Naturally occurring signals, such as speech, geophysical signals, images, etc., have a great deal of inherent redundancies. Such signals lend themselves to compact representation for improved storage, transmission and extraction of information. Efficient representation of one and multidimensional signals, employing a variety of techniques has received considerable attention and many excellent contributions have been reported.
Vector Quantization is a powerful technique for efficient representation of one and multidimensional signals [see Gersho A.; Gray R. M. Vector Quantization and Signal Compression, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1991.] It can also be viewed as a front end to a variety of complex signal processing tasks, including classification and linear transformation. It has been shown that if an optimal Vector Quantizer is obtained, under certain design constraints and for a given performance objective, no other coding system can achieve a better performance. An n dimensional Vector Quantizer V of size K uniquely maps a vector x in an n dimensional Euclidean space to an element in the set S that contains K representative points i.e.,V:xεRn→C(x)εS 
Vector Quantization techniques have been successfully applied to various signal classes, particularly sampled speech, images, video etc. Vectors are formed either directly from the signal waveform (Waveform Vector Quantizers) or from the LP model parameters extracted from the signal (Mode based Vector Quantizers). Waveform vector quantizers often encode linear transform, domain representations of the signal vector or their representations using Multiresolution wavelet analysis. The premise of a model based signal characterization is that a broadband, spectrally flat excitation is processed by an all pole filter to generate the signal. Such a representation has useful applications including signal compression and recognition, particularly when Vector Quantization is used to encode the model parameters.
Recently, it has been shown that representation of signals in multiple nonorthogonal domains of representation reveals unique signal characteristics that may be exploited for encoding signals efficiently. See: Mikhael, W. B., and Spanias, A., “Accurate Representation of Time Varying Signals Using Mixed Transforms with Applications to Speech,” IEEE Trans. Circ. and Syst., vol. CAS-36, no: 2, pp. 329, February 1989; Mikhael, W. B., and Ramaswamy, A., “An efficient representation of nonstationary signals using mixed-transforms with applications to speech,” IEEE Trans. Circ. and Syst. II: Analog and Digital Signal Processing, vol: 42 Issue: 6, pp: 393-401, June 1995; Mikhael, W. B., and Ramaswamy, A, “Application of Multitransforms for lossy Image Representation,” IEEE Trans. Circ. and Syst. II: Analog and Digital Signal Processing, vol: 41 Issue: 6, pp. 431-434 June 1994; Berg, A. P., and Mikhael, W. B., “A survey of mixed transform techniques for speech and image coding,” Proc. of the 1999 IEEE International Symposium Circ. and Syst., ISCAS '99, vol. 4, 1999; Berg, A. P., and Mikhael, W. B., “An efficient structure and algorithm for image representation using nonorthogonal basis images,” IEEE Trans. Circ. and Syst. II, pp: 818-828 vol. 44 Issue: 10, October 1997; Berg, A. P., and Mikhael, W. B., “Formal development and convergence analysis of the parallel adaptive mixed transform algorithm,” Proc. of 1997 IEEE International Symposium Circ. and Syst., Vol. 4,1997 pp. 2280-2283; Ramaswamy, A., and Mikhael, W. B., “A mixed transform approach for efficient compression of medical images,” IEEE Trans. Medical Imaging, pp. 343-352, vol 15 Issue: 3, June 1996; Ramaswamy, A., and Mikhael, W. B., “Multitransform applications for representing 3-D spatial and spatio-temporal signals,” Conference Record of the Twenty-Ninth Asilomar Conference on Signals, Syst. and Computers, vol: 2, 1996; Mikhael, W. B., and Ramaswamy, A., “Resolving Images in Multiple Transform Domains with Applications,” Digital Signal Processing—A Review, pp. 81-90, 1995; Ramaswamy, A., Zhou, W., and Mikhael, W. B., “Subband Image Representation Employing Wavelets and Multi-Transforms,” Proc. of the 40th Midwest Symposium Circ. and Syst., vol: 2, pp: 949-952, 1998;. Mikhael, W. B., and Berg, A. P., “Image representation using nonorthogonal basis images with adaptive weight optimization,” IEEE Signal Processing Letters, vol: 3 Issue: 6, pp: 165-167, June 1996; and Berg, A. P., and Mikhael, W. B., “Fidelity enhancement of transform based image coding using nonorthogonal basis images,” 1996 IEEE International Symposium Circ. and Syst., pp. 437-440 vol. 2, 1996.]
A search was carried out which encompassed a novel software system which overcame the problem of transmitting different types of data such as speech, image, video data within a limited bandwidth. The searched system of the invention hereafter disclosed initially passes data separately through various transform domains such as Fourier Transform, Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT), Haar Transform, Wavelet Transform, etc. In a learning mode the invention represents the data signal transmissions in each domain using a coding scheme (e.g. bits) for data compression such as a split vector quantization scheme with a novel algorithm. Next, the invention evaluates each of the different domains and picks out which domain move accurately represents the transmitted data by measuring distortion. The dynamic system automatically picks which domain is better for the particular signal being transmitted.
The search produced the following nine patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,742 to Meeker proposes methods for prioritization of transform domain coefficients and is applicable to pyramidal transform coefficients and deals only with a single transform domain coefficient that is arranged according to a priority criterion;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,185 to De With, et al discloses a motion detector which is specifically applicable to encoding video frames where different transform coding techniques are selected on the determination of motion;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,128 to Rao proposes multispectral data compression using inter-band prediction wherein multiple spectral bands are selected from a single transform domain representation of an image for compression;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,661 to Takahashi, et al. discloses a method specifically applicable to image compression where a selector circuits picks up one of many photographic modes and uses multiple nonorthogonal domain representations for signal frames with an encoder that picks up a domain of representation that meets a specific criterion;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,703,704 to Nakagawa, et al. discloses a stereoscopic image transmission system which does not employ signal representation in multiple domains;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,145 to Yada, et al. discusses a quantization technique for video signals using a single transform domain although a multiple nonorthogonal domain Vector Quantization is proposed;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,178 to Lee, et al. describes a post-compression hidden data transport for video signals in which they extract video transform samples in a single transform domain from a compressed packetized data stream and use spread spectrum techniques to conceal the video data;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,287 to Takai, et al. discloses a Fourier Transform based technique for a card type recording medium where only a single domain of representation of information is employed: and,
U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,515 to Cong, et al. discloses a speech recognition system based upon both split Vector Quantization and split matrix quantization which materially differs from a multiple domain vector quantization where vectors formed from a signal are represented using codebooks in multiple redundant domains.
It would be highly desirable to provide a vector quantization approach in multiple nonorthogonal domains for both waveform and model based signal characterization.