Error correction codes for incremental redundancy

摘要

A method includes accepting input including at least part of a codeword that has been encoded by an ECC defined by a set of parity check equations. The codeword includes data bits and parity bits. A decoding process is applied to the codeword using the data bits and only a first partial subset of parity bits in the input, and using only a second partial subset of equations. Upon a failure to decode the codeword using the partial subsets, the codeword is re-decoded using the data bits and all parity bits in the input, and using all equations. The set of parity check equations is defined such that any parity bit in the codeword appears in multiple equations, and any parity bit in the first partial subset of the parity bits appears in a plurality of equations in the second partial subset of the equations.

主权项

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a front-end unit configured to:
receive a radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein the RF signal includes data encoded with an error correction code (ECC), wherein the ECC is defined by a plurality of parity check equations, and wherein a parity check matrix representing the ECC includes a data sub-matrix and a parity sub-matrix;convert the RF signal to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal; andsample the IF signal to generate a digitized signal; a modem unit configured to demodulate the digitized signal to generate a plurality of code words, wherein each code word of the plurality of code words includes a plurality of data bits and a plurality of parity bits; and an decoder unit configured to:
decode a given one of the plurality of code words using each data bit of the plurality of data bits and a first partial subset of the plurality of parity bits of the given one of the plurality of code words and dependent upon a second partial subset of the plurality of parity check equations; andre-decode, responsive to a determination that the decode of the given one of the plurality of code words failed, the given one of the plurality of code words using the data bits and each parity bit of the plurality of parity bits and dependent upon each parity check equation of the plurality of parity check equations; wherein a first sub-matrix of the parity sub-matrix corresponding to the first partial subset of the plurality of parity bits and to the second partial subset of the plurality of parity check equations comprises a lower triangular matrix.