CN-112933402-B - Cochlear implant hearing aid system

Abstract

A cochlear implant hearing aid system is disclosed, comprising an external unit, an implantable unit, wherein the external unit comprises a power supply unit connected to a switching unit via a first path, wherein the switching unit is connected to ground and its output to a first coil via a second path, and the switching unit is configured to act as a switching element configured to switch between switching states, wherein the switching states comprise a first state in which current is applied to the first coil and a second state in which current is not applied to the first coil, wherein an encoded audio signal is provided as a control signal to the switching unit, wherein the first coil is inductively connected to a second coil provided in the implantable unit, a measuring unit connected to at least one of the first and second paths and configured to measure an occurring dissipative current related to the switching state of the switching unit, wherein a resonance frequency of an inductive link between the first and second coil is adjusted based on the at least one measured dissipative current.

Inventors

• M. Besner

Assignees

• 奥迪康医疗有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20201210

Priority Date

20191210

Claims (14)

1. 1. A cochlear implant hearing aid system comprising: An external unit configured to receive acoustic sound and process the acoustic sound into an encoded audio signal; An implantable unit configured to receive the encoded audio signal; Wherein the external unit comprises A power supply unit connected to the switching unit via a first path, wherein The switching unit is connected to ground via a second path and its output is connected to the first coil, and the switching unit is configured to serve as a switching element configured to switch between switching states, wherein the switching states comprise a first state in which current is applied to the first coil and a second state in which current is not applied to the first coil, wherein the encoded audio signal is provided as a control signal to the switching unit, wherein The first coil is inductively connected with a second coil arranged in the implantable unit; A measuring unit connected to the first path and configured to measure an occurrence of a first dissipative current related to a switching state of the switching unit, and the measuring unit connected to the second path and configured to measure an occurrence of a second dissipative current related to a switching state of the switching unit, wherein Deriving a weighted dissipation current from the measured first and second dissipation currents based on applying a predetermined weighting algorithm, an Based on the resulting weighted dissipation current, the resonant frequency of the inductive link between the first and second coils is adjusted.
2. 2. The cochlear implant hearing aid system according to claim 1, wherein the first pathway further comprises a shunt resistor, and the measurement unit is further configured to measure a first dissipative current across the shunt resistor.
3. 3. The cochlear implant hearing aid system according to claim 2, wherein the measurement unit further comprises an amplification element configured to amplify the first dissipative current to be measured by the measurement unit.
4. 4. The cochlear implant hearing aid system according to claim 1, wherein the second pathway further comprises a third coil inductively coupled to the fourth coil, and the measurement unit comprises the fourth coil and is further configured to measure a current induced in the fourth coil and derive a second dissipative current therefrom.
5. 5. The cochlear implant hearing aid system according to claim 4, wherein the measurement unit is further configured to include an amplification element configured to amplify the current induced in the fourth coil.
6. 6. The cochlear implant hearing aid system according to claim 5, wherein the measurement unit is further configured to include a resistor connected to the output of the amplifying element and to include a capacitor, one of the capacitor terminals being connected to a connection between the output of the amplifying element and the resistor and the other terminal being connected to ground.
7. 7. The cochlear implant hearing aid system according to claim 1, wherein the switching unit is a class E amplifier.
8. 8. A cochlear implant hearing aid system according to any of claims 1-7, wherein the resonant frequency of the inductive link is adjusted by selectively connecting at least one further switched capacitor to the circuitry constituting the switching unit.
9. 9. The cochlear implant hearing aid system according to claim 8, wherein the switching unit further comprises at least one of a first switched capacitor and a second switched capacitor, wherein A first switched capacitor connected in parallel with the first circuit element, an A second switched capacitor connected in series with the second circuit element, and The resonance frequency is adjusted by selectively connecting at least one of the first and second switched capacitors to a circuit constituting the switching unit.
10. 10. The cochlear implant hearing aid system of claim 9, wherein the switching unit further comprises a transistor element, wherein an output of the transistor element is connected to ground via a first circuit element and to the first coil via a second circuit element, wherein the first circuit element is a third capacitor and the second circuit element is a fourth capacitor.
11. 11. A method for a cochlear implant hearing aid system comprising an external unit that receives acoustic sound and processes the acoustic sound into an encoded audio signal and an implantable unit that receives the encoded audio signal, the method comprising the steps of: Providing power from the power supply unit to the switching unit in the external unit via a first path, wherein the switching unit is connected to ground and its output via a second path to the first coil, and the switching unit acts as a switching element switching between switching states, wherein the switching states comprise a first state in which current is applied to the first coil and a second state in which current is not applied to the first coil, wherein the encoded audio signal is provided as a control signal to the switching unit, and wherein the first coil is inductively connected to a second coil provided in the implantable unit; Measuring across the first path a first dissipation current occurring in relation to a switching state of the switching unit; Measuring across the second path an occurrence of a second dissipation current related to a switching state of the switching unit; deriving a weighted dissipation current from the measured first and second dissipation currents based on applying a predetermined weighting algorithm, and Based on the resulting weighted dissipation current, the resonant frequency of the inductive link between the first and second coils is adjusted.
12. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of: Measuring a first dissipation current across a shunt resistor included in the first path, and/or The second dissipative current is measured based on a current induced in a fourth coil inductively coupled to the third coil, wherein the third coil is included in the second path.
13. 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of: The resonant frequency of the inductive link is adjusted by selectively connecting at least one further switched capacitor to the circuit constituting the switching unit.
14. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the switching unit further comprises at least one of a first switched capacitor and a second switched capacitor, wherein the first switched capacitor is connected in parallel with the first circuit element and the second switched capacitor is connected in series with the second circuit element, the method further comprising the steps of: Adjusting a resonant frequency of the inductive link by selectively connecting at least one of the first and second switched capacitors to a circuit constituting the switching unit; Wherein the switching unit is a class E amplifier and further comprises a transistor element, wherein the output of the transistor element is connected to ground via a first circuit element and the output thereof is connected to the first coil via a second circuit element, and/or Wherein the first circuit element is a third capacitor and the second circuit element is a fourth capacitor.

