IMPLANTABLE AUDITORY STIMULATION SYSTEM AND METHOD WITH OFFSET IMPLANTED MICROPHONES

• US 20100317913A1
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Original Assignee: Otologics, LLC
• Inventors: Conn, Brian M., Bedoya, José H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,771,166 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/25
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/18 Internal ear or nose parts, e.g. ear-drums implants for middle ear ventilation or drainage A61F11/202
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/183 Ear parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36036 of the outer, middle or inner ear
• 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 2430/03 Synergistic effects of band splitting and sub-band processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/20 Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic H04R2203/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/353 Frequency, e.g. frequency shift or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/405 by combining a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/407 Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
• 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

An improved implantable auditory stimulation system includes two or more implanted microphones for transcutaneous detection of acoustic signals. Each of the implanted microphones provides an output signal. The microphone output signals may be combinatively utilized by an implanted processor to generate a signal for driving an implanted auditory stimulation device. The implanted microphones may be located at offset subcutaneous locations and/or may be provided with different design sensitivities, wherein combinative processing of the microphone output signals may yield an improved drive signal. In one embodiment, the microphone signal may be processed for beamforming and/or directionality purposes.

Claims

1. An implantable auditory stimulation system, comprising:

a plurality of microphones, including at least a first microphone, operative to transcutaneously receive acoustic signals and generate a first microphone output signal in response thereto, and a second microphone operative to transcutaneously receive acoustic signals and generate a second output signal in response thereto;

a processor, operatively interconnected to said first microphone and to said second microphone, adapted to use said first microphone output signal and said second microphone output signal to generate a drive signal; and

,

an implantable auditory stimulation device, operatively interconnected to said processor, adapted to stimulate an auditory system of a patient in response to said drive signal.

2. An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first microphone has a first predetermined minimum sensitivity across a first predetermined frequency range, wherein said second microphone has a second predetermined minimum sensitivity across a second frequency range, and wherein said first and second predetermined frequency ranges are at least partially non-overlapping.

3. An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first microphone has a first predetermined minimum sensitivity of approximately −

60 to −

50 dBV/0.1 Pa across a first frequency range of 50 H_z to 3000 H_z, and wherein said second microphone has a second predetermined minimum frequency of approximately −

60 to −

50 dBV/0.1 Pa across a second predetermined frequency range of 1500 H_z to 10000 H_z.

4. An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a first implantable housing, wherein said first microphone is disposed with the implantable housing; and

,

a second implantable housing, wherein the second microphone is disposed within the second implantable housing, and wherein the first implantable housing and the second implantable housing are separately positionable.

5. An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a flexible communication cable for use in operatively interconnecting at least one of said first microphone and said second microphone to said processor.

6. An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 5, wherein said flexible communication cable includes a connector end for selectively operative interconnection of the communications cable to and disconnect of the communication cable from said processor.

7. An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 1, wherein said processor is located in said first implantable housing.

8. An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

a flexible communication cable having an end that is one of interconnected to, and interconnectable to and disconnectable from, said processor; and

a connector that is one of interconnected to, and interconnectable to and disconnectable from, another end of said flexible communication wire, wherein said connector includes a first port, and wherein said second microphone is selectively interconnectable to and disconnectable from said first port of the connection connector.

9. An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 8, wherein said connector further includes a second port, and wherein said auditory stimulation device is selectively interconnectable to and disconnectable from said second port of the connector.

10. An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 1, wherein said auditory stimulation device is one of a middle ear stimulation device and a neurostimulation device.

11. An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 1, wherein said processor comprises:

a processing module for at least one of beamforming and directionality processing.

12. A method for use with an implantable auditory stimulation system device, comprising:

positioning a first microphone at a first subcutaneous location of a patient, wherein said first microphone is operative to transcutaneously receive acoustic signal and generate a first microphone output signals in response thereto;

locating a second microphone at a second subcutaneous location of said patient, offset from said first subcutaneous location, wherein said second microphone is operative to transcutaneously receive acoustic signals and generate a second microphone output signal in response thereto;

operatively interconnecting a processor to said first microphone and to said second microphone, wherein said processor is operative to use said first microphone output signal and said second microphone output signal to generate a drive signal to drive an implantable auditory stimulation device.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein said positioning step comprises:

locating said first microphone at in spaced relation to a surface of a skull of the patient, wherein said first microphone is at least partially isolated from bone vibrations by soft tissue disposed between said first microphone and the skull of the patient.

14. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein said locating step comprises:

interconnecting said second microphone to the skull of the patient.

15. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein said first microphone is disposed in a first housing and said second microphone is disposed in a second housing, and wherein said operatively connecting step comprises:

selectively interconnecting said processor to at least one of said first microphone and second microphone utilizing a flexible communication cable.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein said flexible communication includes at least one end adapted for selective interconnection to and disconnection from an implantable connector.

17. A method as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

sensing said acoustic signals at said first microphone with a first predetermined minimum sensitivity across a first frequency range, and at said second microphone with a second predetermined minimum sensitivity across a second frequency range, to provide said first microphone output signal and said second microphone output signal, respectively.

18. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

processing said first microphone output signal and said second microphone output signal at said processor to generate a drive signal; and

,

driving an implantable auditory stimulation device with said drive signal.

19. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein said processing step comprises:

combining said first and second microphone output signals to generate said drive signal.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein said processing step further comprises:

conditioning separately said first microphone output signal and said second microphone output signal prior to said combining step.

21. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein said processing step comprises:

conditioning said first microphone output signal and said second microphone output signal after said combining step.

22. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein said processing step comprises:

utilizing said first and second microphone output signals in at least one of beamforming and directionality processing.