Multifunction system and method for integrated hearing and communication with noise cancellation and feedback management

An audio listening system for use with an ear of a user, the system comprising:

• a canal microphone configured for placement in an ear canal of the user and to measure a canal sound pressure;
• an external microphone configured for placement external to the ear canal and to measure external sound pressure;
• a transducer coupled to the external microphone and configured for placement inside the ear canal on an eardrum or in a middle ear of the user to vibrate the eardrum and transmit sound to the user in response to the external microphone;
• a sound processor configured with active noise cancellation to cause the transducer to adjust vibration of the eardrum to minimize or cancel an external sound perceived by the user based on the canal sound pressure measured by the canal microphone and the external sound pressure measured by the external microphone;
• and
• a bone vibration sensor configured to detect near-end speech, the bone vibration sensor coupled to wireless communication circuitry, and wherein the wireless communication circuitry is configured to transmit near-end speech to a far-end person in response to bone vibration when the user speaks.