Implantable Microphone Signal Equalization and Noise Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Implantable medical devices, such as cochlear implants, face challenges in accurately detecting and processing acoustic signals due to differences in response between implanted and external sensors, and are affected by body noises, which can interfere with signal clarity and perception.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an adaptive filtering system that uses coherence between signals from an implantable microphone and an implantable vibration sensor to equalize the response of the implanted microphone to an external microphone and filter out vibration signals, thereby enhancing signal clarity and reducing body noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If an implantable microphone is used to detect acoustic signals, then the device can provide hearing assistance, but the response of the implantable microphone differs from external microphones leading to inaccurate signal detection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting filter coefficients based on coherence calculations between implantable and external microphone signals. The system modifies the frequency response parameters of the implantable microphone to match those of external microphones, thereby resolving the response inconsistency issue while maintaining accurate signal detection.
2Quantity of substance
If vibration signals are detected by the implantable microphone, then body noise can be captured, but these vibration signals interfere with acoustic signal clarity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts harmful vibration signals from the composite signal captured by the implantable microphone. By using a vibration sensor to detect body noises and calculating coherence between the microphone and vibration sensor signals, the system separates and removes the harmful vibration components while preserving the desired acoustic signals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary vibration sensor that specifically detects body noise vibrations. This intermediary device enables the system to identify and filter out harmful vibration signals from the acoustic signals captured by the implantable microphone, thereby improving signal clarity.
3Measurement precision
If filter coefficients are adjusted to improve signal clarity, then acoustic signal perception is enhanced, but the system requires complex adaptive processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the system continuously monitors the coherence between implantable microphone signals and reference signals (external microphone or vibration sensor). Based on this feedback, the system automatically adjusts filter coefficients to optimize signal clarity, thereby enhancing acoustic perception while managing processing complexity through adaptive rather than static filtering.
4Measurement precision
If the system adapts filter coefficients based on coherence, then signal processing accuracy is improved, but computational resources are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by calculating coherence only for specific frequency ranges or under certain conditions rather than continuously across all frequencies. This selective approach maintains signal processing accuracy where it matters most while reducing unnecessary computational energy consumption in other frequency domains or time periods.
Data Source
AI summary
An implantable medical device is configured to detect signals with first and second implantable sensors configured to be implanted in a recipient. The implantable medical device is configured to adaptively equalize a response of the first implantable sensor to a response of a similar external sensor, wherein adaption control of the equalization is based on a coherence between the signals detected by first implantable sensor and the signals detected by the external microphone indicating the presence of acoustic signals. In addition, the implantable medical device is configured to adaptively filter vibration signals, including body noises, from the implantable sound signals, wherein adaption control of the filter is based on a coherence between the signals detected by first implantable sensor and the signals detected by the second implantable sensor indicating the presence of vibration.