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Tarig Ballal

dblp:97/7271 · DBLP profile ↗
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19ranked-venue papers
5as first author
7since 2021 · last 2024
0000-0003-4160-7514ORCID · corroborated

Domains — the database's venue-derived domains; a paper can count in several

Graphics, computer vision, multimedia, augmented reality and games · 13 · 3 first-author · 4 since 2021Computer networks · 6 · 2 first-author · 3 since 2021Human-computer interaction and ubiquitous computing · 1

Expertise — from the expertise taxonomy: the topics of the expert's papers under the CCF categories. A weight counts papers with recency: 1 for a paper about the topic, 0.3 when the topic is its context, halved every five years.

Human-computer interaction and pervasive computing
1 paper
Interaction techniques and input · 100%
Computer networks
1 paper
Physical-layer communications · 87% Internet of things and sensor networks · 13%
Theoretical computer science
1 paper
Algorithms and data structures · 100%

Topics — the 6 heaviest of 7, each with the papers that count most for it

TopicWeightPapersLastEvidence papers
Interaction techniques and input › input sensing › gesture recognition
continuous gesture recognition
0.412019
A Decomposition Approach for Complex Gesture Recognition Using DTW and Prefix Tree · VR 2019
Interaction techniques and input › input sensing
gesture recognition
0.412019
A Decomposition Approach for Complex Gesture Recognition Using DTW and Prefix Tree · VR 2019
Physical-layer communications › channel estimation
bayesian channel estimation
0.212015
Low-Complexity Bayesian Estimation of Cluster-Sparse Channels · IEEE Trans. Commun. 2015
Physical-layer communications
channel estimation
0.212015
Low-Complexity Bayesian Estimation of Cluster-Sparse Channels · IEEE Trans. Commun. 2015
Algorithms and data structures › sequence algorithms › string algorithms
sequence matching
0.112019
A Decomposition Approach for Complex Gesture Recognition Using DTW and Prefix Tree · VR 2019
Internet of things and sensor networks › underwater sensor networks › underwater communication › acoustic communication
underwater acoustic communication
0.112015
Low-Complexity Bayesian Estimation of Cluster-Sparse Channels · IEEE Trans. Commun. 2015

