Near-field noise cancellation

1. A method for reducing an interference of a near-field noise signal with a select near-field sound, the method comprising:

receiving, from a first acoustic sensing device, a first electronic signal comprising the select near-field sound signal and the near-field noise signal including near-field noise originating from at least one first sound source located relatively proximal to the first acoustic sensing device as compared to a second sound source from which a far-field noise originates;

analyzing the first electronic signal to detect the near-field noise signal based on a known recognizable acoustic signature or pattern of the first sound source which was known prior to the near-field noise's origination;

generating a replica signal when a presence of the near-field noise signal is detected within the first electronic signal, where the replica signal is a replica of the near-field noise signal;

controlling at least one characteristic of the replica signal so as to cause a far-field noise cancellation process to consider the corresponding near-field noise as constituting far-field noise;

communicating said replica signal to a first input of a far-field noise cancellation process and said first electronic signal to a second input of the far-field noise cancellation process, where the far-field noise cancellation process is designed to cancel far-field noise from audio signals while preserving near-field sound; and

generating an output signal of said far-field noise cancellation process in which said near-field noise signal is reduced in amplitude whereby the interference thereof with the select near-field sound signal is also reduced.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving an electronic trigger signal for said near-field noise signal; and

controlling a timing of said replica signal based on said electronic trigger signal.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said first electronic signal further includes a speech signal originating in a near field of said first acoustic sensing device, and said far-field noise cancellation process preserves said speech signal in said output signal.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising:

receiving, from a second acoustic sensing device, a second electronic signal; and

prior to said communicating step, adding said second electronic signal to said replica signal;

wherein said speech signal is also included in said second electronic signal in a form that is attenuated relative to said speech signal in said first electronic signal.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein said first electronic signal and said second electronic signal include a far-field noise signal, and wherein said far-field noise signal is substantially reduced in said output signal.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a timing of said replica signal is controlled.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein a periodicity of said replica signal is controlled.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said near-field noise signal is produced by pulsating an air flow in an SCBA mask.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said near-field noise signal is a quasi-periodic signal.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said analyzing step comprises comparing said near-field noise signal to stored information concerning a model near-field noise signal.

11. A communications device comprising:

a first acoustic sensing device configured to receive acoustic signals and generate a first electronic signal based on said acoustic signals;

a far field noise cancellation device comprising a primary input and a secondary input, and configured to reduce interference of received near-field noise signals identified as far-field noise with select near-field sound signals; and

at least one electronic circuit configured to:

receive, from said first acoustic sensing device, said first electronic signal comprising a select near-field sound signal and a near-field noise signal including near-field noise originating from at least one first sound source located relatively proximal to the first acoustic sensing device as compared to a second sound source from which a far-field noise originates;

analyze the first electronic signal to detect the near-field noise signal based on a known recognizable acoustic signature or pattern of the first sound source which was known prior to the near-field noise's origination;

generating a replica signal when a presence of the near-field noise signal is detected within the first electronic signal, where the replica signal is a replica of the near-field noise signal;

control at least one characteristic of said replica signal so as to cause said far-field noise cancellation device to consider said near-field noise signal as constituting far-field noise; and

communicate said first electronic signal to said primary input and said replica signal to said secondary input of said far-field noise cancellation device.

12. The communications device according to claim 11 , wherein said electronic circuit is further configured to:

receive an electronic trigger signal for said near-field noise signal; and

generate said replica signal based on said electronic trigger signal.

13. The communications device according to claim 11 , wherein said first electronic signal includes an electronic representation of a speech signal originating in a near field of said first acoustic sensing device, and said far-field noise cancellation device is further configured to generate an output signal that includes said speech signal.

14. The communications device according to claim 13 , wherein said electronic circuit is further configured to:

receive, from a second acoustic sensing device, a second electronic signal comprising said speech signal in a form that is attenuated relative to said speech signal in said first electronic signal; and

prior to said communicating step, adding said second electronic signal to said replica signal.

15. The communications device according to claim 14 , wherein said first electronic signal and said second electronic signal include an electronic representation of a far-field noise signal originating in a far field of said first and said second acoustic sensing devices, and wherein said far-field noise signal is substantially reduced in said output signal.

16. The communications device according to claim 11 , wherein said electronic circuit is further configured to control a timing of said replica signal.

17. The communications device according to claim 11 , wherein said electronic circuit is further configured to control a periodicity of said replica signal.

18. The communications device according to claim 11 , wherein said near-field noise signal is produced by pulsating an air flow in an SCBA mask.

19. The communications device according to claim 11 , wherein said near-field noise signal is a quasi-periodic signal.

20. The communications device according to claim 11 , wherein said electronic circuit is configured to identify the presence of said near-field noise signal in said first electronic signal by comparing said near-field noise signal to stored information concerning a model near-field noise signal.

21. A device comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program for reducing an interference of a near-field noise signal with a select near-field sound signal, the computer program having a plurality of code sections, the code sections executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform the steps of:

receiving, from a first acoustic sensing device, a first electronic signal comprising the select near-field sound signal and the near-field noise signal including near-field noise originating from at least one first sound source located relatively proximal to the first acoustic sensing device as compared to a second sound source from which a far-field noise originates;

analyzing the first electronic signal to detect the near-field noise signal based on a known recognizable acoustic signature or pattern of the first sound source which was known prior to the near-field noise's origination;

generating a replica signal when a presence of the near-field noise signal is detected within the first electronic signal, where the replica signal is a replica of the near-field noise signal;

controlling at least one characteristic of the replica signal so as to cause a far-field noise cancellation process to consider the corresponding near-field noise as constituting far-field noise;

communicating said replica signal to a first input of a far-field noise cancellation process and said first electronic signal to a second input of the far-field noise cancellation process, where the far-field noise cancellation process is designed to cancel far-field noise from audio signals while preserving near-field sound; and

generating an output signal of said far-field noise cancellation process in which said near-field noise signal is reduced in amplitude whereby the interference thereof with the select near-field sound signal is also reduced.