Active noise reduction with impulse detection and suppression

One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage devices having encoded thereon computer readable instructions for causing one or more processing devices to perform a method comprising the steps:

• receiving an input signal from one or more microphones, the input signal being based on captured ambient sounds;
• processing the input signal through one or more noise reduction filters to generate a noise-reduction signal, wherein the noise-reduction signal is configured to reduce an effect of the input signal;
• comparing the input signal to an estimate of ambient noise to determine if an energy of the input signal is greater than the estimate of ambient noise, wherein if the energy of the input signal is greater than the estimate of ambient noise by a predetermined amount, suppressing a change in the noise reduction signal;
• and
• generating an output signal to an acoustic transducer, the output signal comprising, at least in part, the noise-reduction signal, such that the acoustic transducer produces an acoustic output in accordance with the output signal.

A method comprising:

• receiving an input signal representing audio captured by a microphone of an active noise reduction (ANR) headphone;
• processing, by one or more processing devices, a portion of the input signal to determine a noise level in the input signal;
• determining that the noise level satisfies a first threshold condition;
• comparing the input signal to an estimate of ambient noise to determine if an energy of the input signal is greater than that of the estimate of ambient noise by a predetermined amount, responsive to determining that the noise level satisfies the first threshold condition and that the energy of the input signal is not greater than that of the estimate of the ambient noise by the predetermined amount, generating an output signal in which ANR processing on the input signal is automatically controlled to limit a loudness level of the output signal;
• responsive to determining that the energy of the input signal is greater than the estimate of the ambient noise by the predetermined amount, generating an output signal in which ANR processing on the input signal is not automatically controlled to limit the loudness level of the output signal;
• and
• driving an acoustic transducer of the ANR headphone using the output signal.