# US 8,788,052 B2 · Methods and systems for minimizing a perceptual disturbance caused by shorted electrodes in an auditory prosthesis system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,788,052 B2 - Document ID: US8788052B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/983,564 - Filed: 2012-01-27 - Published: 2014-02-13 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2011-02-04 - Assignees: Advanced Bionics AG - Applicants: Aniket Saoji - Inventors: Aniket Saoji - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8788052B2 ## CPC - A61N 1/36038: {Cochlear stimulation} - A61N 1/0541: {Cochlear electrodes} - G01R 31/52: Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults - 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) - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) ## Abstract An exemplary system for minimizing a perceptual disturbance caused by shorted electrodes in an auditory prosthesis system includes a sound processor configured to determine that a first electrode and a second electrode included in a plurality of electrodes implanted in a patient are shorted together, detect that a main electrical stimulation pulse intended only for the first electrode is to be delivered by an auditory prosthesis to the first electrode, and direct, in response to the detecting, the auditory prosthesis to concurrently deliver the main electrical stimulation pulse to the first electrode and one or more compensating electrical stimulation pulses to one or more additional electrodes included in the plurality of electrodes. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: determining, by a sound processor communicatively coupled to an auditory prosthesis implanted in a patient, that a first electrode and a second electrode included in a plurality of electrodes implanted in the patient are shorted together; detecting, by the sound processor, that a main electrical stimulation pulse intended only for the first electrode is to be delivered by the auditory prosthesis to the first electrode; and directing, by the sound processor in response to the detecting, the auditory prosthesis to concurrently deliver the main electrical stimulation pulse to the first electrode and one or more compensating electrical stimulation pulses to one or more additional electrodes included in the plurality of electrodes; wherein the delivery of the main electrical stimulation pulse to the first electrode causes an unwanted electrical stimulation pulse to be simultaneously delivered to the second electrode; and wherein the one or more compensating electrical stimulation pulses are out-of-phase with respect to the unwanted electrical stimulation pulse and configured to minimize a perceptual disturbance caused by the unwanted electrical stimulation pulse. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more additional electrodes comprise a single electrode adjacent to the second electrode and wherein the one or more compensating electrical stimulation pulses comprise a single compensating electrical stimulation pulse delivered to the single electrode. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein an amplitude of the single compensating electrical stimulation pulse is substantially equal to an amplitude of the unwanted electrical stimulation pulse. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more additional electrodes comprise a third electrode and a fourth electrode each adjacent to the second electrode and wherein the one or more compensating electrical stimulation pulses comprise a first compensating electrical stimulation pulse delivered to the third electrode and a second compensating electrical stimulation pulse delivered to the fourth electrode. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein a combined amplitude of the first and second compensating electrical stimulation pulses is substantially equal to an amplitude of the unwanted electrical stimulation pulse. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more additional electrodes are selected based on a distance of the one or more electrodes from the second electrode. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting, by the sound processor, that an additional main electrical stimulation pulse intended only for the second electrode is to be delivered by the auditory prosthesis to the second electrode; and directing, by the sound processor in response to the detecting that the additional main electrical stimulation pulse is to be delivered to the second electrode, the auditory prosthesis to concurrently deliver the additional main electrical stimulation pulse to the second electrode and an additional compensating electrical stimulation pulse to a third electrode included in the plurality of electrodes; wherein the delivery of the additional main electrical stimulation pulse to the second electrode causes an additional unwanted electrical stimulation pulse to be simultaneously delivered to the first electrode; and wherein the additional compensating electrical stimulation pulse is out-of-phase with respect to the additional unwanted electrical stimulation pulse and configured to minimize a perceptual disturbance caused by the additional unwanted electrical stimulation pulse. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the auditory prosthesis comprises a cochlear implant. