Hearing prosthesis with a standard wire interface

• US 9,020,601 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2012
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Original Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Inventors: Meskens, Werner, Baelen, Erika Van, den Heuvel, Koen Van, Gerwen, Peter Van
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Carl H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morales, Jon Eric C
• Application Number:
  US13/555,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20140025138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 607/57
• US Class Current: 607/57
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36038 Cochlear stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/67 Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/606 acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for receiving a data signal and a power signal by a hearing prosthesis are disclosed. An input signal is received at a first unit of a hearing prosthesis. The first unit receives the input signal at a wired interface module that conforms to a standardized interface. The first unit identifies a data signal and a power signal included in the input signal. The first unit transfers at least a portion of the power signal to a second unit of the hearing prosthesis. The second unit is implanted in a body and is configured to stimulate an auditory organ, allowing a user to perceive at least a portion of a sound.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving at a wired interface component an input signal, wherein the wired interface component (a) is a component of a first unit of a hearing prosthesis, the first unit being configured to be externally worn by a recipient, and (b) conforms to at least one of a Universal Serial Bus (“

USB”

) protocol or an RS-232 protocol;

separating the input signal into a data signal and a power signal, wherein the power signal is used to provide power to one or more components of the hearing prosthesis; and

transferring from the first unit to a second unit of the hearing prosthesis at least a portion of the power signal, wherein the second unit is implanted in the recipient and is configured to stimulate an auditory organ.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wired interface component comprises one of a Universal Serial Bus (“

USB”

) physical interface or an RS-232 physical interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wired interface component comprises one of a USB electrical interface or an RS-232 electrical interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wired interface component conforms to one of a USB data protocol, a Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (“

UART”

) data protocol, or a Universal Synchronous/Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (“

USART”

) data protocol.

5. A system comprising:

an implanted unit configured to (i) receive a stimulation signal, (ii) in response to receiving the stimulation signal, generate a stimulus, and (iii) deliver the stimulus to an auditory organ;

a headpiece unit comprising a first interface module, the headpiece unit being configured (i) to receive at the first interface module the stimulation signal and a power signal, and (ii) to transmit to the implanted unit the stimulation signal and at least a portion of the power signal; and

a processing unit comprising a second interface module, the processing unit being configured (i) to generate the stimulation signal based on a sound and (ii) to transfer to the headpiece component via a cable the stimulation signal and the power signal, wherein the cable is connected to the first interface module and the second interface module, and wherein the first interface module and the second interface module conform to one of a USB data protocol, a UART data protocol, or a USART data protocol.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein at least one of the first interface module or the second interface module conforms to one or more physical specifications of a standardized physical interface protocol.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein at least one of the first interface module or the second interface module conforms to one or more electrical specifications of a standardized electrical interface protocol.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein:

the headpiece unit includes a first inductive coil, wherein the headpiece unit transmits via the first inductive coil the stimulation signal and the portion of the power signal, and

the implanted unit includes a second inductive coil, wherein the implanted unit receives via the second inductive coil the stimulation signal and the portion of the power signal.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the implanted unit is further configured to transmit via the second inductive coil a telemetry signal, wherein the telemetry signal includes information indicative of a parameter used by the implanted unit for generating the stimulus, and

the headpiece unit is further configured to receive via the first inductive coil the telemetry signal and to transfer the telemetry signal to the processing unit via the cable.

10. A system comprising:

an implanted unit configured to deliver a stimulus to an auditory organ; and

a processing unit configured to;

receive, at a wired interface module, an input signal from an external device that includes a data component and a power component, wherein the wired interface module conforms to at least one of a USB physical interface protocol, a USB electrical interface protocol, a USB data protocol, an RS-232 physical interface protocol, an RS-232 electrical interface protocol, a UART data protocol, or a USART data protocol;

separate the input signal into the data component and the power component,

wherein the power component is used to provide power to at least one component of the system; and

transfer to the implanted unit at least a portion of the power component,

wherein the implanted unit is implanted in a body of a recipient, and

wherein the processing unit is externally worn by the recipient.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the wired interface module conforms to one or more physical specifications of one of the USB physical interface protocol or the RS-232 physical interface protocol.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the wired interface module conforms to one or more electrical specifications of one of the USB electrical interface protocol or the RS-232 electrical interface protocol.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the input signal conforms to one of the USB data protocol, the UART data protocol, or the USART data protocol.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

generate a stimulation signal that includes information indicative of the stimulus; and

transmit the stimulation signal to the implanted unit, wherein the implanted unit is configured to receive the stimulation signal.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein, to generate the stimulation signal, the processing unit is configured to:

identify an audio signal included in the data component of the input signal; and

process the audio signal, wherein the stimulation signal is based on the audio signal.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing unit comprises an audio transducer, and wherein the processing unit is further configured to preferentially process the audio signal over a sound signal received from an audio transducer.