Cochlear implant system

Abstract

A digital finite impulse response bandpass filter is described. Analog to digital conversion (A/D) of an input signal uses a Sigma-Delta (.SIGMA.-.DELTA.) converter, resulting in a digital sequence representation of the input signal. A low-pass FIR filter convolves the binary sequence to produce a low-pass vector, and a digital comb filter defined by at least one set of weighted and time-shifted unit impulses convolves the low-pass vector with the comb filter weights. An envelope detector detects a bandpass envelope of the digital FIR bandpass filter. Also described is a filter bank of a plurality of such digital FIR filters arranged in parallel. A square root of a sum of squares of the convolution products of the low-pass vector with the comb filter weights is calculated to estimate the bandpass envelope. The square root of the sum of two squares is estimated by determining the greater of the roots of the two squares and the lesser of the roots of the two squares, calculating a sum of one half the lesser of the roots of the two squares and one half a product of the greater of the roots of the two squares and the square root of three, and selecting whichever is larger between the greater of the roots of the two squares and the sum of one half the lesser of the roots of the two squares and one half the product of the greater of the roots of the two squares and the square root of three.