Method and system for hybrid noise cancellation

A system for active noise cancellation, the system comprising:

• a combination of electronic circuitry components configured for:
• from a first microphone, receiving first analog microphone signals that represent first sound waves;
• from a second microphone, receiving second analog microphone signals that represent second sound waves, wherein the second sound waves are buffered from the first sound waves by a mechanical structure of an earset between the first and second microphones;
• converting the first analog microphone signals into first digital data and the second analog microphone signals into second digital data;
• performing digital feedback processing on the first digital data and the second digital data to estimate first noise in the second sound waves;
• generating noise cancelation information for canceling at least some of the estimated first noise;
• combining the noise cancelation information and digital audio information from an audio source to generate combined digital information;
• converting the combined digital information into third analog signals;
• performing analog processing on the first analog microphone signals to estimate remaining noise that the mechanical structure fails to exclude from a space on a side of the earset;
• generating fourth analog signals for canceling at least some of the estimated remaining noise by at least modifying the first analog microphone signals based on the estimated remaining noise;
• combining the third and fourth analog signals into fifth analog signals;
• and
• outputting the fifth analog signals to the earset.

An apparatus comprising:

• an earset including an interior side and an exterior side and including a mechanical structure arranged between the interior side and the exterior side;
• a first microphone positioned on the exterior side of the earset;
• an analog feed-forward controller configured to:
• estimate remaining noise that the mechanical structure fails to exclude from the interior side of the earset;
• generate an analog-generated cancellation signal based on the estimated remaining noise and in response to a first analog microphone signal received from the first microphone;
• a second microphone positioned on the interior side of the earset;
• a first analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to generate a corresponding digital representation of a second analog microphone signal received from the second microphone;
• a digital feedback controller configured to generate a digitally generated cancellation signal in response to the corresponding digital representation of the second analog microphone signal;
• a digital mixer configured to generate a digital combined cancellation-and-audio-information signal in response to the digitally generated cancellation signal and digital audio information received from an audio source;
• a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) configured to generate an analog combined cancellation-and-audio-information signal in response to the digital combined cancellation-and-audio-information signal;
• and
• an analog mixer configured to generate an analog combined output signal in response to the analog combined cancellation-and-audio-information signal and the analog-generated cancellation signal,
• wherein the earset further includes a speaker configured to output sound waves in response to the analog combined output signal.