Multi-Channel Audio Processor for Cochlear Implants
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hearing impaired patients face difficulties in performing auditory scene analysis with current cochlear implants and auditory brainstem implants, as these devices fail to correctly reproduce cues like harmonicity, leading to reduced speech intelligibility and degraded musical perception, especially in complex audio environments.
Innovation Solution
An audio-cochlear implant processor device and method that decodes audio input signals into multi-channel signals, adjusting output based on user-specific hearing impairment characteristics to provide auditory scene analysis cues, using techniques like informed source separation and MPEG-SAOC for optimal playback and remixing of sound sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If conventional cochlear implant processing is used, then device simplicity is maintained, but auditory scene analysis capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio signal processing into multiple independent channels, each handling specific spatial or spectral information. This segmentation allows the implant to process different auditory objects separately, improving scene analysis capability while maintaining manageable processing complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces spatial and spectral dimensions to the audio processing by creating multi-channel output that represents different spatial locations and frequency regions. This dimensional expansion enables the implant to preserve auditory scene structure without exponentially increasing processing complexity.
2Reliability
If multi-channel audio processing is implemented, then auditory scene analysis capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary audio object separation and spatial decomposition before the cochlear implant processing stage. By pre-processing the audio signal to extract and organize auditory objects in a multi-channel format, the actual implant device receives already-structured input, reducing its processing complexity while maintaining enhanced scene analysis capability.
3Measurement precision
If source separation techniques are applied, then speech intelligibility is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial source separation by focusing on separating only the most critical auditory objects (such as speech from background noise) rather than attempting to separate all sound sources equally. This selective approach maintains speech intelligibility while reducing processing time by avoiding exhaustive separation of every audio component.
Data Source
AI summary
An audio-cochlear implant processor device for a hearing impaired listener is described. An input signal decoder decodes an audio input data signal into a corresponding multi-channel audio signal representing multiple audio objects. An audio processor adjusts the multi-channel audio output based on user-specific hearing impairment characteristics to produce a processed audio output to a cochlear implant audio processor with auditory scene analysis (ASA) cues for the hearing impaired listener.