A combination network of CNN and transformer for interference identification

Abstract

Communication interference identification is critical in electronic countermeasures. However, existed methods based on deep learning, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and transformer, seldom take both local characteristics and global feature information of the signal into account. Motivated by the local convolution property of CNNs and the attention mechanism of transformer, we designed a novel network that combines both architectures, which make better use of both local and global characteristics of the signals. Additionally, recognizing the challenge of distinguishing contextual semantics within the one-dimensional signal data used in this study, we advocate the use of CNNs in place of word embedding, aligning more closely with the intrinsic features of the signal data. Furthermore, to capture the time-frequency characteristics of the signals, we integrate the proposed network with a cross-attention mechanism, facilitating the fusion of temporal and spectral domain feature information through multiple cross-attention computational layers. This innovation obviates the need for specialized time-frequency analysis. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach significantly improves recognition accuracy compared to existing methods, highlighting its efficacy in addressing the challenge of communication interference identification in electronic warfare.

Keywords: communication interference identification; convolutional neural network; cross-attention mechanism; electronic countermeasures; transformer.