Hybrid analog/digital signal coding

A method of systematic hybrid analog/digital encoding of data including an analog source signal transmitted on an analog channel and a digital source signal whose digital encoding is transmitted on a digital channel, said digital source signal being a discrete-time sampled signal of said analog source signal, said method comprising:

• processing digital source signal with a filter bank to generate a plurality of subband source signals;
• quantizing said plurality of subband source signals, based on characteristics associated with said analog channel and characteristics associated with said digital source signal, to generate a plurality of quantizer output levels represented by a sequence of bits;
• processing said sequence of bits as a function of said analog channel characteristics and said digital source signal characteristics, to generate an output coded bitstream;
• and
• integrating said coded bitstream with supplementary data associated with said subband source signals.

A systematic hybrid analog/digital decoder which processes data received from analog and digital channels, said analog channel having an analog output signal related to an analog source signal, and said digital channel having a formatted bitstream derived from a digital source signal, said decoder comprising:

• a bitstream interpreter which reads said bitstream and determines a coded bitstream and supplementary data associated with a plurality of subband source signals derived from said digital source signal;
• an analog estimator that processes said analog output signal based on characteristics associated with said analog channel and characteristics associated with said digital source signal, to generate a plurality of subband signal estimates;
• a bitstream decoder which decodes said coded bitstream based on said analog output signal, characteristics associated with said analog channel, and characteristics associated with said digital source signal, to generate a plurality of quantizer output levels;
• a subband signal generator which generates a plurality of reconstructed subband signals based on said subband signal estimates and said quantizer output levels;
• and
• a reconstructed source generator which generates a reconstructed digital source signal by processing said reconstructed subband signals with a synthesis filter bank.

A method of systematic hybrid analog/digital decoding of data received from analog and digital channels, said analog channel having an analog output signal related to an analog source signal, and said digital channel having a formatted bitstream derived from a digital source signal, said method comprising:

• reading said bitstream and determining a coded bitstream and supplementary data associated with a plurality of subband source signals derived from said digital source signal;
• processing said analog output signal based on characteristics associated with said analog channel and characteristics associated with said digital source signal, to generate a plurality of subband signal estimates;
• decoding said coded bitstream based on said analog output signal, characteristics associated with said analog channel, and characteristics associated with said digital source signal, to generate a plurality of quantizer output levels;
• generating a plurality of reconstructed subband signals based on said subband signal estimates and said quantizer output levels;
• and
• generating a reconstructed digital source signal by processing said reconstructed subband signals with a synthesis filter bank.