Asynchronous sequential stimulation. A new signal treatment for cochlear implants

Cochlear implants use a fixed or FO dependent stimulation rate, whatever the sound analysed (vowel or consonant) and its analysis procedure (fixed filters or FFT). We present a procedure which varies as a function of the nature of the input signal. This method is based on FFT analysis using a variable with analysis window. Short windows are applied on the transient part of the signal, providing poor frequency resolution but good time resolution; they accurately permit to follow the speech signal in time during its fast temporal variations. Large windows are applied on the stationary parts of the signal, providing better frequency resolution, but poor time resolution. Transient parts of the speech order this window switching; they are detected using the statistical properties of the FFT; moreover the narrow windowing is coupled with an increase of the stimulation frequency. This strategy has been implemented using the Digisonic cochlear implant software, and clinically assessed on 6 regular cochlear implant users, owing to a consonant-vowel-consonant test. This Asynchronous-Interleaved-Stimulation (AIS) strategy provides the patients with better discrimination than fixed window FFT analysis. The coding protocol are described and results presented.