EP0124930A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Cochlear implant system for an auditory prosthesis
Assignee: Australian Government
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Filing: 1984-04-09
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Granted: —
•
Expires: 2004-04-09
Abstract
Abstract A cochlear implant system includes an electrode array (1) comprising multiple platinum ring electrodes in a silastic carrier to be implanted in the cochlea of the ear. A receiver- stimulator (3) containing a semiconductor integrated circuit and other components is implanted in the patient adjacent the earto receive data information and power through tuned coil (5) using an inductive link (6) from a patient-wearable external speech processor (7) including an integrated circuit and various components which is configured or mapped to emit data signals from an EPROM programmed to suit each patient electrical stimulation perceptions through testing of the patient and his implanted stimulator/electrode using a diagnostic and programming unit (12) connected to the processor by an interface unit (10). The system allows use of various speech processing strategies including dominant spectral peak and amplitude and compression of voice pitch so as to include voiced sounds, unvoiced glottal sounds and prosodic information.
Inventors
- 👤 Peter A. Crosby
- 👤 Christopher N. Daly
- 👤 David K. Money
- 👤 James F. Patrick
- 👤 Peter M. Seligman
- 👤 Janusz A. Kuzma
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 18:10
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61N; A61N1/00; A61N1/18; A61N1/32; A61N1/36; A61N1/3605; A61N1/36128; A61N1/36146; A61N1/36182; A61N1/36185; A61N1/36036; A61N1/36038; A61N1/36039
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 78
Claim 1
Independent Claim
49 words
In a cochlear implant system having a sound to stimulation encoder means, a body-implantable receiver- stimulator and electrodes, the improvement comprising means for preventing the delivery of a stimulation signal to the electrodes except after the receipt of a correct predetermined sequence of numerical information from said encoder means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
49 words
In a cochlear implant system having a sound to stimulation encoder means, a body-implantable receiver- stimulator and electrodes, the improvement comprising means for preventing the delivery of a stimulation signal to the electrodes except after the receipt of a correct predetermined sequence of numerical information from said encoder means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
The cochlear implant system of Claim 1 wherein each item of numerical information is encoded as a number of pulses in a burst of pulses.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The cochlear implant system of Claim 2 wherein the receiver-stimulator includes means for dividing the number of received pulses in each burst of pulses by an integer, thus decoding the numerical information transmitted.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
47 words
The cochlear implant system of Claim 1 including at least one cochlear electrode and means for independently controlling the current amplitudes and pulse widths of the stimulation signal to be delivered to said electrodes, said stimulation signal comprising pulses of an equal amplitude biphasic stimulus current waveform.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The cochlear implant system of Claim 4 wherein each of said pulses of said waveform has equal pulse widths.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
The cochlear implant system of Claim 4 including one current source for determining the current during both phases of the biphasic stimulus current pulse.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
The cochlear implant system of Claim 4 including a single current source for providing stimulus signals for all electrodes.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
66 words
In a cochlear implant system having a speech processor including a sound to stimulation encoding means, a body-implantable receiver-stimulator and an electrode array implantable in the cochlea of a patient, the improvement comprising means for performing psychophysical testing on the auditory nervous system of the patient, and means for using the results of said testing for configuring the sound to stimulation encoding means for that patient.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
66 words
In a cochlear implant system having a speech processor including a sound to stimulation encoding means, a body-implantable receiver-stimulator and an electrode array implantable in the cochlea of a patient, the improvement comprising means for performing psychophysical testing on the auditory nervous system of the patient, and means for using the results of said testing for configuring the sound to stimulation encoding means for that patient.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
The cochlear implant system of Claim 8 including patient operated controls in said testing means for determining stimulation thresholds and comfort levels.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
29 words
The cochlear implant system of Claim 8 in which said sound to stimulation encoding means includes memory means for storing the configuration of said sound to stimulation encoding means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
The cochlear implant system of Claim 10 in which said memory means is an erasable programmable read-only-memory.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
28 words
The cochlear implant system of Claim 10 wherein said means for using the results of testing programs is the memory means in said sound to stimulation encoding means.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
40 words
. 13. The cochlear implant system of Claim 8 in which psychophysical testing means include means for stimulation, logging, display, and storage of the results of providing a plurality of inputs to the auditory auditory nervous system of a patient.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
40 words
