Method of encoding a signal

• US 6,546,515 B1
• Filed: 02/16/2000
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Heinen, Stefan, Bleck, Stefan, Vary, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Decady, Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chase, Shelly A
• Application Number:
  US09/505,197
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 714/752, 714/746, 714/786, 714/799, 704/222, 375/240.03
• US Class Current: 714/746
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0042 Encoding specially adapted to other signal generation operation, e.g. in order to reduce transmit distortions, jitter, or to improve signal shape H04L1/0067 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0047 Decoding adapted to other signal detection operation in conjunction with sequence estimation or equalization H04L25/03286
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0052 Realisations of complexity reduction techniques, e.g. pipelining or use of look-up tables

Abstract

A method of encoding a signal, particularly a message signal for speech and/or image transmission, in which signal-matched encoding of the signal with M bits is performed using Q quantization levels, with Q<2^M, and in which at least part of the remaining bit rate or the entire redundancy of M−Id(Q) bits is used to protect the signal against errors. The error protection uses a nonlinear code, for example. Furthermore, additional, signal-matched code redundancy can be added to an arbitrary source-coded signal. To decode the redundant signals in both cases, parameter estimation is performed at the receiving end using at least part of the redundancy.

Claims

1. A method of encoding a signal from a source, particularly a message signal for speech and/or image transmission, said method comprising

signal-matched encoding the signal with M bits using Q quantization levels, wherein Q<

2^M; and

protecting the signal against errors using at least part of a redundancy of bits remaining after quantization,

wherein said signal-matched encoding and said protecting the signal against errors are performed at the transmitting end to encode the signal,

the encoded signal is transmitted over a transmission channel, and

at the transmitting end, at least a part of the redundancy of bits remaining, instead of or in addition to being used for error protection, is used to transmit a control signal.

2. A facility for encoding a signal from a source, particularly a message signal for speech and/or image transmission, said facility comprising:

a quantizer with Q<

2^M quantization levels; and

an encoder for performing error protection encoding,

wherein the signal is signal-matched encoded with M bits using Q quantization levels,

the signal is protected against errors using at least part of a redundancy of bits remaining after quantization,

the signal is signal-matched encoded and protected against errors at the transmitting end,

the encoded signal is transmitted over a transmission channel, and

at the transmitting end, at least a part of the redundancy of bits remaining, instead of or in addition to being used for error protection, is used to transmit a control signal.