History and development of active noise reduction hearing protection

Abstract

Ever since Lueg's 1936 patent, the application of active noise reduction technology to hearing protection has been a goal of numerous research groups. This paper will describe the various efforts to apply active noise reduction technology to earcups over the time span from 1936 through the present. Each of the various efforts will be described in terms of basic cancellation technique, hardware realization, and both laboratory and field performance when available. In addition, a working model of the current active noise reduction headset developed jointly by the Air Force and Bose Corporation, similar to the unit used on the around the world flight of the Voyager, will be presented.