Med-El Elektromedizinische Geraete Gmbh

Med-El Elektro-Medizinische Gerate Gesellschaft M.b.h.

Peter Nopp

Peter Schleich

Dirk Meister

Clemens M Zierhofer

Martin Zimmerling

Erwin Hochmair

Werner Lindenthaler

Ingeborg Hochmair

Ernst Aschbacher

Marcus Schmidt

Martin J Kerber

Richard Penninger

Chris Durst

Andrea Nobbe

Hansjörg Schoesser

Daniel Hofer

Martin Kerber

Hansjorg Schoesser

Electrode stimulation signals are generated for an implanted electrode array. An acoustic audio signal is processed with a bank of filters that are each associated with a band of audio frequencies, and a set of band pass signals is generated with each band pass signal corresponding to the band of frequencies associated with one of the filters. Stimulation information is extracted from the band pass signals to generate a set of stimulation event signals defining electrode stimulation signals. Then the stimulation event signals are weighted with a weighted matrix of stimulation amplitudes reflecting patient-specific perceptual characteristics to produce a set of electrode stimulation signals for electrodes in the implanted electrode array.

Tonotopic implant stimulation

Fitting a multi-channel cochlear implant system to an implanted patient is described. A fit map database is accessed that contains parameter data from fit maps of previously measured cochlear implant patients. For subsets of signal channels in each fit map, an average deviation is established between estimated parameter values and measured parameter values across signal channels not in a given subset based on measured parameter values of signal channels in the given subset. For a given number of signal channels, a subset of the same number of signal channels is identified that has a minimum average deviation. Then fit parameters for signal channels in the identified subset are measured and fit parameters for the remaining signal channels not in the identified subset are estimated.

Accelerated fitting of ear implants

A system and method for activating stimulation electrodes in cochlear implant electrode is described. A preprocessor filter bank is configured to process an input acoustic audio signal to generate band pass signals that each represent an associated band of audio frequencies. An information extractor is configured to extract stimulation signal information from the band pass signals based on assigning the band pass signals to corresponding electrode stimulation groups that each contain one or more stimulation electrodes, and generates a set of stimulation event signals for each electrode stimulation group that define electrode stimulation timings and amplitudes. A pulse selector is configured to select a set of electrode stimulation signals from the stimulation event signals based on a pulse weighting function that uses channel-specific weighting factors favoring lower frequencies for activating the stimulation electrodes to stimulate neighboring audio nerve tissue.

Cochlear implant stimulation with low frequency channel privilege

An implant includes a humidity sensor for generating a signal indicative of humidity within the implant. A controller within the implant receives the signal indicative of humidity, and controls the implant based on the signal indicative of humidity.

Implant sensor and control

A system and method for activating stimulation electrodes in cochlear implant electrode is described. A preprocessor filter bank processes an input acoustic audio signal to generate band pass signals that each represent an associated band of audio frequencies. An information extractor extracts stimulation signal information from the band pass signals based on assigning the band pass signals to corresponding electrode stimulation groups that each contain one or more stimulation electrodes, and generates a set of stimulation event signals for each electrode stimulation group that define electrode stimulation timings and amplitudes. A pulse selector selects a set of electrode stimulation signals from the stimulation event signals based on a pulse weighting function that uses channel-specific weighting factors favoring lower frequencies for activating the stimulation electrodes to stimulate neighboring audio nerve tissue.

A system and method of signal processing for a hearing implant. The hearing implant includes at least one electrode, each electrode associated with a channel specific sampling sequence. An acoustic audio signal is processed to generate for each electrode a band pass signal representing an associated band of audio frequency. For each electrode, a sequence signal is determined as a function of the electrode's associated band pass signal and channel specific sampling sequence. An envelope of each band pass signal is determined. The envelope of each band pass signal is filtered to reduce modulations resulting from unresolved harmonics, creating for each electrode an associated filtered envelope signal. Each electrode's sequence signal is weighted based, at least in part, on the electrode's associated filtered envelope signal.

Enhancing fine time structure transmission for hearing implant system

A system and method for activating electrodes in an implanted electrode array with a stimulation signal is described. A stimulation definition stage, for each of a plurality of defined sound signal characteristics (C), assigns each electrode to one of a plurality of stimulation groups (G) each having an associated group stimulation amplitude function (A), where (G) varies with (C). An electrode stimulator activates each electrode as the stimulation signal varies based on spectral components of the stimulation signal.

Growing community of inventors

Birgitz, Austria

Peter Nopp