2015
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Original Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Inventors: Macken, Luk, Goddeeris, Frederic, Van Herck, Koen
• Primary Examiner(s): Manuel, George
• Application Number:
  US14/972,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20160175593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0541 Cochlear electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36038 Cochlear stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36128 Control systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/67 Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/606 acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and devices for configuring a stimulation unit of a hearing device by determining whether the stimulation unit can process received stimulation data. In an example method, the stimulation unit receives one or more data signals, which comprise at least one stimulation signal that includes stimulation data, and processes one of the data signals to determine whether it can process the stimulation data in order to generate one or more stimuli. If the stimulation unit can process the stimulation data, the method includes operating the stimulation unit in a normal mode, in which case the stimulation unit processes the stimulation data to generate the one or more stimuli. On the other hand, if the stimulation unit cannot process the stimulation data, the method includes operating the stimulation in a safe mode, in which case the stimulation unit does not process the stimulation data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving at a stimulation unit of a hearing device one or more data signals, the one or more data signals comprising at least one stimulation signal that includes stimulation data;

the stimulation unit processing a data signal in the one or more data signals to determine whether the stimulation unit is a target stimulation unit of the stimulation data; and

the stimulation unit operating in one of (i) a normal mode if the stimulation unit is the target stimulation unit of the stimulation data or (ii) a safe mode other than the normal mode if the stimulation unit is not the target stimulation unit of the stimulation data,

wherein operating in the normal mode comprises the stimulation unit (i) using an active stimulation profile to process the stimulation data and (ii) based on the processed simulation data, generating one or more stimuli, and (iii) delivering the one or more stimuli to a recipient, and

wherein operating in the safe mode comprises the stimulation unit not processing the stimulation data using the active stimulation profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulation unit operating in the safe mode further comprises:

generating an alarm signal, wherein the alarm signal includes information indicative of the stimulation unit operating in the safe mode; and

transmitting to a processing unit the alarm signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more data signals further comprise an identification signal that includes information indicative of a implant identifier, wherein the processed data signal is the identification signal, and

to determine whether the stimulation unit is the target stimulation unit of the stimulation data, the method further comprises the stimulation unit;

(i) determining whether the implant identifier matches a unit identifier assigned to the stimulation unit, (ii) determining that the stimulation unit is the target stimulation unit of the stimulation data when the implant identifier matches the unit identifier, and (iii) determining that the stimulation unit is not the target stimulation unit of the stimulation data when the implant identifier does not match the unit identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more data signals further comprise a plurality of stimulation signals, each stimulation signal including stimulation data usable by the stimulation unit to generate one or more stimuli, and wherein the stimulation unit receives the identification signal prior to at least one stimulation signal included in the plurality of stimulation signals.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the processed data signal includes information indicative of the active stimulation profile, and wherein, to determine whether the stimulation unit can process the stimulation data, the method further comprising the stimulation unit (i) determining whether the active stimulation profile is included in a plurality of available stimulation profiles usable by the stimulation unit to process the stimulation data, wherein each available stimulation profile includes a set of parameters usable by the stimulation unit to process the stimulation data, (ii) operating in the normal mode when the active stimulation profile is included in the plurality of available stimulation profiles, and (iii) operating in the safe mode when the active stimulation profile is not included in the plurality of available stimulation profiles.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the processed data signal further includes the stimulation data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, in response to determining that the operating mode is the safe mode, the method further comprises:

the stimulation unit processing a sound received at an implanted audio transducer, wherein the implanted audio transducer is a component of the stimulation unit;

based on the processed sound, the stimulation unit generating the one or more stimuli; and

delivering the one or more stimuli to the recipient.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the stimulation unit operating in the safe mode further comprises the stimulation unit generating one or more stimuli configured to cause the recipient to perceive an audible alarm;

and the stimulation unit delivering the one or more stimuli to the recipient;

the stimulation unit is the target stimulation unit of the stimulation data, and

the method further comprising;

operating the stimulation unit in the normal mode to evoke a hearing percept based on a map that is pre-stored in the hearing device before the reception of the one or more data signals.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the stimulation unit is the target stimulation unit of the stimulation data, and

the method further comprising;

capturing ambient sound using a sound capture device;

converting the ambient sound to an electromagnetic signal;

operating the stimulation unit in the normal mode to evoke a hearing percept based on the electromagnetic signal and based on the map that is pre-stored in the hearing device before the reception of the one or more data signals.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the stimulation unit includes a transceiver, wherein the action of processing the data signal and the action of processing the stimulation data are executed by components of the stimulation unit separate from the transceiver.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