Methods — techniques the papers use, named apart from their topics

prefix tree · 0.8dynamic time warping · 0.8minimum mean-squared error estimation · 0.2bayesian estimation · 0.2
YearPublicationVenuePosition
2024 Beamforming Design and Performance Evaluation for RIS-Aided Localization Using LEO Satellite Signals
abstract
The growing availability of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, coupled with the anticipated widespread deployment of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), opens up promising prospects for new localization paradigms. This paper studies RIS-aided localization using LEO satellite signals. The Cramér-Rao bound of the considered localization problem is derived, based on which an optimal RIS beamforming design that minimizes the derived bound is proposed. Numerical results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed beamforming scheme over benchmark alternatives, while also revealing that the synergy between LEO satellites and RISs holds the promise for localization.
Pinjun Zheng, Xing Liu 0012, Tarig Ballal, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
ICASSP4
2024 Coverage Analysis of Joint Localization and Communication in THz Systems With 3D Arrays
abstract
As a key enabler of Terahertz (THz)-based wireless technologies, large-scale multiple-input-multiple-output systems are well known for their advantages in both communication and localization. Contrary to existing works that mostly focus on planar arrays, this paper first explores the potential of three-dimensional (3D) spatial array structures in joint localization and communication coverage enhancement. We consider a THz-band wireless system where a user is equipped with a 3D array receiving downlink far-field signals from multiple base stations with known positions and orientations over Rician fading channels. First, we derive the constrained Cramér-Rao bound (CCRB) for the localization (i.e., position and orientation estimation) performance, based on which we define the localization coverage metrics. Then, we derive the communication key performance indicators (KPIs) including instantaneous signal-to-noise ratio, outage probability, and ergodic capacity, and define the corresponding coverage metrics. To facilitate localization applications using 3D arrays, a maximum likelihood-based algorithm for joint user equipment (UE) position and orientation estimation is proposed, which is initialized by a least squares-based solution. Our numerical results show that the 3D array configuration offers overall higher coverage than the planar array w.r.t. both localization and communication KPIs, although with minor performance loss in certain UE positions and orientations. The proposed localization algorithm is also verified to be efficient in simulations as it attains the derived CCRB.
Pinjun Zheng, Tarig Ballal, Hui Chen 0014, Henk Wymeersch, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
IEEE Trans. Wirel. Commun.2
2024 JrCUP: Joint RIS Calibration and User Positioning for 6G Wireless Systems
abstract
Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-assisted localization has attracted extensive attention as it can enable and enhance localization services in extreme scenarios. However, most existing works treat RISs as anchors with known positions and orientations, which is not realistic in applications with mobile or uncalibrated RISs. This work considers thejoint RIS calibration and user positioning(JrCUP) problem with an active RIS. We propose a novel two-stage method to solve the considered JrCUP problem. The first stage comprises a tensor-estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance techniques (tensor-ESPRIT), followed by a channel parameters refinement using least-squares. In the second stage, a two-dimensional search algorithm is proposed to estimate the three-dimensional user and RIS positions, one-dimensional RIS orientation, and clock bias from the estimated channel parameters. The Cramér-Rao lower bounds of the channel parameters and localization parameters are derived to verify the effectiveness of the proposed tensor-ESPRIT-based algorithms. In addition, simulation results reveal that the active RIS can significantly improve the localization performance compared to the passive case under the same system power supply in practical regions. Moreover, we observe the presence of blind areas with limited JrCUP localization performance, which can be mitigated by either leveraging more prior information or deploying extra base stations.
Pinjun Zheng, Hui Chen 0014, Tarig Ballal, Mikko Valkama, Henk Wymeersch, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
IEEE Trans. Wirel. Commun.3
2023 Misspecified Cramér-Rao Bound of RIS-Aided Localization Under Geometry Mismatch
abstract
In 5G/6G wireless systems, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) can play a role as a passive anchor to enable and enhance localization in various scenarios. However, most existing RIS-aided localization works assume that the geometry of the RIS is perfectly known, which is not realistic in practice due to calibration errors. In this work, we derive the misspecified Cramér-Rao bound (MCRB) for a single-input-single-output RIS-aided localization system with RIS geometry mismatch. Specifically, unlike most existing works that use numerical methods, we propose a closed-form solution to the pseudo-true parameter determination problem for MCRB analysis. Simulation results demonstrate the validity of the derived pseudo-true parameters and MCRB, and show that the RIS geometry mismatch causes performance saturation in the high signal-to-noise ratio regions.
