Systems and methods for eliciting a stapedial reflex to protect hearing
AssigneeAdvanced Bionics AG
InventorKanthaiah Koka
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An exemplary system includes 1) a sound detector configured to detect an audio signal, 2) an implantable stimulator configured to be implanted within a user, and 3) a sound processor communicatively coupled to the implantable cochlear stimulator and the sound detector. The sound processor is configured to determine that a level of the audio signal exceeds a predetermined threshold and direct, in response to the determination that the level of the audio signal exceeds the predetermined threshold, the implantable stimulator to elicit a stapedial reflex within the user by applying electrical stimulation to one or more stimulation sites within the user. Corresponding systems and methods are also disclosed.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a sound detector configured to detect an audio signal;
- an implantable stimulator configured to be implanted within a user;
- and
- a sound processor communicatively coupled to the implantable stimulator and the sound detector, the sound processor configured to
- determine that a volume level of the audio signal exceeds a predetermined threshold volume level as a result of a loud noise included within the audio signal as detected by the sound detector, and
- direct, in response to the determination that the volume level of the audio signal exceeds the predetermined threshold volume level as a result of the loud noise, the implantable stimulator to elicit a stapedial reflex within the user by applying electrical stimulation to one or more stimulation sites within the user.
A method comprising:
- receiving, by a sound processor, an audio signal presented to a user and detected by a sound detector;
- determining, by the sound processor, that a volume level of the audio signal exceeds a predetermined threshold volume level as a result of a loud noise included within the audio signal as detected by the sound detector;
- and
- directing, by the sound processor in response to the determination that the volume level of the audio signal exceeds the predetermined threshold volume level as a result of the loud noise, an implantable stimulator to elicit a stapedial reflex within the user by applying electrical stimulation to one or more stimulation sites within the user.
A system comprising:
- a sound detector configured to detect an audio signal;
- an implantable stimulator configured to be implanted within a user;
- and
- a sound processor communicatively coupled to the implantable stimulator and the sound detector, the sound processor configured to
- determine that a volume level of the audio signal exceeds a predetermined threshold volume level as a result of a loud noise included within the audio signal as detected by the sound detector, the determination performed by detecting that the volume level of the audio signal is going to exceed the predetermined threshold volume level as a result of the loud noise before the audio signal actually exceeds the predetermined threshold volume level as a result of the loud noise, and
- direct, in response to the determination that the volume level of the audio signal exceeds the predetermined threshold volume level as a result of the loud noise, the implantable stimulator to elicit a stapedial reflex within the user by applying electrical stimulation to one or more stimulation sites within the user to protect hearing in the user by forcing a stapedius muscle within the user to be in a contracted state while the audio signal is processed by the user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.