Hearing aid system and a method of operating thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017326366-A1
Application number	US-201715592901-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 11, 2017
Priority date	May 12, 2016
Publication date	Nov 16, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a hearing aid system is disclosed. The system includes a speech processor communicatively coupled to a microphone. The speech processor is configured to process a microphone signal received at the speech processor for producing an electrical stimulation signal and an acoustic stimulation signal. The speech processor is also configured to generate a modified acoustic stimulation signal by modifying the acoustic stimulation signal at least for a part of a residual frequency range of a patient in dependence on effect of an implantable electrode array on mechanical properties of cochlea of the patient. The system also includes a first unit and a second unit. The first unit comprising a cochlear implant communicatively coupled to the speech processor, the cochlear implant comprising the implantable electrode array configured to be located within a cochlea of the patient and to provide the electrical stimulation based on the electrical stimulation signal to a cochlea within a non-residual frequency range of the patient. The second unit communicatively coupled to the speech processor and adapted to provide the modified acoustic stimulation based on the modified acoustic stimulation signal to the cochlea within the at least in the part of the residual frequency range.

First claim

1 . A hearing aid system comprising
a speech processor communicatively coupled to a microphone and configured to process a microphone signal received at the speech processor for producing an electrical stimulation signal and an acoustic stimulation signal, the speech processor being further configured to generate a modified acoustic stimulation signal by modifying the acoustic stimulation signal at least for a part of a residual frequency range of a patient in dependence on effect of an implantable electrode array on mechanical properties of cochlea of the patient; a first unit comprising a cochlear implant communicatively coupled to the speech processor, the cochlear implant comprising the implantable electrode array configured to be located within a cochlea of the patient and to provide the electrical stimulation based on the electrical stimulation signal to a cochlea within a non-residual frequency range of the patient; and a second unit communicatively coupled to the speech processor and adapted to provide the modified acoustic stimulation based on the modified acoustic stimulation signal to the cochlea within the at least in the part of the residual frequency range.

2 . The hearing aid system according to claim 1 , wherein the second unit is selected from a group consisting of an acoustic hearing aid configured to provide an air conduction acoustic simulation and a bone conduction hearing aid configured to provide a bone conduction acoustic stimulation.

3 . The hearing aid system according to claim 1 , wherein the effect of the electrode array on mechanical properties of cochlea comprises change in integrity of fine structures in the cochlea due to presence of the electrode array in the cochlea, thereby affecting the mechano-electric transduction characteristics of the cochlea at least in the part of the residual frequency range.

4 . The hearing aid system according to claim 1 , wherein the effect of the electrode array on mechanical properties of cochlea comprises an increase in stiffness of at least a part of basilar membrane of the cochlea due to presence of the electrode array in the cochlea.

5 . The hearing aid system according to claim 1 , wherein the speech processor is configured to
generate the acoustic stimulation signal comprising a first gain corresponding to a first frequency comprised within the residual frequency range in accordance with an audiogram of the patient; and modify at least one of the first gain and the first frequency to generate the modified acoustic stimulation signal comprising at least one of a second gain at the first frequency, the first gain at a second frequency and the second gain at the second frequency, wherein the modification counteracts the effect of the implantable electrode array on mechanical properties of the cochlea.

6 . The hearing aid system according to claim 3 , wherein the second gain is higher than the first gain and/or the second frequency is lower than the first frequency.

7 . The hearing aid system according to claim 1 , wherein the speech processor is configured to access a conversion model stored in a memory to generate the modified acoustic stimulation signal, the modified acoustic stimulation signal being configured to at least substantially counter the effect of the implantable electrode array on mechanical properties of the cochlea of the patient.

8 . The hearing aid system according to claim 1 , wherein the conversion model comprises a conversion function comprising at least one of an amplitude shift from the first gain to the second gain and a frequency shift from the first frequency to the second frequency for at least substantially countering the effect of the implantable electrode array on mechanical properties of the cochlea of the patient.

9 . The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the conversion function is based on change in at least one of the first gain and the first frequency of the acoustic stimulation in the patient in response to at least one of characteristics of the implantable electrode array.

10 . The hearing aid system according to claim 1 , wherein the conversion function is based on an average change in at least one of the first gain and the first frequency of the acoustic stimulation in a sample population other than the patient in response to at least one of the characteristics of the implantable electrode array.

11 . The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the characteristics of the implantable electrode array comprises one or a combination of a design of the implantable electrode array, mechanical properties of the implantable electrode array, insertion length of the implantable electrode array, distance of the implantable electrode array from the basilar membrane when the electrode array is located within the cochlea, and insertion technique for locating implantable electrode array into the cochlea.

12 . The hearing aid according to claim 1 , wherein the conversion function is based on variation in audiometric data for the patient prior to insertion of the cochlear array and after the insertion of the cochlear array within at least in the part of the residual frequency range.

13 . The hearing aid system according to claim 1 , wherein the conversion function is configured to be updated in accordance with variations in characteristics of the implantable electrode array over time.

14 . A method for producing a dual-mode stimulation at a cochlea of a patient
processing, at a speech processor communicatively coupled to a microphone, a microphone signal received at the speech processor for producing an electrical stimulation signal and an acoustic stimulation signal, generating, at the speech processor, a modified acoustic stimulation signal by modifying the acoustic stimulation signal at least for a part of a residual frequency range of a patient in dependence on effect of an implantable electrode array on mechanical properties of cochlea of the patient; providing the electrical stimulation based on the electrical stimulation signal to a cochlea within a non-residual frequency range of the patient using a first unit comprising a cochlear implant communicatively coupled to the speech processor, the cochlear implant comprising the implantable electrode array configured to be located within a cochlea of the patient; and providing the modified acoustic stimulation based on the modified acoustic stimulation signal to the cochlea within the at least in the part of the residual frequency range using a second unit communicatively coupled to the speech processor.

15 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein modifying the acoustic stimulation signal is based on a conversion model comprising a conversion function that includes at least one of an amplitude shift from a first gain to a second gain and a frequency shift from a first frequency to a second frequency for at least substantially countering the effect of the implantable electrode array on mechanical properties of the cochlea of the patient.

16 . A method for customizing a hearing aid system configured to produce an acoustic stimulation and an electrical stimulation to a cochlea of a patient, the method comprising
determining a residual frequency range for a patient; determining whether mechanical properties of a cochlea including basilar membrane of the patient is effected due to the presence of an implantable electrode array into the cochlea; predicting the effect of the implantable electrode array on mechanical properties of cochlea of the patient; creating a conversion model comprising a conversion function that is stored in a mem

Assignees

• Oticon Medical As
• Univ London

Inventors

• Riis Søren Kamaric
• Frater Attila
• Marquardt Torsten

Classifications

• A61N1/36038 Primary

  Cochlear stimulation · CPC title

• H04R25/554

  using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils · CPC title

• A61N1/36036

  of the outer, middle or inner ear · CPC title

• H04R2225/43

  Signal processing in hearing aids to enhance the speech intelligibility · CPC title

• A61N1/0541

  Cochlear electrodes · CPC title