Estimation Of Noise Parameters Research Articles

Noise-Adaptive State Estimators with Change-Point Detection.

Aiming at tracking sharply maneuvering targets, this paper develops novel variational adaptive state estimators for joint target state and process noise parameter estimation for a class of linear state-space models with abruptly changing parameters. By combining variational inference with change-point detection in an online Bayesian fashion, two adaptive estimators-a change-point-based adaptive Kalman filter (CPAKF) and a change-point-based adaptive Kalman smoother (CPAKS)-are proposed in a recursive detection and estimation process. In each iteration, the run-length probability of the current maneuver mode is first calculated, and then the joint posterior of the target state and process noise parameter conditioned on the run length is approximated by variational inference. Compared with existing variational noise-adaptive Kalman filters, the proposed methods are robust to initial iterative value settings, improving their capability of tracking sharply maneuvering targets. Meanwhile, the change-point detection divides the non-stationary time sequence into several stationary segments, allowing for an adaptive sliding length in the CPAKS method. The tracking performance of the proposed methods is investigated using both synthetic and real-world datasets of maneuvering targets.

Resilient Factor Graph-Based GNSS/IMU/Vision/Odo Integrated Navigation Scheme Enhanced by Noise Approximate Gaussian Estimation in Challenging Environments

The signal blockage and multipath effects of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) caused by urban canyon scenarios have brought great technical challenges to the positioning and navigation of autonomous vehicles. In this paper, an improved factor graph optimization algorithm enhanced by a resilient noise model is proposed. The measurement noise is resilient and adjusted based on an approximate Gaussian distribution-based estimation. In estimating and adjusting the noise parameters of the measurement model, the error covariance matrix of the multi-sensor fusion positioning system is dynamically optimized to improve the system accuracy. Firstly, according to the approximate Gaussian statistical property of the GNSS/odometer velocity residual sequence, the measured data are divided into an approximate Gaussian fitting region and an approximate Gaussian convergence region. Secondly, the interval is divided according to the measured data, and the corresponding variational Bayesian network and Gaussian mixture model are used to estimate the innovation online. Further, the noise covariance matrix of the adaptive factor graph-based model is dynamically optimized using the estimated noise parameters. Finally, based on low-cost inertial navigation equipment, GNSS, odometer, and vision, the algorithm is implemented and verified using a simulation platform and real-vehicle road test. The experimental results show that in a complex urban road environment, compared with the traditional factor graph fusion localization algorithm, the maximum improvement in accuracy of the proposed algorithm can reach 65.63%, 39.52%, and 42.95% for heading, position, and velocity, respectively.

Breast ultrasound image despeckling using multi-filtering DFrFT and adaptive fast BM3D

Improving the quality of breast ultrasound images is of great significance for clinical diagnosis which can greatly boost the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography. However, due to the influence of ultrasound imaging principles and acquisition equipment, the collected ultrasound images naturally contain a large amount of speckle noise, which leads to a decrease in image quality and affects clinical diagnosis. To overcome this problem, we propose an improved denoising algorithm combining multi-filter DFrFT (Discrete Fractional Fourier Transform) and the adaptive fast BM3D (Block Matching and 3D collaborative filtering) method. Firstly, we provide the multi-filtering DFrFT method for preprocessing the original breast ultrasound image so as to remove some speckle noise early in fractional transformation domain. Based on the fractional frequency spectrum characteristics of breast ultrasound images, three types of filters are designed correspondingly in low, medium, and high frequency domains. And by integrating filtered images, the enhanced images are obtained which not only remove some speckle noise in background but also preserve the details of breast lesions. Secondly, for further enhancing the image quality on the basis of multi-filter DFrFT, we propose the adaptive fast BM3D method by introducing the DBSCAN-based super pixel segmentation to block matching process, which utilizes super pixel segmentation labels to provide a reference on how similar it is between target block and retrieval blocks. It reduces the number of blocks to be retrieved and make the matched blocks with more similar features. At last, the local noise parameter estimation is also adopted in the hard threshold filtering process of traditional BM3D algorithm to achieve local adaptive filtering and further improving the denoising effect. The synthetic data and real breast ultrasound data examples show that this combined method can improve the speckle suppression level and keep the fidelity of structure effectively without increasing time cost.

Blind Estimation of Timing Error, Channel Attenuation and Noise Parameters in OOK Free-Space Optical Communications

Blind Estimation of Timing Error, Channel Attenuation and Noise Parameters in OOK Free-Space Optical Communications

(Invited) In-Depth Understanding of the Key Contributors to the Total Flicker Noise in Advanced Logic Devices

The aim of this work is to perform an in-depth analysis in order to identify the key contributors to the total flicker noise in advanced MOSFET technologies, e.g. UTBOX, FinFET or Gate-all-around (GAA) nanowire or nanosheet FET devices.In this abstract, as an example, we will focus on p-type gate all around silicon vertical nanowire devices fabricated at imec. The transistors have a fixed gate length (LG) of 50 nm and 1200 nanowires in parallel (N), each nanowire (NW) having a diameter (WNW) of 20 nm. The total width (W) of the device is calculated as . The gate stack corresponds to an equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) of 0.9 nm. A full description of the process flow of the devices is presented in [1]. Comparison between the Y-function strategy of [2] and McLarty methodology [3] permits to estimate with accuracy the DC parameters necessary for low frequency noise modelling, which are summarized in Table 1.Typical low frequency noise spectra are shown in Figure 1. The methodology for the estimation of the low frequency noise parameters is described in [4], but it is obvious that the noise spectra are dominated by 1/f noise and only few Lorentzian contributions appear for some gate voltage polarization. As the corresponding flicker noise levels (K f ), plotted in Figure 2 present a plateau and rise with the increase of the applied gate voltage, the responsible 1/f noise mechanism should be related to the carrier number or correlated carrier number fluctuations mechanism, with a possible contribution of the access resistance 1/f noise.Firstly, the model described in [5-9] expressed as in equation (1) is employed. A linear dependence of the square root of the 1/f noise levels on the measured Id/gm is observed in Figure 3, permitting to estimate from the intercept and slope the flat-band noise level (Svfb) and the W coefficient, respectively. Using the methodology of [9] the estimated W parameter is corrected by the access resistance influence. Good agreement with experimental data in strong inversion may be observed in both cases (Figure 4).Secondly, the model which considers the small signal model of the MOSFET is used, assuming that the channel resistance noise and access resistances noise are uncorrelated noise sources [2,10,11]. The model may be expressed by equation (2) ((13) of [11]), in order to make no assumption concerning the gm/gch ratio. Beyond the threshold voltage, the impact of the cannot be neglected, as observed from Figure 5. It may be observed from Figure 6 that the correlated number fluctuation and mobility noise mechanism cannot explain the flicker noise behavior in very strong inversion, and an additional contribution of the access resistances noise may be considered in order to agree with the experimental data.The noise parameters estimated to agree with the experimental data for both models are summarized in Table 2. It is interesting to note that the experimental data may be explained by both models, but the key contributors are not the same: only correlated number fluctuations and mobility noise mechanism for the first model, and correlated number fluctuations and mobility and access resistance noise mechanisms contribution for the second one. Moreover, the estimated flat-band noise levels are not the same, a much lower Svfb is obtained when the first model is employed. Considering the access resistance impact may correct the W coefficient, but leads to even lower flat-band noise levels, as already reported in [9].These results lead to some questioning about which of these two models is most accurate and give good indications on the key contributors and estimated parameters of the total flicker noise.

A Survey of Machine Learning Assisted Continuous-Variable Quantum Key Distribution

Continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) shows potential for the rapid development of an information-theoretic secure global communication network; however, the complexities of CV-QKD implementation remain a restrictive factor. Machine learning (ML) has recently shown promise in alleviating these complexities. ML has been applied to almost every stage of CV-QKD protocols, including ML-assisted phase error estimation, excess noise estimation, state discrimination, parameter estimation and optimization, key sifting, information reconciliation, and key rate estimation. This survey provides a comprehensive analysis of the current literature on ML-assisted CV-QKD. In addition, the survey compares the ML algorithms assisting CV-QKD with the traditional algorithms they aim to augment, as well as providing recommendations for future directions for ML-assisted CV-QKD research.

Estimating seroconversion rates accounting for repeated infections by approximate Bayesian computation.

This study presents a novel approach for inferring the incidence of infections by employing a quantitative model of the serum antibody response. Current methodologies often overlook the cumulative effect of an individual's infection history, making it challenging to obtain a marginal distribution for antibody concentrations. Our proposed approach leverages approximate Bayesian computation to simulate cross-sectional antibody responses and compare these to observed data, factoring in the impact of repeated infections. We then assess the empirical distribution functions of the simulated and observed antibody data utilizing Kolmogorov deviance, thereby incorporating a goodness-of-fit check. This new method not only matches the computational efficiency of preceding likelihood-based analyses but also facilitates the joint estimation of antibody noise parameters. The results affirm that the predictions generated by our within-host model closely align with the observed distributions from cross-sectional samples of a well-characterized population. Our findings mirror those of likelihood-based methodologies in scenarios of low infection pressure, such as the transmission of pertussis in Europe. However, our simulations reveal that in settings of higher infection pressure, likelihood-based approaches tend to underestimate the force of infection. Thus, our novel methodology presents significant advancements in estimating infection incidence, thereby enhancing our understanding of disease dynamics in the field of epidemiology.

The Use of Artificial Intelligence Approaches for Performance Improvement of Low-Cost Integrated Navigation Systems.

In this paper, the authors investigate the possibility of applying artificial intelligence algorithms to the outputs of a low-cost Kalman filter-based navigation solution in order to achieve performance similar to that of high-end MEMS inertial sensors. To further improve the results of the prototype and simultaneously lighten filter requirements, different AI models are compared in this paper to determine their performance in terms of complexity and accuracy. By overcoming some known limitations (e.g., sensitivity on the dimension of input data from inertial sensors) and starting from Kalman filter applications (whose raw noise parameter estimates were obtained from a simple analysis of sensor specifications), such a solution presents an intermediate behavior compared to the current state of the art. It allows the exploitation of the power of AI models. Different Neural Network models have been taken into account and compared in terms of measurement accuracy and a number of model parameters; in particular, Dense, 1-Dimension Convolutional, and Long Short Term Memory Neural networks. As can be excepted, the higher the NN complexity, the higher the measurement accuracy; the models' performance has been assessed by means of the root-mean-square error (RMSE) between the target and predicted values of all the navigation parameters.

Deep Signal-Dependent Denoising Noise Algorithm

Although many existing noise parameter estimations of image signal-dependent noise have certain denoising effects, most methods are not ideal. There are some problems with these methods, such as poor noise suppression effects, smooth details, lack of flexible denoising ability, etc. To solve these problems, in this study, we propose a deep signal-dependent denoising noise algorithm. The algorithm combines the model method with a convolutional neural network. We use the noise level of the noise image and the noise image together as the input of the convolutional neural network to obtain a wider range of noise levels than the single noise image as the input. In the convolutional neural network, the deep features of the image are extracted by multi-layer residuals, which solves the difficult problem of training. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our noise parameter estimation has good denoising performance.

Investigation of the trade-off between the complexity of the accelerometer bias model and the state estimation accuracy in INS/GNSS integration

Abstract The integration of Inertial Navigation Systems and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) represents the core navigation unit for mobile platforms in open sky environments. A realistic assessment of the accuracy of the navigation solution depends on the accurate modelling of inertial sensor errors. Sensor noise and biases contribute most to short-term navigation errors. For the latter, different models can be used, varying in complexity. This paper investigates how the use of two different models for the accelerometer bias affects the accuracy of the state estimate in an extended Kalman filter. For this purpose, the Allan variance technique is applied to a data sequence from a specific inertial sensor to identify and quantify the underlying noise processes. The estimated noise parameters are used to characterise a bias model for the accelerometers that in addition to the static bias model takes non-white noise processes of the inertial sensor under investigation into account. This detailed accelerometer bias model is compared to a classical modelling approach that only considers static biases. Both approaches are evaluated based on simulation studies for continuous and intermittent GNSS coverages. The results show no significant difference between the two modelling approaches in terms of horizontal position and attitude precision. Furthermore, the correctness of the accelerometer bias estimates is not significantly affected by the modelling approach. All in all, it can be concluded that a detailed bias model of the accelerometers does not outperform the classical modelling approach.

Research on Leak Location Method of Water Supply Pipeline Based on MVMD

At present, the leakage rate of the water distribution network in China is still high, and the waste of water resources caused by water distribution network leakage is quite serious every year. Therefore, the location of pipeline leakage is of great significance for saving water resources and reducing economic losses. Acoustic emission technology is the most widely used pipeline leak location technology. The traditional non-stationary random signal de-noising method mainly relies on the estimation of noise parameters, ignoring periodic noise and components unrelated to pipeline leakage. Aiming at the above problems, this paper proposes a leak location method for water supply pipelines based on a multivariate variational mode decomposition algorithm. This method combines the two parameters of the energy loss coefficient and the correlation coefficient between adjacent modes, and adaptively determines the decomposition mode number K according to the characteristics of the signal itself. According to the correlation coefficient, the effective component is selected to reconstruct the signal and the cross-correlation time delay is estimated to determine the location of the pipeline leakage point. The experimental results show that this method has higher accuracy than the cross-correlation method based on VMD and the cross-correlation method based on EMD, and the average relative positioning error is less than 2.2%.

Joint Denoising-Demosaicking Network for Long-Wave Infrared Division-of-Focal-Plane Polarization Images with Mixed Noise Level Estimation.

Denoising and demosaicking long-wave infrared (LWIR) division-of-focal-plane (DoFP) polarization images are crucial for various vision applications. However, existing methods rely on the sequential application of individual denoising and demosaicking processes, which may result in the accumulation of errors produced by each process. To address this issue, we propose a joint denoising and demosaicking method for LWIR DoFP images based on a three-stage progressive deep convolutional neural network. To ensure the generalization ability of this network, it is essential to have adequate training data that closely resembles real data. Therefore, we model the complex noise sources that affect LWIR DoFP images as mixed Poisson-Additive-Stripe noise and construct a least-squares problem based on the polarization measurement redundancy error to estimate the parameters of this model on real images. Subsequently, the estimated noise parameters are used to generate training data that enables the network to learn accurate polarization image statistics and improve its generalization ability. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in enhancing the image restoration performance on real LWIR DoFP polarization data.

Conservative Estimation of Inertial Sensor Errors Using Allan Variance Data

<h3>Abstract</h3> To understand the error sources present in inertial sensors, both the white (time-invariant) and correlated noise sources must be properly characterized. To understand both sources, the standard approach (IEEE standards 647-2006, 952-2020) is to compute the Allan variance of the noise and then use human-based interpretation of linear trends to estimate the separate noise sources present in a sensor. Recent work has sought to overcome the graphical nature and visual-inspection basis of this approach leading to more accurate noise estimates. However, when using noise characterization in a filter, it is important that the noise estimates be not only accurate but also conservative, i.e., that the estimated noise parameters overbound truth. In this paper, we propose a novel method for automatically estimating conservative noise parameters using the Allan variance. Results of using this method to characterize a low-cost MEMS IMU (Analog Devices ADIS16470) are presented, demonstrating the efficacy of the proposed approach.

LRT: An Efficient Low-Light Restoration Transformer for Dark Light Field Images.

Light field (LF) images containing information for multiple views have numerous applications, which can be severely affected by low-light imaging. Recent learning-based methods for low-light enhancement have some disadvantages, such as a lack of noise suppression, complex training process and poor performance in extremely low-light conditions. To tackle these deficiencies while fully utilizing the multi-view information, we propose an efficient Low-light Restoration Transformer (LRT) for LF images, with multiple heads to perform intermediate tasks within a single network, including denoising, luminance adjustment, refinement and detail enhancement, achieving progressive restoration from small scale to full scale. Moreover, we design an angular transformer block with an efficient view-token scheme to model the global angular dependencies, and a multi-scale spatial transformer block to encode the multi-scale local and global information within each view. To address the issue of insufficient training data, we formulate a synthesis pipeline by simulating the major noise sources with the estimated noise parameters of LF camera. Experimental results demonstrate that our method achieves the state-of-the-art performance on low-light LF restoration with high efficiency.

Full Bayesian inference in hidden Markov models of plant growth

Accurately modeling the growth process of plants in interaction with their environment is important for predicting their biophysical characteristics, referred to as phenotype prediction. Most models are described by discrete dynamic systems in general state-space representation with important domain-specific characteristics: First, plant model parameters have usually clear functional meanings and may be of genetic origins, thus necessitating a precise estimation. Second, critical growth variables, specifically biomass production and dynamic allocation to organs, are hidden variables not accessible to measure. Finally, the difficulty to assess the local plant environment may imply the introduction of process noises in models. Therefore, a precise understanding of the system’s behavior requires the joint estimation of functional parameters, hidden states, and noise parameters. In this paper we describe how a full Bayesian method of estimation can accurately estimate all these key model variables using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques. In the presence of both process and observation noises, it requires to use adequate particle MCMC (PMCMC) algorithms to efficiently sample the hidden states which, consequently, allows for a precise estimation of all noise parameters involved. Thanks to the Bayesian framework, appropriate choices of prior distributions for the noise parameters have enabled analytical posterior distributions and only simple updates are required. Furthermore, this estimation strategy can be easily generalized and adapted to different types of plant growth models, such as organ-scale or compartmental, provided that they are formulated as hidden Markov models. Our estimation method improves on those classically used in plant growth modeling in several aspects: First, by building upon a general probabilistic framework the estimation results allow proper statistical analyses. It is useful in prediction, no only for uncertainty and risk analysis (e.g., for crop yield prediction) but also to analyze the results of experimental trials, for example, to compare genotypes in breeding. Moreover, the care taken in the estimation of hidden variables opens new perspectives in the understanding of inner growth processes, notably the balance and interaction between biomass production and allocation (referred to as source-sink dynamics). Applications of this estimation procedure are demonstrated on the GreenLab model for Arabidopsis thaliana and the Log-Normal Allocation and Senescence (LNAS) model for sugar beet, on both synthetic and real data.

An Efficient Estimation Method for Dynamic Systems in the Presence of Inaccurate Noise Statistics

The uncertainty of noise statistics in dynamic systems is one of the most important issues in engineering applications, and significantly affects the performance of state estimation. The optimal Bayesian Kalman filter (OBKF) is an important approach to solve this problem, as it is optimal over the posterior distribution of unknown noise parameters. However, it is not suitable for online estimation because the posterior distribution of unknown noise parameters at each time is derived from its prior distribution by incorporating the whole measurement sequence, which is computationally expensive. Additionally, when the system is subjected to large disturbances, its response is slow and the estimation accuracy deteriorates. To solve the problem, we improve the OBKF mainly in two aspects. The first is the calculation of the posterior distribution of unknown noise parameters. We derive it from the posterior distribution at a previous time rather than the prior distribution at the initial time. Instead of the whole measurement sequence, only the nearest fixed number of measurements are used to update the posterior distribution of unknown noise parameters. Using the sliding window technique reduces the computational complexity of the OBKF and enhances its robustness to jump noise. The second aspect is the estimation of unknown noise parameters. The posterior distribution of an unknown noise parameter is represented by a large number of samples by the Markov chain Monte Carlo approach. In the OBKF, all samples are equivalent and the noise parameter is estimated by averaging the samples. In our approach, the weights of samples, which are proportional to their likelihood function values, are taken into account to improve the estimation accuracy of the noise parameter. Finally, simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

A Variational Bayesian-Based Simultaneous Localization and Mapping Method for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Navigation

Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) is a well-known solution for mapping and realizing autonomous navigation of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) in unknown underwater environments. However, the inaccurate time-varying observation noise will cause filtering divergence and reduce the accuracy of localization and feature estimation. In this paper, VB-AUFastSLAM based on the unscented-FastSLAM (UFastSLAM) and the Variational Bayesian (VB) is proposed. The UFastSLAM combines unscented particle filter (UPF) and unscented Kalman filter (UKF) to estimate the AUV poses and features. In addition, to resist the unknown time-varying observation noise, the method of Variational Bayesian learning is introduced into the SLAM framework. Firstly, the VB method is used to estimate the joint posterior probability of the AUV path and observation noise. The Inverse-Gamma distribution is used to model the observation noise and real-time noise parameters estimation is performed to improve the AUV localization accuracy. Secondly, VB is reused to estimate the noise parameters in the feature update stage to enhance the performance of the feature estimation. The proposed algorithms are first validated in an open-source simulation environment. Then, an AUV SLAM system based on the Inertial Navigation System (INS), Doppler Velocity Log (DVL), and single-beam Sonar are also built to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms in the marine environment. The accuracy of the proposed methods can reach 0.742% and 0.776% of the range, respectively, which is much better than 1.825% and 1.397% of the traditional methods.

Trajectory tracking under compound noise environments based on weighted total least squares and forney-style factor graph

In compound noise environments, both additive noises and multiplicative noises influence the Time-of-arrival-based (TOA-based) distance measurements, which challenge the source node localization and trajectory tracking in practical sensor networks. In order to realize trajectory tracking under such noise conditions, in this paper, a compound noise parameter estimation algorithm based on Weighted Total Least Squares (WTLS) and a source node tracking algorithm based on Forney-style Factor Graph (FFG) are presented. Four parameters of the compound noise model are estimated based on ranging observations between position-known anchor nodes, and the trajectory tracking is achieved by applying a noise pre-standardized procedure in the FFG. Monte-Carlo simulations evaluate the performance of the proposed system, and the proposed noise parameter estimation algorithm performs better than the traditional Least Square (LS) method and the proposed trajectory tracking algorithm is realizable and robust.

Probe Incompatibility in Multiparameter Noisy Quantum Metrology

We derive fundamental bounds on the maximal achievable precision in multiparameter noisy quantum metrology, valid under the most general entanglement-assisted adaptive strategy, which are tighter than the bounds obtained by a direct use of single-parameter results. This allows us to study the issue of the optimal probe incompatibility in the simultaneous estimation of multiple parameters in generic noisy channels, while so far the issue has been studied mostly in effectively noiseless scenarios (where the Heisenberg scaling is possible). We apply our results to the estimation of both unitary and noise parameters, and indicate models where the fundamental probe incompatibility is present. In particular, we show that in lossy multiple arm interferometry the probe incompatibility is as strong as in the noiseless scenario. Finally, going beyond the multiple-parameter estimation paradigm, we introduce the concept of \emph{random quantum sensing} and show how the tools developed may be applied to multiple channel discrimination problems. As an illustration, we provide a simple proof of the loss of the quadratic advantage of time-continuous Grover algorithm in presence of dephasing or erasure noise.

Blind estimation of noise level based on pixels values prediction

Noise parameters estimation is needed for many tasks of digital image processing. Many efficient algorithms of noise variance estimation were proposed during last two decades. However, most of those estimators are efficient only for a specific kind of noise for which they were designed. For example, methods of estimation of variance of white additive Gaussian noise (AWGN) fail in the case of additive colored Gaussian noise (ACGN) or for noises with other distributions. In this paper a new fully blind method of noise level estimation is proposed. For a given image, a distorted image with a removed part of pixels (around 10%) is generated. Then an inpainting (or impulse noise removal) method is used to recover missed pixels values. The difference between true and recovered values is used for a robust estimation of noise level. The algorithm is applied for different image scales to estimate noise spectrum. In the paper we propose a convolutional neural network PIXPNet for effective prediction of values of missing pixels. A comparative analysis shows that the proposed PIXPNet provides smallest error of recovered pixels values among all existing methods. A good efficiency of usage of the proposed approach in both AWGN and spatially correlated noise suppression is demonstrated.