The cochlear implant system of Claim 8 in which psychophysical testing means includes means for determining the mapping between acoustic parameters and stimulation parameters, and means for testing the mapping before incorporating the mapping into the patient's stimulation encoding means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
70 words
A multichannel cochlear prosthesis system for use with a patient comprising: an implantable multichannel electrode array; an implantable multichannel stimulator connected to said electrode array; an externally worn sound-to-stimulation encoding means; means, external to the patient, for testing the patient's psychophysical responses to stimulation; and means for mapping the psychophysical responses of the patient to acoustic stimulation parameters and for incorporating the results of said responses into said encoding means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
70 words
A multichannel cochlear prosthesis system for use with a patient comprising: an implantable multichannel electrode array; an implantable multichannel stimulator connected to said electrode array; an externally worn sound-to-stimulation encoding means; means, external to the patient, for testing the patient's psychophysical responses to stimulation; and means for mapping the psychophysical responses of the patient to acoustic stimulation parameters and for incorporating the results of said responses into said encoding means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system of Claim 15 in which said electrode array comprises series of spaced platinum rings fixed on a flexible strip carrier of tapering diameter.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
30 words
The system of Claim 15 in which said stimulator does not include output isolating capacitors and the DC leakage in electrodes not selected for stimulation is less than 10 microamps.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system of Claim 15 including means in said stimulator for providing a leakage current to electrodes not selected for stimulation of less than 10 microamps.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
30 words
The system of Claim 15 in which said electrodes are stimulated with a biphasic constant current thereby to provide zero D.C. current to the electrodes and substantially prevent corrosion problems.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system of Claim 15 including means for forming either bipolar or common ground stimulus signals to said electrode array.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
52 words
The system of Claim 15 including switch means for connecting one or more but less than all of the electrodes as the active electrode for stimulus and the remainder of the electrodes together to provide a return path for the current and means in said encoding means for selecting switch means positions.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
21 words
The system of Claim 15 including selection means for selecting bipolar stimulation from any pair of said electrodes in said array.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of Claim 22 in which said selection means is contained in said encoding means.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
94 words
A prosthesis comprising a multi-electrode array adapted to be implantable in a patient, an implantable stimulator means for detecting externally transmitted electrical signals identifying one or more electrodes in said array to act as a source or sink of stimulation current, and current switching means including a controllable current sink in said stimulator means operable by detected external signals and a power supply chargeable by an externally generated power supply signal to connect at least two of said electrodes variously to said power supply or said current sink in either bipolar or multipolar configuration.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
94 words
A prosthesis comprising a multi-electrode array adapted to be implantable in a patient, an implantable stimulator means for detecting externally transmitted electrical signals identifying one or more electrodes in said array to act as a source or sink of stimulation current, and current switching means including a controllable current sink in said stimulator means operable by detected external signals and a power supply chargeable by an externally generated power supply signal to connect at least two of said electrodes variously to said power supply or said current sink in either bipolar or multipolar configuration.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
28 words
The prosthesis of Claim 24 including means to switch the connections in said current switching means so as to supply biphasic signals of opposite polarity to said electrodes.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
27 words
2 6. The prosthesis of Claim 24 in which the electrode array is implanted in a patient's ear and the electrical sigals are indicative of auditory information.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
16 words
The prosthesis of Claim 24 including means to connect any two of said electrodes for stimulation.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
24 words
The prosthesis of Claim 24 including means to connect any two electrodes such that current flows between them and to isolate all other electrodes.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
23 words
The prosthesis of Claim 24 including means to connect one electrode to the current sink and all other electrodes to said power supply.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
15 words
The prosthesis of Claim 24 including means to short all electrodes together between stimulus pulses.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
82 words
A multichannel cochlear prosthesis system comprising: an implantable tissue stimulating multichannel electrode array; an implantable multichannel stimulator connected to said array; an externally worn sound to electrical signal stimulation encoding means, said encoding means including memory means programmable after implantation of said electrode array and stimulator in a patient; means for loading said memory means based on the patient's auditory perceptions in response to various electrical stimulating pulse signals; and means for controlling said stimulator by said sound to stimulation encoding means.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
