Randomized Phase Gap in Cochlear Implant Stimulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current auditory prostheses, such as cochlear implants, struggle to provide effective sound recognition in noisy environments and fail to restore the full range of hearing, including music appreciation and complex sound differentiation, due to outdated speech processing strategies and limited bio-compatibility.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for generating electrode stimulation signals in neural auditory prostheses that incorporate randomness in stimulation parameters, such as phase gap duration between biphasic pulses, to enhance bio-compatibility and mimic natural auditory processes, using a randomizer to vary stimulation signals based on frequency bin signals and patient-specific conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If deterministic stimulation signals are used in cochlear implants, then the device complexity is reduced and processing is simplified, but the bio-compatibility deteriorates and speech perception in noisy environments is impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by introducing temporal variability into the stimulation signal parameters. Specifically, the phase gap duration between cathodic and anodic pulses is randomly varied within a defined range (e.g., 3-13 microseconds), transforming the static deterministic signal into a dynamic stochastic signal that better mimics natural auditory input and improves neural response reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temporal parameters of the biphasic stimulation pulses by introducing random variation in the phase gap duration. This parameter modification allows the stimulation signal to exhibit naturalistic temporal fluctuations, enhancing bio-compatibility and speech perception in noisy environments without significantly increasing device complexity.
2Productivity
If traditional filter-bank processing is used, then the processing strategy is simple and computationally efficient, but the speech perception in noisy environments and music appreciation capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enhances traditional filter-bank processing by applying stochastic modulation to the stimulation parameters. The phase gap duration is randomly varied based on the temporal envelope of the auditory signal, allowing the system to maintain computational efficiency while improving speech recognition accuracy and music appreciation capability through more naturalistic stimulation patterns.
3Ease of operation
If fixed phase gap duration is used in biphasic pulses, then the stimulation signal is deterministic and easier to control, but the pitch perception and onset detection deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the phase gap duration a dynamic parameter that varies randomly within a specified range. This temporal variability in the stimulation signal improves pitch perception and onset detection by better matching the temporal characteristics of natural auditory stimuli, while maintaining ease of control through defined variation bounds.
4Stability of the object's composition
If periodic stimulation patterns are used, then the temporal structure is regular and predictable, but the sound localization and bio-compatibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms periodic stimulation patterns into dynamic stochastic patterns by randomly varying the phase gap duration. This introduces temporal irregularities that mimic natural auditory input, improving bio-compatibility and sound localization while maintaining sufficient temporal structure through controlled variation ranges.
Data Source
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AI summary
An auditory stimulation signal processing device comprises a plurality of signal inputs adapted to receive a plurality of frequency bin signals (105); a signal selector adapted to select a selected frequency bin signal from the plurality of frequency bin signals (105); a parameter modifier (1008) adapted to vary at least one stimulation signal generation parameter used for generating an electrode stimulation signal and affecting a shape of a basic stimulation pulse; and an electrode stimulation signal generator (314) adapted to generate the electrode stimulation signal for application to an electrode of a neural auditory prosthesis (100), the electrode corresponding to a frequency of the selected frequency bin signal. A corresponding method and a computer readable digital storage medium are also disclosed.