Patent ID: 7280609

Claim:
A method for matching a bit rate of a bit stream to be transmitted in a communication system, the method comprising the steps of: assigning bits of the bit stream to be transmitted for matching of the bit rate to bits actually used for a transmission, wherein, for a specific number of consecutive bits of the bit stream to be transmitted in each case, a sum of importances, which the relevant bits of the bit stream exhibit for a recovery of a message containing the relevant bits, is in a specified relationship to a sum of reliabilities of corresponding bits actually used for the transmission; matching the bit rate by one of puncturing and repeating the relevant bits of the bit stream, wherein with puncturing the relevant bits are removed and with repeating the relevant bits are multiplex; increasing or decreasing a respective puncturing or repetition rate with which the relevant bits of the bit stream are punctured or repeated for bit rate matching when, for the specific number of consecutive bits of the bit stream, a quotient of the sum of importances, and the sum of the reliabilities of the corresponding bits actually used for the transmission, is greater than a specified threshold value; decreasing or increasing the respective puncturing or repetition rate with which the relevant bits of the bit stream are punctured or repeated for bit rate matching when the quotient is smaller than the specified threshold value; and transmitting, via the corresponding bits and after executing bit rate matching, specific information content.