Codebook organization to enhance maximum a posteriori detection ofprogressive transmission of vector quantized images over noisy channels

We describe a new way to organize a full-search vector quantization codebook so that images encoded with it can be sent progressively and have resilience to channel noise. The codebook organization guarantees that the most significant bits (MSBs) of the codeword index are most important to the overall image quality and are highly correlated. Simulations show that the effective channel error rates of the MSBs can be substantially lowered by implementing a maximum a posteriori (MAP) detector similar to one suggested by Phamdo and Farvardin (see IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, vol.40, no.1, p.156-193, 1994). The performance of the scheme is close to that of pseudo-gray coding at lower bit error rates and outperforms it at higher error rates. No extra bits are used for channel error correction.     

Optimal space-time constellations from groups

We consider the design of space-time constellations based on group codes for fading channels with multiple transmit and receive antennas. These codes can be viewed as multiantenna extensions of phase-shift keying (PSK), in the sense that all codewords have equal energy, all are rotations of a fixed codeword, and there is a simple differential transmission rule that allows data to be sent without channel estimates at the transmitter or receiver. For coherent detection, we show that all optimal full-rank space-time group codes are unitary (each code matrix has equal-energy, orthogonal rows). This leads to a simpler code design criterion and suggests that unitary codes may play an important role in coherent as well as noncoherent communication. For any number of transmit antennas t, we then use the design criterion to characterize all full-rank unitary space-time group codes of minimum block length (also t) which have 2/sup p/ codewords. These results allow us to characterize all optimal 2/sup p/-ary unitary group codes with square code matrices. This restricted class of block codes matches the class proposed for differential modulation by Hughes (see IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, vol.46, p.2567-78, Nov. 2000), and by Hochwald and Sweldens (see IEEE Trans. Commun., vol.48, p.2041-2052, Dec. 2000).     

Efficient ARQ schemes with multiple copy decoding

Several modifications of an efficient automatic repeat request (ARQ) scheme proposed by Weldon (see IEEE Trans. Commun., vol.COM-30, p.480, 1982) are studied. Unlike Weldon's scheme, in which all erroneous data packets are discarded, the present schemes make use of copies of the data packet which may contain errors. A number of channel models are considered, namely, a binary symmetric channel, a nonfading, and a Rayleigh fading channel with additive white Gaussian noise. In most cases, it is found that the throughput can be substantially increased. Under poor channel conditions, the use of forward error correction can lead to further improvement. A type-II ARQ scheme which does not suffer the throughput degradation under good channel conditions due to overhead parity bits associated with conventional forward error correction is also analyzed     

Fast algorithm for distortion-based error protection of embedded image codes.

We consider a joint source-channel coding system that protects an embedded bitstream using a finite family of channel codes with error detection and error correction capability. The performance of this system may be measured by the expected distortion or by the expected number of correctly decoded source bits. Whereas a rate-based optimal solution can be found in linear time, the computation of a distortion-based optimal solution is prohibitive. Under the assumption of the convexity of the operational distortion-rate function of the source coder, we give a lower bound on the expected distortion of a distortion-based optimal solution that depends only on a rate-based optimal solution. Then, we propose a local search (LS) algorithm that starts from a rate-based optimal solution and converges in linear time to a local minimum of the expected distortion. Experimental results for a binary symmetric channel show that our LS algorithm is near optimal, whereas its complexity is much lower than that of the previous best solution.     

A sequence-based approximate MMSE decoder for source coding overnoisy channels using discrete hidden Markov models

In previous work on source coding over noisy channels it was recognized that when the source has memory, there is typically “residual redundancy” between the discrete symbols produced by the encoder, which can be capitalized upon by the decoder to improve the overall quantizer performance. Sayood and Borkenhagen (1991) and Phamdo and Farvardin (see IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, vol.40, p.186-93, 1994) proposed “detectors” at the decoder which optimize suitable criteria in order to estimate the sequence of transmitted symbols. Phamdo and Farvardin also proposed an instantaneous approximate minimum mean-squared error (IAMMSE) decoder. These methods provide a performance advantage over conventional systems, but the maximum a posteriori (MAP) structure is suboptimal, while the IAMMSE decoder makes limited use of the redundancy. Alternatively, combining aspects of both approaches, we propose a sequence-based approximate MMSE (SAMMSE) decoder. For a Markovian sequence of encoder-produced symbols and a discrete memoryless channel, we approximate the expected distortion at the decoder under the constraint of fixed decoder complexity. For this simplified cost, the optimal decoder computes expected values based on a discrete hidden Markov model, using the wellknown forward/backward (F/B) algorithm. Performance gains for this scheme are demonstrated over previous techniques in quantizing Gauss-Markov sources over a range of noisy channel conditions. Moreover, a constrained delay version is also suggested     

Unequal error protection for MPEG-2 video transmission over wireless channels

This paper proposes an unequal error protection (UEP) method for MPEG-2 video transmission. Since the source and channel coders are normally concatenated, if the channel is noisy, more bits are allocated to channel coding and fewer to source coding. The situation is reversed when the channel conditions are more benign. Most of the joint source channel coding (JSCC) methods assume that the video source is subband coded, the bit error sensitivity of the source code can be modeled, and the bit allocations for different subband channels will be calculated. The UEP applied to different subbands is the rate compatible punctured convolution channel coder. However, the MPEG-2 coding is not a subband coding, the bit error sensitivity function for the coded video can no longer be applied. Here, we develop a different method to find the rate-distortion functions for JSCC of the MPEG-2 video. In the experiments, we show that the end-to-end distortion of our UEP method is smaller than the equal error protection method for the same total bit-rate.     

A distortion optimal rate allocation algorithm for transmission of embedded bitstreams over noisy channels

We propose a distortion optimal rate allocation algorithm for robust transmission of embedded bitstreams over noisy channels. The algorithm is based on the backward application of a Viterbi-like algorithm to a search trellis, and can be applied to both scenarios of fixed and variable channel packet length problems, referred to as FPP and VPP, respectively. For the VPP, the complexity of the algorithm is comparable to the well-known dynamic programming approach of Chande and Farvardin. For the FPP, where no low-complexity algorithm is known, the complexity of the proposed algorithm is O(N/sup 2/), where N is the number of transmitted packets.     

Spreading sequences for asynchronous MC-CDMA revisited: accurate bit error rate analysis

The bit error rate (BER) of an asynchronous multicarrier code-division multiple-access system in an additive white Gaussian noise channel is evaluated using Monte Carlo integration and moment-generating function methods. The BER performance for different families of spreading sequences is investigated. Numerical results show that the approach of a recently published paper (see Popovic, B.M., IEEE Trans. Common., vol.47, p.918-26, 1999) cannot give an accurate BER because the interference from other subcarriers has been omitted. Some new findings about the performance of different sequences are also presented.     

Image coding with robust channel-optimized trellis-codedquantization

This paper presents a wavelet-based image coder that is optimized for transmission over the binary symmetric channel (BSC). The proposed coder uses a robust channel-optimized trellis-coded quantization (COTCQ) stage that is designed to optimize the image coding based on the channel characteristics. A phase scrambling stage is also used to further increase the coding performance and robustness to nonstationary signals and channels. The resilience to channel errors is obtained by optimizing the coder performance only at the level of the source encoder with no explicit channel coding for error protection. For the considered TCQ trellis structure, a general expression is derived for the transition probability matrix. In terms of the TCQ encoding rat and the channel bit error rate, and is used to design the COTCQ stage of the image coder. The robust nature of the coder also increases the security level of the encoded bit stream and provides a much more visually pleasing rendition of the decoded image. Examples are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed robust image coder     

Huffman code based error screening and channel code optimization for error concealment in perceptual audio coding (PAC) algorithms

The class of perceptual audio coding (PAC) algorithms yields efficient and high-quality stereo digital audio bitstreams at bit rates from 16 kb/sec to 128 kb/sec (and higher). To avoid "pops and clicks" in the decoded audio signals, channel error detection combined with source error concealment, or source error mitigation, techniques are preferred to pure channel error correction. One method of channel error detection is to use a high-rate block code, for example, a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) code. Several joint source-channel coding issues arise in this framework because PAC contains a fixed-to-variable source coding component in the form of Huffman codes, so that the output audio packets are of varying length. We explore two such issues. First, we develop methods for screening for undetected channel errors in the audio decoder by looking for inconsistencies between the number of bits decoded by the Huffman decoder and the number of bits in the packet as specified by control information in the bitstream. We evaluate this scheme by means of simulations of Bernoulli sources and real audio data encoded by PAC. Considerable reduction in undetected errors is obtained. Second, we consider several configurations for the channel error detection codes, in particular CRC codes. The preferred set of formats employs variable-block length, variable-rate outer codes matched to the individual audio packets, with one or more codewords used per audio packet. To maintain a constant bit rate into the channel, PAC and CRC encoding must be performed jointly, e.g., by incorporating the CRC into the bit allocation loop in the audio coder.     

Robust hyperspectral image coding with channel-optimizedtrellis-coded quantization

This paper presents a wavelet-based hyperspectral image coder that is optimized for transmission over the binary symmetric channel (BSC). The proposed coder uses a robust channel-optimized trellis-coded quantization (COTCQ) stage that is designed to optimize the image coding based on the channel characteristics. This optimization is performed only at the level of the source encoder and does not include any channel coding for error protection. The robust nature of the coder increases the security level of the encoded bit stream, and provides a much higher quality decoded image. In the absence of channel noise, the proposed coder is shown to achieve a compression ratio greater than 70:1, with an average peak SNR of the coded hyperspectral sequence exceeding 40 dB. Additionally, the coder is shown to exhibit graceful degradation with increasing channel errors     

On source coding, channel coding and spreading tradeoffs in a DS-CDMA system operating over frequency selective fading channels with narrowband interference

For a fixed total bandwidth expansion factor, we consider the problem of optimal bandwidth allocation among the source coder, the channel coder, and the spread-spectrum unit for a direct-sequence code-division multiple-access system operating over a frequency-selective fading channel with narrowband interference. Assuming a Gaussian source with the optimum scalar quantizer, and a binary convolutional code with soft-decision decoding, and further assuming that the self-interference is negligible, we obtain both a lower and an upper bound on the end-to-end average source distortion. The joint three-way constrained optimization of the source code rate, the channel code rate, and the spreading factor can be simplified into an unconstrained optimization problem over two variables. Upon fixing the channel code rate, we show that both upper and lower bound-based distortion functions are convex functions of the source code rate. Because an explicit solution for the optimum source code rate, i.e., one that minimizes the average distortion, is difficult to obtain, computer-based search techniques are employed. Numerical results are presented for the optimum source code rate and spreading factor, parameterized by the channel code rate and code constraint length. The optimal bandwidth allocation, in general, depends on the system and the channel conditions, such as the total number of active users, the average jammer-to-signal power ratio, and the number of resolved multipath components together with their power delay profile.     

Tradeoff between source and channel coding

A fundamental problem in the transmission of analog information across a noisy discrete channel is the choice of channel code rate that optimally allocates the available transmission rate between lossy source coding and block channel coding. We establish tight bounds on the channel code rate that minimizes the average distortion of a vector quantizer cascaded with a channel coder and a binary-symmetric channel. Analytic expressions are derived in two cases of interest: small bit-error probability and arbitrary source vector dimension; arbitrary bit-error probability and large source vector dimension. We demonstrate that the optimal channel code rate is often substantially smaller than the channel capacity, and obtain a noisy-channel version of the Zador (1982) high-resolution distortion formula     

Performance of the adaptive rate MQAM with on/off power control

Goldsmith (see IEEE Trans. Commun., vol.45, p.1218-30, 1997) proposed an adaptive rate MQAM with variable power for a higher transmission rate in a fading channel. However, its successful operation requires a highly linear power amplifier to support its variable transmission power. In this paper, to alleviate this requirement, we present an adaptive rate MQAM with on/off power control. The numerical results show that the proposed scheme has a smaller dynamic range of transmission power than the Goldsmith's one and suffers from SNR degradation of about 1.3 dB in terms of spectral efficiency when a set of integer rates is employed     

Joint design of fixed-rate source codes and multiresolution channelcodes

We propose three new design algorithms for jointly optimizing source and channel codes. Our optimality criterion is to minimize the average end-to-end distortion. For a given channel SNR and transmission rate, our joint source and channel code designs achieve an optimal allocation of bits between the source and channel coders. Our three techniques include a source-optimized channel code, a channel-optimized source code, and an iterative descent technique combining the design strategies of the other two codes. The joint designs use channel-optimized vector quantization (COVQ) for the source code and rate compatible punctured convolutional (RCPC) coding for the channel code. The optimal bit allocation reduces distortion by up to 6 dB over suboptimal allocations and by up to 4 dB relative to standard COVQ for the source data set considered. We find that all three code designs have roughly the same performance when their bit allocations are optimized. This result follows from the fact that at the optimal bit allocation the channel code removes most of the channel errors, in which case the three design techniques are roughly equivalent. We also compare the robustness of the three techniques to channel mismatch. We conclude the paper by relaxing the fixed transmission rate constraint and jointly optimizing the transmission rate, source code, and channel code     

