A binaural hearing system includes a first hearing device and a second hearing device, each of which comprising: an input transducer; a transducer audio signal processor configured to provide a processed input transducer audio signal; an ear canal microphone; an ear canal audio signal processor configured to provide a processed ear canal audio signal; a first signal combiner configured to combine the processed input transducer audio signal with the processed ear canal audio signal to obtain an output transducer audio signal; a signal level detector configured to determine a signal level of (1) the output transducer audio signal or (2) an audio signal included in formation of the output transducer audio signal; and an output transducer; wherein the binaural hearing system further comprises a binaural excessive level detector connected to the first hearing device's signal level detector and the second hearing device's signal level detector.

Digital audio signal processing techniques used to provide an acoustic transparency function in a pair of headphones. A number of transparency filters can be computed at once, using optimization techniques or using a closed form solution, that are based on multiple re-seatings of the headphones and that are as a result robust for a population of wearers. In another embodiment, a transparency hearing filter of a headphone is computed by an adaptive system that takes into consideration the changing acoustic to electrical path between an earpiece speaker and an interior microphone of that headphone while worn by a user. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

A method for operating a hearing device is specified. The hearing device has at least one microphone that picks up an input sound signal and converts it into an electrical input signal. The hearing device has a signal processing section that modifies the electrical input signal on the basis of an audiogram of a user and thereby generates a first electrical output signal. The hearing device has an active noise reduction system that generates a second electrical output signal in order to reject a noise component. The hearing device has a receiver that converts the first electrical output signal and the second electrical output signal into an output sound signal, for output to the user. The active noise reduction system is operated in parallel with the signal processing section. A corresponding hearing device is programmed to perform the method.

An ear-plug assembly presents audio content to an ear canal of a user. The audio content may be based in part on sound in a local area surrounding the user. The ear-plug assembly detects, via one or more acoustic sensors, sound in the area around the user. The sound waves travel through an aperture in a body of the ear-plug assembly and are propagated to a waveguide to the one or more acoustic sensors. The ear-plug assembly processes the detected sound data in a controller, which instructs a speaker assembly to present audio content based in part on the detected sound data. The detected sounds may be amplified, attenuated, filtered, and/or augmented when presented by the speaker assembly.

A method operates a hearing device which performs active noise suppression for suppressing noise signals having one or more frequency components. An audiogram is provided which specifies a hearing threshold of a user of the hearing device as a function of frequency, wherein by using the audiogram it is determined which frequency components of the noise are audible to the user and which are not audible. The noise suppression is operated selectively by suppressing audible frequency components of the noise and by not suppressing inaudible frequency components of the noise. A corresponding hearing device is operated according to the method.

An in-ear earphone includes a face shell for mounting an earphone cable and a bottom shell provided with an ear cap, and the face shell and the bottom shell are detachably fixed to each other. A loudspeaker and an air valve are arranged at the bottom shell, and the bottom shell is further provided with a sound transmission channel. One end of the sound transmission channel is in communication with an inner ear canal located at a side where the ear cap is located, and another end of the sound transmission channel is connected to a sealing plug formed by the air valve and the loudspeaker. One end of the air valve is connected to the sound transmission channel, and another end of the air valve is connected to an outer ear canal, to control the communication between the sound transmission channel and the outer ear canal.

A method and system of conferencing can include the steps of initiating a conference call at a communication device with two or more communication devices and selecting to suppress a voice communication of at least one communication device on the conference call where a modified electronic signal is generated with the selected at least one communication device so that the voice communication from the selected at least one communication device is inaudible. The method or system further includes sending the modified electronic signal to at least one other communication device on the conference call. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Earpieces and methods for acute sound detection and reproduction are provided. A method can include measuring an external ambient sound level (xASL), monitoring a change in the xASL for detecting an acute sound, estimating a proximity of the acute sound, and upon detecting the acute sound and its proximity, reproducing the acute sound within an ear canal, where the ear canal is at least partially occluded by an earpiece. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A noise cancelling headset includes an earpiece, the earpiece including a feedback microphone, a feed-forward microphone, and an output driver. A first feedback filter receives an input from at least the first feedback microphone and produces a first filtered feedback signal. A first feed-forward filter receives an input from at least the first feed-forward microphone and produces a first filtered feed-forward signal. A first summer combines the first filtered feedback signal and the first filtered feed-forward signal and produces a first output signal. An output interface provides the first output signal as an output from the headset.

A hearing assistance system includes a pair of left and right hearing assistance devices to be worn by a wearer and uses both of the left and right hearing assistance devices to detect the voice of the wearer. The left and right hearing assistance devices each include first and second microphones at different locations. Various embodiments detect the voice of the wearer using signals produced by the first and second microphones of the left hearing assistance device and the first and second microphones of the right hearing assistance device. Various embodiments use outcome of detection of the voice of the wearer performed by the left hearing assistance device and the outcome of detection of the voice of the wearer performed the right hearing assistance device to determine whether to declare a detection of the voice of the wearer.