Application of loudness models to sound processing for cochlear implants

Abstract

A new paradigm for processing sound signals for multiple-electrode cochlear implants is introduced, and results are presented from an initial psychophysical evaluation of its effect on the perceived loudness of complex sounds. A real-time processing scheme based on this paradigm, called SpeL, has been developed primarily to improve control of loudness for implant users. SpeL differs from previous schemes in several ways. Most importantly, it incorporates a published numerical model which predicts the loudness perceived by implant users for complex patterns of pulsatile electric stimulation as a function of the pulses' physical parameters. This model is controlled by the output of a correspon..