Cochlear Implant Electrode Array Simultaneous Stimulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cochlear implant stimulation strategies, such as CIS, primarily utilize envelope information, discarding fine structure details, which limits music perception and tone language understanding, and increasing pulse repetition rates is hindered by pulse duration and amplitude constraints.
Innovation Solution
A method of simultaneously activating multiple electrodes in a cochlear implant using sign-correlated pulses, calculating amplitudes based on spatial channel interaction with exponential decay constants and electrode-specific weighting factors, allowing for increased pulse rates without reducing pulse durations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pulse repetition rate is increased to improve information transmission, then productivity is improved, but pulse duration must be reduced which worsens reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-calculates and stores impulse responses for each electrode position before stimulation occurs. These pre-computed responses characterize the electrical field decay patterns, enabling rapid determination of simultaneous stimulation parameters without real-time computation delays. This preliminary preparation allows the system to handle higher stimulation rates while maintaining accurate temporal representation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the stimulation paradigm from sequential to simultaneous electrode activation. By activating multiple electrodes at the same time with amplitude-modulated pulses, the system increases the overall information transmission rate without reducing individual pulse durations. The amplitude modulation allows encoding of multiple parameters simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between stimulation rate and temporal accuracy.
2Productivity
If multiple electrodes are activated simultaneously to increase information transmission, then productivity is improved, but spatial channel interaction causes distortion which worsens measurement precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback by using measured or modeled impulse responses that characterize the actual electrical field interactions between electrodes. These impulse responses are used to predict and compensate for spatial channel interaction effects, allowing the system to adjust stimulation amplitudes to achieve desired activation patterns despite the presence of electrical field overlap between simultaneously activated electrodes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the stimulation approach by modulating pulse amplitudes according to pre-calculated factors derived from impulse response characteristics. This amplitude modulation compensates for spatial channel interaction, allowing simultaneous electrode activation without significant distortion. The system changes from simple on/off electrode control to amplitude-modulated simultaneous stimulation, resolving the precision issue while maintaining high information transmission rates.
3Reliability
If pulse amplitude is increased to maintain speech perception quality, then reliability is improved, but power consumption increases which worsens use of energy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the stimulation of multiple electrodes into simultaneous activation events. By combining the electrical fields from multiple electrodes constructively through amplitude modulation, the system achieves the desired speech perception quality with lower individual pulse amplitudes compared to sequential stimulation. This merging approach reduces peak power requirements while maintaining effective neural activation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes from high-amplitude sequential pulses to lower-amplitude simultaneous pulses with amplitude modulation. The amplitude modulation encodes the necessary information while using lower peak amplitudes, thereby reducing power consumption. The system trades off simple pulse timing for amplitude-modulated simultaneous stimulation, achieving energy efficiency without sacrificing speech perception quality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables higher stimulation rates while maintaining speech perception, potentially improving music perception and tone language understanding without increasing power consumption or pulse amplitude.
Implementation Method 1
calculating amplitudes based on spatial channel interaction with exponential decay constants and electrode-specific weighting factors
Implementation Method 2
simultaneous electrical nerve stimulation for cochlear implants
Data Source
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Figure 3(a)~3(c)
AI summary
A method, system and computer product for simultaneously activating at least two electrodes in a multichannel electrode array is presented. The method includes calculating pulse amplitudes of the electrodes in the multichannel array by taking into account parameters of spatial channel interaction reflecting geometric overlapping of electrical fields from each electrode. Calculating is based, at least in part, on place- independent impulse responses characterized by a first exponential decay constant a at a first side of the electrode and a second exponential decay constant ß at a second side of the electrode, such that the first exponential decay constant a is the same for each electrode in the array, and the second exponential decay constant ß is the same for each electrode in the array.