Nested turbo codes for the costa problem

Driven by applications in data-hiding, MIMO broadcast channel coding, precoding for interference cancellation, and transmitter cooperation in wireless networks, Costa coding has lately become a very active research area. In this paper, we first offer code design guidelines in terms of source- channel coding for algebraic binning. We then address practical code design based on nested lattice codes and propose nested turbo codes using turbo-like trellis-coded quantization (TCQ) for source coding and turbo trellis-coded modulation (TTCM) for channel coding. Compared to TCQ, turbo-like TCQ offers structural similarity between the source and channel coding components, leading to more efficient nesting with TTCM and better source coding performance. Due to the difference in effective dimensionality between turbo-like TCQ and TTCM, there is a performance tradeoff between these two components when they are nested together, meaning that the performance of turbo-like TCQ worsens as the TTCM code becomes stronger and vice versa. Optimization of this performance tradeoff leads to our code design that outperforms existing TCQ/TCM and TCQ/TTCM constructions and exhibits a gap of 0.94, 1.42 and 2.65 dB to the Costa capacity at 2.0, 1.0, and 0.5 bits/sample, respectively

Hidden Markov models and neural networks for speech recognition

The Hidden Markov Model (HMMs) is one of the most successful modeling approaches for acoustic events in speech recognition, and more recently it has proven useful for several problems in biological sequence analysis. Although the HMM is good at capturing the temporal nature of processes such as speech, it has a very limited capacity for recognizing complex patterns involving more than first order dependencies in the observed data sequences. This is due to the first order state process and the assumption of state conditional independence between observations. Artificial Neural Networks (NNs) are almost the opposite: they cannot model dynamic, temporally extended phenomena very well, but are good at static classification and regression tasks. Combining the two frameworks in a sensible way can therefore lead to a more powerful model with better classification abilities. The overall aim of this work has been to develop a probabilistic hybrid of hidden Markov models and neural networks and ..

Adaptive equalisation for fading digital communication channels

This thesis considers the design of new adaptive equalisers for fading digital communication channels. The role of equalisation is discussed in the context of the functions of a digital radio communication system and both conventional and more recent novel equaliser designs are described. The application of recurrent neural networks to the problem of equalisation is developed from a theoretical study of a single node structure to the design of multinode structures. These neural networks are shown to cancel intersymbol interference in a manner mimicking conventional techniques and simulations demonstrate their sensitivity to symbol estimation errors. In addition the error mechanisms of conventional maximum likelihood equalisers operating on rapidly time-varying channels are investigated and highlight the problems of channel estimation using delayed and often incorrect symbol estimates. The relative sensitivity of Bayesian equalisation techniques to errors in the channel estimate is studied and demonstrates that the structure's equalisation capability is also susceptible to such errors. Applications of multiple channel estimator methods are developed, leading to reduced complexity structures which trade performance for a smaller computational load. These novel structures are shown to provide an improvement over the conventional techniques, especially for rapidly time-varying channels, by reducing the time delay in the channel estimation process. Finally, the use of confidence measures of the equaliser's symbol estimates in order to improve channel estimation is studied and isolates the critical areas in the development of the technique — the production of reliable confidence measures by the equalisers and the statistics of symbol estimation error bursts

Node synchronization schemes for the Big Viterbi Decoder

The Big Viterbi Decoder (BVD), currently under development for the DSN, includes three separate algorithms to acquire and maintain node and frame synchronization. The first measures the number of decoded bits between two consecutive renormalization operations (renorm rate), the second detects the presence of the frame marker in the decoded bit stream (bit correlation), while the third searches for an encoded version of the frame marker in the encoded input stream (symbol correlation). A detailed account of the operation is given, as well as performance comparison, of the three methods

TDRSS S-shuttle unique receiver equipment

Beginning with STS-9, the Tracking and Date Relay Satellite system (TDRSS) will start providing S- and Ku-band communications and tracking support to the Space Shuttle and its payloads. The most significant element of this support takes place at the TDRSS White Sands Ground Terminal, which processes the Shuttle return link S- and Ku-band signals. While Ku-band hardware available to other TDRSS users is also applied to Ku-Shuttle, stringent S-Shuttle link margins have precluded the application of the standard TDRSS S-band processing equipment to S-Shuttle. It was therfore found necessary to develop a unique S-Shuttle Receiver that embodies state-of-the-art digital technology and processing techniques. This receiver, developed by Motorola, Inc., enhances link margins by 1.5 dB relative to the standard S-band equipment and its bit error rate performance is within a few tenths of a dB of theory. An overview description of the Space Shuttle Receiver Equipment (SSRE) is presented which includes the presentation of block diagrams and salient design features. Selected, measured performance results are also presented

The Use Of Digital Signal Processing in Satellite Communication

The recent emphasis on Information Technology has increased the need for methods of data communications with a greater interest in the areas of Satellite communications. Data communications over a satellite can be easily achieved by the use of excessive power and bandwidth but efficient management of the satellite resource requires more elegant means of transmission. The optimum modulator and demodulator can be described by mathematical expressions to represent the physical processes that are required to transmit and receive a signal. Digital Signal Processing circuits can be use to implement these mathematical functions and once correctly designed are not susceptible to variations in accuracy and hence can maintain an accurate representation of the mathematical model. This thesis documents an investigation into the algorithms and techniques that can be used in the digital implementation of a Satellite Data Modem. The technique used for carrier phase recovery and data decoding is a major variation on a method proposed by Viterbi and Viterbi and relies on Phase Estimation instead of the more common carrier regeneration techniques. A computer simulation of this algorithm and its performance is described and the overall performance of the simulation is compared to theoretical analysis and experimental performance of a Multi-Data Rate Satellite Modem covering data rates in the range 16 Ksymbol/sec to 256 Ksymbol/sec in both the BPSK and QPSK data formats.Royal Signals and Radar Establishment, Deffor

Design of joint source/channel coders

The need to transmit large amounts of data over a band limited channel has led to the development of various data compression schemes. Many of these schemes function by attempting to remove redundancy from the data stream. An unwanted side effect of this approach is to make the information transfer process more vulnerable to channel noise. Efforts at protecting against errors involve the reinsertion of redundancy and an increase in bandwidth requirements. The papers presented within this document attempt to deal with these problems from a number of different approaches

Coherent Phase-Modulated Optical Fiber Communications with Linear and Nonlinear Phase Noise

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH