SPEECH PROCESSORS FOR AUDITORY PROSTHESES

用于听觉假体的语音处理器

• 批准号: 6144591
• 负责人: BLAKE S WILSON
• 金额: $ 82.97万
• 依托单位: RESEARCH TRIANGLE INSTITUTE
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 1998
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1998-09-30 至 2001-09-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6144591
• 关键词: acoustic nerve; bioengineering /biomedical engineering; biomedical equipment development; clinical biomedical equipment; clinical research; cochlear implants; ear /hearing prosthesis; electronic stimulator; human subject; human therapy evaluation; medical implant science; medical rehabilitation related tag; speech recognition; speech synthesizers

The objective of this contract is to design, develop and evaluate both laboratory based and wearable speech processors for use in auditory prostheses. An essential component of all auditory prostheses is the speech processor whose function is to convert the wide bandwidth, large dynamic range electrical signal from a microphone to a signal or set of signals for driving the individual electrical implant stimulators in a manner to optimize recognition of speech and environmental sounds by the implant user. Considerable progress has been made in understanding the information that is being conveyed to the remaining auditory nerve fibers and the cochlear nucleus during electrical stimulation with electrodes in the scala tympani and on the surface of the cochlear nucleus. Based in part on these findings, there have been significant improvements in speech processors and consequently in speech recognition by deaf implant users. It has been found that many, but not all, multichannel implant patients benefit from non-simultaneous application of stimuli to their different electrodes. Also, some subjects demonstrate improved understanding of speech when activation of their electrodes is accomplished by cycling through them at a high rate, i.e. faster than individual auditory nerve fibers can follow. Another important factor appears to be the loudness growth transfer function in the speech processor. The test score results from many of these research subjects have shown significant increases over scores achieved with their conventional commercial processors even though they have had only a few hours of practice with the experimental processors. In addition, portable digital speech processors have been designed and are being evaluated using some of the new speech processing strategies. There are several different types of single and multichannel auditory prostheses being used in human subjects. These include both unilateral and bilateral cochlear implants as well as cochlear nucleus implants. Each of these is based on different design philosophies and each has certain advantages/limitations. Since optimal speech processor design depends, among other things, upon both the implanted electrode design and the remaining auditory nervous system of the subject, it is important in designing speech processors to do so for specific implant designs and to test them with a representative cross section of users. Most speech processor evaluation has been done in low background noise environments. This work is being extended to permit the testing and evaluation of additional speech processing techniques in previously implanted patients under a range of signal-to-noise conditions with emphasis on subjects considered poor users with their commercial speech processors. Continued emphasis is being placed on converting some of the software-based speech processing systems into wearable versions for evaluation of the devices under conditions of "daily living" and the effects of long-term learning.

本合同的目标是设计、开发和评估这两个项目 用于听觉的基于实验室的可穿戴语音处理器 假肢。 所有听觉假体的一个重要组成部分是言语 处理器，其功能是将宽带、大动态 从麦克风到一个或一组信号的电信号范围 用于以如下方式驱动各个电植入刺激器 通过植入物优化语音和环境声音的识别 用户。 在理解这些信息方面已经取得了相当大的进展 它被传送到剩余的听神经纤维和 耳蜗核在电刺激中的作用 鼓阶和耳蜗核表面。部分基于 在这些发现的基础上，语言能力有了显著的改善 处理器，并因此在聋人植入用户的语音识别中使用。 已经发现，许多但不是所有的多通道植入患者 从不同时对其不同的刺激应用中获益 电极。此外，一些受试者表现出对 当他们的电极激活通过循环完成时的语音 以很高的速度通过它们，即比单个听神经更快 纤维可以跟在后面。另一个重要因素似乎是声音的响度 语音处理器中的增长传递函数。考试成绩 其中许多研究对象的研究结果表明， 比其传统商业广告所取得的成绩更高 处理器，尽管他们只有几个小时的实践 试验性的处理器。此外，便携式数字语音 处理器已经设计，并正在使用一些 新的语音处理策略。 有几种不同类型的单声道和多声道听觉 假体用于人体受试者。其中包括单边和单边 以及双侧人工耳蜗术和耳蜗核植入术。 其中的每一个都基于不同的设计理念，并且每个都有 某些优势/局限性。由于最优语音处理器设计 除了其他因素外，取决于植入的电极设计 以及受试者剩余的听觉神经系统，它是 在为特定植入物设计语音处理器时很重要 设计并在具有代表性的用户横截面中测试它们。 大多数语音处理器的评估都是在低背景噪声下进行的 环境。这项工作正在扩展，以允许测试和 对以前的其他语音处理技术的评估 在一系列信噪比条件下植入的患者 在商业演讲中强调被认为是糟糕用户的主题 处理器。继续将重点放在将一些 将基于软件的语音处理系统转换为可穿戴版本 设备在“日常生活”条件下的评估和 长期学习的效果。