Somatic, auditory and cochlear communication system and method

• US 10,540,989 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2014
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Somatek, Co.
• Original Assignee: Somatek
• Inventors: Fitchmun, Mark I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bertram, Eric D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bays, Pamela M.
• Application Number:
  US14/489,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20150194166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,952 Days
• Field of Search: 607 55- 57, 607136-137, 704258, 704266, 7042701
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0541 Cochlear electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36038 Cochlear stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36039 fitting procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/02 Feature extraction for speech recognition; Selection of recognition unit
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/025 Phonemes, fenemes or fenones being the recognition units
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/065 Aids for the handicapped in understanding
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/06 Transformation of speech into a non-audible representation, e.g. speech visualisation or speech processing for tactile aids G10L15/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/16 Transforming into a non-visible representation devices or methods enabling ear patients to replace direct auditory perception by another kind of perception A61F11/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/43 Signal processing in hearing aids to enhance the speech intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/00 Deaf-aid sets , i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception electrical stimulation of auditory nerves to promote the auditory function A61N1/36038; optical stimulation of auditory nerves to promote the auditory function A61N5/0622
• 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 and devices to deliver a tactile speech analog to a person'"'"'s skin providing a silent, invisible, hands-free, eyes-free, and ears-free way to receive and directly comprehend electronic communications. Embodiments include an alternative to hearing aids that will enable people with hearing loss to better understand speech. A device, worn like watch or bracelet, supplements a person'"'"'s remaining hearing to help identify and disambiguate those sounds he or she can not hear properly. Embodiments for hearing aids and hearing prosthetics are also described.

Claims

1. A system for processing a sequence of spoken words into stimulation of a part of a user'"'"'s body using a sequence of sets of nerve stimuli, each set of nerve stimuli being a symbolic representation of a phoneme of a particular user'"'"'s language, the system comprising:

a converter configured to receive a sequence of spoken words and to digitize electrical signals representative of the sequence of spoken words;

a speech recognizer configured to receive the digitized electrical signals and generate a sequence of phonemes representative of the sequence of spoken words, wherein a number of possible phonemes in a phoneme set for a particular user is based on a spoken language used by the particular user;

a mapper configured to receive a particular user'"'"'s audiogram and to assign a symbolic representation to each phoneme, utilizing the particular user'"'"'s audiogram to select one common pool of a minimum number of stimuli from which each symbolic representation is constructed, each symbolic representation comprising between one and the minimum number of stimuli selected from the one common pool so as to generate a map, wherein each of the selected between one and the minimum number of stimuli has a set of corresponding acoustic parameters, and wherein the particular user'"'"'s audiogram is used to determine a range of sound frequencies such that each sound frequency in the range is perceptible to the particular user at a selected input power density limit, wherein first rules implemented by the mapper constrain a set of sound frequencies within the determined range of sound frequencies;

a transformer configured to receive the sequence of phonemes representative of the sequence of spoken words and the map and to generate a sequence of stimulus definitions corresponding to the sequence of phonemes; and

a receiver configured to obtain and convert the sequence of stimulus definitions into electrical waveforms used to stimulate a part of the particular user'"'"'s body according to the sequence of stimulus definitions such that the sequence of spoken words can be discerned by the particular user.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the receiver comprises a digital to analog converter.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the receiver additionally comprises an amplifier and a transducer.

4. The system of claim 2, additionally comprising an electrode array configured to receive the electrical waveforms, wherein the electrode array comprises a plurality of mechanical stimulators.

