# US 2020/0404433 A1 · Automatic gain control for implanted microphone > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0404433 A1 - Document ID: US20200404433A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/919,584 - Filed: 2020-07-02 - Published: 2020-12-24 - Earliest claimed: 2008-01-21 - Inventors: David L. BASINGER - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200404433A1 ## CPC - A61N 1/36038: {Cochlear stimulation} - G10L 25/84: for discriminating voice from noise - H03G 3/301: {the gain being continuously variable} - H04R 3/04: for correcting frequency response - H04R 25/356: {Amplitude, e.g. amplitude shift or compression} - H04R 25/505: {using digital signal processing} - H04R 25/606: {acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window} - H04R 2225/67: Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606 - A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B) - G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING - H03G: CONTROL OF AMPLIFICATION - H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K) ## Abstract A method for use in an implantable hearing instrument, including receiving an output signal from an implanted microphone implanted in a person, identifying a first characteristic of said output signal, based on said first characteristic, amplifying said microphone output signal by at least one of a plurality of gain settings to produce an amplified signal, wherein said plurality of gain setting comprise at least two different gain settings, inputting said amplified signal into a signal processor, processing said amplified signal to generate a transducer drive signal; and using said transducer drive signal to drive implanted auditory stimulation device implanted in a person to stimulate an auditory component. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for use in an implantable hearing instrument, comprising: receiving an output signal from an implanted transducer implanted in a person; identifying a first characteristic of said output signal from the implanted transducer; based on said first characteristic, amplifying an implanted microphone output signal by at least one of a plurality of gain settings to produce an amplified signal; inputting said amplified signal into a signal processor; and processing said amplified signal to generate a transducer drive signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: the transducer is the implanted microphone, and the output signal from the implanted transducer is the implanted microphone output signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein identifying said first characteristic comprises: identifying a magnitude of said implanted microphone output signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising: identifying a magnitude of a predetermined frequency range of said implanted microphone output signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein amplifying comprises: utilizing a non-linear function to amplify said implanted microphone output signal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the action of amplifying comprises: amplifying a first frequency portion of said implanted microphone output signal associated with a voice of the person using a first gain setting and amplifying at least a second frequency portion of said implanted microphone output signal with a second gain setting, where said second gain setting is larger than said first gain setting. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the action of amplifying comprises compressing an output range of said implanted microphone output signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the action of identifying the first characteristic includes identifying a characteristic indicative of an own voice event as differentiated from a characteristic indicative of other types of body noise. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein said plurality of gain settings comprise at least two different gain settings. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: using said transducer drive signal to drive an implanted auditory stimulation device implanted in a person to stimulate an auditory component. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein said plurality of gain settings comprise at least two different gain settings, the method further comprising: using said transducer drive signal to drive an implanted auditory stimulation device implanted in a person to stimulate an auditory component. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the action of amplifying the implanted microphone output signal is executed using an amplifier, the method further comprises adjusting a gain setting of the amplifier by the at least one of the plurality of gain settings. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising subsequent to the action of processing said amplified signal, determining that the first characteristic is not present in a subsequently received implanted microphone output signal, and subsequently amplifying the subsequently received implanted microphone output signal by another of the plurality of gain settings different from the at least one of the plurality of gain settings based on the subsequent determination. ### Claim 14 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein: the action of amplifying said implanted microphone output signal includes amplifying first frequencies of the implanted microphone output signal less than second frequencies of the implanted microphone output signal, wherein the second frequencies are different than the first frequencies. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14 wherein: the first frequencies correspond to frequencies of the person's own voice received by the microphone. ### Claim 16 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein: the action of amplifying the implanted microphone output signal includes reducing a gain setting of the hearing instrument relative to that which was the case prior to the identification of the first characteristic. ### Claim 17 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein: the action of amplifying the implanted microphone output signal includes amplifying a first frequency portion of said implanted microphone output signal associated with a voice of the person using a first gain setting of the plurality of gain settings and amplifying at least a second frequency portion of said implanted microphone output signal with a second gain setting of the plurality of gain settings, the second gain setting being different from the first gain setting, where said second gain setting is larger than said first gain setting. ### Claim 18 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein identifying a first characteristic comprises: monitoring a predetermined frequency band of said implanted microphone output signal. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein: the action of amplifying the microphone results in a reduction in the amplification of the frequencies of the monitored frequency band relative to other frequencies of the microphone output signal. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: the transducer is an accelerometer, and thus the output signal received from the implanted transducer is different from the implanted microphone output signal.