Signal Coding for Binaural Signal Processing in Cochlear Implants

TNT members involved in this project:

The cochlear implant is the most successful man-made interface to the human neural system to date. It allows to restore a sense of hearing in people suffering from profound hearing loss by direct stimulation of the auditory nerves. While current technology allows a good understanding of speech in quiet environments, speech perception deteriorates quickly in noisy backgrounds. One technique to improve the performance in these circumstances is to use binaural sound coding strategies, i.e. combining information from the left and the right ear to improve speech perception. At the TNT, a novel coding scheme for cochlear implants is developed for use in binaural sound coding strategies. This potentially allows to save battery power in comparison to conventional methods.

Goal

The aim is to code the signals in just the quality and latency needed for the useage in binaural sound coding strategies for cochlear implants.

Approach

The approach is to design a codec that uses specifics of the processing strategy of the cochlear implants and psychoacoustics to reduce bit-rate and potentially battery power in the communication necessary for binaural sound coding strategies while keeping the latency as low as possible. By taking into account details of the design of the cochlear implant, a more efficient coding scheme can be created.

Recent Publications

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Reemt Hinrichs, Tom Gajecki, Jörn Ostermann, Waldo Nogueira
A subjective and objective evaluation of a codec for the electrical stimulation patterns of cochlear implants
Journal of the Acoustic Society of America, March 2021
(pdf) BibTeX
Jörn Ostermann, Reemt Hinrichs
Links und rechts verbinden
Unimagazin, Leibniz Universität Hannover, No. 1, June 2020
(Link) BibTeX
Jörn Ostermann Reemt Hinrichs
Signal Coding for Binaural Signal Processing in Cochlear Implants
Binaire, October 2019
(pdf) BibTeX