Method and apparatus for encoding/decoding QAM trellis coded data

摘要

A method and apparatus for encoding and decoding QAM trellis modulated data. In the transmitter, a subset of bits of an input bit set are convolutionally encoded based upon a punctured convolutional code of a lower data rate to provide a set of coded symbols. The coded symbols and the uncoded bits of the input bit set are provided to a QAM modulator to provide a QAM modulation signal indicative of the values of coded symbols and the uncoded bits. In the receiver a QAM demodulator converts the received QAM signal to QAM signal space coordinates. A decoder employing the Viterbi algorithm is used to reconstruct a corrected estimate of the values of the coded data bits from the received signal coordinates. The corrected estimate of the values of the coded data bits are then used in conjunction with the received signal coordinates to provide corrected estimates of the values of the uncoded input bits.