A universal strategy selector (USS) for use with a multichannel cochlear prosthesis includes: (a) a processor, or equivalent; (b) a selector; and (c) a display. The multichannel cochlear prosthesis is characterized by multiple stimulation channels through which a specific pattern of electrical stimulation, modulated by acoustic signals, and in accordance with a selected speech processing strategy, may be spatiotemporal applied to a patients cochlea in order to yield speech intelligibility. The processor of the USS includes appropriate processing means coupled to the multichannel cochlear prosthesis for defining one of a plurality of speech processing strategies for use by the multichannel cochlear prosthesis. In one embodiment, the processing means is realized using a personal computer (PC) programmed with appropriate software. The speech processing strategy that may be selected by the USS may be selected from a multiplicity of speech processing strategies. In one embodiment, the multiplicity of speech processing strategies includes at least one simultaneous speech processing strategy, such as simultaneous analog stimulation (SAS); and at least one non-simultaneous speech processing strategy, such as a continuous interleaved sampler (CIS); and at least one strategy whose temporal characteristics lie somewhere in between simultaneous or non-simultaneous, and whose stimulating waveform(s) may comprise a hybrid combination of analog and/or pulsatile waveforms. In another embodiment, the speech processing strategy that may be selected by the USS is selected from a plurality of speech processing strategies of the same type, e.g., pulsatile strategies. The selector of the USS comprises a switch, pointer, or other selection means, for manually selecting one of the multiplicity or plurality of speech processing strategies as the selected speech processing strategy. The display of the USS, which is controlled by the processing means, provides a graphical or visual representation that characterizes the selected speech processing strategy in terms of representative stimulation waveforms and electrode coupling (e.g., bipolar or monopolar) for each channel.
Strategy selector for multichannel cochlear prosthesis