Cochlear Limited

Zachary Mark Smith

Peter Gibson

Paul Michael Carter

Michael Goorevich

Kenneth Oplinger

Stefan Jozef Mauger

Christopher Van Den Honert

Christopher Joseph Long

Naomi Croghan

Sara Ingrid Duran

Bastiaan Van Dijk

Brett Anthony Swanson

Harish Krishnamoorthi

Wendy Potts

Daniel M Lisogurski

Robert P Carlyon

Christopher J Long

Presented herein are techniques for bilateral-coordination of channel selection in bilateral hearing prosthesis systems. A bilateral hearing prosthesis system comprises first and second hearing prostheses each configured to receive sound signals, and a processing module. The processing module is configured to select, based on bilateral sound information, a set of sound processing channels for use by both of the first and second hearing prostheses. The first hearing prosthesis is configured stimulate the first ear of the recipient using stimulation generated from the sound signals received at the first hearing prosthesis and processed in at least the set of sound processing channels by the first hearing prosthesis. The second hearing prosthesis is configured stimulate the second ear of the recipient using stimulation generated from the sound signals received at the second hearing prosthesis and processed in at least the set of sound processing channels by the second hearing prosthesis.

Bilaterally-coordinated channel selection

Presented herein are techniques for assessing one or more outcomes associated with implantation of one or more electrodes into the inner ear of a recipient.

Inner ear electrode implantation outcome assessment

Presented herein are techniques to control the spread of current beyond, in an apical direction, a predetermined location/point in the cochlea. As a result, the techniques presented herein create a protected apical zone at an apical side of the predetermined location for undisturbed acoustic temporal coding (i.e., an apical region of the cochlea in which the voltage fields from delivered current signals are nulled, minimized, or otherwise controlled in order to eliminate, reduce, or otherwise limit electro-acoustic interactions that could negatively affect remaining low-frequency hair cells).

Electro-acoustic interaction control in auditory prostheses

Presented herein are binaural hearing prosthesis systems that are configured to provide a recipient with pitch cues at both ears, while preserving/retaining binaural timing cues.

Synchronized pitch and timing cues in a hearing prosthesis system

Presented herein are techniques that use acoustic scene (environmental) analysis to determine the sound class of sound signals received at a hearing prosthesis and, accordingly, assess the estimated listening difficulty that the acoustic environment presents to a recipient of the hearing prosthesis. This difficulty of the recipient's listening situation can be used to adjust, adapt, or otherwise set the resolution of the electrical stimulation signals delivered to the recipient to evoke perception of the sound signals. In other words, the resolution of the electrical stimulation signals is dynamically adapted based on the present acoustic environment of the hearing prosthesis.

Dynamic stimulus resolution adaption

A method performed by an electronic controller includes determining a charge level of a power supply configured to provide power to a medical device, and estimating, based on the charge level of the power supply, a first power supply life for operating the medical device according to a first mode. Further, the method includes estimating, based on the charge level of the power supply, a second power supply life for operating the medical device according to a second mode. As recited, operating the medical device according to the first mode has a different power use or consumption characteristic from operating the medical device according to the second mode. The method also includes generating a notification indicative of the first power supply life and the second power supply life.

Power management features

Presented herein are techniques for enhancing a hearing prosthesis recipient's perception of multiple frequencies present in received sound signals. The hearing prosthesis is configured to extract a plurality of frequencies from the received sound signals and to use the plurality of frequencies to modulate the amplitudes of different stimulation pulse sequences that are to be delivered to the recipient via different stimulation channels. The hearing prosthesis may also adapt a stimulation resolution of the stimulation pulse sequences when delivering the modulated stimulation pulses sequences to the recipient.

Multiple sound source encoding in hearing prostheses

A method of at least partially fitting a hearing prosthesis device to a recipient, including obtaining access to a sensory prosthesis that has been used to evoke a sensory percept using a first focusing regime for a temporal period corresponding to at least acclimation to the first focusing regime and adjusting a control setting of the prosthesis to increase focusing relative to that which is the case with respect to the first focusing regime, wherein the action of adjusting the control setting includes purposely adjusting the control setting to have focusing that is effectively less focused than a maximum focus possible.

Focusing methods for a prosthesis

Attenuation covers are used to reduce the amplitude of input signals at a microphone or other sound-receiving component of an auditory prosthesis. The auditory prosthesis detects distortion present in the output signal from sound processing components and notifies a recipient that an attenuation cover is recommended or desirable. Use of the cover can provide a clearer output signal to the recipient, so as to improve the recipient experience. Such covers can be particularly useful in environments where the input sound signals exceed the dynamic range of the auditory prosthesis.

Growing community of inventors

Macquarie University, Australia

Zachary Mark Smith