Adaptive-rate coding modulation system for digital image transmission

Summary form only given. We propose two methods to provide optimal image quality at a fixed image delivery rate for any given transmission channel condition. The first method, channel-controlled variable-rate (CCVR) image coding, employs adaptive-rate source coding and channel coding, while operating with a fixed modulation symbol rate. The second method, adaptive-rate coding-modulation (ARCM), extends the CCVR system by utilizing adaptive modulation. Both methods use a variable-compression-ratio image coder and variable-rate channel coding. The objective is to maximize the quality of the reconstructed image at the receiver when transmitted through Rayleigh fading and additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). The CCVR system maximizes the reconstructed image quality through a bit-rate trade-off between the source and channel coders. The ARCM method provides a trade-off between the rates of source and channel coding, and the modulation rate. Both methods require knowledge of the channel state which is used by the receiver to inform the transmitter, via a feedback channel, of the optimal strategy for image compression, channel coding, and modulation format. The resulting systems achieve up to a 17 dB improvement over the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) performance of a system using a fixed-compression-ratio image coder and fixed-rate channel coding. Reconstructed image quality is evaluated through both quantitative and subjective measures using peak signal-to-noise ratio and visual analysis, respectively.