Spectral Masking with Explicit Time-Context Windowing for Neural Network-Based Monaural Speech Enhancement

We propose and analyze the use of an explicit time-context window for neural network-based spectral masking speech enhancement to leverage signal context dependencies between neighboring frames. In particular, we concentrate on soft masking and loss computed on the time-frequency representation of the reconstructed speech. We show that the application of a time-context windowing function at both input and output of the neural network model improves the soft mask estimation process by combining multiple estimates taken from different contexts. The proposed approach is only applied as post-optimization in inference mode, not requiring additional layers or special training for the neural network model. Our results show that the method consistently increases both intelligibility and signal quality of the denoised speech, as demonstrated for two classes of convolutional-based speech enhancement models. Importantly, the proposed method requires only a negligible ($\leq1\%$) increase in the number of model parameters, making it suitable for hardware-constrained applications.

Analysis of Impulsive Interference in Digital Audio Broadcasting Systems in Electric Vehicles

Recently, new types of interference in electric vehicles (EVs), such as converters switching and/or battery chargers, have been found to degrade the performance of wireless digital transmission systems. Measurements show that such an interference is characterized by impulsive behavior and is widely varying in time. This paper uses recorded data from our EV testbed to analyze the impulsive interference in the digital audio broadcasting band. Moreover, we use our analysis to obtain a corresponding interference model. In particular, we studied the temporal characteristics of the interference and confirmed that its amplitude indeed exhibits an impulsive behavior. Our results show that impulsive events span successive received signal samples and thus indicate a bursty nature. To this end, we performed a data-driven modification of a well-established model for bursty impulsive interference, the Markov-Middleton model, to produce synthetic noise realization. We investigate the optimal symbol detector design based on the proposed model and show significant performance gains compared to the conventional detector based on the additive white Gaussian noise assumption.

Data-Driven Symbol Detection for Intersymbol Interference Channels with Bursty Impulsive Noise

We developed machine learning approaches for data-driven trellis-based soft symbol detection in coded transmission over intersymbol interference (ISI) channels in presence of bursty impulsive noise (IN), for example encountered in wireless digital broadcasting systems and vehicular communications. This enabled us to obtain optimized detectors based on the Bahl-Cocke-Jelinek-Raviv (BCJR) algorithm while circumventing the use of full channel state information (CSI) for computing likelihoods and trellis state transition probabilities. First, we extended the application of the neural network (NN)-aided BCJR, recently proposed for ISI channels with additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). Although suitable for estimating likelihoods via labeling of transmission sequences, the BCJR-NN method does not provide a framework for learning the trellis state transitions. In addition to detection over the joint ISI and IN states we also focused on another scenario where trellis transitions are not trivial: detection for the ISI channel with AWGN with inaccurate knowledge of the channel memory at the receiver. Without access to the accurate state transition matrix, the BCJR- NN performance significantly degrades in both settings. To this end, we devised an alternative approach for data-driven BCJR detection based on the unsupervised learning of a hidden Markov model (HMM). The BCJR-HMM allowed us to optimize both the likelihood function and the state transition matrix without labeling. Moreover, we demonstrated the viability of a hybrid NN and HMM BCJR detection where NN is used for learning the likelihoods, while the state transitions are optimized via HMM. While reducing the required prior channel knowledge, the examined data-driven detectors with learned trellis state transitions achieve bit error rates close to the optimal full CSI-based BCJR, significantly outperforming detection with inaccurate CSI.

On the Robustness of Deep Learning-aided Symbol Detectors to Varying Conditions and Imperfect Channel Knowledge

Recently, a data-driven Bahl-Cocke-Jelinek-Raviv (BCJR) algorithm tailored to channels with intersymbol interference has been introduced. This so-called BCJRNet algorithm utilizes neural networks to calculate channel likelihoods. BCJRNet has demonstrated resilience against inaccurate channel tap estimations when applied to a time-invariant channel with ideal exponential decay profiles. However, its generalization capabilities for practically-relevant time-varying channels, where the receiver can only access incorrect channel parameters, remain largely unexplored. The primary contribution of this paper is to expand upon the results from existing literature to encompass a variety of imperfect channel knowledge cases that appear in real-world transmissions. Our findings demonstrate that BCJRNet significantly outperforms the conventional BCJR algorithm for stationary transmission scenarios when learning from noisy channel data and with imperfect channel decay profiles. However, this advantage is shown to diminish when the operating channel is also rapidly time-varying. Our results also show the importance of memory assumptions for conventional BCJR and BCJRNet. An underestimation of the memory largely degrades the performance of both BCJR and BCJRNet, especially in a slow-decaying channel. To mimic a situation closer to a practical scenario, we also combined channel tap uncertainty with imperfect channel memory knowledge. Somewhat surprisingly, our results revealed improved performance when employing the conventional BCJR with an underestimated memory assumption. BCJRNet, on the other hand, showed a consistent performance improvement as the level of accurate memory knowledge increased.