Pinjun Zheng, Hui Chen 0014, Tarig Ballal, Henk Wymeersch, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
ICASSP3
2022 Localization Coverage Analysis of THz Communication Systems with a 3D Array
abstract
This paper considers the problem of estimating the position and orientation of a user equipped with a three-dimensional (3D) array receiving downlink far-field THz signals from multiple base stations with known positions and orientations. We derive the Cramér-Rao Bound for the localization problem and define the coverage of the considered system. We compare the error lower bound distributions of the conventional planar array and the 3D array configurations at different user equipment (UE) positions and orientations. Our numerical results obtained for array configurations with an equal number of elements show very limited coverage of the planar-array configuration, especially across the UE orientation range. Conversely, a 3D array configuration offers an overall higher coverage with minor performance loss in certain UE positions and orientations.
Pinjun Zheng, Tarig Ballal, Hui Chen 0014, Henk Wymeersch, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
GLOBECOM2
2021 An Adaptive Regularization Approach to Portfolio Optimization
abstract
We address the portfolio optimization problem using the global minimum variance portfolio (GMVP). The GMVP gives the weights as a function of the inverse of the covariance matrix (CM) of the stock net returns in a closed-form. The matrix inversion operation usually intensifies the impact of noise when the matrix is ill-conditioned, which often happens when the sample covariance matrix (SCM) is used. A regularized sample covariance matrix (RSCM) is usually used to alleviate the problem. In this work, we address the regularization issue from a different perspective. We manipulate the expression of the GMVP weights to convert it to an inner product of two vectors; then, we focus on obtaining accurate estimations of these vectors. We show that this approach results in a formula similar to those of the RSCM based methods, yet with a different interpretation of the regularization parameter’s role. In the proposed approach, the regularization parameter is adjusted adaptively based on the current stock returns, which results in improved performance and enhanced robustness to noise. Our results demonstrate that, with proper regularization parameter tuning, the proposed adaptively regularized GMVP outperforms state-of-the-art RSCM methods in different test scenarios.
Tarig Ballal, Abdelrahman S. Abdelrahman, Ali H. Muqaibel, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
ICASSP1
2021 A Maximum-Likelihood TDOA Localization Algorithm Using Difference-of-Convex Programming
abstract
A popular approach to estimate a source location using time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements is to construct an objective function based on the maximum likelihood (ML) method. An iterative algorithm can be employed to minimize that objective function. The main challenge in this optimization process is the non-convexity of the objective function, which precludes the use of many standard convex optimization tools. Usually, approximations, such as convex relaxation, are applied, resulting in performance loss. In this work, we take advantage of difference-of-convex (DC) programming tools to develop an efficient solution to the ML TDOA localization problem. We show that, by using a simple trick, the objective function can be modified into an exact difference of two convex functions. Hence, tools from DC programming can be leveraged to carry out the optimization task, which guarantees convergence to a stationary point of the objective function. Simulation results show that, when initialized within the convex hull of the anchors, the proposed TDOA localization algorithm outperforms a number of benchmark methods, behaves as an exact ML estimator, and indeed achieves the Cramér-Rao lower bound.
Xiuxiu Ma, Tarig Ballal, Hui Chen 0014, Omar Aldayel, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
IEEE Signal Process. Lett.2
2020 Localization and Tracking Control Using Hybrid Acoustic-Optical Communication for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
abstract
This article studies the problem of localization and tracking of a mobile target ship with an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). A hybrid acoustic-optical underwater communication solution is proposed, in which the acoustic link is used for the Non-Line-of-Sight (NLoS) localization, and the optical link is for the Line-of-Sight (LoS) transmission. By coordinating these two complementary technologies, it is possible to overcome their respective weaknesses and achieve accurate localization, tracking, and high-rate underwater data transmission. The main challenge for reliable operation is to maintain the AUV over an optical link range while the target dynamics is unknown at all times. Hence, we design an error-based adaptive model predictive control (MPC) and a proportional-derivative (PD) controller incorporating a real-time acoustic localization system to guide the AUV toward the sensor node mounted on the surface ship. We define a connectivity threshold cone with its apex coinciding with the sensor node such that when the underwater vehicle stays inside of this cone, a minimum bit rate is guaranteed. The localization, tracking control, and optical communication scheme is validated through online simulations that integrate a realistic AUV model where the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive MPC and PD controllers is demonstrated.
