Recipient-Directed Electrode Selection for Hearing Prostheses

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional electrically-stimulating hearing prostheses, such as cochlear implants, often deliver ineffective electrical stimulation due to physiological abnormalities or improper electrode positioning, leading to wasted power, interference, and misrepresentation of sounds.

Innovation Solution

A method for selecting a final electrode set based on recipient's subjective assessment, involving pruning to identify candidate electrodes for deactivation, measuring stimulation thresholds, and performing a subjective evaluation to determine a subset of electrodes for effective sound perception.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If all implanted electrodes are activated for stimulation, then the coverage of auditory spectrum is improved, but power consumption increases and ineffective stimulation occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveauditory spectrum coverageVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The electrode array is segmented into multiple independent channels, each capable of being individually activated or deactivated. This allows the system to selectively engage only those electrodes that contribute effectively to speech perception, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining adequate auditory spectrum coverage through the remaining active channels.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Rather than activating all available electrodes, the system employs partial action by deactivating a subset of electrodes that provide redundant or ineffective stimulation. This is determined through objective measurements (ECAP thresholds, threshold disparities) and subjective recipient feedback, enabling the system to achieve effective hearing rehabilitation with fewer active electrodes, thus conserving power.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Measurement precision

If all implanted electrodes are activated for stimulation, then the spectral granularity is improved, but interference and misrepresentation of sounds occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespectral granularityVSAvoidinterference and sound misrepresentation

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Ineffective electrodes that generate interference or misrepresent sounds are identified and extracted from the active stimulation set. Objective criteria such as excessive threshold disparities between monopolar and focused stimulation, and abnormal ECAP threshold patterns, are used to flag these electrodes for deactivation, thereby eliminating their harmful effects while preserving spectral granularity through the remaining electrodes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the recipient subjectively evaluates different electrode configurations. This feedback loop allows the identification and deactivation of electrodes that cause interference or sound misrepresentation, while maintaining spectral granularity through the optimized subset of electrodes that provide clear, accurate stimulation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If electrode pruning and subjective assessment are performed, then effective electrode selection is improved, but the complexity of the fitting process increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveeffective electrode selectionVSAvoidfitting process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Objective measurements such as ECAP thresholds and threshold disparity calculations are performed in advance during the fitting process. These preliminary objective assessments identify candidate electrodes for deactivation before subjective recipient evaluation begins, streamlining the overall process by pre-filtering the electrode set and reducing the number of configurations the recipient needs to evaluate.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables the recipient to actively participate in the electrode selection process through structured subjective assessments. The recipient provides feedback on different electrode configurations, and this self-reported data directly influences the final electrode set selection, making the system adaptive to the individual's unique perception and preferences.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS12458796B2Recipient-directed electrode set selection

Publication Date: 2025.11.04 COCHLEAR LIMITED

AI summary

Presented herein are techniques for the determination/selection of a set of electrodes for use in an electrically-stimulating auditory/hearing prosthesis. More specifically, an electrically-stimulating hearing prosthesis includes a plurality of electrodes implanted in a recipient. Based, at least in part on a recipient's subjective preferences, one or more of these electrodes may be deactivated. The remaining (i.e., non-deactivated) electrodes form a final electrode set that is subsequently used by the hearing prosthesis for subsequent hearing rehabilitation operations.