Method and apparatus for configuring a communication channel

• US 8,438,123 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2006
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: University Of Plymouth Enterprise Limited (University of Plymouth)
• Original Assignee: University Of Plymouth Enterprise Limited (University of Plymouth)
• Inventors: Harris, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Lut
• Application Number:
  US12/064,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20090171874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,455 Days
• Field of Search: 706/23, 706/27
• US Class Current: 706/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1438 Negotiation of transmission parameters prior to communication modified according to link quality H04L1/0001

Abstract

A method of configuring a communication channel prior to the transmission of an input signal along the communication channel, the communication channel comprising a plurality of sub-channels, the method comprising determining the strength of the input signal and in accordance with the determined signal strength, selecting a set of the plurality of sub-channels and transmitting said input signal along the set of sub-channels in parallel, wherein each of the sub-channels has a predetermined noise characteristic such that the set of selected sub-channels exhibits a combined noise characteristic in which the standard deviation of the noise is proportional to the signal strength.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a communication channel prior to the transmission of an input signal along the communication channel, the communication channel comprising a plurality of sub-channels, the method comprising:

determining the strength of the input signal and in accordance with the determined signal strength, selecting a set of the plurality of sub-channels and

transmitting said input signal along the set of sub-channels in parallel,

wherein each of the sub-channels has a predetermined noise characteristic such that the set of selected sub-channels exhibits a combined noise characteristic in which the standard deviation of the noise is directly proportional to the input signal strength.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein each sub-channel is selected only if the instantaneous input signal strength exceeds an individual threshold value associated with each sub-channel.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the noise characteristic of each sub-channel is defined by a gain function associated with each sub-channel and a constant weighting value w, applied to the output of each sub-channel.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein for a given gain function the threshold value and weighting value for each sub-channel are selected such that the combined noise characteristic of the communication channel exhibits proportional noise.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the distribution of the weighting values w(x) and the distribution of sub-channels having a threshold value equal to the instantaneous signal strength ρ

(x) is given by solving the equations

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the equations are solved by numerical methods.

7. A method according to claim 4, wherein the threshold values and weighting values are selected by solving the equations

8. A method according to claim 3, wherein the gain function for each sub-channel comprises a step function, the input signal has a minimum instantaneous value ε

and the total number N of sub-channels is determined according to the equation

9. A method according to claim 3, wherein each sub-channel is arranged to simulate a neuron within a neural network such that the distribution of weighting values w(x) and the distribution of sub-channels having a threshold value equal to the instantaneous signal strength ρ

(x) is given by solving the equations

10. A neuromorphic system adapted to carry out the method of claim 1.

11. A processor adapted to execute the method of claim 1.

12. Apparatus for configuring a communication channel comprising a plurality of sub-channels, each sub-channel having a threshold switch arranged to receive an input signal having an instantaneous signal value and to connect the sub-channel to the input signal only if the instantaneous signal value exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the apparatus further comprising:

a summator arranged to receive the output of each sub-channel and combine said outputs to provided a combined output signal, wherein each sub-channel has a predetermined noise characteristic such that the connected sub-channels exhibit a combined noise characteristic in which the standard deviation of the noise is directly proportional to the input signal strength.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein each sub-channel includes a constant gain unit arranged to apply a constant weighting value w_i to the output of each sub-channel prior to the output being provided to the summator and each sub-channel has a further gain function associated with it, such that the noise characteristic of each sub-channel is defined by said gain function and said constant weighting value w_i.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the distribution of the weighting values w(x) and the distribution of sub-channels having a threshold value equal to the instantaneous signal strength ρ

(x) is given by solving the equations

15. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the threshold values and weighting values are given by the equations

16. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the gain function for each sub-channel comprises a step function, the input signal has a minimum instantaneous value ε

and the total number N of sub-channels is determined according to the equation

17. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein each sub-channel is arranged to simulate a neuron within a neural network such that the distribution of weighting values w(x) and the distribution of sub-channels having a threshold value equal to the instantaneous signal strength ρ

(x) is given by solving the equations

18. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored in a computer-readable memory for implementing a method of configuring a communication channel prior to the transmission of an input signal along the communication channel, the communication channel comprising a plurality of sub-channels, the method comprising:

determining, on a computer, the strength of the input signal and in accordance with the determined signal strength, selecting, on a computer, a set of the plurality of sub-channels and

transmitting, by a computer, said input signal along the set of sub-channels in parallel,

wherein each of the sub-channels has a predetermined noise characteristic such that the set of selected sub-channels exhibits a combined noise characteristic in which the standard deviation of the noise is directly proportional to the input signal strength.