Patent ID: 8073154

Claim:
An active noise reduction (ANR) headset system comprising: a headset circuitry receiving an input voltage, the headset circuitry comprising; an ANR circuit receiving a signal from a microphone positioned in an earcup and including a feedback loop to actively reduce the signal; a first voltage regulator limiting a voltage supplied to at least one of the ANR circuit and an amplifier to a first predetermined voltage; and a second voltage regulator limiting the input voltage of the headset circuitry to a second predetermined voltage; a power supply providing the input voltage to the headset circuitry, the power supply comprising: a direct current (DC) voltage source supplying power; a voltage converter circuit converting the power to the input voltage supplied to the headset circuitry, the voltage converter circuit varying the input voltage in response to changes to a headset load current drawn by the headset circuitry from the power supply; and a voltage control loop circuitry monitoring the headset load current and the input voltage, the voltage control loop circuitry providing a feedback signal to the voltage converter circuit; and a shutoff circuit placing the headset circuitry in a lower power consumption state when the headset load current falls below a threshold value for a predetermined amount of time.