DEVELOPMENT OF PHYSIOLOGICALLY INSPIRED SIGNAL PROCESSING STRATEGIES FOR COCHLEAR

描述(申请人提供)：人工耳蜗(CI)是一种神经假体，为全球20多万名聋人提供有意义的听觉体验。尽管在安静的倾听环境中取得了显著的成功，但在爱管闲事的现实世界中，CI目前只提供了有限的好处。Curren Cis使用的信号处理策略的一个关键限制是，它们只提供了发生在健康内耳中的处理的粗略近似值。具体地说，当前的策略只提供带通滤波语音的包络线索；与载波相关的快速变化的时间精细结构线索根本不被传达。对听力正常的听者的研究表明，这些时间精细结构的线索会被外围听觉系统转换为幅度包络线索。第一阶段研究的目的是开发模拟从精细结构到包络的独联体转换的过程。通过使用允许直接控制将脉冲流调制到CI电极的信号的实验接口，将在CI用户中测试处理策略。实验处理算法将与用户的个人处理器在安静和噪音下的语音接收测试中进行比较。如果第一阶段的结果表明新的信号处理策略提供了清晰度方面的好处，第二阶段的工作将在以下方面进行：为个别听众定制信号处理策略；评估混响中新的信号处理策略的好处；在可穿戴式处理器上实施新的信号处理策略；以及使用采用新的信号处理策略的原型装置对人工耳蜗植入者进行现场测试。该项目的成功将增强CI用户在日常嘈杂背景下的语音接收能力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cochlear implants (CI) are neural prostheses that provide meaningful auditory experience to more than 200,000 deaf patients worldwide. Despite significant success in quiet listening conditions, CIs currently provide only limited benefit in nosy real world situations. A critical limitation of the signal processing strategies employed by curren CIs is that they provide only a crude approximation of the processing that occurs in a healthy inner ear. In particular, current strategies only provide the envelope cues of band-pass filtered speech; the rapidly varying temporal fine structure cues associated with the carriers are simply not conveyed. Studies with normal-hearing listeners have shown that these temporal fine structure cues are converted into amplitude envelope cues by the peripheral auditory system. The aim of the study in Phase I is to develop processing that mimics that fine-structure -to-envelope conversion for CIs. Processing strategies will be tested with CI users through use of an experimental interface that allows direct control of signals modulating the pulse streams to the CI electrodes. Experimental processing algorithms will be compared to users' personal processors on tests of speech reception in quiet and noise. If the results of Phase I show that the new signal processing strategies provide intelligibility benefits, work in Phase II will be aimd at: customizing the signal processing strategies for individual listeners; evaluating the benefits f the new signal processing strategies in reverberation; implementation of the new signal processing strategies on wearable processors; and field testing of cochlear implantees with prototype devices that incorporate the new signal processing strategies. Success in this project will result in enhanced speech reception by CI users in everyday noisy backgrounds.