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Electronics
Article . 2026 . Peer-reviewed
License: CC BY
Data sources: Crossref
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A Midpoint-Search Frequency Estimator Based on the Discrete Fourier Transform (MS-DFT)

Authors: Codrin Donciu; Marinel Costel Temneanu; Elena Serea;

A Midpoint-Search Frequency Estimator Based on the Discrete Fourier Transform (MS-DFT)

Abstract

This paper proposes a frequency-estimation method based on an iterative midpoint search applied to the discrete Fourier transform (MS-DFT). The method is designed to reduce the sensitivity of classical interpolation-based estimators to fractional-bin offsets and noise variations. The proposed approach exploits the unimodal structure of the spectral magnitude and performs iterative interval contraction using midpoint evaluation and magnitude ordering. This mechanism enables consistent estimation behavior across different spectral alignments without relying on interpolation formulas. Extensive simulations show that the method achieves a nearly constant ratio between the root mean square error (RMSE) and the Cramér–Rao lower bound (CRLB) over a wide range of signal-to-noise ratios (−7.5 dB to 65 dB). This behavior indicates stable relative efficiency with respect to the theoretical limit, rather than optimization at isolated operating points. In addition, the method reaches near-optimal accuracy within a small number of iterations (typically 8–9), resulting in low and predictable computational complexity. These properties make the MS-DFT estimator suitable for real-time and resource-constrained applications such as embedded sensing and biosignal processing.

Keywords

midpoint search DFT, CRLB-normalized accuracy, frequency estimation, single-tone signal

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average