Ear Field Adaptive Noise Control for Snoring: An Real-time Experimental Approach

In this paper, an active noise control (ANC) system is developed to provide an effective and non-intrusive solution for reducing loud snoring to provide a quiet environment for a snorer's bed partner. An adaptive least mean square (LMS) algorithm optimized for different kinds of snore signals is introduced and theoretically analyzed. Also, a residual noise masking approach is proposed to further reduce the effect of the snore noise without interfering with the LMS algorithm. Computer simulations followed by real-time experiments are conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of the snore ANC systems based on a pillow setup. For the optimum effect based on the characteristics of human hearing, the performance of the proposed approach is evaluated by using the multi-channel feedforward ANC systems based on the filtered-X least mean square (FXLMS) algorithm. Compared with a traditional headboard setup for snoring noise control, the proposed snore ANC systems optimized for ear field operation yield much higher noise reduction around the ears of the snorer's bed partner.