A Serial-Parallel Panoramic Filter Bank as a Model of Frequency Decomposition of Complex Sounds in the Human Inner Ear

We consider that the outer hair cells of the inner ear together with the local structuresof the basilar membrane, reticular lamina and tectorial membrane form the primary filters (PF) ofthe second order. Taking into account a delay in transmission of the excitation signal in the cochleaand the influence of the Reissner membrane, we design a signal filtering system consisting of thePF with the common PF of the neighboring channels. We assess the distribution of the centralfrequencies of the channels along the cochlea, optimal number of the PF constituting a channel,natural frequencies of the channels, damping factors and summation weights of the outputs of thePF. As an example, we present a filter bank comprising 20 Gaussian-type channels each consistingof five PF. The proposed filtering system can be useful for designing cochlear implants based onbiological principles of signal processing in the cochlea