Encoding of digital data with determination of sample path

A method of encoding digital samples of a set of data representing physical quantities, the encoding including the determination of elements from the samples of the set,

• characterized in that it comprises the steps of:
• determining (S52, S60, S12) the occurrence count of each element (V),
• modifying (S52, S60, S13) the nil occurrence counts to make them non-nil, and
• calculating (S52, S60, S14) the rate associated with an element as a function of its occurrence count.

A device for encoding digital samples of a set of data representing physical quantities, the encoding including the determination of a path among the samples of the set,

• characterized in that it comprises:
• means (24) for measuring an encoding cost which depends on the path,
• means (25) for modifying the path,
• the means for measuring and modifying being adapted to reiterate their operation so as to determine a path which minimizes the encoding cost.

A device for encoding digital samples of a set of data representing physical quantities, including means for determining elements from samples of the set,

• characterized in that it comprises:
• means (24) for determining the occurrence count of each element,
• means (25) for modifying the nil occurrence counts to make them non-nil,
• means (24) for calculating the rate associated with an element as a function of its occurrence count.