进入传输信道,比如说因为附近的闪电、汽车点火系统的打火或因通信设备本身低电平的热
噪声所致。正是这种被称为信噪比的东西,即真实信号与噪声的关系引起了通信工程师的极
大的兴趣。从本质上讲,如果信号比噪声电平大得多,则信息的传输是完美的。但是,实际
情况并不总是这样,例如,从位于遥远太空中的卫星接收到的信号极其微弱,其电平仅比噪
声稍高一点。地面系统则是另一类例子,尽管信号很强,噪声也很强。
If we consider binary transmission, the complete information about a particular message will
always be obtained by simply detecting the presence or absence of the pulse. By comparison, most
other forms of transmission systems convey the message information using the shape, or level of
the transmitted signal; parameters that are most easily affected by the noise and attenuation
introduced by the transmission path. Consequently there is an inherent advantage for overcoming
noisy environments by choosing digital transmission.
研究二进制信号的传输可见,只要简单的区判别脉冲的有和无,完美就获得了一条消息
的全部信息。相比之下,许多其他形式的传输系统是利用被传信号的波形或电平的高低来传
送信息的,而这些参数又极易受到传输途径中的噪声和衰耗的影响。因此选择数字传输系统
在克服噪声环境的影响方面有其固有的优势。
So far in this discussion we have assumed that each voice channel has a separate coder, the
unit that converts sampled amplitude values to a set of pulses; and decoder, the unit that performs
the reverse operation. This need not be so, and systems are in operation where a single codec (i.e.,
coder and its associated decoder) is shared between 24, 30, or even 120 separate channels. A
high-sped electronic switch is used to present the analog information signal of each channel, taken
in turn, to the codec. The codec is then arranged to sequentially sample the amplitude value, and
code this value into the 8-digit sequence. Thus the output to the codec may be seen as a sequence
of 8 pulses relating to channel 1, then channel 2, and so on. This unit is called a time division
multiplexer (TDM), and is illustrated in fig. 1-2. The multiplexing principle that is used is known
as work interleaving. Since the words, or 8-digit sequences, are interleaved in time.
到目前为止,在这个讨论中,我们一直假定每个话路各有一个编码器和解码器。前者是
将幅度采样值变换成脉冲,而后者则施行相反的变换,这种设置并非必须。在实际运行的
PCM 系统中,一个编、译码器为 24 路、30 路,甚至 120 路所共用(注:在当代的 PCM 设
备中,编、译码器系分路设备,即每个话路各有一套。)一个高速的电子开关被用来将每一
话路的模拟信号依次的送往编、译码器。然后编、译码器再顺序采样幅值并把这个幅值编成
8 位码序列。这样,编解码器输出的 8 位码序列就分别对应于话路 1、话路 2,等等。这种
设备称为时分复用(TDM),如图 1-2 所示。由于 8 位码的码字序列按时间顺序插接在一起,
所以上面所用的复用原则称为码字插接。
At the receive terminal a demultiplexer is arranged to separate the 8-digit sequences into the
appropriate channels. The reader may ask, how does the demultiplexer know which group of
8-digits relates to channel 1,2, and so on? Clearly this is important! The problem is easily
overcome by specifying a frame format, where at the start of each frame a unique sequence of
pulses called the frame code, or synchronization word, is placed so at to identify the start of the
frame. A circuit of the demultiplexer is arranged to detect the synchronization word, and thereby it
knows that the next group of 8-digits corresponds to channel 1. The synchronization word
reoccurs once again after the last channel has been received.
接收端设置了分路设备将 8 位码序列分配到相应的话路中。读者也许会问,分路设备怎
么会知道哪一组 8 位码对应于第 1 路、第 2 路及其他各路呢?显然这是很重要的。这个问题