Speech processing system and method using pseudospontaneous stimulation
First Claim
1. A cochlear system, comprising:
- a signal generator that generates a second signal capable of causing pseudospontaneous activity in an auditory nerve;
a signal processor that combines a first signal that represents sound and the second signal to output a combined signal; and
a stimulation unit coupled to the signal processor that receives the combined signal from the signal processor, wherein the stimulation unit is configured to apply the combined signal to the auditory nerve.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A apparatus and method for inner ear implants is provided that generates signal processing stochastic independence activity across the excited neural population. A high rate pulse train can produce random spike patterns in auditory nerve fibers (hereafter “pseudospontaneous activity”) that are statistically similar to those produced by spontaneous activity in the normal auditory nerve. We call this activity “pseudospontaneous”. Varying rates of pseudospontaneous activity can be created by varying the intensity of a fixed amplitude, high rate pulse train stimulus, e.g., 5000 pps. The high rate pulse train can desynchronize the nerve fiber population and can be combined with a data signal in an inner ear implant. The pseudospontaneous activity can enhance neural representation of temporal detail and dynamic range with an inner ear implant such as a cochlear implant. The pseudospontaneous activity can further eliminate a major difference between acoustic-and electrical-derived hearing percepts.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A cochlear system, comprising:
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a signal generator that generates a second signal capable of causing pseudospontaneous activity in an auditory nerve;
a signal processor that combines a first signal that represents sound and the second signal to output a combined signal; and
a stimulation unit coupled to the signal processor that receives the combined signal from the signal processor, wherein the stimulation unit is configured to apply the combined signal to the auditory nerve. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for generating a driving signal for an auditory implant, comprising:
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receiving a first signal;
generating a second signal that causes pseudo-spontaneous activity in an acoustic nerve;
combining the first and second signals to generate the driving signal; and
applying the combined signal to the acoustic nerve. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An auditory prosthesis for receiving an auditory signal representing sound and supplying an electrical signal which is adapted to stimulate the auditory nerve of a person, comprising:
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pseudospontaneous generation means for generating a pseudospontaneous driving signal;
transducer means adapted to receive the auditory signal and the pseudospontaneous driving signal for transforming the auditory signal and the pseudospontaneous driving signal to electrical input signals; and
stimulation means, operatively coupled to the electrical input signals generated by the transducer means, for stimulating the auditory nerve at defined locations within the cochlea, wherein at least one of the plurality of electrical signals is configured to cause statistically independent activity in a plurality of nerve fibers of an auditory nerve. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A neural prosthetic apparatus, comprising.
a signal generator that generates a second signal; -
a signal processor that combines a first signal that represents sound and the second signal to output a combined signal, wherein a carrier signal is modulated with the combined signal; and
stimulation unit coupled to the signal processor that receives and demodulates the carrier signal to obtain the combined signal from the signal processor for application to the auditory nerve, wherein the second signal includes at least fluctuations in amplitude greater than a prescribed amount at a frequency above approximately 2 kHz. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of modifying a neural prosthetic apparatus that receives an information signal and supplies a corresponding electrical signal to stimulate an auditory nerve, comprising:
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providing a pseudospontaneous signal generator that generates a second signal; and
providing an electrical coupling means for supporting an electrical connection from the pseudospontaneous signal generator to at least one electrical contact, and wherein the second signal is configured to induce a random pattern of activation in the auditory nerve mimicking the spontaneous neural activity of the auditory nerve. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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Specification