Description

Cochlear implant hearing aid system Technical Field The present invention relates to cochlear implant hearing aid systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system with a dissipative current measurement unit and a method for a cochlear implant hearing aid system with a dissipative current measurement unit. Background Cochlear Implants (CIs) are devices that contain electrodes inserted into the inner ear (cochlea) to restore hearing to persons suffering from severe to deep hearing loss. The CI bypasses most of the functional auditory chain and generates a series of electrical pulse trains within the cochlea to initiate action potentials from the hair cells. These devices are thus mostly regarded as biocompatible electronic machines. Depending on their implementation, they may either be fully implanted or consist of two main parts. The first part is a sound processor, typically placed near the ear. Which contains a microphone that captures ambient sound that is processed in real-time into a series of codes that can be used by a second portion implanted in the patient. The implant receives power and sound information from the sound processor via radio frequency and generates electrical pulses that are sent into the cochlea via electrodes within the cochlea. Reducing the power loss that occurs in sound processors is a highly interesting topic, but is often very difficult to implement by itself. Moreover, determining the power loss is often a greater challenge before reducing the aforementioned power loss. It is therefore desirable to provide a solution to at least some of the above mentioned problems. Disclosure of Invention According to one aspect, a cochlear implant hearing aid system is disclosed. The system includes an external unit configured to receive acoustic sound and process the acoustic sound into an encoded audio signal and an implantable unit configured to receive the encoded audio signal. Further, the external unit comprises a power supply unit connected to the switching unit via a first path, wherein the switching unit is connected to ground and its output to the first coil via a second path. Furthermore, the switching unit is configured to function as a switching element configured to switch between switching states, wherein the switching states include a first state in which current is applied to the first coil and a second state in which current is not applied to the first coil. The encoded audio signal is provided as a control signal to the switching unit, the first coil being inductively coupled to a second coil provided in the implantable unit. The system further comprises a measuring unit connected to at least one of the first and second paths and configured to measure an occurrence of a dissipative current related to a switching state of the switching unit. The resonant frequency of the inductive link between the first and second coils is adjusted based on the at least one measured dissipative current. This enables the resonant frequency (also referred to as tuning of the switching unit in the following) to be adjusted based on the measured dissipation current. In particular, the aforementioned cochlear implant hearing aid system also enables measurement of tuning/detuning (no occurrence/occurrence of dissipative current) of the switching unit. Thus, by using one measurement it is directly possible to derive which type of first and second coils (antennas) are used to establish the inductive link between the external unit and the implantable unit, thus solving the problem that the patient has different skin thicknesses, e.g. by distinguishing between skin thickness ranges of 1mm to 6mm and 4mm to 11 mm. In particular, cochlear implant hearing aid systems also enable monitoring of the adjustment of the resonant frequency, even continuously during use of the cochlear implant hearing aid system, which is unique to cochlear implant hearing aid systems. This results in a further increase in the power efficiency of the system, as the inductive link becomes more efficient due to the ability to continuously adjust the resonant frequency (keeping the resonant frequency of the first coil consistent or nearly consistent with the target resonant frequency). In particular, the resonant frequency of the first coil is adjusted to minimize at least one measured dissipation current. As a result of the continuous monitoring of the resonant frequency adjustment, the adjustment of the resonant frequency (tuning of the switching unit) can be performed in real time, enabling a further reduction of the power loss. In addition, the first path further includes a shunt resistor, and the measurement unit may be further configured to measure a dissipation current across the shunt resistor. Furthermore, the measuring unit may further comprise an amplifying element configured to amplify the current to be measured by the measuring unit. Optionally, the second path may further comprise a third coil in