An Improved Variable Kernel Width for Maximum Correntropy Criterion Algorithm

The maximum correntropy criterion (MCC) algorithm has attracted much attention due to its capability of combating impulsive noise. However, its performance depends on choice of the kernel width, which is a hard issue. Several variable kernel width schemes based on various error functions have been proposed to address this problem. Nevertheless, these methods may not provide an optimal kernel width because they do not contain any knowledge of the background noise that actually has influence on the optimization of the kernel width. This brief proposes an improved variable kernel width MCC algorithm, which is derived by minimizing the squared deviation at each iteration. We also design a reset mechanism for the proposed algorithm to improve its tracking capability when the estimated vector encounters a sudden change. Simulations for system identification and echo cancellation scenarios show that the proposed scheme outperforms other variable kernel width algorithms.