Simultaneous Intracochlear Stimulation

• US 20090036962A1
• Filed: 09/11/2008
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MED-EL Elektromedizinische Gerate GmbH (MED-EL Corporation)
• Original Assignee: MED-EL Elektromedizinische Gerate GmbH (MED-EL Corporation)
• Inventors: Zierhofer, Clemens
• Granted Patent: US 8,165,686 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/137
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0541 Cochlear electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36038 Cochlear stimulation

Abstract

A method, system and computer product for simultaneously activating at least two electrodes in a multichannel electrode array is presented. The method includes calculating pulse amplitudes of the electrodes in the multichannel array by taking into account parameters of spatial channel interaction reflecting geometric overlapping of electrical fields from each electrode. Calculating is based, at least in part, on place-independent impulse responses characterized by a first exponential decay constant α at a first side of the electrode and a second exponential decay constant β at a second side of the electrode, such that the first exponential decay constant α is the same for each electrode in the array, and the second exponential decay constant β is the same for each electrode in the array.

Claims

1. A method of simultaneously activating at least two electrodes in a multichannel electrode array, the method comprising:

calculating pulse amplitudes of the electrodes in the multichannel array by taking into account parameters of spatial channel interaction reflecting geometric overlapping of electrical fields from each electrode, wherein calculating is based, at least in part, on place-independent impulse responses characterized by a first exponential decay constant α

at a first side of the electrode and a second exponential decay constant β

at a second side of the electrode, such that the first exponential decay constant α

is the same for each electrode in the array, and the second exponential decay constant β

is the same for each electrode in the array.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein calculating further includes applying place-dependent weighting factors to account for place-dependent impulse responses.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating includes using properties of a tri-diagonal matrix.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first exponential decay constant α

does not equal the second exponential decay constant β

.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating includes;

determining a desired potential for a given position relative to the electrode array, the desired potential determined based, at least in part, on a continuous-interleaved-sampling strategy;

determining amplitudes of simultaneous, sign-correlated pulses associated with the electrodes by adding resulting potentials from each of the sign-correlated pulses at the given position, so as to provide a total potential at the given position substantially equal to the desired potential.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising simultaneously activating the at least two electrodes using sign-correlated pulses so as to stimulate the acoustic nerve.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the multichannel electrode array uses a monopolar configuration having a remote ground.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the multichannel electrode array includes a first electrode at the beginning of the array, and a second electrode at the end of the array, and wherein the method for calculating includes introducing a fictitious electrode neighboring at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode.

9. A cochlear implant system comprising:

a multi-channel electrode array including at least two electrodes; and

a stimulator that calculates amplitudes of electrode stimulation signals associated with the electrodes as a function of spatial channel interaction reflecting geometric overlapping of electrical fields from each electrode, wherein calculating is based, at least in part, on place-independent impulse responses characterized by a first exponential decay constant α

at a first side of the electrode and a second exponential decay constant β

at a second side of the electrode, such that the first exponential decay constant α

is the same for each electrode in the array, and the second exponential decay constant β

is the same for each electrode in the array.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the simulator applies place-dependent weighting factors to account for place-dependent impulse responses when calculating the amplitudes of the electrode stimulation signals.

11. The implant system according to claim 9, wherein the first exponential decay constant α

does not equal the second exponential decay constant β

.

12. The implant system according to claim 9, wherein the stimulator uses properties of a tri-diagonal matrix to determine the amplitudes of the electrode signals.

13. The implant system according to claim 9, wherein the electrode array is arranged in a monopolar electrode configuration having a remote ground.

14. The implant system according to claim 9, wherein the stimulator simultaneously activates the at least two electrodes using sign-correlated pulses.

15. The implant system according to claim 9, further comprising a speech processor that includes a filter bank for receiving an acoustic audio signal, each filter in the bank of filters associated with one of the electrodes in the multi-channel electrode array, and wherein the speech processor derives a weighting factor for each electrode in the multi-channel electrode array from an associated channel filter.

16. The implant system according to claim 9, wherein the multichannel electrode array includes a first electrode at the beginning of the array, and a second electrode at the end of the array, and wherein the stimulator introduces a fictitious electrode neighboring at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode when calculating the amplitudes.

17. A computer program product for use on a computer system for stimulating electrodes in a multichannel electrode array, each channel associated with an electrode in the array, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, the computer readable program code including:

program code for calculating amplitudes of electrode stimulation signals associated with the electrodes in the electrode array as a function of spatial channel interaction reflecting geometric overlapping of electrical fields from each electrode, wherein calculating is based, at least in part, on place-independent impulse responses characterized by a first exponential decay constant α

at a first side of the electrode and a second exponential decay constant β

at a second side of the electrode, such that the first exponential decay constant α

is the same for each electrode in the array, and the second exponential decay constant β

is the same for each electrode in the array.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the program code for calculating further includes program code for applying place-dependent weighting factors to account for place-dependent impulse responses.

19. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the program code for calculating includes program code for using properties of a tri-diagonal matrix.

20. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the first exponential decay constant α

does not equal the second exponential decay constant β

.

21. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the program code for calculating includes;

program code for determining a desired potential for a given position relative to the electrode array, the desired potential determined based, at least in part, on a continuous-interleaved-sampling strategy;

program code for determining amplitudes of simultaneous, sign-correlated pulses associated with at least two electrodes of the multi-channel array by adding resulting potentials from each of the sign-correlated pulses at the given position, so as to provide a total potential at the given position substantially equal to the desired potential.

22. The computer program product according to claim 17, further comprising program code for simultaneously stimulating the at least two electrodes using sign-correlated pulses.

23. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the multichannel electrode array includes a first electrode at the beginning of the array, and a second electrode at the end of the array, and wherein the program code for calculating includes program code for introducing a fictitious electrode neighboring at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode.