Chengpu Yu

A blind deconvolution approach to ultrasound imaging

In this paper, a single-input multiple-output (SIMO) channel model is introduced for the deconvolution process of ultrasound imaging; the ultrasound pulse is the single system input and tissue reflectivity functions are the channel impulse responses. A sparse regularized blind deconvolution model is developed by projecting the tissue reflectivity functions onto the null space of a cross-relation matrix and projecting the ultrasound pulse onto a low-resolution space. In this way, the computational load is greatly reduced and the estimation accuracy can be improved because the proposed deconvolution model contains fewer variables. Subsequently, an alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm is introduced to efficiently solve the proposed blind de convolution problem. Finally, the performance of the proposed blind deconvolution method is examined using both computer simulated data and practical in vitro and in vivo data. The results show a great improvement in the quality of ultrasound images in terms of signal-to-noise ratio and spatial resolution gain.

A New Deterministic Identification Approach to Hammerstein Systems

The deterministic identification of Hammerstein systems is investigated in this paper. Based on the over-sampling technique, a new deterministic identification approach is presented, which blindly identifies the linear dynamic part followed by the estimation of the nonlinear function. The proposed method allows us to identify the Hammerstein system using an over-sampling rate smaller than the numerator polynomials length of the linear dynamic part as required by other existing methods. In addition, it can obtain the true values of the system parameters in the noise-free case and an asymptotically consistent estimate in the presence of noise. The richness condition of the system input and the selection of the over-sampling rate are studied for the identifiability of the Hammerstein system. Simulation examples are given to show the performance of the proposed method.

Blind Identification of Multi-Channel ARMA Models Based on Second-Order Statistics

This correspondence presents a new second-order statistical approach to blind identification of single-input multiple-output (SIMO) autoregressive and moving average (ARMA) system models. The proposed approach exploits the dynamical autoregressive information of the model contained in the autocorrelation matrices of the system outputs but does not require the block Toeplitz structure of the channel convolution matrix used by classical subspace methods. For the multi-channel model with the same autoregressive (AR) polynomial, sufficient conditions and an efficient identification algorithm are given such that the multi-channel model can be uniquely identified up to a constant scaling factor. Furthermore, an extension of the result to blind identification of multi-channel models with different AR polynomials is presented. Simulation results are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

An envelope signal based deconvolution algorithm for ultrasound imaging

To improve the quality of medical ultrasound images, a number of restoration methods based on demodulated signals have been proposed in the literature. However, due to the shift of center frequency of transmitted ultrasound pulses at different penetration depth in a lossy medium, it is hard to determine the exact center frequency at a specified position so to achieve satisfactory demodulation. In this paper, this problem is dealt with by a novel restoration method based on envelope models of the radio frequency (RF) and the point spread function (PSF) signals. To cope with the ill inverse problem caused by the narrow band PSF, an envelop signal based sparse regularized deconvolution model is derived under a sparsity assumption of the tissue reflectivity function (TRF). Furthermore, a two-step iterative shrinkage/thresholding (TwIST) method based alternating minimization approach is applied to compute the optimal solution of the proposed deconvolution problem. Finally, the robustness and the practicability of the proposed method are demonstrated by a series of experiments on both numerical simulation and in vivo data. The experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve significant improvement of the ultrasound images in terms of the resolution gain and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

A multiplicative Nakagami speckle reduction algorithm for ultrasound images

Speckle noise of ultrasound images is of multiplicative nature which degrades the image quality in terms of resolution and contrast. While there exist a number of algorithms for reduction of multiplicative Rayleigh distributed random speckle noise, the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) issue of the multiplicative Rayleigh noise is still not adequately resolved. In this paper, a simple 2-dimensional (2D) local intensity smoothing method is presented which transforms the Rayleigh noise contaminated in ultrasound images to Nakagami distributed noise so as to improve the SNR of processed images. A 2D total variation regularized Nakagami speckle reduction algorithm is derived based on the maximum a posteriori estimation framework, which performs well in restoring piecewise-smooth reflectivity and preserving fine details of the image. The proposed algorithm is verified by a series of computer-simulated and real ultrasound image data. It is shown that the algorithm considerably improves the quality of ultrasound images and outperforms the Rayleigh noise based speckle reduction methods in terms of speckle SNR and contrast-to-noise ratio.

