CIF: Small: Hybrid analog-digital schemes for joint source-channel coding of digital sources

该项目旨在开发新的方案，用于在各种源和信道环境下，在噪声信道上实现数字源的高吞吐量传输。这项研究工作将导致通信系统的重大进步，包括数据呈现时间或空间相关性的情况。由于多种数据集，如传感器网络和医疗数据，呈现了这种类型的结构，因此该项目有可能影响整个社会。本研究的主要目的是研究混合模数联合信源信道编码方案在噪声信道上数字信源传输中的应用。所提出的混合方案由两个并行连接的子块组成：首先，一个数模编码器，它将从输入位产生实数或多个离散点。其次是数字编码器，它将从输入位产生编码位。关键思想是利用混合方案的模拟组件来实现高吞吐量通信，以及对信道条件变化的鲁棒性，这是标准数字信道代码的挑战。另一方面，使用纯数模编码器会导致显著的误差层数，从而导致性能下降。然而，由于使用了数字编码器子块，这些错误层可以大大减少，以达到优异的性能。模数混合实用编码系统尚未应用于数字源的编码。这些技术的发展在图像和视频编码、传感器网络和医疗应用等实际应用中具有重要意义。

This project aims at the development of novel schemes for high throughput transmission of digital sources over noisy channels for a wide range of source and channel environments. The research effort will result in significant advancements in communications systems, including the case in which the data presents temporal or spatial correlations. Since multiple data sets, such as sensor networks and medical data, present this type of structures, this project has the potential to impact society as a whole. The main goal of this research is to study the application of hybrid analog-digital joint source-channel coding schemes for the transmission of digital sources over noisy channels. The proposed hybrid schemes consist of two sub-blocks concatenated in parallel: First, a digital-to-analog encoder, which will produce either real numbers or many multiple discrete points from the input bits. Second, a digital encoder, which will produce coded bits from the input bits. The key idea is to take advantage of the analog component of the hybrid scheme to achieve high throughput communications, and robustness against changes in the channel conditions, something that is challenging with standard digital channel codes. On the other hand, the use of pure digital-to-analog encoders would lead to significant error floors, with the consequent performance degradation. However, thanks to the use of the digital encoder sub-block, these error floors can be substantially reduced to achieve an excellent performance. Hybrid analog-digital practical coding systems have not been applied for the encoding of digital sources. The development of these techniques is of great interest in practical applications such as image and video coding, sensor networks and medical applications.