Real time cochlear implant processor
First Claim
1. Apparatus for generating a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode, comprising,means for receiving an audio input signal,means for detecting zero slope points of said audio input signal, andmeans for generating said driver signal having a pulse following the detection of each of said zero slope points of said audio input signal.
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Abstract
A real time cochlear implant processor (10) receives an audio input signal and extracts spectrum segments by operation of bandpass filters (18, 20). In each channel temporal circuitry detects the zero slope points of the filtered audio input signal and generates a control signal which operates a gate (66). Amplitude circuitry includes a reference voltage source for providing positive and negative polarity signals for a first mode of operation. The reference signals are routed through the gate (66) by the control signals. In a second mode of operation the audio input signal, after logarithmic amplification, is passed through the gate (66) by operation of the control signals. In a third mode of operation the audio input signal is squared through infinite clipping and the resulting signal is gated by the control signals through the gate (66). The outputs of the channels are combined in a summing circuit (78) and passed through a buffer (82) to produce a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode. The pulse outputs from the plurality of channels have different amplitudes where the higher frequency channels have lower amplitude pulses.
89 Citations
34 Claims
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1. Apparatus for generating a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode, comprising,
means for receiving an audio input signal, means for detecting zero slope points of said audio input signal, and means for generating said driver signal having a pulse following the detection of each of said zero slope points of said audio input signal.
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3. Apparatus for generating a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode, comprising:
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means for receiving an audio input signal, means for detecting zero slope points of said audio input signal, and means for generating said driver signal having first polarity pulses and second polarity pluses with fixed amplitudes, said means for generating producing the first polarity pulses when a zero slope point immediately follows a positive going portion of the audio input signal and the second polarity pulses when the zero slope point immediately follows a negative going portion of the audio input signal.
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4. Apparatus for generating a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode, comprising:
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means for receiving an audio input signal, means for detecting zero slope points of said audio input signal, and means for generating said driver signal having pulses of a first polarity when the zero slope points are in the positive region of the audio input signal and of a second polarity when the zero slope points are in a negative region of the audio input signal. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
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7. Apparatus for generating a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode, comprising:
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means for receiving an audio input signal, means for detecting zero slope points of said audio input signal and for generating a control signal having a temporary active state following the detection of each of said zero slope points, and gate means operated by said control signal for selectively passing a designated signal therethrough to produce said driver signal at the output of said gate means, said driver signal comprising a series of pulses each corresponding to one of said zero slope points of said audio input signal. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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10. Apparatus for generating a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode, comprising,
means for receiving an audio input signal, a plurality of channels each comprising: -
a filter for passing said audio input signal therethrough, means for detecting zero slope points of said filtered audio input signal and for generating a control signal having a temporary active state following the detection of each of said zero slope points, gate means operated by said control signal for selectively passing a designated signal therethrough to produce an output signal, and means for combining the output signals from each of said channels to produce said driver signal. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for generating a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode, comprising the steps of:
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receiving an audio input signal, detecting zero slope points of said audio input signal, and generating said driver signal by producing a pulse following the detection of the zero slope points of said audio input signal. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. Apparatus for generating a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode, comprising:
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means for receiving an audio input signal, means for detecting zero slope points of said audio input signal, first and second monostable circuits responsive to the output of said means for detecting for generating respective first and second pulse signals, gate means controlled respecitvely by said first and second pulse signals and having respective gate input signals, and means for combining the output of said gate means to produce the driver signal.
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18. Apparatus for generating a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode, comprising:
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means for receiving an audio input signal, means for infinitely clipping the audio input signal to produce a designated signal, means for detecting zero slope points of said audio input signal and for generating a control signal having a temporary active state following the detection of each of said zero slope points, and gate means operated by said control signal for selectively passing the designated signal therethrough to produce said driver signal at the output of said gate means, said driver signal comprising a series of pulses each corresponding to one of the zero slope points of the audio input signal.
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19. Apparatus for generating a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode, comprising:
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means for receiving an audio input signal, means for logarithmically amplifying the audio input signal to produce a designated signal, means for detecting zero slope points of said audio input signal and for generating a controlled signal having a temporary active state following the detection of each of the zero slope points, and gate means operated by the control signal for selectively passing the designated signal therethrough to produce said driver signal at the output of said gate means, said driver signal comprising a series of pulses each corresponding to one of the zero slope points of the audio input signal.
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20. A method for generating a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode, comprising the steps of:
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detecting zero slope points of a received audio input signal, generating the driver signal that includes pulses having a first polarity when the detected zero slope point immediately follows a positive going portion of the audio input signal and pulses having a second polarity when the detected zero slope point immediately follows a negative point portion of the audio input signal. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. A method for generating a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode, comprising the steps of:
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detected zero slope points of a received audio input signal, and generating the driver signal having pulses of a first polarity when the detected zero slope points are in the positive region of the audio input signal and pulses having a second polarity when the detected zero slope points are in the negative region of the audio input signal. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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25. A method for generating a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode, comprising the steps of:
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receiving an audio input signal, detecting zero slope points of said audio input signal and generating a control signal having a temporary active state following the detection of each of said zero slope points, and opening a gate in response to said control signal to pass a designated signal therethrough to produce said driver signal at the output of said gate, said driver signal comprising a series of pulses each corresponding to one of said zero slope points of said audio input signal.
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26. A method for generating a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode, comprising the steps of:
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detecting zero slope points of a received audio input signal and generating a control signal having a temporary active state following the detection of each of the zero slope points, generating fixed amplitude positive and negative polarity signals comprising a designated signal, and in response to said control signal gating the designated signal to produce the driver signal, the driver signal comprising a series of pulses each corresponding to one of the zero slope points of the audio input signal. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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29. A method for generating a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode, comprising the steps of:
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receiving an audio input signal, processing said audio input signal through a plurality of channels each corresponding to a spectrum segment of said audio input signal, the processing in each channel comprising the steps of; passing said audio input signal through a filter to extract a selected frequency band signal of said audio input signal, detecting the zero slope points of said selected frequency band signal, generating a control signal having a temporary active state immediately following the detection of each of said zero slope points of said selected frequency band signal, opening a gate in response to said control signal to pass a designated signal therethrough to produce an output signal having a pulse corresponding to each of the detected zero slope points of said selected frequency band signal, and combining the output signals from each of said channels to produce said driver signal. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
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33. Apparatus for generating a driver signal for an auditory implant electrode, comprising:
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means for receiving an audio stimulus waveform; means for causing neurons to phase lock to selected spectral regions of the stimulus waveform, said means including means for generating a pulsitale high frequency signal at one amplitude to be phase locked to one spectral region and means for generating a pulsitale low frequency signal at a second amplitude to be phase locked to a second spectral region. - View Dependent Claims (34)
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Specification