82 words
A multichannel cochlear prosthesis system comprising: an implantable tissue stimulating multichannel electrode array; an implantable multichannel stimulator connected to said array; an externally worn sound to electrical signal stimulation encoding means, said encoding means including memory means programmable after implantation of said electrode array and stimulator in a patient; means for loading said memory means based on the patient's auditory perceptions in response to various electrical stimulating pulse signals; and means for controlling said stimulator by said sound to stimulation encoding means.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
29 words
The system of Claim 31 wherein the selection of which electrode or electrodes are to be used for stimulation is done in the external sound to stimulation encoding means.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system of Claim 31 wherein said memory means is a programmable read-only-memory.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system of Claim 31 wherein said memory means is an erasable programmable read-only-memory.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of Claim 31 including means for preventing the delivery of uncomfortable stimuli to the patient.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
50 words
The system of Claim 35 wherein said means for preventing delivery of uncomfortable stimuli comprises a data map stored in said encoding means wherein the maximum allowable electrical stimulus to the patient capable of being generated by the data in said data map is beneath the level which causes discomfort.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system of Claim 35 wherein said means for preventing delivery of uncomfortable stimuli comprises means for providing a common current source for biphasic current stimulation of equal duration and amplitude.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
39 words
The system of Claim 31 wherein said means for loading said memory means is separably attachable to said encoding means when it is desired during patient testing to configure or reconfigure the memory means based on the patient's perceptions.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
41 words
The system of Claim 31 wherein said means to input the memory means includes means to select subsets of up to all of the electrodes in said array to be used for stimulation in response to a given auditory input signal.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system of Claim 31 including means to select the order of pitch ranking of the electrodes in the array and to configure the encoding means in response to the patient's selections of such ranking.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system of Claim 31 including means for simultaneous independent selection of particular electrodes for stimulation, the stimulation rate and stimulation amplitude for each stimulation.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system of Claim 38 further including acoustic simulation means in said testing and programming means for monitoring the stimulus signals delivered to the implanted stimulator.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system of Claim 31 further including means for displaying continuously a visual indication of the electrode selected by the transmitted data from the sound to stimulation encoding means for the purpose of monitoring.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
44 words
The system of Claim 31 further including means in the sound to stimulation encoding means for generating information leading to the application of a known and unvarying train of stimulus pulses from the implantable stimulator to selected electrodes to verify operation of the system.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
46 words
The system of Claim 31 in which said means to control the stimulator by said sound to stimulator encoding means includes means to transmit and receive power and data, said means to receive power and data including a receiver coil means, said coil means being tunable.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system of Claim 45 in which said receiver coil means is coupled via a transformer to a power and data circuit in said stimulator.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system of Claim 31 including means in said encoding means for permitting selection of various stimulation strategies.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
65 words
The system of Claim 47 wherein in said means in said encoding means for permitting selection of various stimulation strategies, the frequency of the second formant of the acoustic signal is encoded into electrode selection, the voicing frequency is encoded into stimulation rate and the amplitude of the second formant is encoded into stimulation amplitude, each of said encodations being made in said encoding means.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
50 words
The system of Claim 47 wherein in said last mentioned means the frequency of the second formant of the acoustic signal is encoded into electrode selection, the frequency of the first formant is encoded into stimulation rate and the amplitude of the overall acoustic signal is encoded into stimulation amplitude.
Claim 55
Independent Claim
26 words
The system of Claims 40 or 41 wherein said means for loading said memory means is utilized to allow choice of an optimal speech processing strategy.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
30 words
The system of Claim 31 including means in said encoding means to generate a signal to deactivate the sound to stimulation encoding means during periods of relatively constant acoustic signal.
Claim 57
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system of Claim 31 including means for configuring the program in said memory means for different patient psychophysical variables.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
33 words
The system of Claim 31 including means for preventing operation of said encoding means if an inadequal power supply voltage is present so as to prevent spurious pulses being transmitted to said stimulator.
