Methods and systems of automatically detecting an impedance of one or more electrodes in a cochlear implant system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising:
- providing an implantable cochlear stimulator coupled to one or more electrodes;
generating an electrical stimulation current with said implantable cochlear stimulator in accordance with one or more stimulation parameters;
automatically detecting an impedance of at least one of said electrodes in accordance with a predefined schedule; and
adjusting, in accordance with said detected impedance, a pulse width of said electrical stimulation current to maintain constant a total electric charge level.
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Abstract
Methods and systems for automatically detecting an impedance of one or more electrodes in a cochlear implant system include providing an implantable cochlear stimulator coupled to one or more electrodes, generating an electrical stimulation current with the implantable cochlear stimulator in accordance with stimulation parameters, automatically detecting an impedance of at least one of the electrodes in accordance with a predefined schedule, and performing a predefined action in accordance with the detected impedance.
23 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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providing an implantable cochlear stimulator coupled to one or more electrodes; generating an electrical stimulation current with said implantable cochlear stimulator in accordance with one or more stimulation parameters; automatically detecting an impedance of at least one of said electrodes in accordance with a predefined schedule; and adjusting, in accordance with said detected impedance, a pulse width of said electrical stimulation current to maintain constant a total electric charge level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method comprising:
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providing an implantable cochlear stimulator coupled to one or more electrodes; generating an electrical stimulation current with said implantable cochlear stimulator in accordance with one or more stimulation parameters; automatically detecting an impedance of at least one of said electrodes in accordance with a predefined schedule; using the detected impedance to identify at least one disabled electrode; and using current steering to compensate for said disabled electrode. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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10. A system comprising:
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an implantable cochlear stimulator; one or more electrodes electrically coupled to said implantable cochlear stimulator; and a sound processing unit; wherein said sound processing unit is configured to; direct said implantable cochlear stimulator to apply an electrical stimulation current to a stimulation site within a patient via at least one of said electrodes; automatically detect an impedance of at least one of said electrodes in accordance with a predefined schedule; and adjust, in accordance with said detected impedance, a pulse width of said electrical stimulation current to maintain constant a total electric charge level. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. A system comprising:
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an implantable cochlear stimulator; one or more electrodes electrically coupled to said implantable cochlear stimulator; and a sound processing unit; wherein said sound processing unit is configured to; direct said implantable cochlear stimulator to apply an electrical stimulation current to a stimulation site within a patient via at least one of said electrodes; automatically detect an impedance of at least one of said electrodes in accordance with a predefined schedule; and maintain, in accordance with said detected impedance, a consistent loudness level of an audio signal as perceived by said patient.
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14. A system comprising:
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an implantable cochlear stimulator; one or more electrodes electrically coupled to said implantable cochlear stimulator; and a sound processing unit; wherein said sound processing unit is configured to; direct said implantable cochlear stimulator to apply an electrical stimulation current to a stimulation site within a patient via at least one of said electrodes; automatically detect an impedance of at least one of said electrodes in accordance with a predefined schedule; use the detected impedance to identify at least one disabled electrode; and use current steering to compensate for said disabled electrode. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. A system comprising:
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an implantable cochlear stimulator; one or more electrodes electrically coupled to said implantable cochlear stimulator; and a sound processing unit selectively and communicatively coupled to said implantable cochlear stimulator; wherein said sound processing unit is configured to direct said implantable cochlear stimulator to apply an electrical stimulation current to a stimulation site within a patient via at least one of said electrodes, automatically detect an impedance of at least one of said electrodes in accordance with a predefined schedule, and maintain a consistent sound quality of an audio signal as perceived by a patient. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A method comprising:
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providing an implantable cochlear stimulator coupled to one or more electrodes; generating an electrical stimulation current with said implantable cochlear stimulator in accordance with one or more stimulation parameters; automatically detecting an impedance of at least one of said electrodes in accordance with a predefined schedule; and maintaining, in accordance with said detected impedance, a consistent loudness level of an audio signal as perceived by said patient. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification