Abstract: An exemplary battery assembly includes a rechargeable battery cell that has a state of charge, a safety circuit configured to transition the battery assembly to a powerdown mode when the state of charge of the rechargeable battery cell is less than a predetermined threshold state of charge, and a hibernation control network. The hibernation control network 1) detects, by way of a phototransistor while the state of charge is greater than the predetermined threshold state of charge, a light beam having a predetermined wavelength, and 2) triggers, in response to the detecting of the light beam of the predetermined wavelength and while the state of charge of the rechargeable battery is still greater than the predetermined threshold state of charge, the safety circuit to transition the battery assembly to the power-down mode.

Abstract: A cochlear implant configured to be implanted within a patient may comprise an integrated circuit including a driver configured to generate a back telemetry signal encoded with information to be transmitted over a wireless communication link to a sound processor located external to the patient. The cochlear implant may also comprise a filter network that includes a first plurality of impedance components including a damping resistor, and a first and a second impedance component such as a capacitor or an inductor. The cochlear implant may also comprise an isolation network including a second plurality of impedance components configured to isolate, from the filter network and the driver, a forward telemetry signal received by the cochlear implant from the sound processor.

Abstract: There is provided a cochlear implant system, comprising a sound processor for generating an auditory nerve stimulation signal from an input audio signal; an implantable stimulation assembly comprising an electrode array for electrical stimulation of the cochlea according to the neural stimulation signal; and an electrode migration monitoring unit including a unit for capturing ECAP signals induced at the electrodes of the electrode array in response to stimulation of the cochlea by applying auditory nerve stimulation signals to the electrodes, an electrode migration detection unit for detecting electrode migration relative to the cochlea by comparing presently captured ECAP signals and/or ECAP data derived from such presently captured ECAP signals to stored previously captured ECAP signals and/or ECAP data derived from such previously captured ECAP signals, and a unit for outputting an alarm signal in case that electrode migration is detected by the electrode migration detection unit.

Abstract: A stapedius reflex threshold determination system is communicatively coupled with a loudspeaker and a cochlear implant implanted within a patient. The system identifies a baseline evoked response level associated with a baseline acoustic stimulation level too low to trigger a stapedius reflex within the patient. The system directs an electro-acoustic stimulation event to be applied to the patient, including electrical stimulation applied by the cochlear implant at a particular electrical stimulation level and acoustic stimulation applied by the loudspeaker at the baseline acoustic stimulation level. The system determines an evoked response level associated with the applied acoustic stimulation and detects that the stapedius reflex is triggered by determining that the evoked response level is at least a predetermined threshold amount lower than the baseline evoked response level.

Abstract: A cochlear implant including a cochlear lead, an antenna, a stimulation processor, and an implant magnet apparatus, associated with the antenna, including a case defining a central axis, a first disk-shaped magnet member, located within the case and rotatable relative to the case about the central axis of the case, including a magnetic north portion (“N-portion”), a magnetic south portion (“S-portion”) and an amagnetic portion (“AM-portion”), and a second disk-shaped magnet member, located within the case and rotatable relative to the case about the central axis of the case, including a N-portion, a S-portion and an AM-portion.

Abstract: A cochlear implant including a cochlear lead, a housing, a magnet apparatus located within the flexible housing and including a first partial disk shaped magnet member and a second partial disk shaped magnet member spaced apart from the first partial disk shaped magnet member, an antenna within the housing, and a stimulation processor.

Abstract: An exemplary behavioral audiogram generation system 1) determines a noise floor within the cochlea of a patient, 2) presents, by way of a loudspeaker, acoustic stimulation having a predetermined frequency and a predetermined amplitude to the patient, 3) detects an evoked response that occurs in response to the acoustic stimulation, 4) determines an amplitude of the evoked response that occurs in response to the acoustic stimulation, and 5) determines, based on the amplitude of the evoked response, on the predetermined amplitude of the acoustic stimulation, and on the noise floor, a behavioral audiogram value for the patient that corresponds to the predetermined frequency.

Abstract: An exemplary emulation system may acoustically isolate the recipient from the local listening environment by disabling a microphone included in the cochlear implant system, receive user input representative of a request to present a sound token to the recipient, generate a modified sound token, and present the modified sound token to the recipient while the microphone is disabled. The modified sound token may be generated by adding a system noise floor of the cochlear implant system to the sound token. Additionally or alternatively, the modified sound token may be generated by adding an environmental noise floor of the remote listening environment to the sound token. Additionally or alternatively, the modified sound token may be generated by filtering the sound token with an acoustic transfer function of the remote listening environment.

Abstract: An exemplary programming system 1) detects a first input command representative of a request to create a sound processing program, 2) provides, in response to the first input command, a user interface that shows a plurality of default values corresponding to a plurality of parameters associated with the sound processing program, 3) detects a changing, by way of the user interface, of the plurality of default values to a plurality of modified values, 4) detects, subsequent to the changing, a second input command representative of a request to create a sound processing program template configured to serve as a basis for one or more additional sound processing programs, and 5) presents, in response to the second input command, an option that allows the user to select one or more of the modified values to be included in the sound processing program template.

Abstract: An exemplary sound processor included in a cochlear implant system used by a recipient is configured to generate a spectral input signal representative of spectral energy contained within a frequency band of a plurality of frequency bands of an audio input signal presented to the recipient. The sound processor further receives a predetermined system noise threshold that is determined prior to the audio input signal being presented to the recipient and that is based on a predicted or measured spectral energy level of system noise generated by a theoretical or test cochlear implant system associated with, but distinct from, the cochlear implant system. The sound processor determines whether a spectral energy level of the spectral input signal exceeds the system noise threshold and, based on this determination, performs an action that impacts stimulation provided to the recipient by the cochlear implant system. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Abstract: An exemplary cochlear implant system for a patient includes a cochlear implant, a sound processor, and an implantable battery configured to be implanted within the patient. The cochlear implant is configured to 1) determine that a signal is not being provided to the cochlear implant by a device external to the patient, 2) determine, in response to the determination that the signal is not being provided to the cochlear implant, that an amount of power remaining in the implantable battery is above a predetermined threshold amount, and 3) initiate, in response to the determination that the amount of power remaining in the implantable battery is above the predetermined threshold, an idle mode in which the cochlear implant remains powered on while waiting for one or more signals to be provided to the cochlear implant by the device external to the patient.

Abstract: An exemplary auditory prosthesis system for a patient includes a body-worn sound processor apparatus configured to control an operation of a cochlear implant, a headpiece configured to facilitate wireless coupling of the body-worn sound processor apparatus to the cochlear implant, an audio accessory that includes a microphone configured to receive incoming audio and convert the incoming audio into an audio signal, a first communication port configured to connect directly to a communication port of the body-worn sound processor apparatus by way of a first cable, a second communication port configured to connect directly to a communication port of the headpiece by way of a second cable, and a control module communicatively coupled to the microphone and the first and second communication ports and that is configured to provide the audio signal to the body-worn sound processor apparatus by way of the first cable.

Abstract: An exemplary system includes an electro-acoustic stimulation (EAS) sound processor, a cochlear implant communicatively coupled to the EAS sound processor, an electrode array communicatively coupled to the cochlear implant, and a receiver communicatively coupled to the EAS sound processor and configured to be in communication with an ear of a patient. The EAS sound processor 1) directs, while in a self-fitting mode, the receiver to apply acoustic stimulation to the patient, 2) records, using at least one electrode included in the electrode array, an evoked response that occurs in response to the acoustic stimulation, 3) compares the evoked response to a baseline evoked response recorded by the EAS sound processor prior to recording the evoked response, and 4) performs a predetermined action based on the comparison between the evoked response and the baseline evoked response. Corresponding systems and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: An antenna having an inductor assembly including at least two conductors, which each define a conductor diameter Dc, and an electrically non-conductive carrier defining at least two lumens in which the at least two conductors are respectively located. The carrier maintains a conductor spacing S between the at least two conductors, and the inductor assembly defines at least one turn. The conductor spacing S and conductor diameter Dc together define a S/Dc ratio that ranges from about 0.5 to about 1.2.

Abstract: A cochlear implant including a cochlear lead, an antenna, a stimulation processor, and a magnet apparatus, associated with the antenna, including a case defining a central axis, a magnet frame within the case and rotatable about the central axis of the case, and a plurality of diametrically magnetized magnets that are located in the magnet frame, the magnets defining a longitudinal axis and a N-S direction and being rotatable about the longitudinal axis relative to the magnet frame and biased by the magnet frame to a predetermined N-S rotational orientation.

Abstract: A cochlear implant system includes: an electrode array implanted within a cochlea; an internal processor in communication with the electrode array; an implanted antenna which is electrically coupled to the internal processor; and a modular external headpiece which is removably positioned over the implanted antenna, the modular external headpiece including a core containing a sound processor for processing sound and providing a corresponding signal to the implanted antenna; and a modular component configured to releasably engage the core and supply electrical power to the core.

Abstract: There is provided a hearing assistance system, comprising an audio streaming device, a first hearing device for stimulating a first ear of a user, and a second hearing device for stimulating a second ear of the user, the audio streaming device comprising an audio input interface for receiving an input stereo audio signal, a unit for analyzing the input stereo audio signal in order to determine at least one azimuthal localization cue by comparing the two channels of the stereo signal, a unit for processing the input stereo audio signal in order to produce an output stereo audio signal, and a unit for supplying one channel of the output stereo audio signal to the first hearing device and for supplying the other channel of the output stereo audio signal to the second hearing device.

Abstract: A binaural hearing system (“system”) enhances and/or preserves interaural level differences between first and second signals. The system includes first and second audio detectors associated with first and second ears of a user, respectively. The audio detectors detect an audio signal presented to the user and generate the first and second signals to represent the audio signal as detected at the first and second ears, respectively. The system also includes a first sound processor that receives the first signal from the first audio detector and the second signal from a second sound processor via a communication link with the second sound processor. The first sound processor generates a directional signal representative of a spatial filtering of the audio signal detected at the first ear according to an end-fire directional polar pattern and presents an output signal representative of the directional signal to the user at the first ear.

Abstract: A binaural hearing system includes a binaural pair of microphones that are configured to be located, respectively, at a first ear and a second ear of a user. The system further includes an interconnected binaural pair of sound processors that are associated with the binaural pair of microphones. The sound processors are configured to preserve an interaural level difference (“ILD”) between a first signal generated by the first microphone and a second signal generated by the second microphone. The sound processors do this by performing a contralateral gain synchronization operation to a first degree with respect to the first and second signals at the first sound processor, and to a second degree with respect to the first and second signals at the second sound processor, where the first degree is distinct from the second degree or at least one of the first and second degrees is a partial degree.

Abstract: A magnet apparatus including a case defining a central axis, a magnet frame within the case and rotatable about the central axis of the case, and a plurality of elongate diametrically magnetized magnets that are located in the magnet frame, the magnets defining a longitudinal axis and a N-S direction and being freely rotatable about the longitudinal axis relative to the magnet frame.