<p>ElectrodeNet, a deep-learning based sound coding strategy for the cochlear implant (CI), is proposed in this study. </p>
<p>ElectrodeNet emulates the ACE strategy by replacing the conventional envelope detection using various artificial neural networks, and the extended ElectrodeNet-CS strategy further incorporates the channel selection (CS) in the network. Network models of deep neural network (DNN), convolutional neural network (CNN), and long short-term memory (LSTM) were trained using the Fast Fourier Transformed bins and electrode stimulation patterns from the processing of the ACE strategy for clean speech. Objective speech understanding using short-time objective intelligibility (STOI) and normalized covariance metric (NCM) was estimated for ElectrodeNet with the factors of network architecture, dataset language, and noise type using CI simulations. Subjective listening tests for vocoded Mandarin speech were conducted with normal-hearing listeners to measure sentence recognition scores. DNN, CNN, and LSTM based ElectrodeNets exhibited strong correlations to ACE in objective and subjective scores using mean squared error (MSE), linear correlation coefficient (LCC) and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (SRCC). The ElectrodeNet-CS strategy was capable of producing N-of-M compatible electrode patterns using a modified DNN network to embed maxima selection, and to perform in similar or even slightly above average in STOI and sentence recognition compared to ACE. The methods and findings in this study demonstrated the feasibility and potential of using deep learning in CI sound coding strategy.</p>