Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Publication Number
US-12458796-B2
Publication Date
2025-11-04
Expiration Date
Abstract
Presented herein are techniques for the determination/selection of a set of electrodes for use in an electrically-stimulating auditory/hearing prosthesis. More specifically, an electrically-stimulating hearing prosthesis includes a plurality of electrodes implanted in a recipient. Based, at least in part on a recipient's subjective preferences, one or more of these electrodes may be deactivated. The remaining (i.e., non-deactivated) electrodes form a final electrode set that is subsequently used by the hearing prosthesis for subsequent hearing rehabilitation operations.
Core Innovation
A method selects one or more candidate electrodes from electrodes implanted in a recipient of an electrically-stimulating prosthesis for possible deactivation. The method assesses a contribution of each candidate electrode to a rehabilitative effect on the recipient, including determining whether any candidate electrodes deliver ineffective stimulation. Based on the assessing, the method generates a final electrode set for use in subsequent operations, where the final electrode set comprises a subset of electrodes in which at least one candidate electrode has been deactivated and excluded from use in subsequent operations.
A pruning process determines a subset of the plurality of electrodes for possible deactivation, followed by evaluating a contribution of each electrode in the subset to the rehabilitative effect on the recipient. The evaluating includes determining whether any electrode in the subset delivers ineffective stimulation. Based on the evaluation, the method determines a set of active electrodes for subsequent use by the electrically-stimulating prosthesis, where at least one electrode in the subset for possible deactivation is deactivated and excluded from use in the set of electrodes.
The pruning and evaluation are directed to recipient-directed electrode selection for electrical stimulation of an auditory prosthesis, including cochlear implants, by using objective measures and recipient subjective evaluation. Candidate electrodes are pruned for possible deactivation using objective measures such as monopolar stimulation threshold versus focused stimulation threshold disparity and dynamic range determination, and the contribution of electrodes is assessed using recipient subjective evaluation with test speech and preferred electrode combinations. Preferred electrode combinations are then objectively checked for sufficient spectral component coverage to form a final electrode set that deactivates ineffective electrodes for subsequent hearing rehabilitation.
Claims Coverage
Two independent claims are present (clm-00001 and clm-00010). Each claim centers on pruning candidate electrodes for possible deactivation, evaluating contribution to rehabilitative effect including identifying ineffective stimulation, and then generating a final electrode set or determining active electrodes with deactivated electrodes excluded from subsequent use.
Recipient-directed pruning and deactivation of candidate electrodes
Selecting one or more candidate electrodes for possible deactivation from electrodes implanted in a recipient of an electrically-stimulating prosthesis, assessing a contribution of each candidate electrode to rehabilitative effect including determining whether any deliver ineffective stimulation, and generating a final electrode set that comprises a subset of implanted electrodes in which at least one candidate electrode has been deactivated and excluded from use in subsequent operations.
Pruning process and active electrode determination with ineffective-stimulation exclusion
Performing a pruning process to determine a subset of a plurality of electrodes for possible deactivation, evaluating a contribution of each electrode in the subset to rehabilitative effect including determining whether any deliver ineffective stimulation, and determining a set of active electrodes for subsequent use in which at least one electrode in the subset is deactivated and excluded from use in subsequent stimulation.
The independent claims consistently require selecting or pruning candidate electrodes for possible deactivation, assessing each candidate’s contribution to rehabilitative effect while determining whether any electrode delivers ineffective stimulation, and generating a final electrode set or active electrode set that deactivates and excludes at least one ineffective candidate electrode from subsequent operations.
Stated Advantages
Avoiding undesirable stimulation by deactivating and excluding at least one candidate electrode that delivers ineffective stimulation.
Optimizing rehabilitative effect by determining a final electrode set based on assessed contribution to rehabilitative effect.
Documented Applications
Electrically-stimulating auditory prostheses, including cochlear implants, by selecting a final electrode set for subsequent hearing rehabilitation.
Interested in licensing this patent?