Diffusion generalized MCC with a variable center algorithm for robust distributed estimation

Classical adaptive filtering algorithms with a diffusion strategy under the mean square error (MSE) criterion can face difficulties in distributed estimation (DE) over networks in a complex noise environment, such as non-zero mean non-Gaussian noise, with the object of ensuring a robust performance. In order to overcome such limitations, this paper proposes a novel robust diffusion adaptive filtering algorithm, which is developed by using a variable center generalized maximum Correntropy criterion (GMCC-VC). Generalized Correntropy with a variable center is first defined by introducing a non-zero center to the original generalized Correntropy, which can be used as robust cost function, called GMCC-VC, for adaptive filtering algorithms. In order to improve the robustness of the traditional MSE-based DE algorithms, the GMCC-VC is used in a diffusion adaptive filter to design a novel robust DE method with the adapt-then-combine strategy. This can achieve outstanding steady-state performance under non-Gaussian noise environments because the GMCC-VC can match the distribution of the noise with that of non-zero mean non-Gaussian noise. The simulation results for distributed estimation under non-zero mean non-Gaussian noise cases demonstrate that the proposed diffusion GMCC-VC approach produces a more robustness and stable performance than some other comparable DE methods.