Patent ID: 7120210

Claim:
A method of processing a received signal characterized by signal levels that encode distinct values, the received signal being subject to noise, said method comprising the steps of: processing said signal by applying a clipped metric function to the signal levels, thereby providing a clipped metric signal; and processing said clipped metric signal to decode the distinct values therefrom, whereby said clipped metric function reduces an effect of said noise; wherein said clipped metric function is in accordance with the following equation: ρ c ⁡ ( x ) = { x 2 ⁢ ⁢ for ⁢ :  x  ≤ c c 2 ⁢ ⁢ for ⁢ :  x  > c , wherein: ρ c (x) represents said metric as a function of x; x represents an amplitude of said signal; and c represents a predetermined constant value.