Recursive covariance ladder algorithms for ARMA system identification

The recently developed method of pure-order recursive ladder algorithms (PORLA) is extended to facilitate the identification of autoregressive moving-average (ARMA) models. Since the time recursion in this method is limited in the calculation of the input data covariance matrix, roundoff errors cannot propagate in time in higher stages of the pure-order recursively constructed ladder form. Thus, the superior least-squares tracking and fast start-up capability of the proposed algorithms is not corrupted by roundoff error. Furthermore, the algorithms allow the use of higher-order recursive windows on the data (e.g., recursive Hanning), which again significantly improves the tracking as well as the steady-state behavior. A computer program, an instructive example for implementation of the method on a massively parallel processor, and several experimental results which confirm the superior properties of the PORLA method over conventional techniques are shown