Blind multivariable ARMA subspace identification

In this paper, we study the deterministic blind identification of multiple channel state-space models having a common unknown input using measured output signals that are perturbed by additive white noise sequences. Different from traditional blind identification problems, the considered system is an autoregressive system rather than an FIR system; hence, the concerned identification problem is more challenging but possibly having a wider scope of application. Two blind identification methods are presented for multi-channel autoregressive systems. A cross-relation identification method is developed by exploiting the mutual references among different channels. It requires at least three channel systems with square and stably invertible transfer matrices. Moreover, a general subspace identification method is developed for which two channel systems are sufficient for the blind identification; however, it requires the additive noises to have identical variances and the transfer matrices having no transmission zeros. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to demonstrate the performance of the proposed identification algorithms.

Blind Channel and Source Estimation in Networked Systems

In this paper, we study the blind channel and source estimation in sensor networks, where the channels are modeled by FIR filters and the source signal is deterministic. Distributed estimation algorithms for networked systems under noise-free and noisy measurements are developed, which blindly identify the multiple channels, followed by the source signal estimation. The key to the proposed algorithms lies in the adaptation of the blind system identification technique for the distributed channel estimation. In the presence of measurement noises, conventional blind identification methods cannot be straightforwardly realized in distributed environments. Instead, two stable distributed algorithms are introduced, which can avoid trivial solutions for the blind identification problem. Convergence properties of the proposed algorithms are provided, and simulation examples are given to show the performances of the proposed algorithms.

Quantized identification of ARMA systems with colored measurement noise

This paper studies the identification of ARMA systems with colored measurement noises using finite-level quantized observations. Compared with the case under colorless noises, this problem is more challenging. Our approach is to jointly design an adaptive quantizer and a recursive estimator to identify system parameters. Specifically, the quantizer uses the latest estimate to adjust its thresholds, and the estimator is updated by using quantized observations. To accommodate the temporal correlations of quantization errors and measurement noises, we construct a second-order statistics equivalent system, from which the original ARMA system is identified. The associated identifiability problem and convergence are analyzed as well. Finally, numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Blind system identification using precise and quantized observations

This paper studies the blind identification of multi-channel FIR systems using precise and quantized observations. First, a new deterministic blind identification (DBI) algorithm is presented for multi-channel FIR systems using precise observations, in which the system parameters can be consistently estimated and the common source signal can be stably recovered. When the observed samples are quantized by a static finite-level quantizer, an iterative deterministic blind identification (IDBI) method is then provided. The asymptotic characters of the proposed IDBI method are discussed and the quantization effect on the identification performance is analyzed. Numerical simulations are given to support the developed DBI method and IDBI method.

Subspace Identification of Distributed Clusters of Homogeneous Systems

This note studies the identification of a network comprised of interconnected clusters of LTI systems. Each cluster consists of homogeneous dynamical systems, and its interconnections with the rest of the network are unmeasurable. A subspace identification method is proposed for identifying a single cluster using only local input and output data. With the topology of the concerned cluster being available, all the LTI systems within the cluster are decoupled by taking a transformation on the state, input and output data. To deal with the unmeasurable interconnections between the concerned cluster and the rest of the network, the Markov parameters of the decoupled LTI systems are identified first by solving a nuclear-norm regularized convex optimization, following the state-space realization of a single LTI system within the cluster by solving another nuclear-norm regularized optimization problem. The effectiveness of the proposed identification method is demonstrated by a simulation example.