Decoding path selection device and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9787331-B1
Application number	US-201615224939-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 1, 2016
Priority date	Apr 6, 2016
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

The present invention discloses a decoding path selection device for decoding codewords generated by convolutional codes or turbo codes encoders in error correction codes, the decoding path selection device comprising: a branch metrics calculation unit for receiving incoming signals and calculating branch metrics values; a programmable generalized trellis router for generating a decoding path control signal according to the turbo code or convolutional code specification employed by one of communications standards; a multiplexer for receiving the branch metrics values from the branch metrics calculation unit and the decoding path control signal from the programmable generalized trellis router and selecting a corresponding branch metrics value; a recursive calculation unit, connected after the multiplexer and for receiving the corresponding branch metrics value from the multiplexer; and an a-posteriori probability calculation unit, connected after the recursive calculation unit and for calculating a final decoding result.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A decoding path selection device for decoding codewords generated by convolutional codes encoders or turbo codes encoders in error correction codes, the decoding path selection device comprising:
a branch metrics calculation unit for receiving a plurality of incoming signals and calculating a plurality of branch metrics values;
a programmable generalized trellis router for generating a decoding path control signal according to the turbo code or convolutional code specification employed by one of a plurality of standards;
a multiplexer for receiving the branch metrics values from the branch metrics calculation unit and the decoding path control signal from the programmable generalized trellis router and selecting a corresponding branch metrics value;
a recursive calculation unit, connected after the multiplexer and for receiving the corresponding branch metrics value from the multiplexer; and
an a-posteriori probability calculation unit, connected after the recursive calculation unit and for calculating a final decoding result.

2. The decoding path selection device of claim 1 , wherein the programmable generalized trellis router comprises:
a counter, comprising a plurality of memory units, the number of the memory units is greater than or equal to a constraint length of a corresponding encoder; and
an inverse type generator polynomial generator for receiving a plurality of inputs from the memory units and generating an inverse type generator polynomial via a generator polynomial of the corresponding encoder, the result generated by the inverse type generator polynomial is the decoding path control signal.

3. The decoding path selection device of claim 2 , wherein the decoding path selection device is configured to be adapted to a Viterbi decoder.

4. The decoding path selection device of claim 3 , wherein the Viterbi decoder further comprises a path tracking module.

5. The decoding path selection device of claim 2 , wherein the decoding path selection device is configured to be adapted to a Maximum a-posteriori probability decoder.

6. The decoding path selection device of claim 2 , wherein one or more of the values of the memory units are given in order to shorten the time needed for expansion and counting of the inverse type generator polynomial.

7. The decoding path selection device of claim 2 , wherein the inverse type generator polynomial supports a turbo code.

8. The decoding path selection device of claim 7 , wherein the inverse type generator polynomial supports a recursive or non-recursive, systematic or non-systematic convolutional encoder.

9. The decoding path selection device of claim 2 , wherein the inverse type generator polynomial supports a convolutional code.

10. The decoding path selection device of claim 9 , wherein the inverse type generator polynomial supports a recursive or non-recursive, systematic or non-systematic convolutional encoder.

11. The decoding path selection device of claim 1 , wherein the programmable generalized trellis router supports a Radix-4 and Radix-2 architecture.

12. A decoding path selection method for decoding codewords generated by convolutional codes or turbo codes encoders in error correction codes, the decoding path selection method comprising:
receiving a plurality of input signals;
calculating a plurality of branch metrics values;
generating a decoding path control signal according to the turbo code or convolutional code specification employed by one of a plurality of standards;
receiving the branch metrics values and the decoding path control signal and selecting a corresponding branch metrics value;
receiving the corresponding branch metrics value; and
calculating a final decoding result.

13. The decoding path selection method of claim 12 , wherein the step of generating the decoding path control signal comprises the following steps:
generating a plurality of inputs from a plurality of memory units, wherein the number of the memory units is greater than or equal to a constraint length of a corresponding encoder; and
generating an inverse type generator polynomial generator via a polynomial of the corresponding encoder, the result generated by the inverse type generator polynomial is the decoding path control signal.

14. The decoding path selection method of claim 13 , wherein one or more of the values of the memory units are given in order to shorten the time needed for expansion and counting of the inverse type generator polynomial.

15. The decoding path selection method of claim 13 , wherein the inverse type generator polynomial supports a turbo code.

16. The decoding path selection method of claim 15 , wherein the inverse type generator polynomial supports codewords generated by a recursive or non-recursive, systematic or non-systematic convolutional encoder.

17. The decoding path selection method of claim 13 , wherein the inverse type generator polynomial supports a convolutional code.

18. The decoding path selection method of claim 17 , wherein the inverse type generator polynomial supports codewords generated by a recursive or non-recursive, systematic or non-systematic convolutional encoder.

Assignees

• Univ Yuan Ze

Inventors

• Lin Cheng-Hung
• HSIEH Tsung-Ju

Classifications

• H03M13/258

  with turbo codes, e.g. Turbo Trellis Coded Modulation [TTCM] · CPC title

• H03M13/23

  using convolutional codes, e.g. unit memory codes · CPC title

• H03M13/4161 Primary

  implementing path management · CPC title

• H03M13/3961 Primary

  Arrangements of methods for branch or transition metric calculation · CPC title

• H03M13/3905

  Maximum a posteriori probability [MAP] decoding or approximations thereof based on trellis or lattice decoding, e.g. forward-backward algorithm, log-MAP decoding, max-log-MAP decoding · CPC title