The invention refers to a hearing aid system that comprises an electric audio signal input, an audio input signal processing unit that is configured to process electric audio input signals in the first processing mode or in the second processing mode and to provide an electric audio output signal, and an output transducer. The hearing aid system further comprises an audio input signal analysing unit that is configured to continuously monitor the electric audio input signal as a function of time and to determine and to provide a number of audio signal values each representing a characteristic of the electric audio input signal at a given time instance.

The hearing aid system further comprises a plurality of electrodes that are configured to be brought into contact with the skin of a user and which are configuredwhen operationally mountedto receive an electric signal that rep-resents a user's brain activity and to provide a respective EEG-related signal. The hearing aid system further comprises an EEG-related signal analysing unit that is configured to continuously monitor the EEG-related signal as a function of time and to determine and to provide a number of EEG-related values each representing the EEG-related signal at a given time instance, a memory unit which is configured to store a number of audio signal values such that a first history of respective audio signal values is created and/or to store a number of EEG-related values such that a second history of respective EEG-related values is created and a signal comparison unit that is configured to compare a current audio signal value with at least one preceding audio signal value of the first history to determine and to provide a deviation signal and/or to compare a current EEG-related value with at least one preceding EEG-related value of the second history to determine a measure of a user's current cognitive load and to provide a cognitive load representing output signal accordingly.

The audio input signal processing unit is further configured to apply the first processing mode or the at least second processing mode depending on said deviation signal and/or depending on said cognitive load representing output signal

A system (2000) comprising a head-mounted device (2010); at least one position sensor coupled to the head-mounted device; at least one light-filtering shield (2012) coupled to the at least one position sensor; at least one light detector (2019); and at least one computing device (2017) configured to receive, from the light detector, an indication that an intensity of light detected by the light detector exceeds an exposure threshold; determine, from the at least one position sensor, that the light-filtering shield is not positioned at the face of a worker to filter light with the intensity that exceeds the exposure threshold; and generate, in response to the determination that the light-filtering shield is not positioned at the face of a worker wearing the head-mounted device to filter light with the intensity that exceeds the exposure threshold, an indication for output.

An Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) headphone of multiple modes may include a preliminary scene-change detection circuit using ultra-low power to detect a scene change near the headphone and to send a trigger signal upon detecting the scene change, a scene identification circuit to determine a current scene upon receiving a trigger signal, and a filter switch circuit to switch the headphone mode from a previous headphone mode to a current headphone mode according to the determined current scene. In this way, the ANC headphone can automatically obtain an improved balance of comfortability, safety, and communicability under a reduced power consumption.

A method of determining an audio controller for a headphone that is configured to use an acoustic transducer to develop sound that is delivered to an ear of a user and that includes a feedback microphone that is configured to sense sound developed by the acoustic transducer, and a related computer program product and system. A first audio transfer function between the acoustic transducer and the feedback microphone is measured. A second audio transfer function between the acoustic transducer and the feedback microphone with a feedback controller applied is determined. The audio controller is calculated based on both the first audio transfer function and the second audio transfer function.

An audio processing device includes: a sound level measuring circuit arranged to operably generate multiple sound level values, wherein the multiple sound level values respectively correspond to the sound levels generated by an audio playback device at multiple time points or the sound levels received by a microphone at multiple time points; an audio dose calculating circuit coupled with the sound level measuring circuit and arranged to operably generate an audio dose value corresponding to a measuring period based on the multiple sound level values and contents of a weighting table; a control circuit coupled with the audio dose calculating circuit and arranged to operably compare the audio dose value with a dose threshold to determine whether to generate a control signal or not; and an indication signal generating circuit coupled with the control circuit and arranged to operably generate a corresponding indication signal according to the control signal.

An audio processing device includes: a sound level measuring circuit arranged to operably generate multiple sound level values, wherein the multiple sound level values respectively correspond to the sound levels generated by an audio playback device at multiple time points or the sound levels received by a microphone at multiple time points; an audio dose calculating circuit coupled with the sound level measuring circuit and arranged to operably generate an audio dose value corresponding to a measuring period based on the multiple sound level values and contents of a weighting table; a control circuit coupled with the audio dose calculating circuit and arranged to operably compare the audio dose value with a dose threshold to determine whether to generate a control signal or not; and an indication signal generating circuit coupled with the control circuit and arranged to operably generate a corresponding indication signal according to the control signal.

The handling of disturbances to audio signals may be improved with an adaptive noise cancellation (ANC) system that performs frequency-domain adaption. The ANC systems may be configured to determine if a disturbance is present at a first frequency in the second input signal received from the reference microphone. The ANC systems may update an algorithm of an adaptive filter based, at least in part, on the first input signal, the second input signal, and a feedback signal that is based on an output of the adaptive filter by changing parameters of the algorithm such that the adaptive filter adapts around the first frequency differently than other frequencies when the disturbance is present.

An improved system and method for reducing the ambient noise experienced by a user listening to an earpiece without the use of a microphone is disclosed. An ambient noise signal created by the sound pressure wave of the ambient noise acting on the earpiece transducer is obtained. In some embodiments, the ambient noise signal is inverted and fed back, and the inverted signal is added to the intended audio signal being sent to the earpiece so that the ambient noise is cancelled. In other embodiments, a processor receives the ambient noise signal and predicts the modification to the intended audio signal needed to counteract the ambient noise. The ambient noise signal may be obtained by comparing the actual signal across the earpiece transducer to the intended audio signal, or by detecting variations in the current across the transducer from the current generated to drive the transducer.

An in-ear noise dosimeter in the form of an earplug which senses sound in the ear canal using an eartip which has a sound delivery channel that couples sound at the end closest to the eardrum to an earplug microphone. The earplug can communicate wirelessly with a remote data collection and processing system. A dock unit for storing the earplugs when not worn can compensate for differences in unoccluded-ear versus occluded-ear responses by an acoustic compensator. An electronic compensation filter can be modified by a proximity switch in the earplug which changes state when the earplug is worn in the ear versus stored in a dock unit. The dosimeter can also have a temperature sensor for sensing human body temperature and remotely-located wireless LEDs used to alert the user of high noise dosage. Data can also be downloaded from the earplug using a reader unit.

A hearing protector device (9) comprising a controller (11), a memory (14), and a receiver (12) is provided. The controller (11) is configured to be connected to the memory (14), the receiver (12) and an at least one user-notifying device (31) adapted to notify a hearing protector user. The hearing protector device (9) is configured to receive at least one data transmission signal from a data transmission device (20); storing at least one signal parameter; and comparing said data transmission signal to the at least one stored signal parameter. The at least one stored signal parameter is associated with at least one suitable notification; wherein the user-notifying device (31) is configured to, when the signal from the data transmission device (20) matches the signal parameter, present the at least one notification associated to the signal parameter to the hearing protector user. A data transmission device (20) comprising a processor (21) configured to be connected to an external signal receiver (22) and a data device transmitter (23) is also provided, wherein the data transmission device (20) is configured to receive at least one external signal from an external source (40) and transmit a data transmission signal configured to be received by at least one hearing protector device (9).