Auditory prosthesis system including sound processor apparatus with position sensor

• US 10,356,542 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2014
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Bionics AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Advanced Bionics AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: Mishra, Lakshmi N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Evanisko, George R
• Application Number:
  US15/313,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20170143962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,875 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0541 Cochlear electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36038 Cochlear stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37211 Means for communicating with stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/41 Detection or adaptation of hearing aid parameters or programs to listening situation, e.g. pub, forest
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/61 Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/67 Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/505 using digital signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/004 for microphones H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

An exemplary auditory prosthesis system includes a sound processor apparatus that is configured for external use by a patient and includes 1) a position sensor that detects a positioning of the sound processor apparatus and 2) a control module that is communicatively coupled to the position sensor and performs a predetermined action with respect to the auditory prosthesis system in accordance with the detected positioning of the sound processor apparatus. Corresponding auditory prosthesis systems and methods are also described.

Claims

1. An auditory prosthesis system comprising:

a cochlear implant configured to be implanted within a patient;

a first microphone that is initially active;

a second microphone that is initially inactive;

a sound processor apparatus configured to be external to the patient and that includes

a position sensor configured to detect a positioning of the sound processor apparatus, and

a control module communicatively coupled to the position sensor and that is configured to

detect an active communication link between the sound processor apparatus and the cochlear implant;

access reference data that represents a preferred positioning of the sound processor apparatus;

receive, from the position sensor, positioning data that represents the detected positioning of the sound processor apparatus;

determine, based on the reference data and the positioning data, a difference between the preferred positioning and the detected positioning of the sound processor apparatus;

determine, based on the active communication link and the difference between the preferred positioning and the detected positioning of the sound processor apparatus, that the sound processor apparatus is positioned in an off-ear configuration; and

initiate, due at least in part to the off-ear configuration, a deactivation of the first microphone and an activation of the second microphone.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the control module is configured to control an operation of the cochlear implant.

3. The auditory prosthesis system of claim 1, wherein the position sensor is configured to detect the positioning of the sound processor apparatus by at least one of:

detecting magnetic activity indicative of a change in orientation of the sound processor apparatus;

detecting angular momentum indicative of a change in orientation of the sound processor apparatus; and

detecting movement indicative of a change in position of the sound processor apparatus.

4. The auditory prosthesis system of claim 1, wherein:

the control module is configured to use the positioning data to determine that the sound processor apparatus has experienced a change in position.

5. The auditory prosthesis system of claim 4, wherein the change in position comprises a change in orientation.

6. The auditory prosthesis system of claim 1, further comprising:

a headpiece removably coupled to the sound processor apparatus and configured to be external to the patient;

wherein the first microphone is included in or connected to the sound processor apparatus and the second microphone is included in the headpiece.

7. The auditory prosthesis system of claim 1, wherein the control module is further configured to adjust at least one configuration setting of the auditory prosthesis system to compensate for the difference between the preferred positioning and the detected positioning of the sound processor apparatus.

8. The auditory prosthesis system of claim 7, wherein the at least one configuration setting controls a beamforming feature of the auditory prosthesis system.

9. The auditory prosthesis system of claim 1, wherein:

the control module is further configured to;

operate in an idle mode that partially limits a functionality of the auditory prosthesis system;

receive, from the position sensor while operating in the idle mode, positioning data that represents the detected positioning of the sound processor apparatus; and

determine, based at least in part on the positioning data, that the sound processor apparatus has experienced a change in position; and

exit, in response to the change in position, the idle mode and begin to operate in an active mode that facilitates full functionality of the auditory prosthesis system.

10. The auditory prosthesis system of claim 1, wherein:

the position sensor comprises a magnetometer;

the control module is further configured to receive, from the magnetometer, magnetic-activity data indicative of the detected positioning of the sound processor apparatus being physically proximate to a magnet included in a telephone; and

direct, due at least in part to the detected positioning of the sound processor apparatus being physically proximate to the magnet included in the telephone, the sound processor apparatus to begin operating in a telephone mode that compensates for the sound processor apparatus being physically proximate to the magnet included in the telephone.

11. The auditory prosthesis system of claim 1, wherein the position sensor comprises at least one of:

a magnetometer;

an accelerometer; and

a gyroscope.

12. An auditory prosthesis system comprising:

a cochlear implant configured to be implanted within a patient;

a plurality of microphones; and

a sound processor apparatus configured to be external to a patient and that includes

a position sensor configured to detect a positioning of the sound processor apparatus, and

a control module communicatively coupled to the position sensor and that is configured to

detect an active communication link between the sound processor apparatus and the cochlear implant;

determine, based on the active communication link and the detected positioning, that the sound processor apparatus is positioned in an off-ear configuration; and

activate or deactivate, based on the determination that the sound processor is positioned in the off-ear configuration, at least one microphone included in the plurality of microphones.

13. The auditory prosthesis system of claim 12, wherein the position sensor is configured to detect the positioning of the sound processor apparatus by at least one of:

detecting magnetic activity indicative of a change in orientation of the sound processor apparatus;

detecting angular momentum indicative of a change in orientation of the sound processor apparatus; and

detecting movement indicative of a change in position of the sound processor apparatus.

14. The auditory prosthesis system of claim 12, wherein:

the position sensor is configured to provide the control module with positioning data representative of the detected positioning; and

the control module is configured to use the positioning data to determine that the sound processor apparatus has experienced a change in position.

15. The auditory prosthesis system of claim 14, wherein the change in position comprises a change in orientation.

16. A method comprising:

detecting, by a control module included within a sound processor apparatus associated with a patient, an active communication link between the sound processor apparatus and a cochlear implant;

receiving, by the control module, data representative of a positioning of the sound processor apparatus;

determining, by the control module based at least in part on the received data and the detecting of the active communication link, that the sound processor apparatus is in an off-ear configuration; and

initiating, based on the determining that the sound processor apparatus is in the off-ear configuration, a deactivation of a first microphone and an activation of a second microphone.