Focused stimulation in a medical stimulation device
AssigneeCochlear Limited
InventorChristopher van den Honert
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A medical stimulation device such as a cochlear implant configured to provide stimulation of one or more spatially-restricted contiguous portion(s) of the spiral array of auditory nerve fibers in the cochlear (“discrete stimulation regions”). Each discrete stimulation region is defined by the constructive and/or destructive interference of stimulating and limiting signals simultaneously applied to electrode channels of an implanted electrode array, the stimulating and limiting signals being determined based upon transimpedance measurements of intracochlear electrode channels of the implanted electrode array representing specific spread functions of an individual recipient.
Claims21
A method for stimulating at least one discrete stimulation region in a recipient of an implantable hearing prosthesis comprising an electrode array implanted in the recipient, the method comprising:
- delivering one or more stimulating signals via at least one of a plurality of electrode channels of the electrode array implanted in the recipient;
- delivering one or more limiting signals via one or more electrode channels of the plurality of electrode channels of the electrode array such that the one or more stimulating signals and the one or more limiting signals are delivered during overlapping time periods and interfere with one another, wherein the one or more limiting signals have an opposite polarity as the one or more stimulating signals, and wherein the interference defines the at least one discrete stimulation region;
- and
- wherein the one or more stimulating signals and the one or more limiting signals are based upon transimpedance measurements among the plurality of electrode channels of the electrode array as implanted in the recipient, and wherein the transimpedance measurements represent specific current spread functions of the recipient.
An implantable hearing prosthesis, comprising:
- an electrode array implantable in a recipient and comprising a plurality of electrode channels;
- and
- one or more processors configured to:
- generate one or more stimulating signals for delivery to the recipient via at least one of the plurality of electrode channels of the electrode array;
- generate one or more limiting signals for delivery to the recipient via one or more electrode channels of the electrode array, wherein the one or more limiting signals have an opposite polarity as the one or more stimulating signal, and
- wherein the one or more stimulating signals and the one or more limiting signals are delivered during overlapping time periods to the recipient via the electrode array such that the one or more stimulating signals and the one or more limiting signals interfere with one another to define at least one discrete stimulation region in the recipient, and
- wherein the one or more stimulating signals and the one or more limiting signals are based upon transimpedance measurements among the plurality of electrode channels of the electrode array as implanted in the recipient, and wherein the transimpedance measurements represent specific current spread functions of the recipient.
A system, comprising:
- an implantable hearing prosthesis implanted in a recipient;
- and
- a hearing implant fitting system configured to communicate with the implantable hearing prosthesis, and comprising:
- one or more processors configured to:
- obtain, from the implantable hearing prosthesis, measured recipient-specific current spread functions in the form of a matrix of transimpedance values of electrode channels of an electrode array implanted in the recipient's cochlea and having electrodes mounted thereon;
- calculate values for a diagonal of the matrix of transimpedance values using the measured recipient-specific current spread functions;
- compute a matrix of transadmittance values using the matrix of measured transimpedance values;
- and
- determine, using the matrix of transadmittance values, a vector of electrode currents that will produce a desired vector of stimulating voltages resulting in stimulation of one or more discrete stimulation regions within the recipient;
- and
- send the determined vector of electrode currents or representations thereof to the implantable hearing prosthesis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.