High-Cardinality Hybrid Shaping for 4D Modulation Formats in Optical Communications Optimized via End-to-End Learning

In this paper we carry out a joint optimization of probabilistic (PS) and geometric shaping (GS) for four-dimensional (4D) modulation formats in long-haul coherent wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical fiber communications using an auto-encoder framework. We propose a 4D 10 bits/symbol constellation which we obtained via end-to-end deep learning over the split-step Fourier model of the fiber channel. The constellation achieved 13.6% reach increase at a data rate of approximately 400 Gbits/second in comparison to the ubiquitously employed polarization multiplexed 32-QAM format at a forward error correction overhead of 20%.

Experimental Investigation of Deep Learning for Digital Signal Processing in Short Reach Optical Fiber Communications

We investigate methods for experimental performance enhancement of auto-encoders based on a recurrent neural network (RNN) for communication over dispersive nonlinear channels. In particular, our focus is on the recently proposed sliding window bidirectional RNN (SBRNN) optical fiber autoencoder. We show that adjusting the processing window in the sequence estimation algorithm at the receiver improves the reach of simple systems trained on a channel model and applied "as is" to the transmission link. Moreover, the collected experimental data was used to optimize the receiver neural network parameters, allowing to transmit 42 Gb/s with bit-error rate (BER) below the 6.7% hard-decision forward error correction threshold at distances up to 70km as well as 84 Gb/s at 20 km. The investigation of digital signal processing (DSP) optimized on experimental data is extended to pulse amplitude modulation with receivers performing sliding window sequence estimation using a feed-forward or a recurrent neural network as well as classical nonlinear Volterra equalization. Our results show that, for fixed algorithm memory, the DSP based on deep learning achieves an improved BER performance, allowing to increase the reach of the system.

Optical Fiber Communication Systems Based on End-to-End Deep Learning

We investigate end-to-end optimized optical transmission systems based on feedforward or bidirectional recurrent neural networks (BRNN) and deep learning. In particular, we report the first experimental demonstration of a BRNN auto-encoder, highlighting the performance improvement achieved with recurrent processing for communication over dispersive nonlinear channels.

Experimental Demonstration of Learned Time-Domain Digital Back-Propagation

We present the first experimental demonstration of learned time-domain digital back-propagation (DBP), in 64-GBd dual-polarization 64-QAM signal transmission over 1014 km. Performance gains were comparable to those obtained with conventional, higher complexity, frequency-domain DBP.

Concept and Experimental Demonstration of Optical IM/DD End-to-End System Optimization using a Generative Model

We perform an experimental end-to-end transceiver optimization via deep learning using a generative adversarial network to approximate the test-bed channel. Previously, optimization was only possible through a prior assumption of an explicit simplified channel model.

End-to-End Optimized Transmission over Dispersive Intensity-Modulated Channels Using Bidirectional Recurrent Neural Networks

We propose an autoencoding sequence-based transceiver for communication over dispersive channels with intensity modulation and direct detection (IM/DD), designed as a bidirectional deep recurrent neural network (BRNN). The receiver uses a sliding window technique to allow for efficient data stream estimation. We find that this sliding window BRNN (SBRNN), based on end-to-end deep learning of the communication system, achieves a significant bit-error-rate reduction at all examined distances in comparison to previous block-based autoencoders implemented as feed-forward neural networks (FFNNs), leading to an increase of the transmission distance. We also compare the end-to-end SBRNN with a state-of-the-art IM/DD solution based on two level pulse amplitude modulation with an FFNN receiver, simultaneously processing multiple received symbols and approximating nonlinear Volterra equalization. Our results show that the SBRNN outperforms such systems at both 42 and 84\,Gb/s, while training fewer parameters. Our novel SBRNN design aims at tailoring the end-to-end deep learning-based systems for communication over nonlinear channels with memory, such as the optical IM/DD fiber channel.