Diagnostic testing and adaption

• US 9,409,017 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2014
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Original Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Inventors: Tsampazis, Kostas, Cryer, Adrian Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Flory, Christopher A
• Application Number:
  US14/303,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20150360028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 607/56, 607/57, 607/115, 607/116, 607/136, 607/137
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0276 Determining malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36038 Cochlear stimulation
• 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

Presented herein is diagnostic and adaptive circuitry for use in an implantable medical system (prosthesis) having at least two physically separate implantable modules (packages) that are electrically connected by a lead assembly (cable). The diagnostic and adaptive circuitry is configured to execute testing and adaptive (corrective) functions.

Claims

1. An implantable hearing prosthesis, comprising:

a first implantable component;

a second implantable component electrically connected to the first implantable component;

a physical electrical connection between the first and second implantable components, wherein the electrical connection is configured for electrical signal transfer between the first and second implantable components; and

diagnostic and adaptive circuitry having a plurality of arrangements, wherein each arrangement of the diagnostic and adaptive circuitry enables the performance of one of a plurality of diagnostic tests that each evaluate a different attribute of the electrical connection between the first and second implantable components, and wherein the diagnostic and adaptive circuitry is configured to, based on the results of one or more of the diagnostic tests, perform one or more adaptive functions to change operation of the electrical signal transfer between the first and second implantable component via the electrical connection.

2. The implantable hearing prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the electrical connection comprises a pair of conductors, and wherein in one of the plurality of arrangements, the diagnostic and adaptive circuitry is configured to perform a diagnostic test to detect low impedance between the pair of conductors.

3. The implantable hearing prosthesis of claim 2, wherein upon detecting low impedance between the pair of conductors, the diagnostic and adaptive circuitry is configured to change operation of the electrical signal transfer between the first and second implantable component via the electrical connection by at least one of automatically stopping or limiting current flow through the pair of conductors.

4. The implantable hearing prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the electrical connection comprises a wire, and wherein in one of the plurality of arrangements, the diagnostic and adaptive circuitry is configured to perform a diagnostic test to detect high impedance at the wire.

5. The implantable hearing prosthesis of claim 4, wherein upon detecting high impedance at the wire, the diagnostic and adaptive circuitry is configured to change operation of the electrical signal transfer between the first and second implantable component via the electrical connection by automatically increase current flow through the wire.

6. The implantable hearing prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the electrical connection comprises a wire and the diagnostic and adaptive circuitry includes an electrode located external to the electrical connection, and wherein in one of the plurality of arrangements, the diagnostic and adaptive circuitry is configured to perform a diagnostic test to detect low impedance between the wire and the electrode.

7. The implantable hearing prosthesis of claim 6, wherein upon detecting low impedance between the wire and the electrode, the diagnostic and adaptive circuitry is configured to operation of the electrical signal transfer between the first and second implantable component via the electrical connection by automatically stop current flow through the wire.

8. The implantable hearing prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic and adaptive circuitry includes a switching circuit and a controller, wherein the controller is configured to actuate the switching circuit to switch the diagnostic and adaptive circuitry between a first one of the plurality of arrangements and a second one of the plurality of arrangements.

9. The implantable hearing prosthesis of claim 8, wherein the first implantable component comprises a stimulator module, and wherein the controller is configured to switch the switching circuit between a stimulation operational mode in which power is supplied to a stimulator module in the first implantable component and a diagnostic operational mode that enables performance of the plurality of diagnostic tests.

10. The implantable hearing prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the first implantable component is a cochlear implant main module comprising a stimulator module comprising a stimulator and the second implantable component is a secondary module that comprises a battery.

11. The implantable hearing prosthesis of claim 10, wherein the secondary module further comprises a sound processor and a microphone.

12. The implantable hearing prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the first implantable component is a stimulator module comprising a stimulator and the second implantable component is an implantable microphone.

13. The implantable hearing prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the first implantable component is a stimulator module comprising an actuator driver and the second implantable component is a physically separate mechanical actuator.

14. The implantable hearing prosthesis of claim 1, further comprising an external device, wherein the diagnostic and adaptive circuitry includes a telemetry circuit configured to transmit at least one of results of the diagnostic tests or indications of performed adaptive functions to the external device.

15. A method performed in an implantable hearing prosthesis comprising a switching circuit and first and second physically separate implantable components connected by a lead assembly, the method comprising:

actuating the switching circuit to a stimulation operational mode arrangement in which the switching circuit enables power to be supplied from the first implantable component to the second implantable components;

switching the switching circuit from the stimulation operational mode arrangement to a diagnostic operational mode arrangement in which the switching circuit enables the performance of one or more diagnostic tests to evaluate an electrical connection between the first and second implantable components;

while the switching circuit is in the at least one diagnostic operational mode arrangement, performing the one or more diagnostic tests to evaluate an electrical connection between the first and second implantable components provided by the lead assembly; and

based on the results of the one or more diagnostic tests, performing one or more adaptive functions to adjust operation of the electrical connection between the first and second implantable components.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein performing one or more diagnostic test to evaluate the electrical connection comprises performing an electrical insulation test to detect low impedance between a pair of conductors forming part of the electrical connection;

and

wherein, upon detecting low impedance between the pair of conductors, performing one or more adaptive functions to adjust operation of the electrical connection comprises at least one of automatically stopping or limiting current flow through the pair of conductors.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein performing one or more diagnostic test to evaluate the electrical connection comprises performing a conductor continuity test to detect high impedance at a wire forming part of the electrical connection;

and

wherein, upon detecting high impedance at the wire forming part of the electrical connection, performing one or more adaptive functions to adjust operation of the electrical connection comprises automatically increasing current flow through the wire.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein performing one or more diagnostic tests to evaluate the electrical connection comprises performing an electrical insulation test to detect low impedance between a wire forming part of the electrical connection and an external reference point;

and

wherein, upon detecting low impedance between the wire forming part of the electrical connection and the external reference point, performing one or more adaptive functions to adjust operation of the electrical connection comprises automatically stopping current flow through the wire.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting, to an external device, at least one of results of the diagnostic tests or indications of performed adaptive functions.

20. An implantable hearing prosthesis, comprising:

first and second physically separate implantable components;

a cable electrically connecting the first and second implantable components to enable current flow between the first and second implantable components; and

circuitry in the first implantable component, wherein the circuitry includes a switching circuit having a plurality of different arrangements each enabling performance of a specific one of a plurality of diagnostic tests each configured to evaluate different electrical attributes of the cable and to adapt current flow through the cable based on the evaluation of the electrical attributes.

21. The implantable hearing prosthesis of claim 20, wherein the cable includes a pair of conductors, and wherein the circuitry is configured to detect low impedance between the pair of conductors in the cable and to automatically stop or limit current flow through the pair of conductors.

22. The implantable hearing prosthesis of claim 20, wherein the cable includes a wire, and wherein the circuitry is configured to detect high impedance at the wire in the cable and to automatically increase current flow through the wire.

23. The implantable hearing prosthesis of claim 20, further comprising an electrode located external to the cable, wherein the cable includes a wire, and wherein the circuitry is configured to detect low impedance between the wire in the cable and the electrode located external to the cable and to automatically stop current flow through the wire.