Citation
Abstract
Convolutional codes have been the central] part of most error-control systems in deep-space communication for many years. Almost all such applications, however, have used the restricted class of (n,1), also known as “rate I/n,” convolutional codes, The more general class of (n,k) convolutional codes contains many potentially useful codes, but their algebraic theory is difficult and has proved to be a stumbling block in the evolution of convolutional coding systems. In this article, the situation is improved by describing a set of practical algorithms for computing certain basic things about a convolutional code (among them the degree, the Forney indices, a minimal generator matrix, and a parity-check matrix), which are usually needed before a system using the code can be built. The approach is based on the classic Forney theory for convolutional codes, together with the extended Smith algorithm for polynomial matrices, which 1s introduced in this article.
Details
- Volume
- 42-112
- Published
- February 15, 1993
- Pages
- 22–30
- File Size
- 404.5 KB