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium. ### Claim 10 A sound processor comprising: a short detection facility configured to determine that a first electrode and a second electrode included in a plurality of electrodes implanted in an auditory prosthesis patient are shorted together; and a control facility communicatively coupled to the short detection facility and configured to detect that a main electrical stimulation pulse intended only for the first electrode is to be delivered to the first electrode, and direct, in response to the detection, an auditory prosthesis implanted in the patient to concurrently deliver the main electrical stimulation pulse to the first electrode and one or more compensating electrical stimulation pulses to one or more additional electrodes included in the plurality of electrodes; wherein the delivery of the main electrical stimulation pulse to the first electrode causes an unwanted electrical stimulation pulse to be simultaneously delivered to the second electrode; and wherein the one or more compensating electrical stimulation pulses are out-of-phase with respect to the unwanted electrical stimulation pulse and configured to minimize a perceptual disturbance caused by the unwanted electrical stimulation pulse. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The sound processor of claim 10, wherein the one or more additional electrodes comprise a single electrode adjacent to the second electrode and wherein the one or more compensating electrical stimulation pulses comprise a single compensating electrical stimulation pulse delivered to the single electrode. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The sound processor of claim 11, wherein an amplitude of the single compensating electrical stimulation pulse is substantially equal to an amplitude of the unwanted electrical stimulation pulse. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The sound processor of claim 10, wherein the one or more additional electrodes comprise a third electrode and a fourth electrode each adjacent to the second electrode and wherein the one or more compensating electrical stimulation pulses comprise a first compensating electrical stimulation pulse delivered to the third electrode and a second compensating electrical stimulation pulse delivered to the fourth electrode. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The sound processor of claim 13, wherein a combined amplitude of the first and second compensating electrical stimulation pulses is substantially equal to an amplitude of the unwanted electrical stimulation pulse. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The sound processor of claim 10, wherein the control facility is further configured to detect that an additional main electrical stimulation pulse intended only for the second electrode is to be delivered by the auditory prosthesis to the second electrode, and direct, in response to the detecting that the additional main electrical stimulation pulse is to be delivered to the second electrode, the auditory prosthesis to concurrently deliver the additional main electrical stimulation pulse to the second electrode and an additional compensating electrical stimulation pulse to a third electrode included in the plurality of electrodes; wherein the delivery of the additional main electrical stimulation pulse to the second electrode causes an additional unwanted electrical stimulation pulse to be simultaneously delivered to the first electrode; and wherein the additional compensating electrical stimulation pulse is out-of-phase with respect to the additional unwanted electrical stimulation pulse and configured to minimize a perceptual disturbance caused by the additional unwanted electrical stimulation pulse. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The sound processor of claim 10, wherein the auditory prosthesis comprises a cochlear implant. ### Claim 17 An auditory prosthesis system comprising: an auditory prosthesis configured to be implanted within a patient and communicatively coupled to a plurality of electrodes; and a sound processor communicatively coupled to the auditory prosthesis and configured to determine that a first electrode and a second electrode included in the plurality of electrodes implanted in the patient are shorted together, detect that a main electrical stimulation pulse intended only for the first electrode is to be delivered to the first electrode, and direct, in response to the detection, the auditory prosthesis to concurrently deliver the main electrical stimulation pulse to the first electrode and one or more compensating electrical stimulation pulses to one or more additional electrodes included in the plurality of electrodes; wherein the delivery of the main electrical stimulation pulse by the auditory prosthesis to the first electrode causes an unwanted electrical stimulation pulse to be simultaneously delivered to the second electrode; and wherein the one or more compensating electrical stimulation pulses are out-of-phase with respect to the unwanted electrical stimulation pulse and configured to minimize a perceptual disturbance caused by the unwanted electrical stimulation pulse. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more additional electrodes comprise a single electrode adjacent to the second electrode and wherein the one or more compensating electrical stimulation pulses comprise a single compensating electrical stimulation pulse delivered to the single electrode. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, wherein an amplitude of the single compensating electrical stimulation pulse is substantially equal to an amplitude of the unwanted electrical stimulation pulse. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more additional electrodes comprise a third electrode and a fourth electrode each adjacent to the second electrode and wherein the one or more compensating electrical stimulation pulses comprise a first compensating electrical stimulation pulse delivered to the third electrode and a second compensating electrical stimulation pulse delivered to the fourth electrode.