System and method for fitting a cochlear implant sound processor using alternative signals
First Claim
Patent Images
1. In a cochlear implant system having a sound processor with multiple parameter settings associated therewith, a method of adjusting the sound processor parameter settings in order to “
- fit”
the cochlear implant system to a particular patient, comprising;
generating modulated pulse trains with selectable degrees of amplitude modulation;
delivering the modulated pulse trains to the sound processor of the cochlear implant system during a “
fitting”
session; and
using the modulated pulse trains to mimic the time varying nature of speech stimuli so as to allow the parameter settings of the cochlear implant system to be set using alternative stimuli, wherein the alternative stimuli is modulated stimuli without a constant amplitude, and wherein use of the alternative stimuli eliminates the need to first determine maximum threshold levels.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Alternative stimuli, i.e., stimuli other than the constant amplitude stimuli used in prior fitting schemes, is used to set the parameters of a cochlear implant system. The use of such alternative stimuli allows the entire fitting process to be completed in a very short time period, and generally eliminates the need for secondary adjustments. In one preferred embodiment, the alternative stimuli comprise white noise that is internally generated within the speech processor.
-
Citations
26 Claims
-
1. In a cochlear implant system having a sound processor with multiple parameter settings associated therewith, a method of adjusting the sound processor parameter settings in order to “
- fit”
the cochlear implant system to a particular patient, comprising;generating modulated pulse trains with selectable degrees of amplitude modulation; delivering the modulated pulse trains to the sound processor of the cochlear implant system during a “
fitting”
session; andusing the modulated pulse trains to mimic the time varying nature of speech stimuli so as to allow the parameter settings of the cochlear implant system to be set using alternative stimuli, wherein the alternative stimuli is modulated stimuli without a constant amplitude, and wherein use of the alternative stimuli eliminates the need to first determine maximum threshold levels. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
- fit”
-
13. A cochlear implant system including a sound processor wherein various parameters associated with the sound processor must be set in order to “
- fit”
the cochlear implant system to a particular patient, the cochlear implant system comprising;means for generating modulated pulse trains with selectable degrees of amplitude modulation; means for delivering the modulated pulse trains to the sound processor of the cochlear implant system during a “
fitting”
session; andmeans for using the modulated pulse trains to mimic the time varying nature of speech stimuli so as to allow the parameter settings of the cochlear implant system to be set using alternative stimuli, wherein the alternative stimuli is modulated stimuli without a constant amplitude, and wherein use of the alternative stimuli eliminates the need to first determine maximum threshold levels. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
- fit”
-
20. In a cochlear implant system having a speech processor, a fitting method for adjusting the parameters of the speech processor comprising:
-
generating alternative modulated stimuli without a constant amplitude; inputting the alternative modulated stimuli into the speech processor, wherein the alternative stimuli eliminates the need to first determine maximum threshold levels; adjusting the gain of the speech processor while the alternative modulated stimuli are being processed by the speech processor in order to achieve a desired sound perception threshold; and using the adjusted gain of the speech processor as a setting of the speech processor to be used by the sound processor thereafter for processing incoming sound. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
-
-
23. In a multichannel cochlear implant system having a speech processor and a multiplicity of electrodes through which electrical stimuli may be applied, a fitting method for adjusting the parameters of the speech processor comprising:
-
generating white noise; processing the white noise through a selected first group of channels so as to cause electrical stimuli to be generated and applied through a corresponding first group of electrodes of the multiplicity of electrodes using alternative stimuli, wherein the alternative stimuli is modulated stimuli without a constant amplitude, and wherein use of the alternative stimuli eliminates the need to first determine maximum threshold levels; adjusting the amplitude associated with the stimuli applied through the first group of electrodes until a desired stimulation intensity is perceived; and repeating the process for a second group of channels and corresponding second group of electrodes, a third group of channels and corresponding third group of electrodes, and so on, until a desired stimulation intensity has been determined for each group of channels and electrodes; and setting the stimulation amplitude for each channel to be the amplitude determined when the desired stimulation intensity was perceived for the channel group. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
-
Specification