Ibrahima N'Doye, Tarig Ballal, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri, Mohamed-Slim Alouini, Taous-Meriem Laleg-Kirati
IEEE Internet Things J.3
2019 A Decomposition Approach for Complex Gesture Recognition Using DTW and Prefix Tree
abstract
Gestures are effective tools for expressing emotions and conveying information to the environment. Sequence matching and machine-learning based algorithm are two main methods to recognize continuous gestures. Machine-learning based recognition systems are not flexible to new gestures because the models have to be trained again. On the other hand, the computational time that matching methods required increases with the complexity and the class of the gestures. In this work, we propose a decomposition approach for complex gesture recognition utilizing DTW and prefix tree. This system can recognize 100 gestures with an accuracy of 97.38%.
Hui Chen 0014, Tarig Ballal, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
VR2
2019 Optimum pilot and data energy allocation for BPSK transmission over massive MIMO systems
abstract
Recovering data symbols in a wireless communications system consists of two main estimation steps: channel estimation based on transmitted pilot symbols, and estimation of data symbols using the acquired channel information. The amount of energy allocated to each of pilot and data transmission determines the performance of each estimation step, which further impacts the overall system performance. In this paper, we consider a linear minimum mean squared error (LMMSE) receiver that uses the LMMSE estimator for both channel information acquisition and data symbol recovery in the context of a massive MIMO system. We derive the mean squared error (MSE) of the estimated symbols as a function of the energy allocation. Exploiting the large dimensionality of the problem, we leverage tools from random matrix theory to express the MSE only in terms of the deterministic parameters of the system. We further utilize the deterministic expression to find the optimal energy allocation. The theoretical results are matched with simulations showing high level of congruence.
Tarig Ballal, Mohamed A. Suliman, Ayed M. Alrashdi, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
WCNC1
2018 High Accuracy Acoustic Estimation of Multiple Targets
abstract
This paper presents a new adaptation of a Gaussian echo model (GEM) to estimate the distances to multiple targets using acoustic signals. The proposed algorithm utilizes m-sequences and opens the door for applying other modulations and signal designs for acoustic estimation in a similar way. The proposed algorithm estimates the system impulse response and uses the GEM to limit the effect of noise before applying deconvolution to estimate the time of arrival (TOA) to multiple targets with high accuracy. The algorithm was experimentally evaluated for different scenarios with active (trans-mitters) and passive (reflectors) targets at proximity. In the case of closely spaced static passive targets, results show that 90% of the ranging errors are below 7 mm. When tracking two moving active targets approaching very close proximity, results show that 90% of the ranging errors are less than 10 mm.
Mohammed H. Alsharif, Mohamed Siala 0001, Hatem Boujemaa, Tarig Ballal, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
ICASSP5
2018 Robust Estimation in Linear ILL-Posed Problems with Adaptive Regularization Scheme
abstract
In this paper, we propose a new regularized robust estimation approach based on the robust τ -estimator applied to linear ill-posed problems in the presence of noise outliers. Additionally, we introduce a new approach to obtain the optimal regularization parameter for the proposed robust estimator by using tools from random matrix theory. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach with its automated regularization parameter selection outperforms a set of benchmark methods.
Mohamed A. Suliman, Houssem Sifaou, Tarig Ballal, Mohamed-Slim Alouini, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
ICASSP3
2018 Perturbation-based regularization for signal estimation in linear discrete ill-posed problems
Mohamed A. Suliman, Tarig Ballal, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
Signal Process.2
2017 Image denoising via collaborative support-agnostic recovery
abstract
In this paper, we propose a novel patch-based image denoising algorithm using collaborative support-agnostic sparse reconstruction. In the proposed collaborative scheme, similar patches are assumed to share the same support taps. For sparse reconstruction, the likelihood of a tap being active in a patch is computed and refined through a collaboration process with other similar patches in the similarity group. This provides a very good patch support estimation, hence enhancing the quality of image restoration. Performance comparisons with state-of-the-art algorithms, in terms of PSNR and SSIM, demonstrate the superiority of the proposed algorithm.
Muzammil Behzad, Mudassir Masood, Tarig Ballal, Maha Shadaydeh, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
ICASSP3
