7 CHANNEL CODING: PART 2 381 TA 72 74 75 7.6 Convolutional Encoding, 382 Convolutional Encoder Representation, 384 7.2.1 Connection Representation, 385 7.2.2. State Representation and the State Diagram, 389 7.2.3 The Tree Diagram, 391 7.2.4 The Trellis Diagram, 393 Formulation of the Convolutional Decoding Problem, 395 73.1 Maximum Likelihood Decoding, 395 6.4.9 Decoder Implementation, 340 73.2 Channel Models: Hard versus Soft Decisions, 396 73.3 The Viterbi Convolutional Decoding Algorithm, 401 7.34 An Example of Viterbi Convolutional Decoding, 401 Decoder Implementation, 405 7.3.6 Path Memory and Synchronization, 408 Properties of Convolutional Codes, 408 7.4.1 Distance Properties of Convolutional Codes, 408 7.4.2 Systematic and Nonsystematic Convolutional Codes, 413 7.4.3 Catastrophic Error Propagation in Convolutional Codes, 414 744 Performance Bounds for Convolutional Codes, 415 74.5 Coding Gain, 416 7.4.6 Best Known Convolutional Codes, 418 7.4.7 Convolutional Code Rate Trade-Off, 420 7.48 Sofi-Decision Viterbi Decoding, 420 Other Convolutional Decoding Algorithms, 422 7.5.1 Sequential Decoding, 422 7.5.2 Comparisons and Limitations of Viterbi and Sequential Decoding, 425 7.5.3 Feedback Decoding, 427 Conclusion, 429CHAPTER 7 Channel Coding: Part 2 Information From other source sources Message Channel symbols, symbols nex p Free ‘Multiple moxie} } access gb) a(t) ¢ AaB Digital Digital Channel @ baseband bandpass impulse waveform waveform, response © y 4 t Digital input m; Digital output r 7 le 7 Ce VAN Poco Fa Ko |: stecode. LZ Jicopread] powessq |v Message Channel symbols symbols Optional information To othor ow sink destinations [1 Essential 381‘This chapter deals with convolutional coding. Chapter 6 presented the fundamen- tals of linear block codes, which are described by two integers, n and k, anda gen- erator matrix or polynomial. The integer & is the number of data bits that form an input to a block encoder. The integer n is the total number of bits in the associated codeword out of the encoder. A characteristic of linear block codes is that each codeword m-tuple is uniquely determined by the input message k-tuple. The ratio kén is called the rate of the code—a measure of the amount of added redundancy. A convolutional code is described by three integers, 7, k, and K, where the ratio k/n has the same code rate significance (information per coded bit) that it has for block codes: however, n does not define a block or codeword length as it does for block codes. The integer K is a parameter known as the constraint length; it represents the number of k-tuple stages in the encoding shift register. An important character- istic of convolutional codes, different from block codes, is that the encoder has memory—the n-tuple emitted by the convolutional encoding procedure is not only a function of an input k-tuple, but is also a function of the previous K — 1 input k-tuples. In practice, n and & are small integers and K is varied to control the capa- bility and complexity of the code. 7.1 CONVOLUTIONAL ENCODING In Figure 1.2 we presented a typical block diagram of a digital communication sys- tem. A version of this functional diagram, focusing primarily on the convolutional encode/decode and modulate/demodulate portions of the communication fink, is 382 Channel Coding: Part 2 Chap. 7