Photostimulation artificial cochlea

Abstract

The invention discloses a photostimulation artificial cochlea which comprises an in-vitro machine and an implant, the in-vitro machine is divided into a sound processor and a transmitting coil, the in-vivo implant is divided into a receiving coil, a decoder and a nano laser, and the sound processor is used for processing sound signals and generating corresponding current parameters; the transmitting coil is used for transmitting a radio-frequency signal carrying a current parameter to the in-vivo implant by utilizing electromagnetic induction; the receiving coil is used for receiving the radio frequency signal transmitted by the transmitting coil; the decoder is used for analyzing the radio-frequency signal, restoring the radio-frequency signal into an electric signal and sending the electric signal to the corresponding nano laser; the nanometer laser is used for converting a received electric signal into a laser signal, and the laser signal is irradiated to the auditory nerve element through the optical fiber or directly irradiated to realize optical stimulation. According to the invention, efficient and fidelity transmission and processing of sound are realized, auditory definition and spatial resolution of a user are improved, and more natural and comfortable auditory experience is provided for a patient with hearing impairment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular to a light-stimulated cochlear implant. Background Art

[0002] Traditional cochlear implants transmit sound signals through electrical stimulation of cochlear auditory neurons. While a multi-channel design allows for frequency-dependent stimulation of different electrodes, the close proximity between the electrodes (typically only about 1mm) makes aliasing of the electric field from the electrical stimulation difficult to avoid. This aliasing can cause two or more electrodes to simultaneously activate the same neuron, resulting in confusion or difficulty in distinguishing the encoded sound information, severely impacting the cochlear implant's frequency resolution and the user's auditory experience. Laser stimulation, with its higher spatial resolution and reduced intertissue diffusion, is considered a promising alternative to electrical stimulation. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a light-stimulated cochlear implant, which aims to solve the problem of decreased frequency resolution caused by electrode electric field aliasing in traditional cochlear implants, achieve efficient and fidelity transmission and processing of sound, improve the user's auditory clarity and spatial resolution, and provide hearing-impaired patients with a more natural and comfortable auditory experience.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a light-stimulated cochlear implant, comprising an external device and an implant. The external device comprises a sound processor and a transmitting coil, while the internal implant comprises a receiving coil, a decoder, and a nanolaser.

[0005] The sound processor is used to process the sound signal and generate corresponding current parameters;

[0006] The transmitting coil is used to transmit a radio frequency signal carrying current parameters to an implant in the body by using electromagnetic induction;

[0007] The receiving coil is used to receive the radio frequency signal transmitted by the transmitting coil;

[0008] The decoder is used to analyze the radio frequency signal, restore it to an electrical signal, and send it to the corresponding nanolaser;

[0009] Nanolasers are used to convert received electrical signals into laser signals, which are then transmitted through optical fibers or directly onto auditory neurons to achieve light stimulation.

[0010] Furthermore, the sound processor has a built-in microphone for receiving external sound signals.

[0011] Furthermore, the sound processor processes signal amplification, filtering, signal frequency division, and energy extraction.

[0012] Furthermore, the signal amplification is intended to increase the amplitude of weak voice signals, and the calculation method is:

[0013] ,

[0014] Among them, G is the adjustable gain coefficient, s amp (t) is the amplified sound signal, and s(t) is the sound signal collected by the microphone.

[0015] Furthermore, the filtering is used to suppress background noise and is implemented using a bandpass filter, and its calculation formula is:

[0016] ,

[0017] Among them, s(t) is the input signal, y(t) is the output signal after filtering, and b i 、a j is the filter coefficient, N and M are the filter orders, and i and j are intermediate variables.

[0018] Furthermore, the signal frequency division is to divide the voice signal into different frequency bands to map to the laser channel used for stimulation. The frequency band division is achieved using the short-time Fourier transform method. The calculation formula is:

[0019] ,

[0020] Wherein, w(n) is the window function, and S(t, f) represents the energy value at time t and frequency.

[0021] Furthermore, energy extraction is used to calculate the energy of each frequency band. The calculation formula is:

[0022] ,

[0023] Among them, E k That is, the electrical stimulation parameter of the kth channel, where k corresponds to the number of nanolaser channels.

[0024] Furthermore, the laser signal emitted by the laser is a near-infrared wavelength of 1550-1850 nm.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the present system and method have the following advantages:

[0026] 1. The laser stimulation sent by the present invention has extremely high spatial resolution, can accurately activate target neurons, and avoid electric field aliasing.

[0027] ‌2. The laser signal energy controlled and converted in the present invention diffuses very little between tissues, reducing damage to surrounding tissues.

[0028] 3. The nanolaser of the present invention has long-term stability and can ensure the long-term effective use of the cochlear implant. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the distribution of light stimulation of the cochlear implant's external structure and the implanted ear structure.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a diagram of the working principle of the nanolaser. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] like Figure 1 Figure 1 shows the distribution of the external cochlear implant and the implanted ear structure. The dashed line delineates the separation between the external and implanted parts. The external part consists of the sound processor 1 and the transmitting coil 2, while the implant consists of the receiving coil 3, the decoder 4, and the nanolaser 5.

