Sound processing and stimulation systems and methods for use with cochlear implant devices
First Claim
1. A method for stimulating a cochlea using a plurality of electrodes based on a signal representative of sound, the method comprising:
- arranging a frequency spectrum of the signal representative of sound into a plurality of channels such that each channel corresponds to a range of frequencies that lie within the frequency spectrum;
computing a frequency at which a spectral peak is located within the range of frequencies that corresponds to a channel of the plurality of channels; and
stimulating a subset of the plurality of electrodes with a stream of pulse sets, the pulses in each set being simultaneously applied to the electrodes in the subset so as to stimulate a virtual electrode positioned at a location on the cochlea, the location on the cochlea corresponding to the frequency at which the spectral peak is located.
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Abstract
Sound processing strategies for use with cochlear implant systems utilizing simultaneous stimulation of electrodes are provided. The strategies include computing a frequency spectrum of a signal representative of sound, arranging the spectrum into channels and assigning a subset of electrodes to each channel. Each subset is stimulated so as to stimulate a virtual electrode positioned at a location on the cochlea that corresponds to the frequency at which a spectral peak is located within an assigned channel. The strategies also derive a carrier for a channel having a frequency that may relate to the stimulation frequency so that temporal information is presented. In order to fit these strategies, a group of electrodes is selected and the portion of the current that would otherwise be applied to electrode(s) having a partner electrode in the group is applied to the partner electrode.
27 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for stimulating a cochlea using a plurality of electrodes based on a signal representative of sound, the method comprising:
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arranging a frequency spectrum of the signal representative of sound into a plurality of channels such that each channel corresponds to a range of frequencies that lie within the frequency spectrum; computing a frequency at which a spectral peak is located within the range of frequencies that corresponds to a channel of the plurality of channels; and stimulating a subset of the plurality of electrodes with a stream of pulse sets, the pulses in each set being simultaneously applied to the electrodes in the subset so as to stimulate a virtual electrode positioned at a location on the cochlea, the location on the cochlea corresponding to the frequency at which the spectral peak is located. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A cochlear implant system for stimulating a cochlea based on a signal representative of sound, the system comprising:
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sound processing circuitry adapted to; arrange a frequency spectrum of the signal representative of sound into a plurality of channels such that each channel corresponds to a range of frequencies that lie within the frequency spectrum; and compute a frequency at which a spectral peak is located within the range of frequencies that corresponds to a channel of the plurality of channels; and an electrode array inserted into the cochlea and coupled to the sound processing circuitry, the array comprising a plurality of electrodes of which a subset is stimulated with a stream of pulse sets, the pulses in each set being simultaneously applied to the electrodes in the subset so as to stimulate a virtual electrode positioned at a location on the cochlea, the location on the cochlea corresponding to the frequency at which the spectral peak is located. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification