# US 8,771,166 B2 · Implantable auditory stimulation system and method with offset implanted microphones > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,771,166 B2 - Document ID: US8771166B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/790,404 - Filed: 2010-05-28 - Published: 2010-12-16 - Granted: 2014-07-08 - Earliest claimed: 2009-05-29 - Assignees: Cochlear Limited - Applicants: Brian M. Conn; José H. Bedoya - Inventors: Brian M. Conn; José H. Bedoya - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8771166B2 ## CPC - A61N 1/36038: {Cochlear stimulation} - A61F 2/18: Internal ear or nose parts, e.g. ear-drums {(implants for middle ear ventilation or drainage A61F11/202)} - A61N 1/36036: {of the outer, middle or inner ear} - H04R 25/353: {Frequency, e.g. frequency shift or compression} - H04R 25/405: {by combining a plurality of transducers} - H04R 25/407: {Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers} - 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} - A61F 2002/183: {Ear parts} - H04R 2225/67: Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606 - H04R 2430/03: Synergistic effects of band splitting and sub-band processing - H04R 2430/20: Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic (H04R2203/12 takes precedence) - 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) - A61F: FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS (dental prosthetics A61C) - 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 An improved implantable auditory stimulation system includes two or more implanted microphones for transcutaneous detection of acoustic signals. Each of the implanted microphones provides an output signal. The microphone output signals may be combinatively utilized by an implanted processor to generate a signal for driving an implanted auditory stimulation device. The implanted microphones may be located at offset subcutaneous locations and/or may be provided with different design sensitivities, wherein combinative processing of the microphone output signals may yield an improved drive signal. In one embodiment, the microphone signal may be processed for beamforming and/or directionality purposes. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An implantable auditory stimulation system, comprising: a plurality of microphones, including at least a first microphone, operative to transcutaneously receive acoustic signals and generate a first microphone output signal in response thereto, and a second microphone operative to transcutaneously receive acoustic signals and generate a second output signal in response thereto; a processor, operatively interconnected to said first microphone and to said second microphone, adapted to use said first microphone output signal and said second microphone output signal to generate a drive signal; and, an implantable auditory stimulation device, operatively interconnected to said processor, adapted to stimulate an auditory system of a patient in response to said drive signal, wherein said first microphone has a first predetermined minimum sensitivity across a first predetermined frequency range, wherein said second microphone has a second predetermined minimum sensitivity across a second frequency range, and wherein said first and second predetermined frequency ranges are at least partially non-overlapping, wherein the first and second predetermined minimum sensitivities are sensitivities corresponding to a specified output signal having a given signal-to-noise ratio for an input having a given magnitude. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 1, further comprising: a first implantable housing, wherein said first microphone is disposed within the implantable housing; and, a second implantable housing, wherein the second microphone is disposed within the second implantable housing, and wherein the first implantable housing and the second implantable housing are separately positionable. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 1, further comprising: a flexible communication cable for use in operatively interconnecting at least one of said first microphone and said second microphone to said processor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 3, wherein said flexible communication cable includes a connector end for selectively operative interconnection of the communications cable to and disconnect of the communication cable from said processor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 2, wherein said processor is located in said first implantable housing. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 1, wherein said auditory stimulation device is one of a middle ear stimulation device and a neurostimulation device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 1, wherein said processor comprises: a processing module for at least one of beamforming and directionality processing. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 1, further comprising: a flexible communication cable having an end that is one of interconnected to, and interconnectable to and disconnectable from, said processor; and a connector that is one of interconnected to, and interconnectable to and disconnectable from, another end of said flexible communication cable, wherein said connector includes a first port, and wherein said second microphone is selectively interconnectable to and disconnectable from said first port of the connector. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 8, wherein said connector further includes a second port, and wherein said auditory stimulation device is selectively interconnectable to and disconnectable from said second port of the connector. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The implantable auditory stimulation system of claim 1, wherein the first and second predetermined minimum sensitivities are electrical device sensitivities. ### Claim 11 An implantable auditory stimulation system, comprising: a plurality of microphones, including at least a first microphone, operative to transcutaneously receive acoustic signals and generate a first microphone output signal in response thereto, and a second microphone operative to transcutaneously receive acoustic signals and generate a second output signal in response thereto; a processor, operatively interconnected to said first microphone and to said second microphone, adapted to use said first microphone output signal and said second microphone output signal to generate a drive signal; and, an implantable auditory stimulation device, operatively interconnected to said processor, adapted to stimulate an auditory system of a patient in response to said drive signal, wherein said first microphone has a first predetermined minimum sensitivity across a first predetermined frequency range, wherein said second microphone has a second predetermined minimum sensitivity across a second frequency range, and wherein said first and second predetermined frequency ranges are at least partially non-overlapping, wherein said first microphone has a first predetermined minimum sensitivity of approximately −60 to −50 dBV/0.1 Pa across a first frequency range of 50 Hz to 3000 Hz, and wherein said second microphone has a second predetermined minimum sensitivity of approximately −60 to −50 dBV/0.1 Pa across a second predetermined frequency range of 1500 Hz to 10000 Hz. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The implantable auditory stimulation system of claim 11, wherein the first and second predetermined minimum sensitivities are sensitivities corresponding to a specified output signal having a given signal-to-noise ratio for an input having a given magnitude. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The implantable auditory stimulation system of claim 11, wherein the first and second predetermined minimum sensitivities are sensitivities expressible at least in part in terms of decibles and voltage. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 11, further comprising: a first implantable housing, wherein said first microphone is disposed within the implantable housing; and, a second implantable housing, wherein the second microphone is disposed within the second implantable housing, and wherein the first implantable housing and the second implantable housing are separately positionable. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 11, further comprising: a flexible communication cable for use in operatively interconnecting at least one of said first microphone and said second microphone to said processor. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 15, wherein said flexible communication cable includes a connector end for selectively operative interconnection of the communications cable to and disconnect of the communication cable from said processor. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 14, wherein said processor is located in said first implantable housing. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 11, wherein said auditory stimulation device is one of a middle ear stimulation device and a neurostimulation device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 11, wherein said processor comprises: a processing module for at least one of beamforming and directionality processing. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 11, further comprising: a flexible communication cable having an end that is one of interconnected to, and interconnectable to and disconnectable from, said processor; and a connector that is one of interconnected to, and interconnectable to and disconnectable from, another end of said flexible communication cable, wherein said connector includes a first port, and wherein said second microphone is selectively interconnectable to and disconnectable from said first port of the connector. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 20, wherein said connector further includes a second port, and wherein said auditory stimulation device is selectively interconnectable to and disconnectable from said second port of the connector. ### Claim 22 An implantable auditory stimulation system, comprising: a plurality of microphones, including at least a first microphone, operative to transcutaneously receive acoustic signals and generate a first microphone output signal in response thereto, and a second microphone operative to transcutaneously receive acoustic signals and generate a second output signal in response thereto; a processor, operatively interconnected to said first microphone and to said second microphone, adapted to use said first microphone output signal and said second microphone output signal to generate a drive signal; an implantable auditory stimulation device, operatively interconnected to said processor, adapted to stimulate an auditory system of a patient in response to said drive signal; a flexible communication cable having an end that is one of interconnected to, and interconnectable to and disconnectable from, said processor; and a connector that is one of interconnected to, and interconnectable to and disconnectable from, another end of said flexible communication cable, wherein said connector includes a first port, and wherein said second microphone is selectively interconnectable to and disconnectable from said first port of the connector, wherein said first microphone has a first predetermined minimum sensitivity of approximately −60 to −50 dBV/0.1 Pa across a first frequency range of 50 Hz to 3000 Hz, and wherein said second microphone has a second predetermined minimum sensitivity of approximately −60 to −50 dBV/0.1 Pa across a second predetermined frequency range of 1500 Hz to 10000 Hz. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 22, wherein said first microphone has a first predetermined minimum sensitivity across a first predetermined frequency range, wherein said second microphone has a second predetermined minimum sensitivity across a second frequency range, and wherein said first and second predetermined frequency ranges are at least partially non-overlapping. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 22, wherein said connector further includes a second port, and wherein said auditory stimulation device is selectively interconnectable to and disconnectable from said second port of the connector. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 22, further comprising: a first implantable housing, wherein said first microphone is disposed within the implantable housing; and, a second implantable housing, wherein the second microphone is disposed within the second implantable housing, and wherein the first implantable housing and the second implantable housing are separately positionable. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) An implantable auditory stimulation system as recited in claim 25, wherein said processor is located in said first implantable housing.