Patent attributes
Described herein are system and method embodiments for adaptive noise control for headphones, specifically for open-ear headphones. A leakage detection module in an ambient sound control (ASC) circuit implements leakage detection to determine a leakage mode. Based on the determined leakage mode, an ASC profile may create, select or modify an ASC profile for the ASC circuit to operate. Pilot tone, ambient noise, or audio playback may be used respectively or in combination for leakage detection. Experimental results show that embodiments of adaptive ASC approach may achieve improved performance compared to a default ASC, especially under loose fitting of an earphone.