Adaptive Mask-Based Interpretable Convolutional Neural Network (AMI-CNN) for Modulation Format Identification

Recently, various deep learning methods have been applied to Modulation Format Identification (MFI). The interpretability of deep learning models is important. However, this interpretability is challenged due to the black-box nature of deep learning. To deal with this difficulty, we propose an Adaptive Mask-Based Interpretable Convolutional Neural Network (AMI-CNN) that utilizes a mask structure for feature selection during neural network training and feeds the selected features into the classifier for decision making. During training, the masks are updated dynamically with parameters to optimize feature selection. The extracted mask serves as interpretable weights, with each weight corresponding to a feature, reflecting the contribution of each feature to the model’s decision. We validate the model on two datasets—Power Spectral Density (PSD) and constellation phase histogram—and compare it with three classical interpretable methods: Gradient-Weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM), Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations (LIME), and Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP). The MSE values are as follows: AMI-CNN achieves the lowest MSE of 0.0246, followed by SHAP with 0.0547, LIME with 0.0775, and Grad-CAM with 0.1995. Additionally, AMI-CNN achieves the highest PG-Acc of 1, whether on PSD or on constellation phase histogram. Experimental results demonstrate that the AMI-CNN model outperforms compared methods in both qualitative and quantitative analyses.