Cochlear implant system for an auditory prosthesis

In a cochlear implant system having a speech processor located external to a patient's body, said speech processor including sound-to-stimulation encoding means, a body-implantable receiver-stimulator and an electrode array implantable in the cochlea of a patient for receiving electrical signals from said encoding means, the improvement comprising

• means for performing psychophysical testing on the auditory nervous system of the patient while said receiver-stimulator is receiving said electrical signals,
• means, using the results of said testing, for preparing data in a map representing a patient stimulation strategy;
• means for converting audio signal information to electrical signals in said sound-to-stimulation encoding means for that patient;
• and
• means for erasably programming and storing said mapped data in said encoding means, such that stimulation parameters for speech signals are optimized utilizing said stored data to enhance the ability of the patient to recognize speech signals.

A multichannel cochlear prosthesis system for use with a patient comprising:

• a multichannel electrode array suitable for implantation in the ear of a person;
• a multichannel stimulator connected to said electrode array, said stimulator being suitable for implantation in said person and being used to provide electrical signals to stimulate said electrode array;
• means for encoding sound an electrical stimulation signal, said means for encoding being suitable to be worn externally by said person;
• means for transmitting encoded electrical signals representative of speech stimulation parameters from said means for encoding to said multichannel stimulator;
• means, external to the patient, for testing the patient's psychophysical responses to stimulation of the patient's auditory nerves by selected electrical signals applied to said electrode array by said multichannel stimulator through the means for encoding;
• means for mapping the psychophysical responses in the form of data of the patient to stimulation of the patient's auditory nerves by said selected electrical signals applied to said electrode array by said multichannel stimulator through said means for encoding to optimize the ability of the patient to perceive certain sounds;
• and
• means for storing data from the results of said responses in said means for encoding to encode said data, said results being utilized to determine a relationship between auditory input and said electrical stimulation parameters to optimize the ability of the patient to perceive sounds.

A prosthesis comprising

• a multi-electrode array for transmitting electrical stimulations to a patient's auditory nerves and adapted to be implantable in a patient,
• a patient implantable stimulator means for detecting externally transmitted electrical signals identifying one or more electrodes in said array to act as a source or sink of stimulation current to selected electrodes;
• current switching means including a controllable current sink in said stimulator means operable by external signals detected by said stimulator means;
• and
• a power supply in said implantable stimulator means, said power supply being chargeable by an externally generated power supply signal to connect at least two of any of said electrodes variously to said power supply or said current sink.

A multichannel cochlear prosthesis system comprising:

• a patient implantable tissue stimulating multichannel electrode array;
• a patient implantable multichannel stimulator connected to said array;
• a patient externally worn sound-to-electrical signal stimulation encoding means, said encoding means including memory means programmable after implantation of said electrode array and said stimulator in a patient;
• means for programming said memory means based on the patient's auditory perceptions in response to various electrical stimulating pulse signals;
• means for transmitting electrical stimulation signals representing speech parameters from said encoding means to said stimulator and to said array for stimulating tissue in accord with said programmed perspections;
• and
• means for controlling said stimulator by said encoding means, such control including varieties of at least one or more of pulse rate, pulse amplitude, pulse duration interval between phases of a biphasic current pulse, and selection of which two of any electrodes stimulus current is to be applied.

A speech processor encoding means for a cochlear prosthesis having electrodes for electrical stimulation of auditory nerves comprising

• a memory means,
• means for generating a data format, indicative of a patient's auditory perceptions of sound into said memory means;
• means for generating from said data format into a map of electrode stimulation parameters to optimize the patient's ability to hear sounds;
• and
• means for programming said resultant map of said parameters into said memory means.