一种用于军事光纤通信系统的新型前向纠错码的研究

光纤信道具有比传统电缆信道更高的信号传输速率和更大的带宽,当采用光纤调制解调器进行电光信号转换时,可以使用具有较多冗余位的编码方式来保证信号传输的准确性和可靠性。论文研究了一种以BCH作内码、Hamming码作外码的新型前向纠错码,该码使用三级编码和两次交织技术构成了串行级联线性友,可以有效地将信号传输过程中所产生的较长突发错误交织成较短的随机错误,并使交织后可能出现的误码个数在所设计编码的纠错能力范围内,从而可在译码时实时地纠正这些错误。论文探讨了这种前向纠错码的编、译码算法,采用了软硬件较易实现的逐步判决逐步译码算法。计算机模拟结果表明该级联码具有较强的纠错功能,可应用于对信号传输的准确性和实时性都具有特殊要求的军事光纤通信系统。     

Joint design of a channel-optimized quantizer and multicarriermodulation

We present an algorithm for design of a joint source-channel coder using a channel-optimized quantizer and multicarrier modulation. By changing the power of each subchannel in the multicarrier modulation system, different degrees of error protection can be provided for different bits according to their importance. The algorithm converges to a locally optimum system design. Compared to a Lloyd-Max scalar quantizer or a LBG vector quantizer using single-channel transmission, our optimized code can yield substantial performance improvements. The performance improvements are most pronounced at low channel signal-to-noise ratios     

Trellis-coded quantization designed for noisy channels

Trellis-coded quantization (TCQ) of memoryless sources is developed for transmission over a binary symmetric channel. The optimized TCQ coder can achieve essentially the same performance as Ayanoglu and Gray's (1987) unconstrained trellis coding optimized for the binary symmetric channel, but with a much lower implementation complexity for transmission rates above 1 b/sample. In most cases, the optimized TCQ coder also provides larger signal-to-noise ratio than Farvardin and Vaishampayan's (1991) channel-optimized vector quantization. Algorithms are developed for the joint design of trellis-coded quantization/modulation (TCQ/TCM). The jointly designed TCQ/TCM system outperforms the straightforward cascade of separately designed TCQ and TCM systems. The improvement is most significant at low channel signal-to-noise ratio. For a first-order Gauss-Markov source, the predictive TCQ/TCM performance can exceed that of optimum pulse amplitude modulation     

Real-time unequal error protection algorithms for progressive image transmission

We consider unequal error protection strategies for the efficient progressive transmission of embedded image codes over noisy channels. In progressive transmission, the reconstruction quality is important not only at the target transmission rate but also at the intermediate rates. An adequate error protection strategy may, thus, consist of optimizing the average performance over the set of intermediate rates. The performance can be the expected number of correctly decoded source bits or the expected distortion. For the rate-based performance, we prove some interesting properties of an optimal solution and give an optimal linear-time algorithm to compute it. For the distortion-based performance, we propose an efficient linear-time local search algorithm. For a binary symmetric channel, two state-of-the-art source coders (SPIHT and JPEG2000), we compare the progressive ability of our proposed solutions to that of the strategies that optimize the end-to-end performance of the system. Experimental results showed that the proposed solutions had a slightly worse performance at the target transmission rate and a better performance at most of the intermediate rates, especially at the lowest ones.     

Coding for intersymbol interference channels-combined coding andprecoding

This paper describes a new coding scheme for transmission over intersymbol interference (ISI) channels. This scheme, called ISI coding, combines trellis coding with precoding (used to combat ISI). Like the recently introduced precoding scheme of Laroia, Tretter, and Farvardin (LTF), the ISI coder makes it possible to achieve both shaping and coding gains over ISI channels. By combining coding and precoding, however, the ISI coder makes the “precoding loss” independent of the number of coset partitions used to generate the trellis code. At high rates (large signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)), this makes it possible to approach the Shannon capacity of an ISI channel. The V.34 (formerly V.fast) international modem standard for high-speed (up to 28.8 kb/s) communication over voice-band telephone lines uses the version of the ISI coder described in Section IV of this paper