determining whether a first identifier matches a second identifier, wherein the first identifier is included in a data signal transmitted by a processing unit of a hearing device and the second identifier is accessible to a stimulation unit of the hearing device;

if at least the first identifier matches the second identifier, (i) generating a first set of stimuli by processing a first set of stimulation data using an active stimulation profile selected by the processing unit, and (ii) causing a stimulation component of the stimulation unit to deliver the one or more stimuli to the recipient; and

if at least the first identifier does not match the second identifier, (i) generating a second set of stimuli by one of (1) processing a second set of stimulation data, or (2) processing the first set of stimulation data using a default stimulation profile, and (ii) causing the stimulation component of the stimulation unit to deliver the stimuli in the second set of stimuli,

wherein the first set of stimulation data is generated by the processing unit and the second set of stimulation data is generated by a component other than the processing unit, and

wherein the active stimulation profile and the default stimulation profile are different stimulation profiles.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first identifier is an implant identifier that identifies a target stimulation unit, and wherein the second identifier is a unit identifier that is unique to the stimulation unit.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first identifier is included in an identification signal, and wherein the first set of stimulation data is included in one or more stimulation signals received at the stimulation unit after the identification signal is received.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the second set of stimulation data comprises stimulation data for generating an audible alert.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein, if the first identifier does not match the second identifier, the functions further comprise generating an alarm signal that includes information indicative of the first identifier not matching the second identifier, and causing a component of the stimulation unit to transmit the alarm signal to the processing unit.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein:

the first identifier identifies the active stimulation profile selected by the processing unit,

the second identifier identifies a stimulation profile included in a plurality of available stimulation profiles accessible to the stimulation unit to generate the one or more stimuli, and

the first identifier matches the second identifier if the plurality of available stimulation profiles includes the active stimulation profile, and

the first identifier does not match the second identifier if the plurality of available stimulation profiles does not include the active stimulation profile.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein, if the first identifier does not match the second identifier, the functions further comprise generating an alert signal that includes information indicative of the first identifier not matching the second identifier, and causing a component of the stimulation unit to transmit to the processing unit the alarm signal.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the alert signal further comprises information identifying each stimulation profile included in the plurality of available stimulation profiles.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further has stored therein instructions executable by the computing device to cause the computing device to control the stimulation unit to withhold stimulation by not generating stimulation based on received stimulation data if at least the first identifier does not match the second identifier when the stimulation unit is in a safe mode.

20. A stimulation unit of a hearing device comprising:

a data storage configured to store at least two available stimulation profiles, wherein each available stimulation profile includes a set of fixed parameters for generating a plurality of stimuli;

a stimulation component configured to stimulate a body part in an auditory pathway of the recipient; and

a processor configured to;

(i) receive and process a stimulation signal, wherein the stimulation signal includes stimulation data and an active stimulation profile;

(ii) access the data storage to determine that the active stimulation profile is one of the at least two internal stimulation profiles;

(iii) determine, based on the stimulation data and using the active stimulation profile, a stimulus deliverable by the stimulation component to the recipient; and

(iv) cause the stimulation component to deliver the determined stimulus to the recipient.

21. The stimulation unit of claim 20, wherein the data storage stores a unit identifier that is unique to the stimulation unit, and wherein after receiving the stimulation signal, the processor is further configured to:

receive an identification signal that includes an implant identifier;

determine that the implant identifier does not match the unit identifier; and

in response to determining that the implant identifier does not match the unit identifier, operate in a safe mode in which the stimulation unit does not process stimulation data received.

22. The stimulation unit of claim 21, further comprising at least one audio transducer implanted in a body of the recipient, and wherein, to operate in the safe mode, the processor is further configured to:

process a sound received at the at least one audio transducer;

process the sound to determine an additional stimulus deliverable by the stimulation component; and

cause the stimulation component to deliver the additional stimulus to the recipient.

23. The stimulation unit of claim 21, wherein, to operate in the safe mode, the processor is further configured to cause the stimulation component to deliver one or more additional stimuli to the body part, wherein the one or more additional stimuli are configured to cause the recipient to perceive an audible alarm.

24. The stimulation unit of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to:

access the data storage to determine that the active stimulation profile is not one of the at least two internal stimulation profiles;

upon a determination that the active stimulation profile is not one of the at least two internal stimulation profiles, use a default stimulation profile to determine a stimulus deliverable by the stimulation component instead of the active stimulation profile.