The main feature of multiple-scroll chaotic attractors is that they exhibit a rich variety of complicated chaotic dynamic phenomena and have many scroll encryption parameters that can be applied to secure communications. Based on the study of their generating mechanism

a novel scheme of multi-level digital chaos shift keying (MDCSK) via multi-scroll chaotic systems is presented. In the transmitter

the slope values of the multiple scroll chaotic attractors are modulated using multi-level digital signals

which generates MDCSK signals. In the receiver

the original multi-level digital signals are recovered according to the principle of drive-response synchronization and coherent demodulation. Compared with chaos shift keying (CSK)

MDCSK has an advantage that multi-level digital signals can be encrypted

by using multi-scroll encryption parameters. Results of theoretical analysis and computer simulation are also given

which demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.