[0033] The sound processor 1 has a built-in microphone. The external device receives external sound signals through the internal microphone and processes the sound signals, namely, signal amplification (enhancing the dynamic range of the signal), filtering (eliminating background noise), signal frequency division (decomposing the sound signal into 26 frequency bands), and energy extraction (calculating the energy of the frequency bands) to generate corresponding current parameters.

[0034] The signal amplification is to increase the amplitude of weak voice signals. The calculation method is:

[0035]

[0036] Among them, G is the adjustable gain coefficient, s amp (t) is the amplified sound signal, and s(t) is the sound signal collected by the microphone.

[0037] Filtering is generally used to suppress background noise, which can be achieved by using a bandpass filter. The calculation formula is:

[0038]

[0039] Among them, s(t) is the input signal, y(t) is the output signal after filtering, and b i 、a j is the filter coefficient, N and M are the filter orders.

[0040] Signal frequency division is to divide the speech signal into different frequency bands to map them to the laser channels used for stimulation. The frequency band division can be achieved by short-time Fourier transform. The calculation formula is:

[0041]

[0042] Wherein, w(n) is the window function, and S(t, f) represents the energy value at time t and frequency.

[0043] Energy extraction is used to calculate the energy of each frequency band. The calculation formula is:

[0044]

[0045] Among them, E k That is, it is the electrical stimulation parameter of the kth channel, where k corresponds to the number of nanolaser channels, which is 22 in the embodiment.

[0046] The transmitting coil 2 uses electromagnetic induction to transmit the radio frequency signal carrying the current parameter, namely E k The value is sent to the implant; the receiving coil 3 in the body receives the RF signal. The decoder 4 analyzes the RF signal and converts it into electrical signals corresponding to the different frequencies of the original sound signal. These electrical signals are then transmitted to different nanolasers 5 to control the laser output.

[0047] like Figure 2 Figure 2 shows the working principle of the nanolaser 5. The nanolaser 5 converts received electrical signals into laser signals, outputting different laser signals through corresponding channels. The laser signals have a near-infrared wavelength of 1550-1850nm. Laser radiation energy within this wavelength range is most efficiently converted into cochlear responses. Laser radiation is irradiated through optical fibers or directly onto auditory neurons, stimulating different locations in the cochlea. This in turn stimulates the auditory nerves in different locations of the cochlea, causing nerve impulses and auditory responses. The auditory nerves, stimulated by the corresponding light, generate nerve impulses that are then transmitted to the brain to produce hearing.

[0048] While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, and that the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A light-stimulated cochlear implant, characterized in that: It consists of an external device and an implant. The external device is divided into a sound processor and a transmitting coil, and the internal implant is divided into a receiving coil, a decoder and a nano-laser. The sound processor is used to process the sound signal and generate corresponding current parameters; The transmitting coil is used to transmit a radio frequency signal carrying current parameters to an implant in the body by using electromagnetic induction; The receiving coil is used to receive the radio frequency signal transmitted by the transmitting coil; The decoder is used to analyze the radio frequency signal, restore it to an electrical signal, and send it to the corresponding nanolaser; Nanolasers are used to convert received electrical signals into laser signals, which are then transmitted through optical fibers or directly onto auditory neurons to achieve light stimulation.

2. The light-stimulated cochlear implant according to claim 1, wherein: The sound processor has a built-in microphone for receiving external sound signals.

3. The light-stimulated cochlear implant according to claim 1, wherein: The sound processing of the sound processor includes signal amplification, filtering, signal frequency division and energy extraction.

4. The light-stimulated cochlear implant according to claim 3, wherein: The signal amplification is intended to increase the amplitude of weak speech signals, and the calculation method is: ， Among them, G is the adjustable gain coefficient, s amp (t) is the amplified sound signal, and s(t) is the sound signal collected by the microphone.

5. The light-stimulated cochlear implant according to claim 1, wherein: The filtering is used to suppress background noise and is implemented using a bandpass filter. The calculation formula is: , where s(t) is the input signal, y(t) is the output signal after filtering, and b i 、a j is the filter coefficient, N and M are the filter orders, and i and j are intermediate variables.

6. The light-stimulated cochlear implant according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal frequency division is to divide the speech signal into different frequency bands to map to the laser channel used for stimulation. The frequency band division is achieved by using the short-time Fourier transform method. The calculation formula is: , where w(n) is the window function and S(t, f) represents the energy value at time t and frequency.

7. The light-stimulated cochlear implant according to claim 1, characterized in that: Energy extraction is used to calculate the energy of each frequency band. The calculation formula is: , where E k That is, it is the electrical stimulation parameter of the kth channel, k corresponds to the number of nanolaser channels, and S(t, f) represents the energy value at time t and frequency.

8. The light-stimulated cochlear implant according to claim 1, characterized in that: The laser signal emitted by the nano-laser has a near-infrared wavelength in the range of 1550-1850nm.

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