Claim 59
Dependent Claim
39 words
The system of Claim 31 including means for preventing of delivery of stimuli by the stimulator to the electrode array if a power supply voltage to said stimulate is insufficient to give required voltage compliance to said electrode array.
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system of Claim 31 including means for programming the memory means while the memory means is connected to said encoding means.
Claim 61
Dependent Claim
42 words
The system of Claim 31 including pulse burst forming means in said encoding means and means to control said pulse burst forming means, said control means including said memory means indicative of the patient auditory perceptions in response to electric stimuli perceived.
Claim 62
Dependent Claim
50 words
The system of Claim 56 in which said encoding means and said implantable stimulator comprise integrated circuits, the circuit of said encoding means being programmed to produce sequences of constant frequency pulses with the number of pulses and time between pulse bursts being determined by either of said control means.
Claim 63
Dependent Claim
63 words
The system of Claim 56 wherein said pulse bursts are formatted in successive frames of data bursts, each frame comprising a reset start burst, an active electrode select burst, an electrode configuration mode burst, an amplitude burst, and two bursts for the two phases of stimulation pulses, and means to provide a time interval between each of said bursts within each said frame.
Claim 64
Dependent Claim
29 words
The system of Claim 58 including means to utilize the top 10 to 20 dB of the current acoustic stimulus level to determine stimulus amplitude for said amplitude burst.
Claim 65
Dependent Claim
47 words
The system of Claim 58 further including means to minimize energy consumption by said stimulator to allow said stimulator to be in an active state when subsequent stimulus data frames are transmitted, so as to eliminate the need for a start power pulse in every stimulation frame.
Claim 66
Dependent Claim
21 words
' The system of Claim 56 including a frame of data bursts including two phase simulation bursts of constant time duration.
Claim 67
Dependent Claim
32 words
The system of Claim 31 further including means in said encoding means to determine amplitude of output current by duration of amplitude burst and means to reduce amplitude by increasing burst duration.
Claim 68
Dependent Claim
58 words
The system of Claim 31 wherein said stimulator comprises a digital circuit including an error detection circuit to generate signals to a state counter, means to reset said counter, said state counter being incremented through frame sequences of data bursts from said encoding means by a signal asserted at the end of every data burst other than reset.
Claim 69
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system of Claim 34 further including means to erase and reprogram said memory while it is plugged into said encoding means.
Claim 70
Dependent Claim
29 words
The system of Claim 31 wherein said means for loading -said memory means is tailored to each patient's perceptions and said memory means is programmed to reflect said perceptions.
Claim 71
Dependent Claim
29 words
The sysem of Claim 65 further including means in said sound to stimulation encoding means for selecting a subset of from one to all of said electrodes for stimulation.
Claim 72
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system of Claim 31 further including means for providing a monotonic substantially exponentially decreasing relationship between a coded current amplitude of a stimulus to said electrodes and the actual current delivered to said electrodes.
Claim 73
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system of Claim 67 including means for limiting the maximum current to be delivered to said electrodes.
Claim 74
Dependent Claim
53 words
A speech processor encoding means for a cochlear prosthesis comprising a memory means, means for programming a data format indicative of a patient's auditory perceptions into said memory means, means for mapping from said auditory perceptions to simulation parameters and means to program said resultant map of said parameters into said memory means.
Claim 75
Dependent Claim
53 words
A speech processor encoding means for a cochlear prosthesis comprising a memory means, means for programming a data format indicative of a patient's auditory perceptions into said memory means, means for mapping from said auditory perceptions to simulation parameters and means to program said resultant map of said parameters into said memory means.
Claim 76
Dependent Claim
18 words
70: The invention of Claim 69 including means for generating pulse burst sequences controlled by said memory means.
Claim 77
Dependent Claim
20 words
The invention of Claim 70 in which said burst sequences power and control a receiver-stimulator implantable in the patient's cochlea.
Claim 78
Dependent Claim
21 words
The invention of Claim 71 including means for preventing burst sequences to said receiver-stimulator of an uncomfortable perception to the patient.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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