Wavelet Pooling for Convolutional Neural Networks

Travis Williams, Robert Li

Abstract: Convolutional Neural Networks continuously advance the progress of 2D and 3D image and object classification. The steadfast usage of this algorithm requires constant evaluation and upgrading of foundational concepts to maintain progress. Network regularization techniques typically focus on convolutional layer operations, while leaving pooling layer operations without suitable options. We introduce Wavelet Pooling as another alternative to traditional neighborhood pooling. This method decomposes features into a second level decomposition, and discards the first-level subbands to reduce feature dimensions. This method addresses the overfitting problem encountered by max pooling, while reducing features in a more structurally compact manner than pooling via neighborhood regions. Experimental results on four benchmark classification datasets demonstrate our proposed method outperforms or performs comparatively with methods like max, mean, mixed, and stochastic pooling.

TL;DR: Pooling is achieved using wavelets instead of traditional neighborhood approaches (max, average, etc).

Keywords: Pooling, Wavelet, CNN, Neural Network, Deep Learning, Classification, Machine Learning, Object Recognition

Data: [CIFAR-10](https://paperswithcode.com/dataset/cifar-10), [MNIST](https://paperswithcode.com/dataset/mnist)