2017 SNR Estimation in Linear Systems With Gaussian Matrices
abstract
This letter proposes a highly accurate algorithm to estimate the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for a linear system from a single realization of the received signal. We assume that the linear system has a Gaussian matrix with one sided left correlation. The unknown entries of the signal and the noise are assumed to be independent and identically distributed with zero mean and can be drawn from any distribution. We use the ridge regression function of this linear model in company with tools and techniques adapted from random matrix theory to achieve, in closed form, accurate estimation of the SNR without prior statistical knowledge on the signal or the noise. Simulation results show that the proposed method is very accurate.
Mohamed A. Suliman, Ayed M. Alrashdi, Tarig Ballal, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
IEEE Signal Process. Lett.3
2016 Constrained Perturbation Regularization Approach for Signal Estimation Using Random Matrix Theory
abstract
In this work, we propose a new regularization approach for linear least-squares problems with random matrices. In the proposed constrained perturbation regularization approach, an artificial perturbation matrix with a bounded norm is forced into the system model matrix. This perturbation is introduced to improve the singular-value structure of the model matrix and, hence, the solution of the estimation problem. Relying on the randomness of the model matrix, a number of deterministic equivalents from random matrix theory are applied to derive the near-optimum regularizer that minimizes the mean-squared error of the estimator. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms a set of benchmark regularization methods for various estimated signal characteristics. In addition, simulations show that our approach is robust in the presence of model uncertainty.
Mohamed A. Suliman, Tarig Ballal, Abla Kammoun, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
IEEE Signal Process. Lett.2
2015 Improved linear least squares estimation using bounded data uncertainty
abstract
This paper addresses the problemof linear least squares (LS) estimation of a vector x from linearly related observations. In spite of being unbiased, the original LS estimator suffers from high mean squared error, especially at low signal-to-noise ratios. The mean squared error (MSE) of the LS estimator can be improved by introducing some form of regularization based on certain constraints. We propose an improved LS (ILS) estimator that approximately minimizes the MSE, without imposing any constraints. To achieve this, we allow for perturbation in the measurement matrix. Then we utilize a bounded data uncertainty (BDU) framework to derive a simple iterative procedure to estimate the regularization parameter. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed BDU-ILS estimator is superior to the original LS estimator, and it converges to the best linear estimator, the linear-minimum-mean-squared error estimator (LMMSE), when the elements of x are statistically white.
Tarig Ballal, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
ICASSP1
2015 Low-Complexity Bayesian Estimation of Cluster-Sparse Channels
abstract
This paper addresses the problem of channel impulse response estimation for cluster-sparse channels under the Bayesian estimation framework. We develop a novel low-complexity minimum mean squared error (MMSE) estimator by exploiting the sparsity of the received signal profile and the structure of the measurement matrix. It is shown that, due to the banded Toeplitz/circulant structure of the measurement matrix, a channel impulse response, such as underwater acoustic channel impulse responses, can be partitioned into a number of orthogonal or approximately orthogonal clusters. The orthogonal clusters, the sparsity of the channel impulse response, and the structure of the measurement matrix, all combined, result in a computationally superior realization of the MMSE channel estimator. The MMSE estimator calculations boil down to simpler in-cluster calculations that can be reused in different clusters. The reduction in computational complexity allows for a more accurate implementation of the MMSE estimator. The proposed approach is tested using synthetic Gaussian channels, as well as simulated underwater acoustic channels. Symbol-error-rate performance and computation time confirm the superiority of the proposed method compared to selected benchmark methods in systems with preamble-based training signals transmitted over cluster-sparse channels.
Tarig Ballal, Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri, Syed Faraz Ahmed
IEEE Trans. Commun.1
2008 Phase-Difference Ambiguity Resolution for a Single-Frequency Signal
abstract
In this letter, we propose a novel method to disambiguate the phase-difference of a single-frequency signal observed between a pair of spatially separated sensors, with inter-sensor spacing exceeding half the wavelength (lambda/2) of the signal. We mathematically prove that, in a noiseless case, the true phase-difference can unambiguously be estimated utilizing a third collinear sensor, provided that the absolute difference between the two smaller inter-sensor spacings is less than lambda/2. The performance of the method is characterized by estimating the probability of failure in noisy cases.
Tarig Ballal, Chris J. Bleakley
IEEE Signal Process. Lett.1