A face mask can both actively cancel sounds and passively attenuate sounds spoken by the user to prevent the sounds from reaching non-intended recipients positioned near the user. The mask can not only reduce the user's voice from escaping the mask but can also be used to reduce external sounds from reaching inside the mask. Thus, a user can wear the mask in public and talk on their phone without disturbing others around them. The mask can include at least one microphone and at least one audio speaker disposed inside and/or outside the mask. Sounds received by the microphone can be processed by a microphone and computing electronics to provide an output to the audio speaker that can appropriately attenuate the sound received by the microphone, via acoustic cancelation. The mask can not only be used to cancel sounds but may also be used to amplify sounds when desired.

Example embodiments may include one or more of receiving sound emissions signals from channels via sound emitters, controlling the sound emission signals, via relay circuits, and one of the relay circuits is configured to interrupt one of the sound emission signals associated with one of the sound emitters while the other sound emissions signals pass to the other corresponding sound emitters, and receiving, via a sound detection circuit, an electrical ambient sound signal based on ambient sound sensed by the one of the sound emitters responsive to the interrupted one of the sound emission signals.

A speaker system uses destructive wave interference to generate “dead spots” with respect to an audio presentation. The signal for the dead spot generating device can be an inverted signal generated using the audio signal. In one embodiment, the inverted signal is generated using the audio signal, an indication of loudness at one or more active speakers, and a determination of the characteristics of the sound path from the one or more active speakers (including delay and attenuation).

A biquad hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC) device includes a reference microphone (MIC), an error MiC, a speaker, and a controller. The controller is connected to the reference MiC, the error MiC, and the speaker, wherein the controller includes a feedforward biquad ANC filter, a feedback biquad ANC filter, and a mixer, the feedforward biquad ANC filter processes reference noise to generate a feedforward noise control signal, the feedback biquad ANC filter processes residual noise received by the error MiC to generate a feedback noise control signal, and the feedforward noise control signal generated by the feedforward biquad ANC filter and the feedback noise control signal generated by the feedback biquad ANC filter are added by the mixer and transmits to the speaker for playing.

Seats that include sound cancelation systems are described. An example vehicle bench seat has a first backrest, a first speaker, a second backrest, a second speaker, a central portion, and a seat base. The first speaker is disposed within the first backrest and the second speaker is disposed within the second backrest. Each of the first and second speakers emit primary sound waves and secondary sound waves. The secondary sound waves of the first speaker are 180 degrees out of phase with the primary sound waves of the first speaker and the secondary sound waves of the second speaker are 180 degrees out of phase with the primary sound waves of the second speaker. The central portion includes channels that direct the secondary sound waves emitted by the first and second speakers into the vehicle cabin to cancel undesired primary sound waves.

An active noise control device includes a first adaptive filter configured to generate a control signal by performing a filtering process on a reference signal corresponding to noise, and a first filter coefficient updating unit configured to update a filter coefficient of the first adaptive filter based on based on the reference signal and an added error signal acquired by adding a first error signal acquired by detecting residual noise by a first microphone and a second error signal acquired by detecting residual noise by a second microphone.

Arrangements for communication and/or noise attenuation within an aircraft, and aircraft and methods for making aircraft including such arrangements are provided. In one example, an arrangement includes an array of first microphones cooperatively configured to be directed towards a first aircraft operator when disposed in a first cockpit seat to receive a first communication input from the first aircraft operator. An array of first speakers is cooperatively configured to be directed towards the first aircraft operator when disposed in the first cockpit seat to provide a first communication output to the first aircraft operator.

A reference microphone for detecting noise is located under a first duct. The noise is in the form of a first plane wave in the first duct. A speaker is located on a top of the first duct. Connected to an upper part of the first duct is a second duct including an error microphone. The first plane wave in the first duct passes through an acoustic path and reaches the second duct. The error microphone detects the sound, and the speaker outputs a second plane wave with an opposite phase for canceling the first plane wave.

An active noise reduction earbud and method. The earbud includes a housing comprising an outlet portion that defines a sound outlet, wherein the outlet portion is configured to be located in or proximate the external auditory meatus of a user's ear, a first feedforward microphone configured to develop a first input signal, and a first sound inlet opening in the housing and configured to conduct external sound to be sensed by the first feedforward microphone, wherein the first sound inlet opening is proximate the outlet portion.

A system comprising an input device comprising one or more elements operable to generate an output in response to an input from a processing device, a microphone operable to capture one or more audio inputs, an input detection unit operable to detect one or more inputs to the input device from the processing device, and a response generation unit operable to generate a response to the detected input in dependence upon the input and at least a distance between an element associated with the corresponding output and the microphone.