Noise Immunity and Robustness Study of Image Recognition Using a Convolutional Neural Network

Sensors (Basel). 2022 Feb 6;22(3):1241. doi: 10.3390/s22031241.

Abstract

The problem surrounding convolutional neural network robustness and noise immunity is currently of great interest. In this paper, we propose a technique that involves robustness estimation and stability improvement. We also examined the noise immunity of convolutional neural networks and estimated the influence of uncertainty in the training and testing datasets on recognition probability. For this purpose, we estimated the recognition accuracies of multiple datasets with different uncertainties; we analyzed these data and provided the dependence of recognition accuracy on the training dataset uncertainty. We hypothesized and proved the existence of an optimal (in terms of recognition accuracy) amount of uncertainty in the training data for neural networks working with undefined uncertainty data. We have shown that the determination of this optimum can be performed using statistical modeling. Adding an optimal amount of uncertainty (noise of some kind) to the training dataset can be used to improve the overall recognition quality and noise immunity of convolutional neural networks.

Keywords: neural networks; noise immunity; noise in imaging systems; pattern recognition; robustness; training dataset.

MeSH terms

  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Neural Networks, Computer*
  • Noise*
  • Probability
  • Recognition, Psychology
  • Uncertainty