5. The system of claim 2, additionally comprising an electrode array configured to receive the electrical waveforms, wherein the electrode array comprises a plurality of electrodes.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the sequence of stimulus definitions comprise digital representations of nerve stimulation patterns.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the mapper configured to assign the symbolic representation to each phoneme utilizes a list of phonemes based on the language of the particular user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein, for the English language, the map comprises thirty-nine combinations of nerve stimuli mapped to thirty-nine phonemes, wherein each of the thirty-nine combinations of nerve stimuli comprise between one to six individual stimulus, wherein each of the thirty-nine combinations of nerve stimuli are derived from the common pool, wherein the common pool includes six individual stimuli.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the nerve stimuli are associated with a hearing prosthesis.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the hearing prosthesis comprises a cochlear implant.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each symbolic representation includes electrode assignments.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the stimulus definitions comprise sets of one or more stimuli.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each stimulus of the sets of one or more stimuli comprises a begin time parameter, wherein a value of the begin time parameter is not based on a refractory period of human ear nerve fibers.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the begin time parameter is representative of a time from an end of components of a previous stimulus definition.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein each stimulus of the sets of one or more stimuli comprises an end time parameter, wherein a value of the end time parameter is not based on a refractory period of human ear nerve fibers.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the end time parameter has a value in a range between 90 milliseconds and 150 milliseconds.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the end time parameter has a value in a range between 45 milliseconds and 75 milliseconds.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the acoustic parameters include a begin time, an end time, a power at a frequency of a particular stimulus, a change in power between the begin time and the end time at the frequency of the particular stimulus, a change in cycles per second between the begin time and the end time of the frequency of the particular stimulus, a pulse rate of a stimulus of a particular power at the frequency of the particular stimulus, and a duty cycle.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the first rules implemented by the mapper generate a set of sound frequency values evenly separated on a log scale.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the minimum number of stimuli is expressed by log₂ (the number of phonemes in the phoneme set for the particular user).

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the acoustic parameters include frequency, duration, intensity and stimulus rates.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the selecting between one and the minimum number of stimuli from the common pool is constrained by second rules implemented by a mathematical formulation.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the second rules implemented by the mathematical formulation generate a second set of one or more sound frequencies, within the determined range of sound frequencies, for each phoneme.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein each symbolic representation corresponding to a particular phoneme has between one and the minimum number of stimuli assigned, wherein the values of each acoustic parameter of the set of acoustic parameters can vary for each phoneme.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver comprises a digital to analog converter and an amplifier.

26. A system for processing a sequence of spoken words into stimulation of a part of a user'"'"'s body using a sequence of sets of nerve stimuli, each set of nerve stimuli being a symbolic representation of a phoneme of a particular user'"'"'s language, the system comprising:

a converter configured to receive a sequence of spoken words and to digitize electrical signals representative of a sequence of spoken words;

a speech recognizer configured to receive the digitized electrical signals and generate a sequence of phonemes representative of the sequence of spoken words, wherein a number of possible phonemes in a phoneme set for a particular user is based on a spoken language used by the particular user;

a mapper configured to receive a particular user'"'"'s audiogram and to assign a symbolic representation to each phoneme, utilizing the particular user'"'"'s audiogram to select one common pool of six stimuli from which each symbolic representation is constructed, each symbolic representation comprising between one and six stimuli selected from the one common pool so as to generate a map, wherein each of the selected one to six stimuli has a set of corresponding acoustic parameters, and wherein the particular user'"'"'s audiogram is used to determine a range of sound frequencies such that each sound frequency in the range is perceptible to the particular user at a selected input power density limit, wherein first rules implemented by the mapper constrain a set of sound frequencies within the determined range of sound frequencies;

a transformer configured to receive the sequence of phonemes representative of the sequence of spoken words and the map and to generate a sequence of stimulus definitions corresponding to the sequence of phonemes; and

a receiver configured to receive and convert the sequence of stimulus definitions into electrical waveforms used to stimulate a part of the particular user'"'"'s body according to the sequence of stimulus definitions such that the sequence of spoken words can be discerned by the particular user.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the acoustic parameters include a begin time, an end time, a power at a frequency of a particular stimulus, a change in power between the begin time and the end time at the frequency of the particular stimulus, a change in cycles per second between the begin time and the end time of the frequency of the particular stimulus, a pulse rate of a stimulus of a particular power at the frequency of the particular stimulus, and a duty cycle.