Understanding Speech Coding Strategies

A speech processing strategy, or speech coding strategy, is a code that converts sound waves into patterns of electrical pulses. These electrical pulses are generated by the implant to stimulate the auditory nerve via an electrode array within the cochlea. There are two ways to process sound, analog stimulation and digital stimulation.

Analog stimulation uses waveforms to activate electrodes at the same time. Digital stimulation uses a series of pulses to represent sound. I n general, digital stimulation is more power-efficient, more flexible, and is less likely to result in sound distortion.

Most of today’s electronic devices – from cellular telephones to televisions – use digital technology. For the most part, today’s cochlear implant systems also use digital technology to process sound.

The TEMPO+ BTE speech processor uses an advanced mathematic algorithm – the Hilbert Transform – to provide High Definition Digital Signal Processing. The Hilbert Transform tracks incoming sounds more closely than other processes and allows more accurate representation of sound.